"tha' riva'"...

I make it a point to go to the ri’va each year, usually the weekend of 4th of July. For many of you who don’t know about it…
…it is fabulous. It seems like everyone is there.

• Uncle Frankie


• David & Pat, their kids (all grown)


• Steve & "John Boy" (and their kids)


• Steve’s daughter Amanda and John's son ***AUSTIN


• Lawrence & Florence (when Lisa makes it to town)


• Lisa (her kids)


• Louis & Lynnae


• Vickie & Frank, their kids (all grown)


• Cynthia & Rada


• Cynthia’s daughter, Arden


• Jan & Page, their kids (all grown)


• Joseph & Evan


• and around the corner is Chirs Anderson's inlaws where you can see him, his wife Nicholle, and their kids Cassie & Blake... and the inlaws (Sandy & Joe)


• ... Once I even saw Bruce Orlandi and his wife Betty Joe

It's a mini reunion everytime.This photo was taken after Cynthia's (Virginia) wedding reception in Tappahanock, Virginia. Left to right: Eric (Cynthia's husband) Seifert, Cynthia (Owen) Seifert, Rada Owen, Vicki (Forney) Owen, Uncle Frankie Forney, Lawrence Forney & Florence (Delvecchio) Forney... and in the back is Too Tall Frank Owen as he hovers over all of them .

The FORNEY family name

Our family’s original name was

Fornasiero

I don’t have the original dates we came here, but we are, as many of you know, from

Venice, Italy

When our family came to the United States, I am told that the oldest of the (original) Fornasiero’s, Arthur, also known as "Bill", suggested the family do as many other family’s did, and make our last name easier for people to pronounce, therefore shortening it to

Forney

Who Served Uncle Sam?

I was thinking of all the great contributions our family has made for this country and how lucky we are that no one perished during their missions. My grandma, Stella, served as a WAC cook in WWII, stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines. And her husband, Chris, was a paratrooper stationed in France, where Joyce was born. Joyce in turn married Rick who was a member of our Air National Guard.

Aldo was a pilot in WWII. This man amazing survived a plane crashed. A copy of the article will be attached.

Gadget was in the Navy in WWII, although from what I hear he spent more time in the brig.
Then, Frank Caime went on to join the Navy, and the rest of the folks I know were a part of the services but I do not know all of their details. If you have any information on these folks it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Robert Garthright Sr.
Jennifer (Oaks) Rose’s husband, Michael
William Jones, IV
Evan Hanks

Since this was posted in our newsletter for March of 2008 I learned:
Emilio Torre, Maristella (Forney's husband) served in the Italian Merchant Marines for a few years & then went AWOL once arriving in NYC around 1920.
Raymond Torre served in the U.S. Army. He served in South Korea from 1955-57.

The Francisco Fornasiero Family as told by Stella Muoio

Always curious, but always too tired to take in the details of my grandma’s family stories after a long day. My poor grandma’ would be so bored during the day by herself, so I gave her a homework assignment… these are her words.

My dad was a guard on the Italian-Austrian border before coming to the United States. When over here, he worked on a farm along with his brother’s and sister. To have this farm they had to cut down trees, shrubbery’s so they could plant corn, potatoes, vegetables and strawberries, etc.

Most of the products were shipped to New York.
The rich land owner went to Italy and got a ship load of people and brought them to the United States. So my relatives and their friends could come over.

My mother had two children over there. While in North Carolina she had 4 more. Since the family was getting large he found a job in Wallace, NC in a lumberyard.

While working there he got double pneumonia, was rushed to Wilminton, NC. He died 3 days later on the 17th of March.

After my father died the priest helped mother send two of the children to an orphanage in NC.
That year we all moved to Hopewell, VA, she sent two more so three of us stayed. I was her helper, took care of my younger bother while mother worked in peoples homes.

My mother worked hard for us. My dads parents helped my mother. My youngest brother was born 5 months after my dads death.

My dads brothers went to work at Camp Lee building the camps, now Fort Lee.

My mother could not speak English so my aunt helped her. She washed clothes for the well-to-do, scrubbed floors, cleaned houses for a living.

Grandpa helped her get a cow and she sold milk and butter.

Finally she got a job in a silk company through my aunt. She was doing so well in her life. One of my dad’s brother’s (Vito) felt sorry for her and wanted to help her with his brother’s children. So he married her. Another brother had a home build by all for brothers. So then he (Vito) worked in a bar and a restaurant. So he sold the house to my mother ahdn his brother for $200. We loved there about 6 years.

(the next sentence was not legable)

That one (neighbor) asked my mother if she wanted to come to Richmond and be his partner in a restaruant. My step father agreed.

First before going in business we worked in an Italian Club in Highland park. The law was so strict with alcohol that they sold the business and opened the restaurnt at 315 N. Adams Street, Richmond,Virginia. Rent went up, so mom moved across the street to 306 N. Adams Street. Mother ran the place bu herself with all our help. I was her cook and butcher. Mom and I walked 7 blocks everymorning until 4 o’clock, rain or shine, snow or ice. She kept the business until war brok out. I went in the servies in 1942.

A woman at the restaurat threw a bottle at her boyfriend, missed him and hit my stepfather in the eye. So that year mom sold the place.

She sold two houses on Mian Street and a farm house in Chesterfield, Virginia and bought the hosue on Hilliard Road, Richmond, Virginia.

Gra’ma was even so cute as to write The End.

Hello, I'm Robin. Some of you may know me as the cRaZy chic who called one day out of the clear blue asking lots of questions... somehow knowing a lot about your/our family. To make a long story short:

I am Stella’s granddaughter.

Stella had two (2) girls; Jacqueline and Joyce.

I am Jacqueline’s, her favorite/only child.


In 2002, my one and only 1st cousin, Christopher (Joyce's son), while planning his wedding it seemed the guest list was creating problems. I learned they were inviting one person but not their sibling.

It’s a shame neither of us knew our family members.

So to insure that no one would be left out

I began tracking everyone down

Day by day, one by one, one phone call after the other. My OCD went into overdrive. I would come straight home from work and start my data entry. Making spreadsheets, list of things to do, who to call, and “How Did I Miss That?” lists. All the while telling gra’ma all about my finds. It was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. Hearing everyone’s enthusiasm and their great story’s. You guys kept thanking me. But, I can’t thank you all enough. Believe me, it is my pleasure. My motivation… thinking about Big Nonna and reconnecting her family.