Friday's Featured Photo

   "La Leva 1907 Cortemilia"

From the Brondolo Bertanasco Capra  file.  Unknown group of young men from Cortemilia, Italy. 

Enlarged

Cortemilia is just a short 8 miles away from Vesime, Italy, home of the Brondolos and Bertanoscos.  There must be a relative in this picture somewhere! (Update:  Second row from top, second man in on left.  Possibly, or probably, Frank Brondolo, born in 1901). 

Update....my sister Stephanie did some digging into the term La Leva.  Leva is translated into conscription or draft.  In general, Italian conscription was mandatory from 1860-1923 and conscription laws varied based on location and time period during these times.   The ufficio di leva (draft office) in each town was required to send a list of males between the ages of 17 and 20 to the consiglio di leva (draft board) .  The lista di leva records can be found for all male ancestors born after 1855 and earlier in some areas of the north. These lists can be an extremely useful source of information, as they contain quite a bit of vital information.   (The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Italy by Melanie Holtz 2017).  

  So, knowing that Cortemilia is in the province of Cuneo in the norther Italian region of Piedmont should be a wonderful starting place for more in depth Italian family research.  I haven't even begun to work on Italian genealogy!  This picture is a great starting place.  A relative may be on the lista di leva for this area and may be a part of this group.  But why are do they have flowers in their lapels?? And what does that flag say??  

  Relationship Reference:  Me->Dale Boothby->Tersilla Palmina Brondolo Boothby->Pietro Brondolo and Caterina Bertanosco 

Frank Henry Brondolo was the son of Pietro Brondolo and Caterina Bertanosco.  He was Terry (Nino)'s brother.  We called him Uncle Frank.