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"WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE" - Shakespeare

This is a quotation by William Shakespeare from his play The Tempest. The phrase was originally used in Act 2, Scene I. Antonio uses it to suggest that all that has happened before that time, the "past", has led Sebastian and himself to this opportunity to do what they are about to do: commit murder, or make another choice. In contemporary use, the phrase stands for the idea that history sets the context for the present.

I equate this to how our family history search for the true identity of Joseph Louis Mott has been a journey based on the information that was preserved and passed on. And even though we now know, though DNA testing and much research in Laurenzana, Italy, civil records, that Joseph's birth name was Rocco Vincenzo Sarli (1857-1894), it is still important to value and appreciate the past contributions of information that marked the path to that discovery!

In retrospect, it's interesting how close the family lore was to the truth:

1) "Larvasjaw" or "Larvasjan" turned out to be Laurenzana. I guess that j was a z.

2) "Solorm" turned out to be Salernum, the Latin-sounding name for Salerno, the town in southern Italy on the Gulf of Salerno, an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Originally a Greek settlement and later a Roman colony (founded in 197 BC), Salernum was the site of the Schola Medica Salernitana, a noted Medieval medical school, the first and most important of its kind. It was founded in the 9th century and rose to prominence in the 10th century, becoming the most important source of medical knowledge in Western Europe at the time.

3) "Mary C. Moroni" turned out to be Maria Carmela Marone (1821-1869). So interesting that his mother's name remained constant, despite minor spelling changes.

4) "Agadia" or "Ajadia" Motta turned out to be Egidio Antonio Sarli (1817-1860). He died young as reported, at the age of 42, when Joseph was young (not quite 3).

5) His sister "Josephine" turned out to be Maria Giuseppe Sarli (1860-1869) who died young, as reported. Maria Giuseppe translated into English is "Josephine."

6) Joseph Louis Mott used August 2 as his birthday, same as his wife Mary Emeline's. Rocco Vincenzo Sarli's birthdate in the Laurenzana, Italy, civil records turned out to be August 12, 1857.

7) It turned out that there was a step-father. His name was Francesco Urga (1822-1906). He and Maria Carmela Marone had a son together named Giovanni Antonio Urga (1864-).

There is much more to figure out, but I think we are all very grateful to have been blessed to get this far. We found the proverbial "needle in a haystack." I'm especially blessed to have been able to be in contact with descendants of Joseph/Rocco's only surviving sibling, Vito Maria Sarli (1855-1944). Those who have been receptive to my inquiries have been kind and delightful!