Family Object

by Patty Holley

      An item of significance to my maternal family history is a newspaper article regarding the immigration of my maternal great-grandfather, Raffeale Purgatorio.  He left his homeland of Italy in 1889 and began his life in the United States.  He was naturalized after 5 years and then sent to Italy for his future wife, Maria Ronchetti.  Their union produced 6 children.  Five survived, including one son and four daughters.  My grandmother was the youngest of his children.  He was very proud of his Italian heritage and passed that pride on to his family as well as the many Italian immigrants whom he helped in his new home of Frontenac, Kansas.City of Frontenac, KS  As recognition of his efforts, the King of Italy knighted him.  The pride of his heritage continues today as most of the descendants of Raffeale Purgatorio and Maria Ronchetti actively carry on Italian traditions especially during the Holiday times.  Many of Maria’s recipes have been passed down from one generation to the next.  My aunt put together a special family cookbook that includes these types of traditional recipes and is valued by all of us.