Seaman 2c Joseph James Geraci, Service No. 8515544

Joseph James Geraci was born on 15 May 1924, to Dominic and Mary Theresa (Gerace) Geraci, in Illinois. Joseph’s father, Dominic, was about 29 years old when Joseph was born and was working in the local coal mine. He and Joseph’s mother had married almost nine years before on 25 July 1920 in LaSalle. They had only one other known child, John, who was born four years after Joseph on 18 July 1928. Joseph’s father, Dominic, was born in Caccamo, Sicily. He had left Italy to travel to America in 1911 when he was 16 years old. Eight years after…

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Making a Family History Book Using Canva vs MS Word

Up to now I have always used Microsoft (MS) Word to put together family history books. I really like and am comfortable with MS Word, and the books have always looked great when published. To get my work into print, I have mainly used a publishing service like Lulu. If I create a book for people who do not want it printed, I share the document in digital format as an Adobe Acrobat PDF. More recently I have been thinking of creating a less intense publication meaning I want to highlight main events in a family history and include more…

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Shadows of Liberty: The Legacy of the Massock Mausoleum

I grew up in north central Illinois in an area referred to by locals as the Illinois Valley. Like many areas, it has its own legends and ghost stories. One in particular I first heard about as a teenager in the 1970s involved a “hatchet man” who wanders an isolated cemetery near the Massock mausoleum in Spring Valley, Ill. More recently I noticed a discussion on social media among some people who grew up in the same area. One person mentioned they would like to know more about the men buried in the mausoleum. This made me realize I would…

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“Programming” ChatGPT to Write a Story

Here’s an update on my continuing efforts to explore using ChatGPT and other AI tools to create stories for the Stories Behind the Stars project. After my last attempt, I was thinking that perhaps this could work if someone could program it to write the type of story I am looking for. But then I saw a Tweet by @thatroblennon which made me realize AI tools like ChatGPT can be programmed just by talking to them. This was somewhat of a revelation to me. So I decided to try my experiment again by first “programming” what I wanted. After several…

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PVT Frank Mike Zabkar, Service No. 36775615

Frank Mike Zabkar was born in LaSalle, Illinois, on 8 June 1911, to Austrian immigrants Michael and Sophia Cujnik Zabkar. Frank’s father Michael was from the Zupeca Vas area while his mother Sophia had lived in Grandise. Both of his parents left their homeland at the turn of the century to travel to America when they were in their mid-twenties. They married in LaSalle on the first of January in 1900, and had their first child who they named Sophie a little over a year later. Michael supported the family working as a laborer at the local zinc works. Eventually…

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Using ChatGPT to Write Stories

Over the last year, I have been volunteering with Stories Behind the Stars (SBTS) to write stories of those from the U.S. who lost their lives in World War II serving in the military. So far, I have completed 43 stories – all but one about men who were from the area around my hometown. With over 22,000 fallen members just from Illinois that leaves a lot of stories left to write. Fortunately there are many others working on this effort, and for fallen members from some states like Utah or who fought in specific battles, all stories have been…

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PVT Frank Joseph Harzheim Jr., Service number 36784510

Frank Joseph Harzheim was born in Peru, Illinois, on 21 September 1913. He was the fifth child of Frank and Gertrude Potthoff Harzheim. His parents were both immigrants who left Germany for the U.S. in the late 1880s. They married in Peru, Illinois, on 8 November 1898. At the time of Frank’s birth, his family was living in a home they purchased at 1516 Eighth street in Peru, and his father was working as a caster at the local clock factory, Westclox. After Frank was born, his parents had four more children. Their total of nine kids included three boys…

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PVT Angelo Joseph Venturi, Service No. 36327175

Angelo Joseph Venturi was born on 18 August 1912, in LaSalle, Illinois. His parents were Emile and Pauline Bacidore Venturi. Emile and Pauline had married about four years before his birth on 11 April 1908. Both of Angelo’s parents were from Montegallo, Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. His mother Pauline left her homeland in 1907 and traveled to America aboard the SS La Bretagne in October. His father Emile arrived in the United States about the same time. After marrying, Emile and Pauline lived with her parents Louis and Rose Bacidore at 336 Berlin street—a road which would be renamed LaFayette…

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2LT Bernard Dominic Valesano, Service Number O-825336

Bernard Dominic Valesano was born three days after Christmas on 28 December 1922, in Lostant, Illinois. His parents were John J. and Ann Cicciarelli Valesano. Bernard’s father John was born in Toluca to Dominic and Anna Valesano—a couple who left their home in Locana in northern Italy to sail to America in the 1890s. Their children, including as noted Bernard’s father John, were born in Illinois. Dominic along with his older sons were miners in the local coal mines. In 1918 at age 22, Bernard’s father John enlisted in the United States Army to serve 11 months fighting in World…

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Flight Officer Arthur Dale Starkey, Service Number T-223756

Arthur Dale Starkey, sometimes referred to as Archie, was born on 4 October 1916, in Mount Vernon, Illinois. His parents were Clyde W. and Lola Bell Yearwood Starkey. When Arthur was born, his parents had been married for 10 years and already had a son Leroy and two daughters—Mildred and Helen. Arthur’s father, Clyde, was born in Indiana while Arthur’s mother was born in Jefferson county, Illinois. After their marriage, Clyde and his wife Lola seemed to live for some time in Rochelle and in Mount Vernon, Illinois. But they eventually settled in Peru, Illinois, prior to 1918. In Peru,…

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