Mary Cummins. Ancestry, heritage, DNA, genealogy blog

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Rick Caruso Ancestry, Family, Heritage, Ethnicity, Italian by Mary Cummins, Genealogist, Los Angeles, California

Rick Caruso, Henry Joseph Caruso, Enrique Caruso, family tree, ancestry, heritage, ethnicity, DNA, family, parents, grandparents, wife, spouse, children, siblings, Italy, Austria, Chicago, Illinois, New York, Los Angeles, California, USC, The Grove, Catholic, Mary Cummins, Genealogist, Mayor, Italian

Rick Caruso candidate for Los Angeles Mayor was born Henry Joseph Caruso in Los Angeles, California in 1959. "Rick" is the nickname for "Rico" which is Italian for Henry. Rick's parents are from Italy and Austria. Photo of Rick Caruso at graduation from USC in 1980 with a degree in Finance and Business below.

Rick's parents were Henry "Hank" Joseph Caruso 24 FEB 1922, Uniontown, PA, USA 26 NOV 2017, Los Angeles, California; and Gloria "Glorya" Gene "West" Restagno, 9 NOVEMBER 1925, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, 27 AUG 2017, Los Angeles, California. "West" was Gloria's modeling name. *While Rick Caruso mentioned his children in a paid obituary for his parents his children will not be mentioned here. Their names are publicly available. Photos of Rick's parents below.

The Los Angeles Times ran a paid obituary notice December 3, 2017 pg B7 for both of Rick's parents. Here is just the introduction per fair use of Copyright Act,

"Gloria and Hank Caruso had a romance that began like a scene from a Hollywood movie. Hank caught his first glimpse of Gloria on a full-sized billboard hovering over Sunset Boulevard. He couldn't take his eyes off the image of the gorgeous lady gazing down on him. Fortunately and providentially, one of Hank's friends also knew Gloria. He arranged for them to meet and they had a blind date. Gloria and Hank were inseparable from that time on. They were joined in Holy Matrimony at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood on May 1, 1954. Their marriage of over 63 years ended this past summer when Gloria Restagno Caruso, 91, died at home on Sunday, August 27. Almost three months to the day, Henry (Hank) J. Caruso passed away on Sunday, November 26. He was 95.

"Their remarkable story is about two people, born to immigrant parents, who began with nothing, but always had everything," said Rick Caruso, their eldest son. "Through their belief in themselves, their faith in God, their character and hard work, they built an amazing legacy of family that lives on in their children and grandchildren."

Gloria Restagno was born on November 9, 1925 in Chicago, one of six children of Anna and Frank Restagno. Frank was born in Italy, while Anna emigrated from Austria. Frank was an elevator operator and delivery man for a bread company.

Hank Caruso also was a first generation American. His parents, Josephine and August Caruso, both came from Italy and settled near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, a mining town just south of Pittsburgh. August worked as a driller in the coal mines, setting dynamite to break through the rock.

Shortly after Hank was born on February 22, 1922, the family moved to Los Angeles, eventually settling in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, which was mostly Italians and Jewish immigrants. August went to work as a gardener."

Family tree wide view. Click to see larger so you can read it. This is only three generations and not all spouses are added or up to date.

PATERNAL

Rick's father Hank Caruso was a successful business man in Los Angeles, California. Instead of rewriting the same information here is another quote from the paid obituary notice,

"Hank enrolled at USC in 1939 to study pre-med and had to work multiple jobs to pay tuition. As a member of the greatest generation, he enlisted in the Navy and became one of the country's first Navy pilots stationed in Saipan. He was shot down during an air battle and for three days drifted, stranded at sea. Hank survived and remained in the Navy as a pilot, rose to the rank LTJG and was regarded as a hero. He was recognized by the Secretary of Navy for his heroic service to his country. After returning from service as a Navy Air Corp pilot in World War II, Hank saw an opportunity in the burgeoning Southern California automobile industry. He began to acquire car dealerships from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler throughout the area. By the mid 1950s he became the world's largest car dealer. Hank also was the first person to advertise cars on television. His "singing commercials" on both TV and radio were well-known by a majority of Angelenos at the time. In 1966, Hank initiated another innovation, this time in the rental car industry. While facing many challenges of the "big three" of the industry (Hertz, Avis, and National), he founded Dollar Rent-A-Car. His motto and method of business operation were simple: offer the best service available at the most competitive prices. In twenty years of his ownership and leadership, Dollar Rent-A-Car grew to be the fourth largest car rental agency in the world with more than 1,400 locations. In 1990, Hank sold Dollar Rent-A-Car to the Chrysler Corporation. He then went back to operating his dealerships with Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, and Mazda. He remained active in his dealership until earlier last year. With all of his success, Hank Caruso was always aware of the great responsibilities that went hand in hand with good fortune and donated generously. Gloria and Hank taught their children about giving back to the community and helping those who are less fortunate."

