Tuoni Aunts and Uncles

Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Figli di Niccola Tuoni eD Angela Maria Madonna

The spelling of the last name has been a source family controversy for several generations. Some of my father’s siblings spelled it "Touni", others Tuoni. I have a document dated 1905, "The Constitution and Rules of the Society of Mutual Help of Saint Michael the Archangel, Fraternal Order of Sons and Daughters of Monteroduni" which has my grandfather's name spelled Tuono. My father adopted the Tuoni spelling, Tuoni being the plural form of Tuono?
Grandpa Niccola Tuoni was born in 1865 and died September 24, 1946. I have no record of Grandma Angela's birth or death dates. I barely remember her. She died when I was quite young. I have a sweet memory of sitting upon her knee and being bounced and sung to in Italian. I could not have been more that 3 or 4 years old at the time. I also recall her funeral, which was held from the house at 4040 Cambridge Street. After she died Grandpa Niccola's physical and mental health deteriorated so much that he became incontinent and spent his last days in a home for the aged. He hated the home and would run off from it at every opportunity. He would return to Cambridge Street where I often met him and we shared some kind of grandchild to grandparent communication. I grew to love him and was saddened when he would be whisked away and sent back to the home.

My paternal uncles:
Joseph (called Joe), Antonio (called Shad), Michele (called Mike), and Lorenzo (called Larry)

My paternal aunts:
Aunt Maime died before I was born. She was one of the victims of the influenza epidemic which swept the country after World War I. She married very young, no more than 17 years of age. Like all of the Tuoni woman she was quite good looking. She bore a daughter, Francis, who was raised by the family. I have no idea of what happened to her husband. I don’t even have his name.


Leina [Ferrara] (called Lena),

Aunt Mary was palsied. she had only shaky control over her arms, but a strong spirit. She played in the weekly card games, though someone had to shuffle and deal for her. She liked to smoke cigarettes, and used an amber colored cigarette holder. I watched in amazement as her palsied hands would extract a cigarette, place it in the holder and then use a lighter. Book matches were more difficult. She was a good cook too, and according to my sister Florence, a fine mess sergeant. She would never allow anyone to do anything for her that she could do herself, no matter how laboriously accomplished.


Julia [Greenberg] (called Jewel), Catarina (called Catherine), Matilda [Yates] (called Tilda),


Maime born 10 September, 1889
Joseph born 28 October, 1890
Leina born 20 April, 1893
Mary born 10 September, 1895
Thomas born 25 October, 1898
Antonio born 22 December, 1900
Julia born 4 July, 1903
Catherine born 5 July, 1905
Michele born 14 November, 1907
Matilda born 17 January, 1907?? (Date on document is in error, probably 1909)
Lorenzo born 19 August, 1919