Reunited in Rodì-Milici: How MyHeritage Brought My Sicilian Family Back Together After 54 Years

During Covid, I found myself with time on my hands in my home in Hawaii and a deep desire to finally piece together my family tree. I spent hours on MyHeritage, adding hundreds of relatives going back centuries. But all of that progress was on my father’s English and German side. When it came to my mother’s family, all first- and second-generation Italian, I hit a dead end beyond my great-grandparents. I only had names that had been handed down.

Then, on February 6, 2024, I received an email from MyHeritage. It said I had a Smart Match to one of my Italian great-grandparents. I already knew that this great-grandparent had married someone with the same last name, DePasquale, because they were related. That meant one match could actually be two matches, if I could figure it out.

WOW! I spent the entire day researching. That’s when I found Andrea DePasquale in Rome, a distant cousin who had added over 700 DePasquales to MyHeritage.

My great-grandparents, my mother, and Andrea all shared that name. Andrea and I turned out to be direct cousins, nine times removed. Our shared ancestor was Antonino DePasquale, born in 1650.

A family tree takes shape

Every day through April, I copied Andrea’s research into my tree. I didn’t yet know where our trees would connect. There were 6 generations to fill in, and everyone had lots of children who mostly lived to adulthood. Most of them were men, and the same first names kept repeating. All the records were in Italian, which I don’t speak, but one thing stood out: nearly everyone came from Castroreale, Rodì, Rodì-Milici, or Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto in Sicily. I looked them up on Google Maps. They were all close together.

In April, I finally closed the gap. There they were: my great-grandparents. And yes, they were first cousins once removed. I had a place: Rodì-Milici, Sicily. That was all I needed. I booked the trip the next week.

My grandfather’s American life

I knew almost nothing about my grandfather’s past or heritage. He was known to his brothers as Girolemo, to me and my cousins as Grandpa, and as George in America.

He arrived at Ellis Island in 1912 and worked in the coal mines, possibly joining his older brothers Giuseppe and Filippo, who had immigrated before him.

Eventually, he met and married Mary Lena Calliari in 1924. He was about 30 and she was 15 years younger. They waited until she was 16 and were married that July.

They had four children: Lucille in 1925, Loretta in 1928, Lillian — my mother — in 1930, and Joseph in 1934.

During the Great Depression, Grandpa had to travel to Gary, West Virginia, to work in the steel mills. One day while cleaning the bottom of a steel vat, he passed out from the heat and his coworker pulled him out by his hair. His scalp was torn off, and he was bald from then on.

In 1951, George and Mary moved to St. Louis, Missouri, along with their daughters. Grandpa was 58 and likely worn out from years of hard work in the mines and mills. He got a job at the Swing-A-Way can opener factory, where he worked until two weeks before he died in 1970. My mother loved him deeply. They looked alike, both slight and small, and she made sure we drove from Indianapolis to visit St. Louis every 3 months for years.

Family meant everything to Grandpa and to my mom. She instilled that in me. She told me the little she knew about his life in Sicily and how much he wanted his children to have an American life. He wouldn’t allow them to speak Italian. He wanted them educated, devout, hardworking. He loved his wife deeply and believed in living a good, faithful life.

The journey to Rodì-Milici

Once I discovered Rodì-Milici as Grandpa’s birthplace, there was no question — I was going. My daughter Becky had a fall break, so we planned a 6-day trip. My niece Laura and her brother Tom joined us too. We met in Rome, took the train to Naples, visited Pompeii, then continued on to Milazzo. On Monday morning, October 14, 2024, we drove into Rodì-Milici.

Even as we drove up the hill, it never occurred to me that we might meet relatives. I simply wanted to walk around, see the town, and visit the cemetery. But when we parked near the square and saw about 7 older men sitting under a tree outside the municipal building, I walked up to them and said one word: “DePasquales?”

No plan. No translator. Just a gut feeling.

Within 3 hours, we had met 3 relatives, including the 95-year-old first cousin of my mother. My nephew showed Mariano our family tree on my phone. Giu, a neighbor who spoke English, helped interpret. Mariano confirmed that the 5 brothers we had traced were indeed his father’s family.

The next day, October 15, we had dinner with 8 more cousins — 11 in total, both first and once removed. The Sicilians even made a video of our evening together.

I had drawn out a family tree the night before on freezer paper, and it was such a hit. It was first presented at the church, then later taped to the wall in the restaurant. Before this, my Italian cousins only knew the names of the siblings. Now, they had a full tree filled in with generations of American descendants — all added to MyHeritage.

It makes me tear up just thinking about it. This was one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever done in my life.

Lost contact and a long-awaited reunion

Ties between our families had been broken in 1970 when my grandfather passed away. No one there spoke English, and no one here spoke Italian. For 54 years, there had been no contact. The Sicilians had often wondered what happened to the descendants of the one brother who left for America. They had even tried searching for us.

When I arrived in Rodì-Milici, unannounced, it was as if we picked up where we left off. We’ve been in contact nearly every day since.

After returning home, I shared stories and historical information with my new cousins. I wrote to them about Grandpa’s life in America, how he worked, how he raised his children, how much he missed his family. I told them how he insisted on education, how he taught us to pray, and how much he loved Grandma. I even shared that he used to tear every last bit of meat off a chicken and taught us not to waste anything. I still follow that advice.

We also learned something new: 4 of the 5 DePasquale brothers actually came to America. Two — my grandfather and Filippo — stayed. The other two returned to Rodì-Milici after World War I. The pieces were finally fitting together.

Returning to Rodì

In October 2025, I returned to Rodì-Milici, this time for a full month. I stayed with my cousins, continued to work on the family tree, and spent time simply being together. The love and warmth I felt were overwhelming. These weren’t strangers. They were family.

We talked, cooked, visited the places our ancestors had lived.

I continued updating MyHeritage and adding stories, names, and photos — some even found in the original family home, still occupied by relatives. We keep learning more.

The most meaningful experience of my life

This journey, which began with a Smart Match on MyHeritage, has become the most meaningful experience of my life. I went from having only names to finding living family. From silence to daily communication. From a mystery to a living, breathing connection.

Many thanks to Diane for sharing her incredible story with us. If you have also made an amazing discovery with MyHeritage, we’d love to hear about it! Please send it to us via this form or email it to us at stories@myheritage.com.

The post Reunited in Rodì-Milici: How MyHeritage Brought My Sicilian Family Back Together After 54 Years appeared first on MyHeritage Blog.

Source: My Heritage