La Salle County marriage license issued to Joseph Newell and Malinda Hoffman

Joseph and Malinda had at least six children, three boys and three girls. Joseph worked as gardener and Malinda was a homemaker. Around 1901 the family moved to Peoria, Illinois. Joseph died on 9 October 1905 at age 41 in Peoria. He was buried back in Streator at the Riverview-Streator Cemetery.

Obituary for Joseph Newell in the Ottawa Fairdealer dated 13 October 1905

The Blum surname replaced Blam not all at once, but slowly between when they immigrated in the 1890’s and the 1920 census. In the 1910 census, Pietro (noted as Peter) and the family members still living in his house were recorded with the Blum surname. However, in the same 1910 census, Pietro’s oldest son Giovanni (noted as John) was recorded with the Blam surname. By the 1920 census, Giovanni was also recorded with the Blum surname.

Giovanni “John” Blam, 1910 US Federal Census

Pietro “Peter” Blam, 1910 US Federal Census

Local records of the family in Malonno, Italy, before immigration to the US indicate that the family’s surname was Blam. While conducting our research, we found baptism, marriage and death records that all contain the Blam family surname. In addition to sacramental records, we also found local records referred to as “Stato Delle Anime” or State of the Souls. This record is very similar to a census, but is administered by the church in order to keep record of its congregation. This document confirms many ancestors in Malonno that went by the Blam surname just before the family immigrated.

Stato Delle Anime (1869)

A message in the upper right corner of the Blam family records from the 1869 Stato Delle Anime includes an important clue about the family’s heritage and origins. Both this document and other records located for Blam family members note their occupation as “foladore” (or the plural version, which is “foladori”) which are those that worked in the local folk craft of preparing wool for use in hats or shoes. Local researchers in Malonno tell us that this craft is extremely unique to that region of Italy and was probably passed down generations of Blam ancestors as a family trade.

This family is called ‘Foladori’ because of the machinery they have at home. It’s very ancient in Malonno, and always well-off, but always in Malonno. See also cousins and uncle at #209.

Further research in the Stato Delle Anime documents from the 1700’s and 1600’s confirms that the Blam family can be found in Malonno during that period. The earliest reference of the family that our local researcher was able to find is from 1662. In this document, the family is referred to by their craft “Foladore” instead of their surname. This makes it possible that the Blam surname originated while the family was living in Malonno, although in 1564 the Council of Trento ordered Catholic parish priests to record each individual with name and surname. By the 17th century, most Catholics should have already had surnames.

Stato Delle Anime (1662)

Blam is not a common Italian surname, in fact a quick Facebook search of the name finds few results in all of Italy outside of Malonno. The name likely has German roots and possibly even some Jewish connection. However, given nearly 250 years of history in Italy prior to immigration to the US, it’s safe to assume that our Blam family ancestors where Italian by blood.

The castle continued to be owned and occupied by the Stradling family until the death of Sir Thomas Stradling in 1738. After seeing photographs of the castle in Country Life magazine, the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst bought it in 1925 and used it to entertain guests such as  Charlie Chaplin and a young John F. Kennedy. Hearst’s newspaper empire fell on hard times in the later 1930s and the castle was put up for sale but instead requisitioned for use by British and American troops during World War II. Hearst died in 1951 and the castle was sold in 1962. Today it houses Atlantic College and St Donat’s Arts Centre but is also used as a venue for weddings.

Our family’s lineage to Sir Peter Stradling is noted below along with codes to lookup these individuals on FamilySearch.

Sir Peter Stradling (1260-1314) • 9Z87-NDK
Sir Edward Stradling (1290-1364) • LVLZ-GHB
Sir Edward Stradling, Knight of the Holy Sepelchre (1345-1394) • LVCQ-YXL
Sir William Stradling, Knight of the Holy Sepelchre (1375-1412) • L6P6-VXT
Sir Edward Stradling, Knight of the Holy Sepelchre (1390-1453) • LK58-Q3K
Sir Henry Stradling, Knight of the Holy Sepelchre (1424-1476) • MMB2-H5W
John Gwyn Stradling (1452-?) • LZPL-Y93
Lady Catherine Anne Stradling (1500-1585) • K8BS-R8J
John Davis (1550-1588) • LHYR-S6Q
James Davis (1589-1678) • LZZ3-W8Q
Samuel Davis (1640-1696) • KND6-2BB
Joseph Samuel Davis (1673-1755) • LJLB-RJT
Jemima Davis (1706-1753) • K89K-7RZ
Abner Whittier (1734-1820) • L7LP-3LS
Thomas Whittier (1761-1842) • LK3W-SDS
Jeremiah Whittier (1783-1858) • LZ1M-6C6
Philetus D. Whittier (1808-1862) • KL74-WVQ
Ida R. Whittier (1853-1930) • KNQC-9W1
George Warren Harris (1884-1943) • 2W7J-5B4
William Robert Harris (1923-2012) • LRKS-XVC
Mary Elizabeth Harris (1958-2009) • LRK9-Z7P
Brian Patrick Ross (1985-Living) • LRJB-19W