Nothing But Words

Update 7/25: Today is the day! See The Many Meanings of Toppa post. I also made a “Many Meanings of Toppa” display which you can download as a PDF.

Update 5/28: the registration deadline for the reunion is June 20th, so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone. Please contact me and I’ll put you in touch with the person handling the registration. Please bring any old family photos or videos you’d like to share. And if you’re a musician, let me know, and I’ll put you in touch with the person who’s planning a big family jam session at the reunion.

The family tree on geni.com is growing, with about 150 people added so far – let me know if you’d like to join!

The first Toppa family reunion in over 30 years will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at Kempenaar’s Clambake Club in Newport, RI.

My great-grandfather and his brother came to Newport from Lettomanoppello, Italy. According to my aunt, from those two Toppas, there are now at least 740 relatives. My great-grandfather had 8 kids, and I believe his brother had 12, so they got the generational powers of multiplication off to a good start.

There’s a Toppa Family Reunion page on Facebook for all the relatives to get in touch with each other and spread the word. If you’re not on Facebook, adding a comment to this post is another way to reach everyone.

I’ve started a Toppa family tree on geni.com. Geni is a great genealogy site, because you can take just a few minutes to add yourself and your immediate family, and then attach it to the rest of the tree, so it’s not too much work for any one person. It’ll be great if we can get the whole tree built before the reunion. If you want to participate, contact me, and I’ll invite you through geni.com to join the tree.

I copied the pictures below from a web page my cousin posted a few years ago. The two pictures on the left are of my great-grandfather and his family (although my grandfather Steven is missing from the picture). Click them to see larger versions with captions.

Newspaper clipping for Giustino Toppi and Falconilla Dimatteo ‘s 60th wedding anniversary

Guistino Toppa’s Family, 1930s – Top row: Tony, John, Ann "Capuano" (Tony’s wife), Peter Razza Middle row: Rose, Annie, Guistino (Grandpa), Falconilla (Grandma), Mary and Rachel, youngest daughter Bottom row: Gus Toppa, Tony Razza, Tony Toppa and Peter Razza, Jr Missing members: Steve and Frank

Toppa’s Market, 1939

1937 Son’s of Italy testimonial for Dr.Paul Toppa. Includes Middletown and Newport Toppas. Note the beer bottles on the tables and no wine.

If you’d like a good laugh, check out what prendere una toppa means in Italian.

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