The Grapevine: A Precious Piece of Family History is Handed Down and Brings Back Floods of Memories
By Rosalyn Queen on April 08, 2021 from The Grapevine
Easter came in right on the heels of April and April Fool’s day. I hope you were not surprised when you woke up the other morning to a beautiful snow. As long as I can remember my mother told me there would always be an Easter snow.
I do not know how often this happens and I am sure there are sometimes when we do not have an Easter snow, but my memory seems to think that we do more often than not. Easter, like Christmas seems to be a holiday surrounded by family and traditions. I hope you all got to spend time at church and that you were surrounded by family at your Easter dinner. 
My daughter, Leslie and her husband Dixon planned a Community Easter Egg Hunt at their home for the community kids and I really enjoyed watching the kids hunt for eggs. There was even a life-like bunny to help and get pictures with the kids. It was great to see families restore traditions to our holidays.
Talking about traditions, this past week I received a call from my cousin Donna June Winslow from New York. Donna is the stepdaughter of my Uncle Frank Audia. Uncle Frank was married to Donna’s mother, Juanita. Donna called to tell me that she had in-her possession a gold necklace that had belonged to my great grandmother, Philamenia LaCava Audia. Philamenia was married to Luigi Audia and they immigrated from Italy in the very early 1900s. They settled in Stonewood. They were the parents of Johnny Audia, Mary Cimeno, Catherine Allevato, Barbara Levani, Annie Roberto Veneziano, and Frank Audia. All but their last two children were born in Italy.
In relating the story to me, Donna told me her Dad, who loved her as his daughter, gave her the necklace and that she had it for many years and that she had worn it several times. Donna is a couple years older than I am and she felt she wanted it to go to a blood relative of Philamenia. So, she advised me she was sending it to me. I was so surprised when I received this beautiful filigree necklace.
I took it to the jeweler to check the clasp and to get it cleaned. He advised me after a test that it was indeed gold. So now I have in my possession a piece of my family history. I intend to keep it and wear it on occasion and then to pass it on to my daughter, Leslie, who will then see that it goes to one of my granddaughters.
I have done much searching for family roots on my father’s side but have not done much on my mother’s side. There is a void as to what LaCavas, Audia or Robertos we are related to. I have a feeling that the LaCava name may have been shortened to Cava by some families.
I cannot express how much this piece of jewelry means to me. As I touch it, I think of my great grandmother and all the hardships she must have faced and how she must have felt to own this beautiful necklace. I would love to know the history that surrounds it. I do not know if she passed before I was born, but I do remember my Grandpa Audia. As he got older, he resided with his daughter Anna, my grandmother in North View.
“Roots” are a very important part of us, and we must remember to pass them on. As each old member of our family passes, we lose a part of our history.
Take care, enjoy the spring, stay healthy. And until next week “Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine.”
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