After sifting through numerous photographs, census reports, written recollections, narratives, and word of mouth, we decided to have a look ourselves at the present day neighborhoods and addresses of Connie's grandparents....We left home at 8 AM Sunday heading for lower Manhattan and the area of Broadway and Chambers St., near City Hall........
We found a parking space on Church Street. This would be a convenient spot to leave the car for the day as we wanted to explored several neighborhood toward the East River.
We first headed to St. Peter's Church on Barclay St. in time to attend to 9:30 Mass.
St. Peter's is the oldest Catholic Parish Church in New York dating back to 1785, the present church building was built in 1838
Immediately behind St. Peter's on Church Street is "ground zero" or former sight of the World Trade Center.
We didn't realize or plan to be in this area. We side tracked to stop and reflect on what had happened here and gaze at the massive construction underway.
The Freedom Tower and the 9-11 Memorial rise. Seven World Trade is on the right.
We walked past historic St. Paul's Church up Broadway to Chambers Street. Our destination was 70 Chambers Street, once an apartment building housing Connie's grandparents.
Today, a modern office building and a branch of Chase Bank occupies 70 Chambers, at the corner of Broadway.
Our next destination would be 40 Baxter Street, the first residence of the Roccanova's off of Worth St.
To get there we passed through New York City's municipal and judicial building complex.
The New York City Municipal Building Chambers and Centre Streets
Connie in front of the New York State Supreme Court Bldg.
We find the location of 40 Baxter St. The street is now the site of a park and state office buildings.
The neighborhoods have changed since the late 1800's and early 1900's.
What was possibly the local parish still stands. The Church of the Transfiguration is serving residents of the changed neighborhood.
Our next destination is 182 Hestor Street, also, a location of where Connie's grand parents resided. A short walk through China Town takes us there.
Now on Hestor Street, we look for # 182.....
Connie finds the site of her grand parents 1904 residence.. Many years ago the building housed a ground floor Italian ceramic shop, recently is appears to have housed a restaurant. Still, with apartments on the upper floors.
Now is lunch time and Puglia's, a Kerwick Family favorite in Little Italy is across the street from where Connie's grandparents and family lived.....Connie never knew it, until today......
We enjoy a delicious lunch..............
After lunch, we visited the Italian American Museum which is housed in a former neighborhood bank and chatted with it's Director where Connie reviews her genealogy search and gets his opinion and advice on her search. Its is possible some old bank records could contain personal family information.
We are now headed further north to the lower east side Tenement Museum on Orchard Street off of Delancy Street.
At the tenement museum we learn and see how successive groups of Germany, Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants lived upon their arrivals in the new land. It gave us a real feel for how people lived in the late 1800's.
Present day Orchard Street on a Sunday afternoon.
It had been a long day. We walked, talked, saw and learned a great deal... We will go back, another day, as there are other addresses we want to visit...to be continued!
jpk-cck 07/14/10
