Spadoni-Seghieri families looking to hold another reunion in August

Michele Spadoni and his seven children in his home at
Christmas (early 1950s).

Notice to members, relatives and descendants of the Spadoni and Seghieri families from the Italy’s Valdinievole area: A FAMILY REUNION is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, in Sehmel Park of Gig Harbor, Washington. This reunion is a spin-off from the reunions the Gig Harbor Spadoni-Seghieri families held for many years during the lifetimes of Michele Spadoni and Anita Seghieri and their seven children and many other relatives. This large extended family gathered at least three times a year (July 4, Christmas Eve and Christmas morning) shortly after the family moved to Gig Harbor in 1914, but these gatherings gradually reduced in frequency and eventually came to an end after the departure of the last of Michele and Anita’s children in the early 2000s.

 

Michele Spadoni and his grandchildren in the early 1950s.

Anita Seghieri Spadoni

Since then, one reunion was held in 2012, and now some members of the family felt it was time for another and started a Facebook page called “the Spadoni family reunion.” Anita Grumer (daughter of Clara Spadoni McCabe) has rented Sehmel Homestead Park Pavilion for the day of Aug. 3 for a potluck festa. Those attending will be asked to contribute in an amount to be determined to cover the costs of the park rental. It has been suggested that a committee be formed to plan the agenda.

Learn how Guido "Frank" Spadoni of Tacoma was connected
to the other Spadoni families. He was co-owner of Spadoni
Brothers Fuel in 1915 with his brother Sabatino "Sam" Spadoni.

In addition to the Gig Harbor families that traditionally attended the old gatherings, other relatives throughout the United States, Italy, France and indeed the rest of the world are invited to this reunion. In recent years, I’ve become involved in genealogy and have discovered connections between the Spadoni families of Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Eureka—and many more still living in the Valdinievole, which includes the cities of Ponte Buggianese, Buggiano, Montecarlo, Pescia, Chiesina Uzzanese, Montecatini and several other nearby cities. I’ve also connected with many Seghieri families in other cities in the United States, Italy and France.

 

This photo taken in Montecarlo around
1905 shows members of three Seghieri
families, including one that migrated
to California. Two of these men lived
out their lives in Gig Harbor.

We realize that most of these relatives live far away, have never met their distant Gig Harbor cousins and that traveling to Washington state would be costly. However, it is likely that some of the Gig Harbor families would be willing to open their homes to host distant visitors, which would help foster new relationships (pun intended) and reduce costs for visiting families.

This Michele Spadoni (left) founded a large
extended family in Seattle. His brother
Pietro (right) settled in Oregon.

Frank Bannon and Annette (Spadoni) Bannon will repeat a fascinating presentation they previously made for the Gig Harbor Historical Society several years ago on the historical roots of Italian families in Gig Harbor, and I will supplement with information that explains briefly how the various branches of the Spadoni family worldwide are connected, and I’ll do the same with the Seghieri branches. The Natucci family, originally of Montecatini Terme, married into both the Spadoni and Seghieri families in the United States, as also did the Donati family of San Romana in Garfagna. These connections will also be explained.

Pietro Seghieri, who lives in San Salvatore, demonstrates how
he used to cut wheat for the family's harvest.

I will also give a short history of life in the Valdienievole, starting from around 1300 to the present, attempting to describe the typical lives of our ancestors and the hardships they endured to survive and bring future generations into the world. My research has traced our Seghieri line back Giunta Seghieri, our earliest known ancestor who was born around 1255 in Montecarlo. On the Spadoni side, I’ve made connections back as far as Bartolomeo Spadoni, probably born around 1430 in Marliana.

Narciso Spadoni moved from Borgo
a Buggiano to Chicago in 1905.

At this point, the reunion agenda has still not been developed, thus the need for committee members and other volunteers. Undoubtedly, we will need help in many areas, including photography, name tags, collecting information on each person to add details to the family tree, planning for meal coordination, cleanup and possibly games and other activities. Our traditional family gatherings were primarily relaxed social events, with few planned activities. However, since so many people will be meeting for the first time, it may be better to have a more fixed agenda. Anyone interested in helping should make this known by joining the reunion Facebook page and offering their services (or contact me or Anita).

This reunion in 2016 in Montecarlo brought together Seghieri families from Italy, France and the United States.