Identified! PA - Philadelphia - 'Boy in the Box' - 4UMPA - Feb'57 #3 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[alucardsdream]

Here is some good foundation reading if anyone wants to know more about how to develop personal genealogical research to a level of "Proof."

The Genealogical Proof Standard

NGS offers an overview of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) that was developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. In addition, NGS provides a link to an excellent lecture, entitled The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is Your Friend, not Your Enemy, by genealogy scholar David...

www.ngsgenealogy.org

and a piece that includes some extra info about ethics and genealogical proof.

Ethics and Standards

Both professional genealogists and casual family researchers need genealogy standards in order to get their genealogy right. Without standards, inaccuracies and myths can be created and perpetuated. Many of these errors can be avoided by working to genealogy standards. Genealogy standards have...

bcgcertification.org

Thank you for posting this! I've been using Ancestry since I was in college nearly 20 years ago, and I don't think people who don't do genealogy realize that anyone can post a family tree without any documentation. Anyone could go on there right now and create a tree around Joseph, naming completely random people as his parents, and some people would accept it as fact. It is truly scary to see how many people have jumped to the conclusion that they are certain who Joseph's parents are just because they found one male with a similar name.

 

[loveplace]

T

Thank you for posting this! I've been using Ancestry since I was in college nearly 20 years ago, and I don't think people who don't do genealogy don't realize that anyone can post a family tree without any documentation. Anyone could go on there right now and create a tree around Joseph, naming completely random people as his parents, and some people would accept it as fact. It is truly scary to see how many people have jumped to the conclusion that they are certain who Joseph's parents are just because they found one male with a similar name.

That has been a sticking point for me as well. My primary interest is genealogy, true crime is a secondary interest for me and it's hard to wade through the lack of general knowledge about ancestry being a repository of info and not an actual source.

 

[AliceInPain]

Did anyone else get the impression they believe he lived in that place throughout his life?
To me it seemed important for them to mention it - 61st/ Market Street, and they are looking for neighbours who may have seen him there. <modsnip: sleuthing family>

 

[LaborDayRN]

I had a good friend when I was younger who was of Italian heritage. She had light brown hair, almost blonde, yellow eyes (yes, really) and relatively fair skin. Her family was from the north of Italy, close to Switzerland.

Tl;dr, Italian people can have a broad spectrum of colouring depending on where they're from and the genetics of their families.

MOO

I agree and I had a friend with the same coloring right down to the eyes. Both of her parents were of Italian descent.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Here is some good foundation reading if anyone wants to know more about how to develop personal genealogical research to a level of "Proof."

The Genealogical Proof Standard

NGS offers an overview of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) that was developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. In addition, NGS provides a link to an excellent lecture, entitled The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is Your Friend, not Your Enemy, by genealogy scholar David...

www.ngsgenealogy.org

and a piece that includes some extra info about ethics and genealogical proof.

Ethics and Standards

Both professional genealogists and casual family researchers need genealogy standards in order to get their genealogy right. Without standards, inaccuracies and myths can be created and perpetuated. Many of these errors can be avoided by working to genealogy standards. Genealogy standards have...

bcgcertification.org

OT: Thank you so much for this information! I've just started working on my family tree and didn't know how to verify the possible matches that pop up. I'll be reading through you linked information.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Did anyone else get the impression they believe he lived in that place throughout his life?
To me it seemed important for them to mention it - 61st/ Market Street, and they are looking for neighbours who may have seen him there.
I wouldn't say that's where the Z family lived, they were several blocks away, about a 5 min drive.
Maybe bio mum?
...

I think without a clear paper trail for an adoption out to somewhere else, that may be the only address they have and the obvious starting place. IF Joseph was sold or "adopted" without paperwork, he could have lived anywhere.

I do find it very interesting to note how far the Zarelli home was from the address given in the PC. Same general area, but at that time, with that many homes, it's very possible they weren't considered the same neighborhood at all.

A reporter asked how long Joseph had been living in that area and apparently LE doesn't know. So, I do think this area is simply a starting point for getting information about Joseph's short life.

Reporter - How long has this boy lived in West Philadelphia and his family?.

Captain - The child had just turned 4 years old.

Reporter - His family have roots there, or did they just move there or...?.

Captain - I can't say with any degree of specificity how long he was there.

 

[Friday Fan]

While below the professional standard, death certificates are a goldmine. It would be very common for their grown offspring to be the reporter on the certificate, which confirms a piece of familial data; they list spouse, which confirms another piece of familial data; they list place of birth, confirming a 3rd piece of data etc. Plus all the other goodies like date of birth, attending physician etc that can lead to more clues. One of my most valuable resources in my own genealogical project has been death certificate information.

I'm 1/2 Armenian. We only have ship manifests,(name changes, mispellings) census (mispelllings), and death certificates for anyone who was born before 1920!
The SSDI (Social Security Death Index) also provides an accurate death date, legal name. My grandparents "birthdates" on their naturalization papers and their SSDI match. They needed a birth date to become a US citizen and also to receive SS benefits.

No birth record anywhere! All records destroyed. Birthdates were a western construct, so when people came here, they literally had to make a birthday up because they had no idea!

