A black dagger passed down through four generations had a “story” behind it. All the family knew was that it was “taken off a German soldier in France, during WWI.” The dagger made its way from the battlefields of France to Ontario, Canada and then to Oneida County, NY in 1918. But whose was it, and why had a Canadian soldier brought it home? Genealogist and historian Pamela Vittorio traces the dagger back to a possible original owner using military records, archival resources, artifact identification, maps and historic newspapers in this history mystery. This program takes place in the History Center’s main gallery on Saturday, November 9, 2019 starting at 1:00 PM, and is free and open to the public.
Pamela Vittorio is a professional genealogist and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of English Language Studies/Parsons School of Design at The New School University, in NYC. She holds an MA from NYU in Languages and History. Pamela frequently conducts workshops and programs on the social and cultural history of U.S. canals, women’s studies, the Civil War, Colonial period Canada/U.S. connections. She is the author of several books on English language learning, and has published articles on history and genealogy related to the Erie and NY State Canals. Pamela attends the Salt Lake City Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) yearly, and has taken coursework in Advanced Genetic Genealogy/DNA, Land Records, and Advanced Genealogical Research Methods, and the Genealogical Proof Standard.
The Oneida County History Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, heritage, and culture of the Greater Mohawk Valley. Admission to this program is free for the general public; donations are encouraged. Please contact the History Center at 315-735-3642 or visit the OCHC website (www.oneidacountyhistory.org) or Facebook.com page for additional information.
