Welcome to DeepRoots - Special Thanks

Although I am the creator of this site, it is too big of a task for one person to take on. I had many hands to help me get this far and hopefully many more to carry us further into our ancestral journey. I would like to acknowledge and give special thanks to the people who have contributed to our ever-growing family tree and the branches and leaves that are on it.

Don Tresca: I would like to thank Don Tresca for his knowledge on the Tresca side of the family, including Maria Rosa Lanciano who married into the Tresca family.

Julie Hosner: Julie is a cousin of Don Tresca and is also very knowledgeable on the Tresca family. Thank you for the information and pictures you have shared.

Giuseppe "Billy" Moscardelli: Giuseppe is a son of Victor Moscardelli Sr. and Dorothy Hambleton. After doing a google search on the family name, he came across my website and reached out to me. We have been corresponding on a regular basis about his branch of the family tree and has helped fill-in gaps, provided many unseen pictures, and is full of Moscardelli stories, which will soon be out on the site. He was also able to provide information on a few of our unknown photos. I would like to thank Giuseppe for reaching out and finding me and providing the site with some more knowledge and flair.

Julie Cashman: Julie is the hard-working researcher of the Moscardelli side of the family. She has gone all off the way to Italy to bring back family information and pictures. She is in possession of an extensive Moscardelli generations document, which she shared with me and is available for viewing on this site. Click here to see it. Julie is another hardcore dedicated family researcher who I enjoy working with on collaborated projects.

Jerica Briggs: Jerica is my cousin on my mom’s side and is the keeper of the Helmkamp, Hausman, and so many other incredible surnames. Jerica and I combined our GEDCOM files together to form the data that is presented on this site. She is a contributor of over half of the individual names that appear in the tree. She turned this Italian family tree into a complete “ethnic forest.”

Vicky Langiano: Vicky was and still is one of my favorite people. She was the oldest of the 3rd generation Langiano’s in America and the most educated on Langiano history. She is the reason that most of the photographs attached to individuals in the tree have captions. I was just starting to get acquainted with her when she was taken from us in 2012. Vicky was a spit-fire ball of energy and a damn good cook. I am very thankful for my time with Vicky and the conversations we shared over assorted pastries. She, as well as, her unforgettable zucchini bread will forever be missed.

Tony and Sharon Langiano: Tony and Sharon Langiano had a bunch of pictures from the good ol’ days that they were willing to let me borrow. These pictures were fantastic and were a great addition to the website. It also helped me familiarize myself with a side of the Langiano name I did not know that much about.

Elena Langiano: Elena is a sister to both Vicky and Tony Langiano and is one of the nicest ladies you would ever meet. She has helped fill in the gaps on marriages, birthdates, and other aspects of the Langiano family. Her excitement and support on family history is comforting and motivating.

Linda Withers: Linda is daughter of Virgie Langiano and she is another great person who is very enthusiastic on family history. Although we have only met a few times in person, I truly enjoy her company. She shared the below picture with me and it is one of my favorites to look at. This picture means a lot to me. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on my Great-Great Grandparents and how overdue it felt. She has also provided this site with many other pictures that will be new to most. She allowed me to have all of her old family pictures so I could digtize them to add to the site.

Janet Clifford-Macon: When Janet was researching her Moscardelli side of the family, she came across my webpage and reached out to me. I am very pleased she did. Though distant, we figured out we are related through our Moscardelli ancestors. She has been a major contributor to DeepRoots providing vital records, portraits, and many other types of genealogy information on several surnames. The most interesting would be the Merle Hornstein murder story. Be sure to check that story out on the DeepRoots Family Stories page. Many thanks to her and the data she continues to produce.

Rita ZolloTresca

Words cannot express my gratitude for Rita. Rita is a distant relative from Benevento, Italy and is 95% of the reason I have the information I do on the pre-America Langianos. I was trolling Facebook looking for someone in Italy who would be willing to help a stranger from America obtain vital record documents in Italy. After a few dead-ends, I finally found Rita and as a bonus she is family. Here is what I find the most amazing about her. Only after a day’s worth of Facebook messaging, Rita traveled to the comunes Pescolamazza and Pietrelcina, Italy and obtained pictures and copies of birth and marriage documents on the Langiano ancestors. Within a week of meeting Rita, I had obtained more information than I had in 9 years. I have asked less distant relatives that live here in America for information that required no travel and to this day have never heard back from them. She bent over backwards to help a stranger from America, an American who “cold-friended” her on Facebook. I am forever in her debt. Rita exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds, and I am proud to call her my family.

Vera Nagel (vnagel2004)

Vera is an amazing person who moderates on the Archion.de forums and is someone who has helped me tremendously with my Helmkamp research in Engter, Germany. I am thankful for her wide range of wisdom on Germany customs and geography. She can also translate the impossible. She has helped me decipher several old German church documents that lead the path to new findings. Thank you very much Vera! I appreciate your help and consider you my first friend from Germany.

Tia, Isabella, and Antonio Langiano: Last, but not least, I would like to give a big thank you to my beautiful wife and our two gems Isabella and Antonio. Being a good researcher, no matter what the topic, takes time and a lot of it. I have had to spend many nights away searching and digitizing microfilms and sifting through online resources at local libraries. I appreciate them sharing their “Matthew” time for me to tend to my obsessions. I love you three very much. Senza di te tre la mia vita non ha senso.