The Real Charlie Browniest!

Was I the inspiration for Charlie Brown's Christmas? How similar good ol' Charlie Brown & I look.
Video 1:
Tell me those aren't the very words that I'm speaking in the (silent) 8mm movie clip.
Video 2:
Same Hat. Same Coat! 
Video 3:
Without question my wife (her mittens whipping around) was the inspiration for the skating scene when they fly into one another...

Happy 90th Birthday Christine (Cedrone) Gentile

Christine (Cedrone) Gentile celebrated her young 90th birthday this weekend. I was thrilled to be invited (along with my wife Mary, Aunt Clara & her daughter Linda). We met so many relatives I'd only heard about and many I never knew.

Christine's father was my grandfather's brother, making her my mother's first cousin. To add more confusion to the family mix, her (late) husband, "Chubby," was my father's first cousin.Chubby's father & my grandmother (my father's mother) were siblings.
Christine Gentile's 90th:
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Christine Gentile 90th Birthday HD
Watch the 90 second movie:
Christine Gentile Birthday "Movie," 1080p You can also watch or download the full 10:00 video from the Internet Archive:
http://archive.org/details/ChristineGentile
To download it to your PC/Mac or Mobile Device. Right click or save this link to your hard drive:
QuickTime
 
If anyone has problems downloading it let me know at yourbestdj@aol.com
Here are our two oldest relatives. Cousins Clara (Cedrone) Marini 95 & Christine (Cedrone) Gentile 90:
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Clara & Chris 90th Birthday Party HD

Mangia!


The same pot! Insert, 8mm still from a 1960's home movie. Larger image is a screen shot from 2009 camcorder video. It's the same pot. It's truly the (golden) fountain of youth.
Color Corrected Pasta? WATCH:
ThumbnailColor Corrected Pasta
2010: With new High Def camera's here is Clara making pasta in HD. Or is that HP? Hot Pasta:Clara Marini Pasta
2009 Videos:
Both are featured below & linked here. These were recorded August 23, 2009. Part two shows Clara in 1959 making home made pasta, & we see her 50 years later still making Sunday dinner:
Clara Marini Cooking Pasta 8/23/09
Clara Marini Pasta Part Two


This 8mm was film by Ed Mahoney Looks like
Homemade Gnocchi's are on the menu:

Clara Marini's Fresh Gnocchi's!
8MM & TODAY! Picture in Picture, or is that Pasta in Pasta?!:
Aunt Clara's Pasta

Here's the alternate version:Clara's Pot of PastaWhat's new is old. 2011 HD video converted to 8mm!
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Enjoy a meatball 'sangwedge:"
LIVE! At Aunt Clara's
Clara will tell you it is HER sauce which was Aunt Millie's (now discontinued). The woman behind Aunt Millie's knew Clara. She tasted Clara's, loved it, then made it slightly different calling it her own!
Recorded June 11th 2011:

Recorded Holidays 2011. Clara's Stories:
Clara once rented the 2nd floor apt of a Hawthorne (NY) home when she & Dan married.
The landlady's daughter in law asked what Clara was cooking....
Thumbnail Aunt Clara Aunt Millie

Everyone's Pregnant!

When Janet Marini was born my mother sent two cards. One written by her for her parents.
(Click on the images to enlarge them or go to the link at the bottom to view/download them):




The other telling of the women in the family who were also expecting. Their sister Ann would soon give birth to Marie. Niece Fran Camilli to Joyce, & sister in law Edna Cedrone was four months pregnant. Edna? Pregnant?


If you can't read it download the full size image. She says, Edna thought she was "change of life," so she went to Dr. Rogan & he told her she is 4 months pregnant. Harry is so happy. He doesn't make her do anything.

Harry & Edna were unable to have children. Harry was the only Cedrone sibling without children & as you can see in the note, he was so very happy. That child would've been a first cousin & most likely their only child. Edna must've soon miscarried. I never heard my parents or of anyone talking about this. Anyone who knew of, or remembered her pregnancy has since passed away.

They adopted one child, Helen, some twenty years later & because of their age had to fight the system to do so. The courts assumed based on their age they wouldn't be able to raise a child properly or would pass away before being able to do so. Helen was about 13 when Harry died. Edna passed away two years later. Afterward Helen moved in with cousin's Vilma (Tougas) & Virgie (Cantor).

Another piece of unknown family history found...on the back of a greeting card.
https://picasaweb.google.com/102260807874318515063/CedroneDocuments#5762020610568682050
On a lighter note, Clara wrote on the inside of the card what she received:

My parents sent a dress. My Grandparents a dress, blanket & $5.00!





Save Your Orignal Video & Film

I cannot tell you how many times I've been told original 8mm Super 8 & 16mm Home Movies
or VHS Home Movies were thrown away.
You had them transferred to DVD so who needs all these old tapes & films taking up space. Besides you don't own a VCR or a projector so why keep them?
NEVER throw away your originals. Even if you have no interest in transferring them someone else may want to archive your family history.

