The following is a brief presentation of the Rodinis settlers in America. Some information may be slightly incorrect (locations and such). Should you find an error, please contact me.
Foreword:
Cherso is the Italian/Latin form of the town and island called Cres, which is the current local name. Cres is now part of Croatia. Between 1920 and 1945, it was part of Italy. Prior to the end of World War I, Cherso was part of the Austrian Empire, who took control of the island in 1815 from the Venetian Republic. The island is located in the region of Istria, and has long been a port hub for traders and the like. Its population is mainly a fusion of Italian and Slavic backgrounds, with both Italian and Croatian speaking peoples.
February 14th, 1861. The town of Cherso on the island of Cherso. Pietro Valentino Rodinis is born. He is the third born of a total of seven children to an agriculturalist named Stefano Giovanni Rodinis and his wife, Pierina (or Petra, and sometimes called Nina) Francovich. Stefano was born on the 28th of December, 1834, and his wife around the year 1834. Among the seven children, three died at very young ages, which was quite common before the 20th century. Among Pietro’s brothers and sisters were Matteo Cosma Domenico Rodinis (b.1859), Stefano Tomaso Rodinis (b.1865), and Giovanna Gaspara Rodinis (b.1869).
Pietro Valentino (b.1861) was a sailor and married Antonia Sablich (b.1862) of Pietro Sablich and Antonia Purich. They would both live and die in Cherso, surviving the communist insurgency throughout both world wars. In fact, Pietro was a bit of a communist rebel himself, destroying the town’s lion statue in the early 1950s (source: Toni Rodinis of Lubenice). Pietro traveled to America a few times, though all his children were born back home. Pietro Valentino died March 8th, 1954 in Cherso.
Pietro and Antonia had at least 8 children, four dying very young. Among the known children were Giovanna Rodinis (b.1887), Stefano Rocco Rodinis (b.1888), Giuseppe Rodinis (b.1894), and Pietro “Peter” Rodinis (b.1896).
It is documented that the three sons, Stefano, Giuseppe, and Peter, all traveled and eventually immigrated to America between the years 1910 and 1925. Though, Giuseppe (“Seppe”) would return to Cherso to become Mayor after World War II.
The three sons would work at the shipyards in Philadelphia, where most of the Chersini settled. They were part of the Society Chersina, a fellowship of immigrants from Cherso.
Stefano Rocco Rodinis settled first in Philadelphia and eventually moved his family out to Phoenix, Arizona. He married Nicoletta Fucich (b.1897) in 1919 in Cherso. They had three children, Mary D. Rodinis (b.1922 in Philadelphia), Peter Joseph Rodinis (b.1923 in Philadelphia), and Steven Rocco Rodinis Jr. (b.1928 in Brooklyn). Nicoletta died in 1933 and Stefano then married Frances Bolmarcich (b.1908 in Fiume [Rijeka]), who was a wonderful stepmother to Stefano’s three children. Stefano passed away in 1957.
Mary married Thomas Holton (b.1914) in 1945 and had three children. Among them is Pat who has done some very extensive research for the family and is responsible for virtually all of the research on the Rodinis immigrants in America.
Peter J. Rodinis married Mildred R. Olsen in 1984; they had no children together.
Steve Rocco Jr. married Rita Guethle (b.1936) and had four children.
Jumping back to the three immigrant sons of Pietro Valentino Rodinis, we come to Giuseppe Rodinis. Born 19 Mar 1894 in Cherso. Traveling to America in 1910, Giuseppe went to Boulder, Colorado with Andrea Coglievina to see his brother Stefano Rocco. I believe Coglievina was related to the Coglievina who was married to Stefano and Giuseppe’s sister, Giovanna. Giuseppe married Antonia Fatutta on 24 May 1919. After living in Philadelphia for quite some time, the family returned to Cherso, where Seppe would become Mayor of the town. His two sons Josep and Pietro (b.1923 and 1924) were both killed in the Nazi extermination camp of Jasenovac in 1945, where the Nationalists tried to exterminate all opposing communists, Serbs, Jews and Gypsies of Croatia.
