Pitoni: ‘What’s In a Name’?

Ven Pitoni (1912-1999) had a long-running syndicated column “What’s In a Name?” that gives good insights for family historians.

An article about the newspaper column “What’s In a Name?” written by Ven Pitoni, Seattle Daily Times newspaper article 9 May 1980
Source: GenealogyBank.com, Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), 9 May 1980, page 26

This article on the Merrill surname is a typical example, in which Pitoni covered the history and derivation of the surname and also gave multiple examples of early Americans who carried that name.

An article about the surname "Merrill," Seattle Daily Times newspaper article 27 December 1981
Source: GenealogyBank.com, Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), 27 December 1981, page 98

Venanzio P. Pitoni was born in Rochester, New York, on 21 July 1912 and died there on 14 April 1999. He was the son of Italian immigrants Guido Pitoni (1891-1957) and Giuseppina (Josephine) Tabacco (1893-1976). They were so Italian that his sister was named “Italia” Pitoni – but she went by Ida: Ida Josephine (Pitoni) Compertore (1914-1996).

Here is Venanzio P. Pitoni’s Social Security Death Index entry.

Social Security Death Index listing for Venanzio P. Pitoni (1912-1999)
Source: GenealogyBank.com, SSDI Entry for Venanzio P. Pitoni (1912-1999)

Ven Pitoni was an important contributor to our genealogical heritage. The history of his life and writings are found in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives and Social Security Death Index.

Dig into GenealogyBank and find the stories behind your ancestors and their surnames.

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