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The only "Vivace" family members that I have known in my whole life are myself, my brother, my sister, my mother (born Désormeaux) and my father (born Vivace) in Montreal, Canada. The only other Vivace was my grandfather, Santo Vivace, born in Reggio di Calabria, Italy in 1893 who married my grandmother, Irène Granato. The family stories are that Santo Vivace was adopted, so I never knew if "Vivace" was my grandfathers's name at birth or the name of his adoptive parents.
I have done some research. The stories passed down from my childhood are as follows. My grandfather came from Italy to New York City in 1913. Nothing is known of whether he came alone from Italy or with family members. He must have come by some ship but I don't know at which port: Ellis Island or other. I haven't been able to find a web site of Ellis Island to search entries in the years 1912/1913.
Santo Vivace apparently lived in New York City for about 6 months when he "smuggled" himself by train to Montreal Canada and went to live with the Dascola family in the east part of Montreal.
Then he met my grandmother, Irène Granato, they married and had only one child my father, who still lives in Montreal, Canada. I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1980 and live here with my husband. We have no children.
I would like to trace any other "Vivace" family members I may have. I have successfully contacted another Vivace in the eastern United States but we have not been able to establish if we are directly related.
One important information that this new "Vivace" connection has found for me is that illegitimate children in Italy in the late 19th century would be "assigned" a name by the government, a name that would not be traceable to the mother or father. I would think that this is why my grandfather's birth certificate does not indicate the name of his mother or father. It only states that he was born on July 25, 1893 in Reggio di Calabria, Italy.
I am planning a trip to Reggio Calabria in September 2000 and would like to find relatives of my grandfather and hopefully the true name of my great grandmother, the woman who gave birth to my grandfather.
This is quite a mystery and a quest I would like to pursue to discover what my "real" name is: if the Italian government gave the name of "Vivace" to my grandfather, then what was his real name at birth?
Are the other "Vivace"s that I have discovered on the East Coast also from a lineagle of "fake" Vivaces, and/or are they direct/distant relatives of my grandfather's?
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