
Lucy (Selvaggio) Selvaggio-Diaz
Honor Code SignatorySigned 10 Feb 2015 | 52214 contributions | 2095 thank-yous | 1493 connections
Contents |
I've put Thomas Gardner in my PGM descendant sticker because I am currently working on his descendants. I descend from in excess of 2 dozen PGM ancestors to include:
I am officially 60 years old and it's time to revamp my profile and make it useful. Not that I am not still useful in and of myself, but you know what I mean. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. I think that is very cool, but I was a military brat and my parents divorced when I was still an infant. My mother took me and her pregnant self and moved back to New York, where she was from, and we lived with her parents on Long Island. I joined the US Army in 1981 during an economic recession. I found out I loved the discipline of the military (don't tell anyone) and planned to be a lifer. Alas, that did not work out as I divorced and had four children to care for. Things happened, and then my sister invited me to accompany her on a genealogy road trip. Well, that escalated fast.
I have started a Ream surname project, please join me! The Ream family is one of our most enduring brick walls.
![]() |
Edward and Clara (Ream) Williams. |
This is Clara Ream with her ENGLISH husband, Edward Williams. I stress the English because Clara was Pennsylvania Dutch all the way! They are not known for marrying outside their community, even today! I wondered how they met, but since she was a domestic, working for a family that may have had a home in Philadelphia part of the year, and he was a shoemaker, perhaps he made their shoes. Clara's father was Andrew J. Ream and if you known anything about the Ream family, you would know that everyone was named Andrew J. Ream. My Andrew was a day laborer and lived in Reading, Pennsylvania. There were other Reams living in Reading when he was, but most of them had skills, like tinsmithery, or were professionals, and I can't find a connection, yet.
I have started a Selvaggio surname project, please join me! This is my very own surname. When I divorced I didn't change my name, but when I remarried I wanted it back. I grew up hating my last name because no one could pronouce it. I was embarrassed. Now I even like my first name. The Selvaggios were from Palermo, Sicily as far back as I have been able to trace. Salvatore Selvaggio, my great-grandfather, was probably the first to emigrate to the US. He lived in Brooklyn, New York and worked on the docks all his life. Other researchers had always recorded is date of birth as about 1868. This date matched census records, however, I found his birth registration on FamilySearch among the Italian records that have not been indexed. Interestingly, his was a late registration. His birth was registered in 1868, but he was actually born in 1865. So there you have it! I have found one new fact about an ancestor! I thought I was so smart and made a free space of Italian vs. English words commonly found on these records only to find that someone else already posted it to WikiTree, but now I can't find it.
I have recently adopted a Betts surname project. The Betts family was one of the first I researched. It was already pretty well documented and was a good way learn a little about family research. Now, it seems no one is researching this name and it needs some work. I have yet to get is up and running. I am a direct descendant of Thomas Betts of Guilford and Norwalk (or is that Norwalk and Guilford)? Anyway, my great-grandmother was Emily Ada Betts. She married into the Williams family that was part Ream (see above). She was the second wife of Joseph Williams whose first wife died leaving an infant son. There was also another Betts Family that settled in Long Island, New York. One of the brothers, also named Thomas, lived in Norwalk at the same time as Thomas Betts of Guilford and Norwalk. They were about the same age too.
There are too many projects and challenges that interest me, but I'll get it together one day!
I'm trying to do some work on the Taranto surname. I think they are from Palermo, like all my other Italian ancestors. I have a new DNA cousin who thinks they are from somewhere else. We are trying to find our connection. She is 92 years old and her grandfather, Carmelo Taranto, was the immigrant. He never talked about his family. He was one of the people who started the Italian Vault in Galveston, Texas. All her other relatives are non-Italian, so it stands to reason that is our connection. I think her grandfather was the cousin of my 2x great-grandmother.
