Wanted

Carmine & Orazia aka Grazia/ Grace(Gentile) & Donato Tocci are a mystery. Early US Census shows they enter the U.S. about 1903-04. However no ship's documents from Castle Garden & Ellis Island to Boston show their arrival. I've researched this for some 3 years including some (free) assistance from genealogists who could not find any additional information.
This is the only photo known of Carmine, taken at Coney Island. He dies when struck by a train in 1935. It is not known if he is pushed, or is intoxicated. He was employed as a "blaster," in NYC. Blasters handled the explosives needed to "blast," rock during road construction. He was referred to as mean, abusive, & crazy, he was also an alcoholic.
By 1930 the family is disbanded. The children, now adults are on their own.
Carmine is missing/drifting by that year, Donato's imprisoned, & Grace is hospitalized.

We don't know what Grace truly looks like. Photographed when she was much older her face is shadowed.
Suffering from Dementia she remains institutionalized at Harlem Valley Hospital (census records indicate as early as 1930) until her death in 1954. She would slowly lose her memory & as such regular contact with family.
Donato, (self portrait) was a gifted artist & writer used his talents instead to "create," a life as a small time hood who was in & out of prison. He dies about 1948, (it is said) a blow to the back of the head.
During his incarceration he would write poetry. I recall vaguely a title of a poem about an inmate. My father inherited Dan's note book, consisting of poems, & personal thoughts. I wish I read more of it. The note book disappears after our house is sold. I do not know if it was lost, stolen, or thrown away.
This massive project containing 7 family blogs, nearly 1500 images, over 400 videos with hours of 8mm movies, & historic documents all restored ends the way it began.
The unknown immigration of Carmine, Grace & Donato Tocci.
The Tocci sibling's....
Tocci's First Generation Siblings

Tocci siblings in 40 seconds:

This image does not exist. It is a combination of 4 photos which bring together for the first & only time all the Tocci siblings:

FOUND! Obituary. 67 years agoVirginia (Tocci) Cedrone.
Cesidio (Joe) Cedrone (no relation to our family) wed my father's sister, Virginia Tocci
Feb 27 1925 in NYC. She is 16 (turning 17 on 10/30).

Their first child Grace is born the following April. They have two more, Anita & Frank (all are deceased). Virginia passes just shy of their 19th anniversary, Feb. 22nd 1944.
Frank, the youngest is only 14.



When Virginia dies in 1944, the Tocci family now look like this.

Infant-Americo dies at 4 months old, July 1910.

Carmine is deceased (1935).

Grace will live at Harlem Valley Hospital another 10 years passing away in 1954. She will have spent at least a 1/4 of a century institutionalized.

Florence & Dan Rufo, formerly of Pleasantville, have by that time lived for many years in Brighton on the same street.

John & Amelia, once of Brighton have moved to Ca.
 Donato, living in NYC passes away in 1948.

My parents are married with 3 kids. (Me! The 4th is born 11 years later).

Dan Rufo & Cesidio Cedrone are each from San Donato. They each marry a Tocci. Florence & Virginia respectively. So goes the Tocci name & I bet the same can be said about yours...

How quickly a family name can disappear....

The Tocci girls each lose their last name when they marry. As such the next "Tocci," generation ends since their children are now Rufo's, Mattarazzo's & Cedrone's.

Donato does not marry or have children. His legacy ends when he dies in 1948.

The leaves my parents, specifically my father, the last Tocci sibling to pass away (2000) with a daughter & three sons.
Diane marries. She nor her children are Tocci's
Donald has two girls. His daughter's marry. The Tocci dynasty ends there.

Doug has two boys & a girl. Doreen marries "losing,"her last name while Brian has two girls (one now deceased). There can be no future " Tocci's," between the two. Doug Jr. has a boy & girl.
I have a daughter & two sons. Kelly, married is no longer a Tocci.

So from the original Tocci siblings dating back 108 years to Donato's birth in 1903 to today (2011) it comes down to just 3 boys to carry on the Tocci name. My sons & Doug Jr.'s.
If they each had girls, the Tocci name (in our family) would no longer exist.

