Family Ties Part II

Holy Moly Mother Of . . .

This segment needed to be continued because although my mother is bad at getting packages sent out I am even worse. When the framed hardcopy of this is in my mother’s hot little hands in cold and brisk New Jersey, you (a select few readers) will be privileged enough to enjoy it electronically. We are hoping to send it out on Monday and should be in New Jersey no later than Saturday so keep your eyes peeled for part III of our family ties. For now let’s take a journey back in time, way back, were talking 7 generations back.

This is my GGG grandmother Amelia (Emil) Munzel.
This would make her Nadia’s GGGG Grandmother . . . WOW! This picture was taken in Germany as far as I know. She is as far as I have been able to trace back. Amelia is in the middle. Her four children from L to R are: daughter Elizabeth, son Oskar – my GG Grandfather; her other son Max, and daughter Gertrude. Amazing this would have made her the mother of all mother-in-laws.

Next is my GG grandmother Emma Martha (Seydel) Munzel. She is pictured with her husband Oskar my GG grandpa and their then 2 children my great Aunt Gertrude and great uncle Walter. They would later have two more boys named William and Erik and my adorable Great grandmother Margaret. I think I bear a slight resemblance to her in the nose and mouth area. It’s so cool to see where my looks came from.

This is my lovely Grat Grandmother Margarete Else (Munzel) Ferraro.
She left Hamburg, Germany on July 26, 1923 (one day before her 17th birthday) aboard the ship SS Mount Clinton. She had lived in a small town named Apolda (town), Westphalen (county or province), at #42 Diberg Straussen (Diberg Street). She was close to her paternal Grandmother whose name was Amelia (listed above). Together with my Great grandpa Luigi they had 4 beautiful daughters named Elizabeth, Hildegard (Aunt Hilda), Doris (Aunt Dotty), and Martha (Aunt Mutty). The girls are pictured below in Part I of this segment on their parent’s farm. She is the oldest one I have had the pleasure of meeting. She passed away when I was around 6 years old but I still remember visiting her and my Great Grand father several times in Florida and having so much fun with them.

The next mother of all mothers was my beautiful Nana.
Her name was Elizabeth Margaret(Ferraro)Bunting. She and my grandfather Edmund had two lovely children of their own. A son named Keith and a daughter named Margaret (my mother.) She was funny, energetic, and full of life. I think she is the one I most resemble or hope to resemble in traits. She loved to cook, entertain, and tell funny stories and jokes. She loved to read poetry especially with her sisters. She also loved, coming from a farming background, to garden. She had a lovely garden in Hightstown NJ. She would also take me to her sister’s farm to help pick zinnias and marigolds. She also loved to sew and would make all of my Barbie dolls’ cloths as well as a few cute little numbers for me.

This brings us to my wonderful mother Margaret (Peggy) Louise (Bunting) Perry. Her and my father Donald went on to have 2 children Named Jennifer (me) and Robert (my cute little brother). As I mentioned below in Part I she is the blazing torch of our family. She is the glue that holds us all together. She has always made family extremely important. And if that meant she had to trek us up and down the East Coast to stay connected than that’s what she would do. I have always felt a close connection with my Aunts, Uncles, cousins, second cousins, and great Aunts and Uncles. It was all because of this amazing woman who must have a heart bigger than Texas. Thank you so much for keeping the family ties important and close to my heart.

Next up is none other than yours truly Jennifer Elizabeth (Perry) DiDonato.
Together with my husband Peter we currently have 1 beautiful little girl named Nadia. What can I say about myself? Well I can say that I have some pretty big shoes to fill and a bright flame to carry. I hope I can accept it all graciously. I am so honored to have such a rich family history and strong family ties. Thanks to all the 5 preceding generations for making me who I ultimately am today. I am awe inspired by these beautiful women.

This brings us to our 7th generation; the lovely little Miss Nadia Marie DiDonato.
She is an amazingly smart little girl with so much spunk and character. At 2 years old she is already the new jokester in the family. She is our entertainment. She is learning to cook from her mommy. Her daddy is teaching her to play every sort of instrument imaginable. Her list of musical talents to date include but are not limited to the piano, accordion, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, drums, trombone, flute (which she adorably calls the “who”), and the kazoo. She also loves to sing and dance. Her favorite song to sing is “I hope you dance” taught to her by her grandmother (Peggy) and mother (me). Her favorite dance move is the clock taught by her father.

I also need to thank one last inspiring being who is the mother of all fathers.
This would be my wonderful Uncle Johnny. It was him who has spent painstaking hours sorting through pictures and letters of our family history. He has provided me with almost all of these glorious pictures and colorful history. Thank you so much for enrichening my life with family!

To be continued . . .