I know that my paternal grandfather was born in Pacentro, Province of Aquila, Italy on April 13, 1869. arrived in the USA through Ellis Island on May 02, 1895. The ship manifest lists his occupation as "MASON" which he really was and somehow he ended up in Missouri, probably Saint Louis, where he worked in construction and then left for Costa Rica, Central America, where he arrived in May 08,1898.
He was raised in Pacentro, Italy living there in a stone house, which I had the opportunity to see with my wife during a visit there 4 years ago; the house number is #47 at "Via del Colle".
He worked in construction in Costa Rica and married a local woman with whom he had nine children, one of whom was my father Maggi Cercone. During the Great Depression my grandfather turned to something he knew people would be buying. He started a pasta factory and sold spaghetti and other pasta until his death, at the front office of that factory in June 24,1936.
My father, Maggi Marcelino Cercone was born June 2,1908 and he married my mother Odilie Segura when he was 32 years old.
My mother, who came from a more humble family was the daughter of Emerita Segura Mora and Elias Rodriguez. My mother met my father while he was delivering pasta at a protestant ministerial seminary where she was in charge of ordering and receiving merchandise and food for the student pastors.
My parents WELCOMED me in November 02,1941; two other siblings, Rebecca and Maggi were born in 1945 and 1950 respectively. I have two sons, my sister has one son, and my brother has 2 sons and a daughter.
I recently met a second cousin in Costa Rica, who has been doing genealogical studies in the Rodriguez part of the family and we shared some information. We will no doubt continue to email to each other and to share more information.
I am currently trying to find out exactly when my paternal grandfather came into the United States; whether he came in through Ellis Island and how long he worked in Saint Louis.

I married Nancy Malloy, daughter of E. D.Malloy and Haddasah (Hattie)Youssim, in Chicago around November 1967. We had two children: James Anthony and Justin P; they were raised for a few years in the "Windy City" and then we all moved to Lewistown , Fulton County, Illinois where the boys finished High School and then went on to college and then their separate ways. Their mother and I divorced and she went on to become an Episcopal Priest.

I remarried in 1991 and still live in Lewistown, IL with my wife Betty J. Fawcett, daughter of Delbert L. Fawcett and Wanda Ruth Cooper, all born and raised in Fulton County.

The Family Trees will include the Cercone/Segura families as well as the Malloy/Youssim and the Fawcett/Cooper families.

More to follow!!!!

• The Cercone Segura Family Tree (20 KB)
  

• My grandfather's house in Pcaentro, Italy (408 KB)
  This is the house, at Via del Colle no. 47, in Pacentro, Italy where my grandfather was raised. He later inmigrated to the USA in 1895 and eventually on to Costa Rica.
• William Moses Fawcett & Edith Heaton photo (85 KB)
  W. M. and Edith posing for a nice picture, with a fake tree in the background. Notice that it is also behind the picture of Levi, Moses's brother.
• William Kaiser II--Ship Manifest, May 1895 (1381 KB)
  This is the Ship Manifest that denotes (small arrow at left border, ticket # 362) the name of my grandfather Carlo Cercone Lucente when he arrived at Ellis Island, USA from Naples, Italy.
• Ginebra Cercone-Vargas (199 KB)
  This is my father's oldest sister as a teenager. She died as a young adult.
• Elizabeth O'Dell, mother of Levi and W. Moses (160 KB)
  This matronly lady was married to David Fawcett and she was the mother of Levi L. and W. Moses Fawcett. This house was located somewhere in Table Grove, Fulton County, Illinois
• Carmela Cercone-Vargas (36 KB)
  This is one of my dad's three sisters. She was a teacher and married when she was in her 50's.
• William Moses Fawcett mining coal . (171 KB)
  This is W. Moses Fawcett, grandfather of Delbert (BUD) Fawcett. Bud is my second wife's father. One can assume that he was mining coal near Table Grove, Illinois, perhaps in Vermont or Industry.
• Levi L. Fawcett, older brother of W. Moses Fawcett (106 KB)
  Levi, 10 years younger than W. Moses, was a veterinarian apprentice who practiced the trade independently for many years. It is said that he always wore a wide-brim hat.
• Natalia Cercone and great-gramma Odilie Segura (53 KB)
  This is a picture of Natalia at around 1 yr. old being held by great-gramma Odilie at James and Tarina's house in San Ramon de Tres Rios in Costa Rica sometime in 2001.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II Ship that brought grandpa to USA (497 KB)
  This is the Kaiser Wilhelm II, a German ship that brought my grandpa Carlo Cercone to Ellis Island May 02, 1895. It could carry 1200 passengers (120 first class, 80 second class and 1000 in third class). It was scrapped in Italy in 1908.
• VIA DEL COLLE--STREET WHERE CARLO LIVED (430 KB)
  This is a view of Via del Colle, in front of the house where my grandpa Carlo Cercone lived, looking down towards the town square. Betty, my wife, is seen admiring the old structure.

Jaime Humberto Cercone
jhcercone@sybertech.net

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