[Update] 11 Nov 2009: A journalist in Mali Losinj, Bojan Puric, has some more accurate information:
When I interviewed Frane Fatuta, who was president of Cres-Losinj district after WW2, he told me what I mostly already knew about Josip Rodinis who lost two sons during the war. First of them, Josip Rodinis (b.1923) died in 1943 in Lublin prisoners' camp in Poland. The other, Petar Rodinis (b.1924) died fighting in Koruska/Karnten region in Slovenia. As Italy collapsed in 1943, local popular authority was established, with Josip sr. and jr. included. My greatgrandfather Gaspar Puric (b.1899) was appointed local commandeer. They lead Cres for a couple of months, staying in touch with other partisans of Istria. Then Germans arrived, capturing literally all important people of local civil and military leadership. Many of them were deported to various extermination camps. Gaspar Puric shared destiny with Josip Rodinis the son, both were killed in Lublin, Poland. You can discard the info that both sons were killed in Jasenovac. As for Josip Rodinis father (b.1894), book "Otocki ljetopis Cres-Lošinj", vol. 1 (1973) tells story about him serving as Austro-Hungarian soldier somewhere in Russia during WW1, where he learned about October Revolution, actually joining Red Army 1918/19! After he returned to Cres, he was one of the most important people of local Labour (Communist) movement.
Seppe’s daughter was born on the 23rd of February, 1929 in Philadelphia as Antonia Antoinette. Etta would marry Attilo Cergnar of Rome, Italy. They had a son named Rino who was born in Fiume (Rijeka) and now lives in Rome with his family. The following is an excerpt from a publication written by Matteo Sabini in 1946 regarding clearance documents to ship from the harbor:
He finally arrived and distributed the papers to everyone, but me. Fortunately, among the people that came to greet the passengers, was Miss Etta Rodinis, daughter of the mayor of Cherso at the time. She was very surprised that I did not get my documents and left immediately for the plaza to the Ozna office. I did not have to wait very long; just shortly after she left I saw her running towards me waving the papers I needed. She was very interested in my case, because I was very close friends with her two brothers Piero and Josep, who, sadly, died in Germany, in a concentration camp...Concerning Miss Etta Rodinis, I have deep gratitude for what she did for me that day, but I have never had the opportunity to meet her again. To my knowledge, she is married and lives in Rome.
The youngest of the three immigrant sons was Pietro Jr. who was born on the 7th of September, 1896. Peter was a sailor and is found often in ship manifests of Ellis Island, mostly as a crew member in the position of G. Master. Before settling in Queens, NY, Peter married Giovanna Missinich (b.1905) in Trieste, Italy in 1924. Jennie, as his wife was called, was a Chersini born in Greece to Pietro and Rosa Missinich who were living in Greece at the time on business. Peter and Jennie had three children: Lillian (b.1925), Antoinette (b.1927), and Giordano Bruno Rodinis (b.1929).
Lillian Rodinis was born on the 1st of June 1925 in Astoria, Queens, New York. She married Juan Cobas who was born in 1922 in Spain. They had three children.
Etta was born on the 5th of July 1927 in Astoria. In 1944, she married Bill Gregory (b.1924 in Virginia) and had three sons and one adopted daughter.
Here is where I come in….
Giordano Bruno Rodinis was born on the 13th of August 1929 in Astoria Queens, New York. He married Teresa Frances Gallo (b.1932) in 1950. They had two children together: my mother, Nina (b.1956) and my uncle, Christopher (b.1960). Bruno also had a second son from a second marriage in 1986, Peter Rodinis III.
Below is a list of the ancestors of the three immigrant sons who I have explained above, all born in Cherso.
Pietro Valentino Rodinis (b.1861)
Stefano Rodinis II (b.1834)
Andrea Rodinis (b.1812)
Stefano Rodinis (b.1775)
Matteo Rodinis II (b.1743)
Giorgio Rodinis (b. about 1720)
Matteo Rodinis (b. about 1690)
For The Negovetich and Pizzacalla families, below is a list of the ancestors of their side of the Rodinis family from Cherso. Beginning with the father of Peter R. Rodinis of Bronx, NY, Etta Rodinis of Pennsylvania, and Mary Rodinis.
Pietro Gaudenzio Rodinis (b.1871)
Pietro Giovanni Rodinis (b.1825)
Francesco Giovanni (b.1783)
Francesco Antonio Rodinis (b.1754)
Giovanni Rodinis (b. about 1720)
Marco Rodinis (b. about 1690)
It is my speculation that Marco and Matteo were brothers. I will not be able to verify this until I get back that far in my research. Forty more years to go! (Of records, that is).