I couldn’t even tell you how many times I have said those words! And what can I say, it’s been more than a little hectic around here… But, I’ll be combing the last two weeks posts into one. And yes, that would be my personal collection of library cards from oooohhh, the last twenty some years! I have always LOVED the library! Where else could have I gained the knowledge I had been looking for?! Who hasn’t picked up a copy of D’aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths or played Oregon Trail at some point? I can easily remember many years of walking from my Grandparent’s house after school, up the street to the library, and spending hours there until dinner time!

Since I’ve been spending countless hours scouring through newspapers for obituaries, I found this gem of a pic! Yes, that second one is me holding a cake pan. I’m not sure what’s going on with my Hawaiian print shirt.. but hey, it was the 80s! Our library had them available for checkout so parents could make fun cake shapes. But honestly, most the time the cakes seemed to look like they came off of Nailed It! And while it isn’t National Library Week yet, it’s usually the second week in April; here’s a good list of 10 Easy Ways You Can Support Libraries! I also have to include this link of 10 ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Books For Adults, Because It’s Way More Fun To Mess Up Your Life In Book Form I stumbled across as another homage to my library since they were one of my favorites! So much so, that I bought some for my kids last year!

Ok, so besides declaring my love for the library that’ve spanned across the US.. I have to give two other shoutout’s. One to YSU’s Maag Library; where I probably spent too much time when I should’ve actually been in high school. And my most recent discovery, the John F Germany Public Library in Tampa! While I haven’t had the time to make it back there yet since finishing up classwork; my personal research list of available items seems to be getting longer!

Now, onto part two of the post! Who I’d like to meet from my tree.. this one actually wasn’t that hard to decide on! LITTLE GRANDMA!! My 2x Great-Grandmother, Anna Marie Massaro Carano (1874-1959). From what I hear, she was little, but fierce! I think that seems to be the standard description for most of my Italian matriarchs… But from a few of the pictures I’ve seen of her and with talking to relatives, they say she was easily under 5′ in height!

Anna Marie Massaro was born on September 25, 1874, in Carovilli, Isernia, Italy. Daughter to Donato and Maria Julia De Dominicis Massaro. She was the second wife to my 2x Great-Grandfather, Pasquale ‘Pascal’ Carano (1867-1927), and they were married on March 29, 1897, in Krebs, Oklahoma. The information on the Italian immigration to Krebs is amazing! But, as I learned from doing my final report on their family; things weren’t all roses for the mining community and many of them headed out of Oklahoma and into Ohio for new opportunities in the early 1900’s. My Great-Great Grandparents included!

Life was going well for them in Ohio, but unfortunately tragedy struck on December 3, 1927, when my Great-Great Grandfather suffered a fatal accident while at work. Since there was such a tight knit familial community, it’s easily seen within the censuses that my Great-Great Grandmother continued living with some of her children. While other children and additional family were living next door and the adjacent streets. It seems as though it’s always been that way! She died on February 23, 1959, in Hubbard, Ohio, at the age of 84. My mother was very young when she died, so she doesn’t have too many memories of her. But I can’t imagine being a young woman in my early 20s, having to leave my country for a new life, and being thrust into a marriage with young children to take care of… but they made it work!

Well, again, sorry for the delays!! I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey thus far and will stop back to see what else will be popping up shortly! As always, feel free to send me a message with any questions or suggestions.

Hope you’re having a fantastic week!
Andi