Tracing a family’s history can be enlightening, thrilling, and sometimes scary. It has become a hobby for many, and some are lucky enough to trace the family name through centuries.
Former Chester resident Virginia Levy was so excited when she discovered her family came to America on the Mayflower. The Fausz family has been able to trace its ancestors through America and Germany, dating back to the 15th century from the south German province of Bravaria. Ancestors of this family fought gallantly and courageously in the Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries and received special recognition from the king of Bavaria for the great services Alois Matthias Fausz rendered to his country during a 30-year war and was presented with a family coat of arms together with the family seal in 1667.
Roy Mastro
Roy Mastro’s immediate family migrated to America from Malvagna, Sicily and he wants to share his family story because he feels this is a dangerous time for our country.
Mastro’s father, Angelo Mastroeli, migrated to America with his brother Salvatore in 1913. They were encouraged by their father to leave Sicily because of the corruption and the totalitarian movement by the National Fascist Party under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. “Mussolini was instrumental in Adolf Hitler’s formation of the Nazi party. Both leaders require loyalty to their cause and their leadership,” Mastro said. “My uncle, Giuseppe Mastroeli, who remained in Sicily was later forced to join Mussolini’s army and was killed in North Africia.”
Rusario “Roy” Mastro was born in 1941 in Bristol, Va. His father changed their name to protect himself and any children he fathered when he married.
Mastro compares the political history his family lived through to the current politics and leadership in the United States. “Mussolini and Hitler eliminated anyone who did not show loyalty to them or did not fit their vision for their respective countries,” he said. “Mussolini would have his secret forces remove the men of the house that did not agree with him and execute them, Hitler saw the Jews as a problem in Germany and he started exterminating them. What our current president sees is brown people coming into our country through our southern borders and Muslims from abroad as threats to our country. He has used his power to hinder their efforts to enter this country.”
Mastro said, “Also, he [the President]plugged into 300 hate groups in this country such as white nationalists and white supremacists and others to create chaos and fear on the streets of our cities. He promotes and backs the violence of these groups and instills fear in the GOP political personnel in Congress to the point that they cannot decide if they want to save our democracy or turn our government into authoritarianism just as Mussolini and Hitler did in their respective countries. They all had one thing in common, which is/was hunger for power. This is a dangerous time in our country. I hope my family’s story will wake you up to the reality that is taking place in our country today.”
Mastro and his family have lived in Chester for 44 years. He is 79 years old and his wife Ann is 76. They have three children: Chris, who is 53, and twins, Wendy and Mario, who are 50.
He and Ann visited Sicily in 2006. Mastro was able to discovered the family members that were missing from the genealogy of his family and learned more about his deceased grandparents and relatives.
“Even though Sicily is a part of Italy, [Sicilians] consider themselves as separate and they have their own flag,” Mastro said, “Sicily and Italy are representative democracies, and [Sicily’s] president is Nello Musumeci.They consider U.S. politics as in turmoil as per my cousin, Salvatore Ferrau, whom I communicate with frequently about our relatives in Sicily.
His cousin lives in Johnstown, Pa. and met them in Malvagna, Sicily where he has a home next door to his in-laws and Mastro’s cousins. Salvatore’s brother-in-law, also Mastro’s cousin is the coach of the Sicilian national soccer team.
This holiday season, one may find the time to take up the hobby of researching one’s family history. There are several paid sites to get started, but Marc McDermott, a member of the National Genealogical Society as well as member of several other groups supporting genealogy, has created a website that breaks down complicated topics related to family history to help fellow hobbyists discover their family histories. The site also lists 26 free sites to begin your search. It is free access to genealogy information – no membership required. You might find anything from copies of your grandparents’ death certificates to a newspaper article about your great-grandfather’s business. Your free search starts by visiting www.genealogyexplained.com/basics/free-genealogy-websites.
