Welcome To The
Paino Family Web Site
The Painos featured on this site are descendents of those brave men who ventured across the
oceans from Sicily's Aeolian Islands in the early 20th century. Their dream was to find a better life for their
families, and in this they succeeded.
Some traveled to the United States and found work on the railroads. Others set sail for South America and worked in
the mines of Argentina. And some eventually found their way to New Zealand and Australia. My grandfather was one of
these men.
We Painos are now far flung and it's unlikely most of us will ever meet our cousins on the other side of the world.
But it's intriguing to contemplate the idea that somewhere far away there are people with your eyes or your nose,
people who tilt their heads the way you do, who express their feelings in much the same way as you, who have a
similar way of laughing or walking or smiling. Even though you will never meet, these people are bound to you by
genetics. We Painos share common ancestors, and, if you believe in such concepts, common genetic memories.
Some of us have heard the same family stories, of a grandfather in the old country being blinded by a pet bird; of
an uncle so strong he could lift huge boulders. Family folklore traveled with the young men across the oceans and
was passed on to their sons and daughters.
Those original pioneers are gone, and we realize now that we should have asked more questions, instead of turning
away impatiently when they reminisced about the past.
But now we have the Internet, and we can seek out the history of our families online. This site is one attempt to
bridge the gap that circumstance has placed between us. Perhaps you will recognize echoes of your own family in
ours.
© www.paino-family.com 2005-2018
This site is currently being updated and will be restored shortly.
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