45.

COMING SOON - 

ARTICLE by guest ANNIE NICCOLAI BLACK

(Some of her beautiful photos from her recent trip to Laurenzana)

Castle and Church

Castle

                                                  Village

 44.

SITE OF SARLI HOUSE IN LAURENZANA

Giovanni Antonio De Carolis, our relative in Laurenzana, shared this photo on May 8, 2021. He says that this is the former location of the building that housed people on the top floor and animals on the first floor. It is where Vito Maria Sarli and Rocco Vincenzo Sarli watched over the feeding sheep. It is located in the countryside. The land is owned by two nephews of Maria Carmela Sarli, daughter of Vito Maria Sarli, and her husband Luigi De Carolis. One of the nephews is named Luigi De Carolis also.

 43.

Denver 1875, Hands Up!

THE ITALIAN BANDITTI

Back Row, L to R: Giuseppe Campagne, Leonardo Alesandro, John Arrata, Frank Valentine "the miner," Leonardo Deodato, Giuseppe Pinacchio "the ranchman," Henry Fernandez; Front Row, L to R: Filomeno Gallotti (alias Giuseppe Conti), Michele Ballotti. All were Italian except for Henry Fernandez who was Hispanic.

To read the account from the book Hands Up! beginning on page 57, here is the link: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43379/43379-h/43379-h.htm *graphic warning

 42.

Happy 2021!

I looked and realized that it has been several months since I have posted. My excuses? Let's see - the holidays, Covid-19, a highly contested Presidential election? I think that 2020 has taken a large toll on the world. Have these issues served to confirm the most important thing in the world - family? 

Yesterday and today I worked on the De Carolis family tree on my Ancestry account. Giovanni Antonio De Carolis had provided me with a link to the Laurenzana cemetery listings. Some of them included photos of headstones. I was able to zoom in to the photos on many of the headstones, so that now I know what Vito Maria Sarli, brother of my great-grandfather, looks like! He was a handsome man, and so was my great-grandfather Rocco Vincenzo Sarli AKA Joseph Louis Mott. 

Giovanni couldn't be nicer. I am asking him a lot of questions, thanks to Google Translate. Hopefully, I can fill in some blanks and make sure I am accurate on my documentation.

Best wishes to all who read this. May your 2021 be happy and productive, and may we all find sunshine where others only find clouds!

 41.

The Musical Thread

The love of music, whether it is appreciating the hearing of it, or the playing or singing of it, might be considered universal by many. The need for music is varied. It may fulfill the need for employment, or enough for a loaf of bread. It might fill lonely hours with solace or soothe the weary or troubled soul. It may be as beneficial to the provider as to the listener. The need to give of one's self, the need to create. The need to imagine or tell tales of the road or of the past or the future.

There seems to be a musical thread woven through many of the Sarli family ancestors and their associated family lines down to their modern day descendants. Is it in more abundance in comparison to the general population? Hard to say, but what a nice thing!

It is apparent that more than a handful of towns in Potenza fostered young musicians, especially stringed instrument players, including Viggiano, Laurenzana, Marsicovetere, Marsiconuovo, Calvello, Corleto Peticara, Brienza, and Montemurro (p. 37, Little Slaves of the Harp by John E. Zucchi).

 40.

The Sarli - De Carolis Connection

Maria Carmela Sarli (1898-1990), daughter of Vito Maria Sarli (1855-1944) & his second wife Angela Mastro (1862-1930), married Luigi Policarpio De Carolis (1899-1980) in Laurenzana in 1921. They had at least one child, Angela, who was born in 1823 and died in in 1843. Luigi was the son of Policarpio De Carolis (1860-) & Maria Lucia Parente (1867-).

I am happy to say that I have made a connection on Facebook with a grandson of a brother of Luigi Policarpio De Carolis. This grandson still lives in Laurenzana. I don't speak Italian and he doesn't speak English, but there are translating tools, so we are working to communicate.                                                                                                                                                                                          Below is a family tree showing the Sarli - De Carolis connection:

      Saverio Sarlo (1750-1810)                                 Geronimo  De Carolis                                       Geronima Bianco (1755-)                                Donata Di Abbondanza                                                           []                                                                              []                                                      Michele Sarlo (1774-1828)                                Policarpio De Carolis (1795-)                                Angelina Asselta  (1787-1821)                           Carmela Martoccia (1802-)                                             []                                                                               []                                                     Egidiantonio Sarli (1817-1860)                           Francescantonio De Carolis (1832-)              Maria Carmela Marone (1921-1869)                     Rosagnesa Manzi (1830-)                                               []                                                                               []                                                       Vito Maria Sarli (1855-1944)                              Policarpio De Carolis (1864-)                              (2) Angela Mastro (1862-1930)                          Maria Lucia Parente (1867-)                                                                                          []                                                                                                                                         Luigi Policarpio De Carolis (1899-1990)                                                                                           Maria Carmela Sarli (1898-1990)                                                                                                                        []                                                                                                                      Francesco De Carolis c.1930 (currently living in Turina, Italy)                                                                           Angela De Carolis (1923-1943)                                                                                                  Policarpio De Carolis (1925-1996)                                                                                                      Vito De Carolis (1927-2011)                                                                                                     Amelia De Carolis (1929-2011)                                                                                                     Aniello De Carolis (1930-1977)

                                                                                  

 39.

Sarli Journal's One Year Anniversary

So it has been an entire year since the first post of the Sarli Journal. 

This Journal was started to herald the revelation that our ancestor Joseph Louis Mott was born Rocco Vincenzo Sarli in Laurenzana, Italy on August 12, 1857. He was the needle-in-the-haystack that was found by a lot of prayer and research by many, and advances in dna testing, .

While Rocco/Joseph lived, he was a son, a grandson, a brother, an orphan, a nephew, a cousin, an emigrant musician, a wanderer, and then a settler, a farmer, a husband, a father of sons, a son-in-law, a brother-in-law, and a San Luis Valley harpist. Then he died at age 36.

How about some "shout-outs" and "birthday wishes" from anyone and everyone that reads and appreciates these posts. The way to do so is to click on the pencil icon at the bottom of this article -- and write your comments.

Also, if you have any questions to ask, or photos or information to share, please do so! Remember, just click on the pencil. I'll get it started.