 

[loveplace]

This is very true. Just keep in mind the cert is only as reliable and honest as the informant. Birth records and parents on death certificates are notorious for errors for elderly relatives as all that is known by their children is what they were told. I find them to be a great source for breaking down brick walls in my research but they need to be paired with more conclusive proof for many other applications. Some informants for such public documents just lie to cover up secrets and DNa is one of the few ways to untangle those conclusively. What is most interesting to me is that inaccurate info on public records often holds its own clues to finding further info. Often falsified info includes small bits of truth.

While below the professional standard, death certificates are a goldmine. It would be very common for their grown offspring to be the reporter on the certificate, which confirms a piece of familial data; they list spouse, which confirms another piece of familial data; they list place of birth, confirming a 3rd piece of data etc. Plus all the other goodies like date of birth, attending physician etc that can lead to more clues. One of my most valuable resources in my own genealogical project has been death certificate information.

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[Shamrock1]

I’m not particularly interested in birth certificates or genetic parents. Who had him as a 4yr old?

 

[Friday Fan]

I’m not particularly interested in birth certificates or genetic parents. Who had him as a 4yr old?

Yep! Agree!

 

[Angelcat13]

So here is what I think is helpful.
As far as being an unwed mother, in 1981 I was allowed to give my son any name I wanted! I could also put any name I wanted as the father. I could have put a famous person and named him Jr, it was completely up to me. In 1992, the father had to sign or I wasn't even allowed to list him! I'm going to guess nothing much changed from 50-mid80s because it was always one person's word against the others... but as science improved it became more important. That is just a guess. But, in I asked the person who came in with the bc in both cases, because I've always been curious. And, it never crossed my mind to put a a false name on a birth certificate- I can't imagine anyone doing it, I'd rather leave it blank!

I had my first son in 1982. I was a 17 y/o senior in HS. For a variety of reasons I had broken off all contact with my boyfriend (my son’s father) when I found out I was pregnant. I never told him I was pregnant and avoided any contact with him, his family and anyone who may have known him in order to protect my baby from his family. When I gave birth and I had to have the birth certificate completed, I chose to have the father listed as “Unknown”. It broke my heart that my son would forever have a legal document that may make him feel like he didn’t fully “belong” to a family like other kids and it also made me feel like I was admitting to being a “*advertiser censored*” who slept with too many guys to know who the father was.

Neither of these were true as he was 100% loved, wanted and accepted by my family, my friends, and later by my husband and his entire family - not to mention everyone whose lives he touched throughout his life. His father was my boyfriend and I did not sleep with anyone else. I knew without a doubt who he was, but I chose to put “unknown” to protect him. A decision I never regretted as several years later there could have been tragic repercussions if I had named him as the father.

My point here is that rules were different prior to DNA and when the stigma of being an unwed mother was still very real. I am not disputing that the biological father is the same one named on the birth certificate, but we may never know the story behind how these two people became the birth parents of JAZ, the reasons for his name, nor the reasons his life took such a tragic turn.

Another thing I want to say…I am forever grateful that, as a society, we have become so much more accepting of unwed mothers and other non-traditional families. All the stigma did was drive secrets underground put these children at risk because they had to be hidden, lied to/about or even murdered/discarded in order to protect these secrets. Whatever your feelings about an unwed mother, don’t ever forget that the child is innocent and should never have to suffer any consequences for being born into a situation they had no control over.

 

[loveplace]

I had my first son in 1982. I was a 17 y/o senior in HS. For a variety of reasons I had broken off all contact with my boyfriend (my son’s father) when I found out I was pregnant. I never told him I was pregnant and avoided any contact with him, his family and anyone who may have known him in order to protect my baby from his family. When I gave birth and I had to have the birth certificate completed, I chose to have the father listed as “Unknown”. It broke my heart that my son would forever have a legal document that may make him feel like he didn’t fully “belong” to a family like other kids and it also made me feel like I was admitting to being a “*advertiser censored*” who slept with too many guys to know who the father was.

Neither of these were true as he was 100% loved, wanted and accepted by my family, my friends, and later by my husband and his entire family - not to mention everyone whose lives he touched throughout his life. His father was my boyfriend and I did not sleep with anyone else. I knew without a doubt who he was, but I chose to put “unknown” to protect him. A decision I never regretted as several years later there could have been tragic repercussions if I had named him as the father.

My point here is that rules were different prior to DNA and when the stigma of being an unwed mother was still very real. I am not disputing that the biological father is the same one named on the birth certificate, but we may never know the story behind how these two people became the birth parents of JAZ, the reasons for his name, nor the reasons his life took such a tragic turn.

Another thing I want to say…I am forever grateful that, as a society, we have become so much more accepting of unwed mothers and other non-traditional families. All the stigma did was drive secrets underground put these children at risk because they had to be hidden, lied to/about or even murdered/discarded in order to protect these secrets. Whatever your feelings about an unwed mother, don’t ever forget that the child is innocent and should never have to suffer any consequences for being born into a situation they had no control over.

