Valerie Davia

I moved to Steamboat in 2006 with my husband Warren Luce. He wanted to retire where he could ski and fish. After a couple of years, I joined the staff at the Bud Werner Memorial Library as a Reference Assistant. When the project of helping to establish the Genealogy Club was offered, I was initially hesitant because I didn't think I was interested in genealogy. It turned out to be another one of those life lessons--to always learn more before disregarding something--because now I think genealogy is fascinating, fun, and a marvelous way to learn about history.

My parents were both born and raised in New York City. I grew up in northern New Jersey, within commuting distance from Manhattan. My father's parents (Sebastiano Viarengo and Teresa Bruno) and my mother's mother (Clelia Bosco) all came from Piemonte, in northern Italy, from the neighboring villages of Castagnole Monferrato and Scurzolengo. I know the most about my maternal grandmother because after my mother's death, I went to Italy to meet the cousins that she had written to all of her life but had never met. I visited in 1994 and was welcomed so heartily that I felt like the prodigal daughter and have since returned to Italy three more times. My "bucket list" trip is to spend at least six months there so that my Italian will be fluent.

Up until recently I knew nothing about my mother's father because he left before she was born. The library's genealogy resources have helped me learn quite a bit about him (see "most fun find").

Most Fun Find: 
I had always been curious about my maternal grandfather (Domenico Molinari), a man that my mother had never met because he left my grandmother when she became pregnant. The family story was that he had a "wife and four kids" in California and he returned to them. Through ancestry.com and some other resources, I was able to learn out that he never returned to that family (his wife remarried and that husband raised my grandfather's three sons), but he did end up in California and died in my husband's hometown of Ukiah, CA, which seemed to me a rather incredible coincidence. When we were in Ukiah in July 2011 for my husband's high school reunion, I was able to see where he had lived and get a copy of his death certificate. I learned that he was originally from Pignola, a small town in Basilicata, a southern region of Italy. My other three grandparents all came from northern Italy, in Piemonte. I also was able to find two living grandsons of Domenico Molinari (my half-cousins), and learned more about the family through an email exchange with them.
Research Goals: 
1) Learn more about my Italian ancestors (Names to research: Viarengo, Bruno, Bosco, Molinari, Postiglioni (paternal great-grandmother). 2) Translate a book of stories written by my mother's first cousin, Guido Bosco, from Castagnole Monferrato, Piemonte, Italy. That would give me a picture of what life was like in my grandparents and great grandparents' lives.
Software Expertise: 
I'm good at "playing" with any number of programs but can claim no special expertise.
Research Assistance: 
Yes - I am happy to help others with their research needs. Feel free to contact me directly and I will see what I can do to assist you.
Contact Me: 
I work at the Reference Desk on Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. The direct phone line is 970-367-4931, or 970-879-0240, ext. 331. You can also reach me at vdavia@steamboatlibrary.org.

Club Members