Dimaro 
Dimaro's Coat of Arms
My paternal grandmother Erina Albasini, daughter of Bartolo Albasini and Filomena Bottea, emigrated from Dimaro, Val di Sole, Trentino, Italy. Located in the Alps, at that time it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. My paternal grandfather Giovanni Battista Martinelli, son of Felice Martinelli and Maria Pancera, was from the hamlet of Carciato, just a short walk away from Dimaro (at least short for an amorous suitor).
Giovanni and Erina waited until they got to America to get married. Giovanni came to the United States at the age of 25, arriving on 1 January 1906 aboard the steam ship Saint Louis sailing from Southampton to Ellis Island, Port of New York with $40 in his pocket. Settling in Loretto, Michigan near his cousin Dominica Martinelli, he prepared a home for his bride. Erina arrived at Ellis Island, Port of New York, on 19 April 1906 aboard the steam ship Zeeland sailing from Antwerp on April 7th. A copy of the ship's manifest shows Erina was 21 years old, a servant laborer, had $10 and a ticket to Loretto in her possession. She was meeting her "bridegroom Battista Martinelli" at Loretto, Michigan (see ship's manifest exerpt at bottom of page1). They were married on 24 April 1906 at Vulcan, Michigan. Shortly after that, the newlyweds settled down in Caspian, Michigan where they appear on the 1910 and 1920 US census. Battista, as he liked to be called, got a job as a miner working in the iron mines that surrounded the whole Iron River, Caspian and Stambaugh area. On 8 February 1907 their first child Felice (Phillip) was born.
During the late 1920's Giovanni (now known as John), Erina and their six surviving children (Phil, Bruno, Mary, Ines, Arthur and Alda) moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finding it difficult to care for all the children, Ines and Alda were placed in St. Rose's Orphan Asylum for Girls and Arthur was placed in St. Amelian's Orphanage for Boys. In 1933 Erina died from complications due to gall stones. John died 27 January 1957 after having returned to live in his home town in Italy 6 years before.
The clipping below came from an Italian Web site I found in 2001. I have left the links active. However, both sites have been down for a couple years. I am hoping that they revive again in the future.
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Dimaro -- village news, attractions, and tourist information; also a link to the parish church in Carciato - Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (1751). Believed to date from Roman times, Dimaro has been documented to the year 1211. Emigrants to the US included Albasini, Berti, Greifenberg, and Martinelli."
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This page was last modified on Monday, January 07, 2008