K is for Kinship: My parents’ extended families. Eleventh of 26 posts in the April 2024 Blogging From #AtoZChallenge. Theme: My Life: The Prequel (in Snapshots) adding my parents’ stories to the family history mix. Please join me on the journey.

In addition to sharing upstate New York roots, my parents each had multi-generational families that contributed to their sense of self and connected them to their family histories.

My dad Norm Charboneau grew up in Otter Lake, N.Y. — a relatively small lakeside hamlet in the Town of Forestport.

But because his parents Wm. Ray and Mary (Owen) Charboneau ran the Otter Lake Hotel, there were always “away” relatives cycling through for summer stays, which kept family ties alive.

Dad’s extended family

There were also many Charboneau relatives living nearby — descended from Laurent and Louis, two brothers who moved south from Quebec around 1852. Dad was on the Laurent line, but there were plenty of Louis descendants, too — enough to populate a few good-sized family reunions during Dad’s childhood.

In addition, Dad grew up with four older brothers — Owen, Frannie, Hubert and Fred — who were later invited home with their spouses and children for memorable weekly Sunday dinners.

Far from leading a solitary Adirondack life, Dad was always in the midst of one family group or another — the source of endless stories throughout his adult years!

In the process, he developed a sense of heritage from his Welsh-Irish mother and his French-English father (who we later learned was also part Swiss).

Mom’s extended family

My mom Peg Laurence¹Anglicized from the Italian surname Di Lorenzo grew up in Gloversville, N.Y. — which was significantly larger than Otter Lake.

Located the state’s Mohawk Valley, Mom’s home town boasted more than 200 glove manufacturing companies at its peak– along with a vibrant downtown that included an opera house and an impressive Carnegie library. The factories drew immigrant workers from Europe — so my Mom’s German-Italian heritage was of more recent vintage.

Mom’s father — Antonio W. Laurence — was the son of Peter Laurence (nee Di Lorenzo), who was born in Italy, and Mamie Curcio, whose parents were from Italy. They are shown above.

Mom’s mother — Elizabeth Christina Stoutner — was the daughter of Andrew “Pete” Stoutner (son of German immigrants from Prussia) and Celia Mimm (daughter of German immigrants from Bavaria). More on the Stoutner family in the Letter R post.

My mother’s ancestral families were large, and she lived within walking distance for frequent visits. Plus there were holiday traditions: Christmas Eve with her German grandparents and New Year’s Day at an endless multi-course meal with her Italian grandparents.

Although Mom and Dad came from ethnically different backgrounds, they shared a common thread. They each belonged to large extended families that gave them a sense of connection and identity — which they in turn passed on when they created a family of their own.

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  Anglicized from the Italian surname Di Lorenzo

Up next, Laurence childhood: My mom’s early years.  Please stop back!

© 2024 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.

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