The Sopranos inspired me to once again wonder [View All]

[Thirtieschild]

how to trace the ancestry of my ex son-in-law. His grandfather immigrated in 1909, was a member of the Mafia in Chicago, at some point fled (whether from the mob or the Feds I don't know), landed in a village in upstate NY, changed his surname (to one that's primarily Norwegian), apparently took his money with him because he was affluent but didn't work. We have no idea what the original name was, granddaughters very much want to know what their name should be. S-I-L's father, now 85, knows the name but refuses to tell, says he doesn't know his mother's name, insists that he's Belgian.

I know there were four children, a daughter and three sons born in 1916, 1918 and 1921 in Illinois. I've combed 1920 and 1930 census records - all names, all states - for a family with children with the same given names, roughly same ages - one of the sons has an unusual given name which has made the search manageable. Absolutely nothing. I'm now searching WWI draft records for a man named Lawrence or Lorenzo, will then compare any who seem likely to census records. I'm at a loss for what else to do - can't order birth certificates since I don't know the surname. I wish there was an archive of former members of the Chicago mob but seriously doubt it.

Any suggestions?