If anything happened to your digital copies, game over, memories lost. Most reading this do not back up or archive their media. If you lost your discs or they become scratched, as long as you have your originals you can have them re-transferred.

If you had film movies transferred to VHS in the 80's or 90's, but you still have the original film have them transferred digitally.
Years ago all they did was project the film onto a white board recording the film with a camcorder.
Your original film looks superior to this transfer.

Unfortunately DVDs are  becoming "Dated Video Discs," just as CDs are like the records they replaced. We are quickly becoming a disc-less society. Within a few years the DVD will be like the VHS tape it replaced.

However, transferring movies/videos to the DVD format is the norm (for now). While the format will soon be antiquated it's the medium available. There should never be more than TWO hours of video on each DVD or you will greatly lose quality.

But you can also stay ahead of the techno curve. It's well worth having them converted to Quicktime/MOV files. You'll be able to play them on your computer, mobile devices & tablets.

You'll have them available anywhere without the need for a DVD player. The images are larger the quality better. You can easily back them up dragging the files to your hard drive.
Stream the content from your mobile devices to your TV.
THINK! 
You can still hold a 100 year old photo. You can watch a film or VHS tape from decades ago, some film dating back to the 1930's, as long as you have the right projector/VCR.
However, there is NO PROOF that all of the digital media you own will continue to play or will open 100 years from now
You're probably saying to yourself "SO WHAT? WHO CARES?"You won't be around anyway.
You don't preserve your family history just for you. You do it for future generations.
How much do you have stored on drives be it on your phone or tablet (The worst drives to archive, if only because they're so often lost, destroyed or worse corrupted when updated.)
Maybe your "stuff," is on smaller flash drives, larger back up drives, or possibly on your desktop drive. Drives & files fail all of the time.  
They become corrupt. The "internals," stop working & they are unable to open.
As formats evolve what is playable today may not be playable in the future.
Ahhh! But you're one step ahead. You, like most (today) have everything on facebook, or any one of the online storage services or "clouds." Most are FREE or charge a very reasonable fee Personally I do not trust online storage services. One hack attack, one major server issue & your family's history is gone.
What do you do?
Unfortunately we now live in a paperless & film-less society. Every image or video you've taken in the last few years is only a file & for those reading this in the future that will certainly be true
There is no paper trace. Back it up well. 
Store your media on as many good quality/secure devices & online sites as possible just expect something to fail.
That's why you NEVER throw away the original image, film or video. NEVER!   
If you still have the original (photo/film/videotape) content you or future generation(s) can create new transfers in whatever format will be the latest & best in the future.
Stacking & packing.
Rewind your videotapes. Store them standing up with the tape on the bottom. Film should be stored stacked but only a few on top of each other. Unless you have shelves devoted to your media don't "preserve," them in plastic bags. A card board box will do. Do not seal the box.
If a film reel smells of vinegar it is starting to disintegrate. The stronger the odor the worse it is. This is irreversible. Do not store it with the others. Store it elsewhere or like the measles it will eventually leach spreading the disease onto the others.
You can deep freeze film too as the National Archives does for film suffering from vinegar syndrome 
(Search for film bags made for this)
Store your media in a room or closet away from sunlight, humidity & extreme temps.
If you have no interest in keeping your home movies contact me @ yourbestdj@aol.com
I may purchase it from you.

Cedrone - Tocci 8mm Home Movie

My parents 8mm home movies spanning nearly 20 years from the mid 1950's to early 1970's in (very close) chronological order:

Got An Old Phone Book? Use It!

Few of us own phone books today. Who needs'em with the internet. But if you have one or have access to them online through sites like Ancestry.com you'll be surprised at what you only thought you knew.

Sure you know where your grandparents lived or your cousin but do you know what their occupations were, if they were married or attending college.

For many years phone books provided a wealth of information.
They did this to better assist you with finding the correct persons. If your were looking for a friend or relative with a very common but you knew he was photographer, you'd be better able to find him by not only his name but by his trade.

Look at the journey of Paul & Vi Arpie & their kids stretching from the 1930's to 1980's. Multiple addresses & just about as many careers.
See their travels (mostly) through Ct at the bottom of the album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102260807874318515063/CedroneDocuments

1957 Mickey Mantle's In Town

May 1957 & Mickey's in town to take a few swings!
Within the first 30 seconds, the audio slows way down for about 10 seconds as Mickey makes his way around home plate in his car: His car? WATCH:
http://pleasantvillebaseball.vnsports.com/video/?id=239CBFDED95F6CEB7F7F0FE301E18D9A

A Dollar's Worth

The caption within the photo tells the story! Click on the photo:
This 1959 "hand made time card," was found in a cabinet in Clara & Dan's garage in 2012. Some 53 years later!