Working as a search angel for adoptees has let me peek inside the worlds of family secrets as they pertain to birth and love and life and death and families. What appears to be one thing on paper and by way of even DNA is often something very different in the real flesh and blood world of fully dimensional emotion filled life. The start of this child's answers rests with his genetic genealogy, but the stories that resulted in his life and death will remain elusive at best no matter what we are able to find paper proof to substantiate. I dare say, for many of us though, these stories matter deeply or we wouldn't be here on websleuths.

I am doubly glad to see the stigma of unmarried births passing. That is good news and means less tragic secrets for us all.

 

[amybman1]

I'm 1/2 Armenian. We only have ship manifests,(name changes, mispellings) census (mispelllings), and death certificates for anyone who was born before 1920!
The SSDI (Social Security Death Index) also provides an accurate death date, legal name. My grandparents "birthdates" on their naturalization papers and their SSDI match. They needed a birth date to become a US citizen and also to receive SS benefits.

No birth record anywhere! All records destroyed. Birthdates were a western construct, so when people came here, they literally had to make a birthday up because they had no idea!

Interesting! I have birth records for my great grandparents born in the 1870's in rural Italy, including photocopies of the original birth register where they were recorded. Same with their baptismal record which recorded DOB and date of baptism. It's hard to imagine not having a birth certificate or just making up a day (though my friend's grandma in Pennsylvania was one of like 12 kids and she never new her exact birthday or year either-- they just took an educated guess and went with it for the rest of her life)

 

[Friday Fan]

Interesting! I have birth records for my great grandparents born in the 1870's in rural Italy, including photocopies of the original birth register where they were recorded. Same with their baptismal record which recorded DOB and date of baptism. It's hard to imagine not having a birth certificate or just making up a day (though my friend's grandma in Pennsylvania was one of like 12 kids and she never new her exact birthday or year either-- they just took an educated guess and went with it for the rest of her life)

There were baptismal records, but they all lived in Turkey and all records of Armenians existence were destroyed during WWI. At the time, almost every Armenian in the world had been born in Turkey. However, they did not have birth registration in Turkey. It was just church records. Armenians were for the most part, were non-citizens in Turkey.

 

[Elfosilvestre]

I think there were a lot of factors making it difficult -- the malnourishment/poor treatment, the artificially colored photographs etc. And as strong as dark hair/eye genes tend to be, sometimes the fair genes are really strong as well. My dad's dad is full Italian, his mom is Welsh/German and every one of their kids got my grandma's bright blue eyes except my dad.I look straight up Italian, and have a bunch of blonde haired blue eyed cousins.

Being Italian myself (not just with Italian ancestors, I'm an Italian born and raised in Italy) I can say that, despite Amerians' stereotypes, blonde haired and blue eyed people are not hard to find at all here. For example almost half of my 100% Italian family have blue eyes and a lot of us had blonde hair when we were child. A lot of Italian Americans came from the southern regions of Italy, but even there you can find fair haired and eyed people without any problem, no need of German grandparents.

Btw searching in an Italian site about surnames it seem that the biggest numberof 'Zarelli' families in Italy today live in Lazio, the central region where Rome is located.

 

[Daphne1972]

No one said he was adopted and I don’t believe he was either. I do believe he was not raised by his biological father however

What's the deal with not giving the parents' name then? If this is his original name then we also know the biological parents.

 

[Daphne1972]

Who ever killed Joseph is probably long gone. No justice.

 

[kritafo]

Working as a search angel for adoptees has let me peek inside the worlds of family secrets as they pertain to birth and love and life and death and families. What appears to be one thing on paper and by way of even DNA is often something very different in the real flesh and blood world of fully dimensional emotion filled life. The start of this child's answers rests with his genetic genealogy, but the stories that resulted in his life and death will remain elusive at best no matter what we are able to find paper proof to substantiate. I dare say, for many of us though, these stories matter deeply or we wouldn't be here on websleuths.

I am doubly glad to see the stigma of unmarried births passing. That is good news and means less tragic secrets for us all.

My husband was adopted and Mennonite; let me tell you how complicated it was to get information. Even with the census, they weren't always counted in Canada. I used a search angel when the internet was first around, and they did indeed help but never solved it; it wasn't until we did ancestry DNA that we cracked it. Our whole family did it for fun, much to my surprise; I have an "Irish" twin. She's only a few months older than I am. No parents were left to ask questions. Family secrets are real. She shows up in my ancestry as a first cousin we did a sibling DNA test to confirm. fascinating stuff. Thanks to all search angels, my best friend was reunited with her birth mother 20 years ago because of dedicated helpers. <3

 

[Eddie99]

If M's story is true....

I found an obituary for her father from the late 60s. It states that he died unexpectedly while visiting California.

M' mothers obituary has curious item in it. It suggests that in lieu of flowers to donate to (get this) "Council on child Abuse Prevention".

If I were a gambler, I'd put my money on M's story.

 

[Friday Fan]

What's the deal with not giving the parents' name then? If this is his original name then we also know the biological parents.

MOO: It's a disclaimer/liability on LE's behalf. AKA, LE doesn't want to be "responsible" for any antics toward the family, so if someone else names them, LE was "not responsible". MOO, MOO, MOO, MOO.