Priscilla Normandy Greenwood's 
Family Album

My mother said the August day I was born
 at  177 Maujer Street in Brooklyn, New York,
was the hottest day of the year.

Of course, Mom also said my sister, Jean, was born on the stormiest April day ever known to man or beast! She would add that my brother, Michael, who will always be  "Buddy" to me, was born on a February day so cold that even Dr. Donza didn't want to come out in the snow.  Mom was a master of superlatives. She wrote a touching autobiography when she was 82. But that's another story called "Ida" which you may read if you like.
 

My parents named me Priscilla Ann - Priscilla after my maternal grandmother, Principia DiDonna Simonetti, and Ann after my Polish godmother, Anne Padjurski. My Dad was very protective of  me when I was born. Mom told me he made signs to put up all around my crib that had dire warnings like, "Don't touch the baby!" and "Don't pick up the baby!" I don't know if that's true or not, but I like to believe it is.

Dad always called me his Little Sweetheart. He died in 1966 and I still miss him so much after all these years. I always felt unconditional love from him. He died in Queens, New York, when he was sixty-six and I was only thirty, too young to lose my dear  father.  My Mom died in 1994 in Gainesville, Florida, where I live now. She was almost ninety-two.

I love these pictures of my parents when they were teenagers in Brooklyn - so young and innocent, with their whole lives ahead of them.

Sebastian Sylvester Normandy April 7, 1899 - March 1, 1966	Olympia Lucille Simonetti       December 13, 1902 - November 9,  1994

A little historical data for the genealogically-inclined family members: Dad's parents lived at 538 Driggs Avenue when he was born. His birth certificate says he was born on May 15, 1899, but we always thought it was April 7th and that's when we celebrated it. There were so many variations of the spelling of Italian names back then. His birth certificate says "Sabbastiano Normandi." His baptismal certificate reads "Sebastiano Normandia" and gives May 5 as his birth date  and May 15 as the day he was baptized by Father Saponara. (I think it's interesting that the same priest who baptized him married him to my mother twenty-two years later.) Dad's godparents were Virgilia Amato and Maria Cambia. I have no information about Virgilia Amato. Maria was Maria (Maimee) Cristina Cambia who married my grandfather's brother, Alfonso (Zi Funz) Normandia.

The next official document I have is Dad's Enlistment Record when he joined the Navy  on August 30, 1918, at 19 years of age. It says he is "Sylvester Normandy" at this point. At least this is consistent with his discharge papers, dated December 3, 1918. He always told me that when he landed in France on the U.S.S. St. Louis, they told the sailors we had won the war. World War I was over so they picked up some passengers, turned around, and came back to the United States without ever seeing France. Dad was a Seaman 2nd class when he was discharged.

On my parents' marriage certificate, July 21, 1921, Dad's name reverts back to "Sebastiano Normandia" and  my mother's name is spelled the Italian way, "Olimpia." Her mother, Principia DiDonna, is listed as "Beatrice" DiDonni !

And finally, on Dad's death certificate, he is clearly Sylvester Normandy again. He was living in Hollis, New York, when he died at Queens General Hospital. He is buried in Long Island National Cemetery, Pine Lawn, in Suffolk Co., New York, Sec. T, Grave 7556.

Mom's records were similarly inaccurate. Her birth certificate shows a birth date of Dec. 12, 1902, but she said she was born on Dec. 13. Her name is spelled in Italian, "Olimpia," and her mother is simply Principia "Dono" instead of DiDonna. On Dec. 27, 1902, Mom was also baptized by Father Saponara. Both her family and my father's family attended the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and lived in the same general neighborhood in Williamsburg on the north side of Brooklyn. My mother's cremains are at Pinelawn Memorial Garden, Box 420, Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, in Gardens of Normandie East, Block 5, Section 90, Range 66, Plot A, Grave 16.

Today I also noticed for the first time that on my baptism certificate my name was spelled Normandia and my middle name, Ann, had an "e" on it! No wonder genealogy is so challenging.

New York, New York

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it
   New York, New York

These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
    New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city that doesn't
   sleep
And find I'm King of the Hill
Top of the heap

My little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
    in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city that doesn't
   sleep
To find I'm King of the Hill,
Head of the list
Cream of the crop
Top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
   in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York!

 

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