52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 3 - Out Of Place

It’s week 3 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. The prompt this week is “Out of Place”.

My father was born and raised in Alton, Illinois. His family had lived in Alton and the surrounding areas since the mid-1800s, when his ancestors immigrated from Germany. Except for a brief period of time when he lived with my mother’s family after their marriage, my father spent his entire life in Alton.

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

My mother was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She did not leave St. Louis until about 2 years after her marriage, when she moved with my father to Alton. Her father’s family had immigrated from Italy to St. Louis in the early 1900s. Her grandfather, Umberto Petrini, had come to the United States first, arriving in 1904. The rest of the family followed him in 1908.

A few years ago I was researching his wife’s sister, Fravolina Orsi. Imagine my surprise when I found her living with Umberto and his family—in Alton, Illinois! This find was in the 1910 Alton City Directory.

The family wasn’t in Alton for long. By 1912, Fravolina has married in St. Louis. Umberto is found in the 1916 St. Louis City Directory. There may be earlier listings that are him, but I’ve not yet confirmed that. They were there only a short while. They couldn’t have guessed that 40 years later, their descendants would call Alton ‘home’!