Thanks for adding me into the tree, can my wife Tina Haddad and sons Nicholas Girimonte and Chad Girimonte be added as well. Ps hope You and yours are well. Pleasure to meet You Bill (cousin).

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Subject: RE: Our history
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:21:05 +1300
Hello Cousin Mark,

Apologies for the delay in responding-I had a bit of digging to do :

I have found your place in the family tree and provide a link directly to your record:

http://girimonti.circolocalabrese.org/research/p4314.htm

Great news: I have your direct paternal line going back 7 generations to circa 1731!!

On the link I provided above, you will find a link to a chart "C2 - Saverio Girimonte (#4214) (c1731 - 1801)" This is a chart of all of his known descendants. You will find that the chart has you in the upper right hand corner. Be sure to scroll around to get an idea of the scope and depth of your particular branch of the family.

Your branch hails from San Giovanni in Fiore, Calabria. I have been to San Giovanni in Fiore numerous times over the years and have personally consulted the town records. One such record indicates that your grandfather emigrated to Brazil on 01 Jan 1950 from San Giovanni in Fiore. He then went again in May of the same year back to Brazil. Most likely scoping out work in the sugar cane harvesting industry which was quite big at the time. Further research shows that he then emigrated to Canada in 1952.

Now, regarding your uncle that may have been in the Brazilian navy, there is only one person that could be, from what I currently know and that would be your father's older brother, Salvatore, who was born in 1937 in San Giovanni in Fiore. With that said, I have no record of Salvatore ever leaving Italy, but that does not necessarily mean it never happened. Further, I really have next to nothing on Salvatore, and if he emigrated to Brazil, would explain things. So, I am assuming that, whilst the rest of the brothers all either emigrated to Canada or were born there, Salvatore decided to go to Brazil instead. It certainly makes sense considering his own father's trips there.

Does this sound plausible? Do you have any other bits of information? You never know, these little bits have a way of connecting the dots. Let me know what you know, as it will most likely solve another mystery or two.

Kindest regards from New Zealand,

Bill Girimonti