Alicata | Arena | Billeci | Catania | Compagno |
D'Arpa | diMarco | Giuliano | Ingrassia | Mancuso |
Ruisi | Selvaggio | Taranto |
Betts | Burke | Dröscher | Gross | Hogan |
Kissinger | Matthews | McCarthy | Perley | Ream |
Reynolds | Seymour | Tenny | Thöne or Thon or Thony | Vaughan |
Williams | Wißler or Wissler |
Palermo, Sicilia | Deutchland (Freiburg, Swartzwald) | Wales (really Canon Pyon, Hereford) |
England | Brooklyn, New York | Reading, Pennsylvania |
Ireland (Counties Cork and Tyrone) | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
Dropcaps are neat
They give that traditional book look.
![]() |
This chart helps visualize where DNA matches fit in. |
![]() |
I created a series of Census Charts to use for comparison and because many of the headings are illegible on census images. |
![]() |
Probably my most used chart - the Census Cheat Sheet! I use this so I don't have to figure out ages, I just look at the chart. |
![]() |
Here is a list of old jobs and their possible modern day equivalents. |
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Lucy is 24 degrees from James Bourn, 21 degrees from Hosea Easton, 21 degrees from Errol Flynn, 21 degrees from Oliver Heggie, 26 degrees from Jess Hill, 35 degrees from Ruby Hunter, 24 degrees from Adelaide Ironside, 21 degrees from Banjo Paterson, 23 degrees from Herbert Rumsey, 26 degrees from Moi Quong Tart, 24 degrees from Dora Wicks and 21 degrees from Adriana Hazelton on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
S > Selvaggio | S > Selvaggio-Diaz > Lucy (Selvaggio) Selvaggio-Diaz
Categories: United States Army | Honolulu, Hawaii | Brentwood, New York | USPS Clerks | Brooklyn, Selvaggio Name Study | Italian Roots
Thank you Lucy for participating in the US Civil War Challenge. There were 27 of us who signed up for the Challenge, completing 6,480 profiles.
The US Civil War February Challenge will be to create profiles for those soldiers who died during the Battle of Shiloh on the 7th and 8th of April 1862. If you're interested in joining another challenge, check out the US Civil War Challenge Page on February 1st.
Thank you again. Pam
Here's the link to the G2G question: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1506578/us-civil-war-january-2023-challenge
I Hope you'll join the fun.
I'm new on Wikitree and trying to get my family transferred over. It's a slow process for someone who will be 80 if I make next June. Thanks for your comments. Lee Weaver
Wow, even with our challenge tracker issues Mid-Atlantic Part Deux had credit for sourced 1,503 profiles and Mid-Atlantic US was credited with sourced 1357 profiles. Thanks for being part of Team Mid-Atlantic.
Mickey Bazley Co-Captain
This is Chris from the Italy Project. As part of the annual project check-in, can you fill in the project survey? This will let us know that you are still interested in the project and which teams you'd like to participate in.
Thanks and have a great day!
Do you have the direct links to the sources you entered? I do not see him in the Rev War rolls on ancestry. Can't see him in the book source only a Isaac Arnett. I'm been looking for a source on his service in the Rev War. Thank You.
Mickey and Lucy, Co-Captains
I sent you a check-in message several days ago about the 1776 Project to ask you about your past and continued involvement but have not yet heard back from you. Do you still want to be in the project?
If I don’t hear from you in a week or so, I’ll assume that you’ve moved on to other things, but you’re most welcome to re-join the project at any time.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Best wishes,
Betty -- 1776 Project Leader
Thanks so much for being a member of the Mid-Atlantic Team for the April Connectathon. It was a fun and productive weekend. We added 3,716 profiles to Wikitree between the two teams and had 49 people participate. Considering many of us can’t stop at just one source, we may never make the top ten, but we did great!
Mindy usually sends out a wrap up message in which she mentions how to delete from your watchlist profiles you do not want to continue to manage. Can I make a request, wait until tomorrow before you do this, and then can you check your suggestion list and see if there are any typos that need to be corrected. We don’t want to add to the data doctors’ work.
See you next thon Mickey
We're doing our semi-annual check-in to ask whether you have made contributions to the project in the last six months?
