The Geography of Heritage
...ng Ellis Island in one way or another all 5 families made their way to Buffalo where they settled, found jobs and had children .The Nittos had 2 children; Rita and Daniel. The Despenzas had 13 children .The Razmus’s had 13 children the Klimcos had 2 children and the Gogans also had 2 children.Neighborhoods during this time were composed by nationality, the Italians on one side of town, the Irish on another and so on and so forth.Marriages that mixed 2 different cultures usually happened because those cultures lived closer together. Now in instances where someone married another not of the culture, problems did arise.When Harold Gogan and Ann Klimco wanted to get married they did it in secret and ran away for a month because Ann’s family didn’t want her marrying a “stupid Irishmen” and Harold’s family didn’t want him married to a “dumb German”. Now Ann was Austrian not German, but to the Irish it didn’t matter the difference they were all the same. Daniel Nitto and Theresa Dispenza were both Italian so there marriage was not as dramatic or forbidden.Now Ann and Harold had 3 children Harry, Maryann and Gertrude.Theresa and Daniel also had 3 children. They named them Bernadette, Daniel and William.The marriage of Ann and Harold was the first cultural blending in my family. Their children and those of Daniel and Theresa are the 3rd and 4th generations of European descendants in the U.S.Gertrude Gogan married Edward Razmus; the second eldest of 13 children and of Polish decent. They had 2 children Donna; my grandmother and David, my great uncle.Donna Razmus married William Nitto. They bore 2 children William Jr. and Candice. After having children they decided to move to Arizona for economic and personal reasons. Donna and William were the first out of 3 generations to leave Buffalo N.Y. Then Gertrude and Edward Razmus, Donna’s parents also moved to Az.In Arizona Donna and William Nitto’s eldest child William Jr. met Stacy Transue originally from Seattle WA. William and Stacy had a child Heather (myself) and then got married.During the period of several years many major changes were to occur in my family. Donna and William Sr. divorced. Edward Razmus would die and William Jr. and Stacy would also divorce.Donna Nitto and her daughter, Candice moved to California. Stacy the ex- wife of William Jr. would move to Oregon. Gertrude Razmus moved to Indiana to be with her son ...