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View Tree for Cornelius CagnolattiCornelius Cagnolatti (b. 6 August 1903, d. 26 June 1969)

Cornelius Cagnolatti (son of Joseph Henry Cagnolatti and Heloise Poree)250 was born 6 August 1903, and died 26 June 1969. He married Maude ?.

 Includes NotesNotes for Cornelius Cagnolatti:
Submitted by: Jerome Cagnolatti, his Grandson

Cornelius Cagnolatti was the fifth of eight children born to Henry and Louisa Cagnolatti. My grandfather, although I had only seen him three times in my entire life, as a child I remembered him as the steel face man with the dead pan expression/

I remember the first time I met him; it was when he came to Los Angeles on a visit around 1956. I was actually afraid of him when I first saw him: I thought he looked rather mean, his face was like stone with blue eyes, real piercing blue eyes and he had a sort of graveled voice. But the stone face soon turns soft and the eyes lit up and I knew he had to be all right. Although he stayed with us (my family) I really didn't see that much of him. All I knew is that he and my Dad were always going to visit some relatives that Grandfather hadn't seen in a long time, they would leave...I'd fall asleep and wouldn't see him until the next day. We really didn't spend a lot of time together.

However, before my Grandfather went back to New Orleans he asked my Dad to send us down to visit, as he did, that summer. My Dad sent us (my Mom, Grandmother {his ex-wife}, my younger brother, and myself) on vacation to New Orleans by train, the most exciting trip of my young life.

I remember him picking us up at the train station and how he gave me free run of the house and anything else I wanted. I would sit in his lap at the kitchen table and eat French bread and watch him eat raw hamburger meat; one of his favorite snacks which he ultimately convinced to try; it never made me snack list. This was my first visit to New Orleans and we made the best of it.

The next time I saw my Grandfather, he was in a wheelchair, I was fourteen, it was the summer of 1966 he had had a stroke the year before leaving his entire right side paralyzed. This time he brought his new wife whom we call Moma Lea; one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known. Also accompanying them was Moma Lea's son Warren who actually did all the driving , round trip from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Warren was very soft spoken, a real nice man and most of all he would throw the football with me when he wasn't driving my Grandfather and Moma Lea around sightseeing. By now being a lot older I could see that Grandfather was kind of contrary; he was always giving orders to everyone about everything. The only people he didn't have harsh words for was my Mom and us kids, by now my brother was older and we had a younger sister. I will never forget how almost everyday my Grandfather would give my brother and I a couple of dimes to put in our pockets for candy. In 1966 20 cents would go a long way at the candy store.

My Grandfather really liked my mom and she liked him. He would ask her if she needed anything or was there something she wanted. I just couldn't understand why everyone thought he was so mean. That was until I saw him with one too many beers under his belt. I never knew a little old man in a wheelchair could cuss like that! (He didn't know the rest of the Cagnolatti family). My Dad and Warren were coming back from somewhere, I don't remember but I saw them trying to get my Grandfather out of the car, and that was one of the funniest sights I had ever seen. My Grandfather called my dad and Warren some things that day! I had never heard; I only knew one other person with a vocabulary that extensive and that was my aunt Elise, my Dad's oldest sister. She was the best that I had heard up until that point. I will never forget that day, they (my Dad and Waren) were helping Grandfather out of the car, I was watching from a window and I didn't know he was drunk.

I didn't think he liked the way they were handling him and he was letting them know it. I wouldn't let my Dad see me at the window , I was cracking up. The funniest thing that happened was when my Mom came outside and my Grandfather stopped all the cussing and allowed them to put him in the chair, my Dad and Warren put him in the bed and he was all right, I guess he had to sleep it off. He was funny!

Little did I know that this visit in 1966 was to be our last, Grandfather died in 1969. I never really had a chance to sit down and talk with him in detail about himself or his Mom and Dad. By this time I had heard stories about him and most of them were as funny as what I witnesses in '66.

Although most of the people who had direct knowledge of my Grandfather's exploits are gone, I was able to talk to my Grandmother before she passed away, on many occasions and also my Great Aunt Wissie along with my Dad. They were great help in filling in some voids.

Unfortunately, I have runs short on time and won't be able to share some of the stories in his life, but believe me, next year I will have you rolling about my Grandfather, Cornelius Cagnolatti, AKA Nee'ne, Tony, and Mr. Thomas.

More About Cornelius Cagnolatti and Maude ?:
Private-Begin: Private

Children of Cornelius Cagnolatti and Maude ? are:
  1. +Elsie Cagnolatti.
  2. +Farina Cagnolatti.
  3. +Cornelius Jr Cagnolatti.
  4. +Vera Johnson.
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