Please note that it is a requirement for membership in the 1776 Project that you respond to this check-in. Please post your response as a reply to this message on your page, for convenience of record keeping.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Betty -- 1776 Project Leader
It’s Germany Project check-in time again! Please respond within the next 2 weeks and let me know if you’re still interested in participating with the Project. Remember, the only requirements for membership in the Germany Project are (1) that you work on at least one German profile every 6 months and (2) that you respond to this check-in.
Please respond to this message by posting a reply below or sending me a private message on WikiTree. In your response, we welcome any feedback you may want to give on the project (what you like about it, what you’d like to see us do, what we could change, etc.)
If you ever have any questions, please ask. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Traci ~ Germany Project co-leader
Will you please grant me access to the Mid-Atlantic discord channel?
Are you currently a member of the 1776 Project Categorization Team?
If you have information you would like to share, please respond here or send a private message.
Thank you for your cooperation and contributions to the 1776 Project!
Betty - 1776 Project Manager
Thanks for being captain of the Mid-Atlantic Team for the January Connectathon. It was a fun and productive weekend. We added 2,936 profiles to Wikitree, almost a thousand more than last July’s Connectathon.
In Mindy’s wrap up message, she mentions how to delete from your watchlist profiles you do not want to continue to manage. Can I make a suggestion, before you do this, can you check your suggestion list and see if there are any typos that need to be corrected. We don’t want to add to the data doctors’ work.
See you next thon Mickey
We’ve started the January challenge here: January Connecting Challenge. We are working toward a goal of 150,000 total profiles in 2022.
Emma
We’ve started the December challenge here: December Connecting Challenge. We’d love if everyone can help us meet our 50,000 new profiles goal by the end of this month.
Emma
furnish it to me. I try to do one or two a week but lost the contact. Thanks. Beulah EDITED: I finally found it after sleeping on it and retrying a different approach. My world is going down hill on all of the changes computers are instituting. I need to go back to 2 tin cans and a string simplicity.
edited by Beulah (Maltby) Cramer
The Germany Project Leaders are doing their semi-annual check-in with all project members and we want to verify that you’re still interested in being a member of the Project. Please respond by private message and let me know.
Are you currently working with one of our Sub-projects or Teams? If not, take a look at our main Project page for a full list.
We really appreciate your contributions on WikiTree, and thank you for all your hard work. If you have any questions, please ask. We would also love to hear any feedback you may have for the project.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Traci ~ Germany Project co-leader
I just wanted to check if you are getting my emails, I think that they might not be going through to you. Would you pretty please let me know.
Thanks ~ Pam
I am checking in on behalf of the 1776 Project to announce the new project membership requirements and to verify that you are still interested in being a member of the project. All project members are being asked to join one of the project teams and also to make at least one project contribution every 6 months. We are also asking all project members to join the project's Google Group for project communications.
If you are interested in remaining with the Project, please reply to this comment or send me a message, request to join the Google Group, and let us know what team you would like to participate on.
We really appreciate your contributions on WikiTree, and thank you for all your hard work. If you have any questions, please ask. We would also love to hear any feedback you may have for the project.
If we don't hear back from you we will assume that you no longer wish to participate in the project and if so, you could rejoin at any time as is convenient for you.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
SJ - 1776 Project Leader
We’ve started the August challenge here: August Connecting Challenge
Emma
Thank you for contributing to my tree during the WikiTree Challenge this week! Yvette Hoitink
First of all, thank you for your service. My father was in the Air Force so I understand the military life.
I've noticed you have edited some Bellamy profiles. I think we need to do a name study on the surname. I cannot create the name study since I am still new to the WikiTree. I'll be adding more information to my tree.
I'm also in the US Black Heritage Project as well.
The Germany Project Leaders are doing their semi-annual check-in with all project members and we want to verify that you’re still interested in being a member of the Project. Please respond by private message and let me know.
Are you currently working with one of our Sub-projects or Teams? If not, take a look at our main Project page for a full list. We recently launched a new Profile Improvement Team and are seeking new team members. Let me know if you’re interested.