In Memory

This video is not in order of when family passed away but when they were filmed. The quality isn't bad considering this was taken from a VHS (before digital 8mm transfers were available):
The photos below are not in sync with 
"Quando, Quando, Quando." Images were picked at random. Included are photos or stills I made from 8mm movies:


HoneyMooner Holiday


The Honeymooner's, one of the greatest shows ever to grace the small screen & certainly my favorite. Ol' Ralphy boy, Ed, Alice & Trixie go from Bensonhurst to Pleasantville in this 8mm/tv show mix.
Happy Holiday's from littlest honeymooner Loreto.

Your Family Videos


The PARENT blog with ALL photos, videos, vintage audio, documents, & stories:

All photo's & documents are found here 
http://picasaweb.google.com/yourbestdj



Every youtube video is linked in the family blog, but in order to easily locate all of them each is linked here:

Donald & Barbara's 25th: Download here:


Lara's 1996 wedding is also available to download:

Clara & Dan's 50th.
View & Download each full length video:






The Marini's have their own blog:


Linda (MARINI) Mahoney's video's are featured at:



Our daughter's 10/24/09 wedding:




My land & seascape photography.

(Don't let the title of the blog fool you):




I videotaped our kids from 1982 when Kelly was 4 months old followed by Michael to Christopher now 16. That's 28 years of (VHS) home movies. I have preserved them digitally & slowly add a few funny clips to embarrass them for a life time. I often refer to them as the "Bratburgers!" Here they are:



WHY so many versions of our family history? WHY NOT?
The Family Histories

When I last worked on creating the digital transfers of my parent's 8mm the results were good. They are now in near mint condition.

The colors are rich, vivid. The images, sharp (Remember this is 8mm, not HD-TV). Some low light footage is grainy but that is to be expected.


To insure the highest quality this video contains only TRUE 8mm not those transferred to VHS, then burned to DVD. Sadly that's all that's left of Dan's but at least I've archived them. Marie's original 8mm Blizzard Wedding footage has yet to be found, but we have the copied VHS quality.


You can see Marie's & Dan's videos here:




Here are the updated 8mm transfers. These ae of the highest quality. Near mint. Rich, vivid color:























See the full one hour family history video here:


Tocci Marini:

A combination of my parent's & my brother Doug's restored 8mm with Dan Marini's Pleasantville visits.

Dan's films are long gone with only a fading VHS copy available. The VHS (vob) files were pulled/converted/enhanced to the best possible quality. Dan's near 16 minutes of Pleasantville footage intertwines with ours in chronological order.




















These videos are similar to the above. These were the first attempt at a digital transfer. If you compare these to the 10 above you'll agree while these are good, the above look great.








HD versions of the "Digital," copies above:











A chronological journey starting in 1956 through the early 1970's.

You can also view ALL of it easily within three screens:





Cedrone Tocci Family History 1-4

Cedrone Tocci Family History 9-12


The Family History


(Some VHS dubs may be inferior but it's all we have):






















These 9 are the 8mm History of our family produced in chronological order. These are ALL VHS copies produced before digital became available.

Starting in 1956 to the mid 1970's. Filmed by my parents, my brother's Doug & Donald, plus footage from Frank Patane (Blizzard/Marie's wedding), & Uncle Dan (Quincy footage & about 14 minutes of 8mm filmed in Pleasantville at different times):











Let's go back. My original VHS transfer in youtube HD:







Watch the 8mm home movies of the Tocci's in full frame HD. Each video offers a description & the time it begins so you can jump right to that moment:

Full frame HD transfers below & within this playlist:



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Thumbnail Now THAT's an Exit!


Thumbnail Now in HD:Dan Marini's 8mm of Donald & Barbara's wedding
1964 Barbara & Donald Tocci Wedding HDRaw/unedited-enhanced FULL FRAME 8mm Transfer (Selected Clips), in the playlist :


This single page links everything!