Vintage Audio Downloads

Download them at this link: 
You may need to sign in with a FREE account to download them. Well worth it!
Audio featured are of my parents/family, my kids & some of my wife's family.
Some files are repeated because they were featured on another site which no longer
exists. I then uploaded everything that was on that former site some of which were
already featured here:
https://www.box.com/files/0/f/17629136/Loreto

World War ll Claims a Cedrone, a Tocci & a Parent

I will break this down 
so it's easy to follow:
WWll claims a Cedrone & a Tocci & then a parent.

The Cedrone Death: Pompeii Leone was Loreto Cedrone's nephew. It was his sister's son. Killed in action:


The Tocci Death:

John Lawrence Gentile was Grace (Gentile) Tocci's nephew. Grace was married to my grandfather Carmine Tocci. Her brother was Loreto Gentile. John Lawrence dies in a secret mission & most likely did not know he was part of it:


http://www.accessgenealogy.com/navy/massachusetts/g.htm
John Lawrence was on board the SS. Harvey in 1943 when he too was killed in action.
The SS Harvey was in Bari, Italy with a cargo only a select few knew about. Disguised were 500 tons of mustard gas bombs.
The bombs were meant only as a precaution to be used if the Germans resorted to chemical warfare.
The Commander wanted to unload the bombs quickly but since only he & a few others knew they existed he didn't want to draw attention to the cargo, so they sat in the harbor for 5 days.
The German air force found & attacked all the ships in the harbor unaware of the SS Harvey's cargo. Once hit, the ship exploded disappearing instantly in a huge mushroom-shaped fireball:
Bari Italy was under the jurisdiction of British law. Churchill destroyed all evidence of mustard gas deaths & instead listed them as,
" burns due to enemy action." Churchill's secrecy caused more deaths as victims especially Italian civilians died from lack of proper treatment.
Watch the video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NonWxm4aYHc
Loreto Gentile:
In February 1944 following the death of his son, Loreto Gentile , distraught while installing a gutter on a home, slipped, falling & hitting a fence killing him instantly. 
Below is a photo of John Lawrence Gentile, a newspaper clipping which details the story of his brother Pompeo (Chubby) Gentile who held off the Nazis for over an hour earning him a Bronze Star & the death of Pompeii Leone who died the same day his childhood friend Jerry Leone (no relation) stationed elsewhere was injured. Pompeii was killed in action trying to save soldiers in his platoon wounded under heavy fire:


Links are here:
Pompeo Gentile:
John Lawrence Gentile:
Pompeii Leone







Youtube Channel


I've made every video available in playlists on youtube. It will link you to the channel as it does here:http://www.youtube.com/user/8mmhomemoviechannel

Find a Grave & Our Death Records

The importance of headstone, gravestone, & cemetery photos. Yes, I know taking photos in a cemetery may seem odd but they are greatly needed when researching family. They are often a source of great information or they can lead you to more. Look at this photo:
The original inscription of the stone after my grandfather's death in 1952 & the corrected design. Who knew? Anyone who did has long passed away.

The headstone at All Souls Cemetery in Pleasantville NY, was photographed by my parents then sent to my mother's sister Clara in Quincy, Ma. While Clara visited the graves many
times over the decades she had long forgotten about the photo sent & had no idea the design had changed.

On the back of one photo was a note from my mother. She mentioned their father's name was not on the correct side. No one knows when the headstone was chan
ged, possibly after my grandmother died.


The headstone not only provides some basic information but the history of the stone itself.
Loreto Cedrone died 1952. Fifty nine years later, in 2011 I found a photo which showed the headstone had been changed.

Find A Grave provides researchers with photos & sometimes bio's of headstones.
If you're family reading this you will or should recognize these 5 links:

When I searched Dan Marini-Aunt Clara's name popped up as well since they share the same headstone. I do not know who took the photo or if they're related to Dan. Many x's headstones are photographed & uploaded by complete strangers, a friend of the deceased, or a very distant relative.
There are MILLIONS of headstones in this country. It's pure luck when someone you know has a headstone photographed.
Aunt Clara & Uncle Dan except he was never called Don:
Glady Cedrone: Glady was the brother of Christine Cedrone, who are the children of Alex Cedrone (Loreto's brother).
I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating.
My mother & Christine Cedrone are 1st cousins. Christine married Paulo (Chubby) Gentile. Chubby & my father were 1st cousins. Chubby's father, & my father's mother were siblings (Got it). So, they were 1st cousins to both of my parents through blood & through marriage! This is Chris' brother's grave:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=cedrone&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=21&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=53339263&df=all&

 Here is a PDF of deceased Cedrone's & Tocci's:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9dVuq0Ul-ruOWZkMDI2MGQtNDU1MS00MDU1LTg3ODEtMjc0NmU2OTU5ZjU5