We really appreciate your contributions on WikiTree, and thank you for all your hard work. If you have any questions, please ask. We would also love to hear any feedback you may have for the project.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Traci ~ Germany Project co-leader
Thank you for joining our first ever Connecting Challenge and helping us create 2729 profiles by adding 27!
You can add the participation sticker to your profile if you’d like. Connecting Challenge Stickers
We’ve started the March challenge here: March Connecting Challenge
Emma
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Weisman-164
I sent you a message a while ago on behalf of the Germany Project and have yet to hear back from you. I hope you are well.
If I dont hear from you in the next week or so Ill assume you no longer wish to be in the project and go ahead and remove you. You would, of course, be most welcome to rejoin at any time via the G2G sign-up post.
Best wishes,
Kylie :-)
Thank you. Cheryl Skordahl PGM Leader (Aldrich-908)
Thank you for your participation in October 2020’s Source-a-thon. Your contributions helped us to clear over 57,000 profiles that needed sourcing. This makes our Shared Tree all that much better.
Keep up the great work!
Pippin Sheppard WikiTree’s Appreciation Team
On behalf of the Germany Project, I am currently undergoing our member check-in's and wanted to verify that you are still interested in being a member of the project. Are you currently assigned to or working with one of our Sub-projects or Teams? We have many new teams so have a look on the Germany project page for the full list. I would be delighted to help you get setup in one or more of our collaborative teams!
We use Google groups for project collaboration, so if you are not yet setup, please submit a join request and we will get that approved as quickly as possible. We also ask that you check your follwed tags to make sure you are following the correct project tag (GERMANY) so you don't miss any disucssions in G2G.
We really appreciate your contributions on WikiTree, and thank you for all your hard work. If you have any questions please ask. I would also love to hear any feedback you may have for the project!
Please respond by private message. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Kylie ~ Germany Project Leader
I hope you check it out. If I have you down for a team, let me know. If you still haven't decided, feel free to comment. Thanks!
Thanks for all the work you accomplished during our Connect-A-Thon 2020. It is amazing how many more profiles were created and added to our Shared Tree. You have every right to be pleased with your efforts!
Kind regards,
Pippin Sheppard ~ WikiTree’s Appreciation Team
PS: The weather is wonderful and the mountains are beautiful in North Carolina! :-)
Did you find out anything after your "poke around?"
I'm working on her and her supposed husband - William Smith.
The DNA administrator on William's profile has admitted that her surname is probably an educated guess from her researcher.
Thanks so very much for your participation in the spring Clean-a-thon! Every suggestion you cleared (over 200!) made our Tree that much better. The WikiTree community appreciates YOU!
Pip Sheppard WikiTree’s Appreciation Team
It has been a few weeks since we contacted you about your participation in the Disasters (and Titanic) Project and as we haven't heard from you, we are following up to make sure you wish to remain a member.
We understand that interests shift as we grow our shared tree and that some members may have moved on to projects more pertinent to the branches they are currently building. If this is the case for you, please let us know.
If we do not hear back from you within the week, we will assume you have moved on to other things for the moment and remove you from the project. Please know that you will always be welcome to rejoin should your interests shift back in this direction.
Thank you so much for your participation; we genuinely appreciate it.
Regards Joan
Just dropping a line to say it's time for the next Connectors Challenge when you get a moment! Thanks for all you do for the Connectors project :-)
Abby
On behalf of the Disasters (and Titanic) Project Leaders we are carrying out a check-in to see how all the members are doing and taking the opportunity to thank you for all your hard work in the past.
We have recently made a lot of changes. We are changing the focus of the project to include more about people involved in disasters and the effect it had on them and their families. We have divided the project into teams. Please have a look https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Project:Disasters
Please let me know, by comment on my profile or a private message, whether you are still active in the project, and which team(s) you would like to work with. What are you enjoying most about being in the project? What would you like to see improved or changed?
We're looking forward to hearing back from you,
Joan and Lizzie
The Appreciate Team THANKS YOU!
Pippin Sheppard Appreciation Team Member