Hank's parents were Augustine "August" "Aug" Joseph Caruso, 18 Sep 1894, Castelgrande, Italy, 25 Jul 1978, Los Angeles, California and Josephine M LaCava, 1 Jan 1904, Italy, 21 Feb 1987, Los Angeles, California. August was a truck driver and landscape gardener. Below is August's obituary.

"CARUSO, August, beloved husband of Josephine Caruso: father of Rev. Lawrence Caruso, O.F.M., Henry and Albert Caruso; uncle of Joseph Ponlorero; also survived by 6 grandchildren and 1 greatgrandchild. Mass of Christian Burial Friday, 8 p.m. at Mother of Good Counsel Church. Graveside service Saturday, 10 a.m. in Holy Cross Cemetery."

Josephine LaCava's obituary,

"CARUSO, Josephine M. loving mother of Henry J. (Gloria), Albert (Vivian) and Rev, Lawrence Caruso, O.F.M. Cap., beloved sister of Anthony La Cava of Pennsylvania; proud grandmother of 8 and great- grandmother of 2, aunt of Joseph Pontorero. Wednesday at St. Francis of Assist Church. Private entombment Thursday, 10 am In Holy Cross Mausoleum."

Photo of Rick Caruso's father and paternal grandparents from Rick Caruso's website below.

Hank's great grandparents were Nickolas "Nicolo" Caruso, 1859, Castelgrande, Italy, 28 Jul 1921, Port Chester, New York; Annastasia "Anna" Ruvo, 1866 Italy; and,

Vincenzo "Vincent" LaCava, 15 Mar 1878 Italy, 2 Nov 1953, Adah, Fayette, Pennsylvania and "Mary" Maria Louise Piemonti, 1878 Italy, Sept 19 1938, Adah, Pennsylvania.

Nickolas Caruso lived in the Port Chester Italian Colony and was in the dairy business. He owned a three story house at 495 W William St, Port Chester, which he left to his wife and kids. He gave each of his three sons one floor in the house. The home built in 1910 today is a 9 beds, 4 baths apartment house 4,112 sf on a 6,500 lot and still stands. The family ran a few businesses from the house. Back in the day that was normal. Current photo.

Nicholas' obituary,

"N. CARUSO FUNERAL. Nicholas Caruso whose funeral takes place tomorrow at 9:30 a m from the Corpus Christi Chapel South Regent street was a victim of cancer. His ailment is believed to have been the result of an injury received when his horse ran away about a year and a half ago. He was a native of Castlegrande Italy but had been engaged in the milk business at 495 West William street for the last fifteen years. Deceased is survived by his widow Anna and three sons, James. Joseph and Angelo."

Vincenzo LaCava owned a retail grocery store. His death article,

"Elderly County Man Killed by Truck. A 75-year-old Adah man was killed when struck by a truck 10 o'clock Monday morning Route 21. near the Edenborn- Leckrone intersection. State Police said the victim was Vincenzo LaCava. They said he was walking in the direction of traffic and either stumbled or fell on the highway and was hit by a truck operated by Chester Gaten, 19, of Frederickstown. Deputy Coroner Mike Novasky of Masontown said LaCava died instantly of a fractured skull, lacerations of the scalp, fractured right leg and broken back. He is survived by four children. LaCava was a resident of Adah 30 years."

Mary "Maria" Louise obituary,

"LaCAVA REQUIEM Final rites For Mrs, Mary Louise LaCava, aged 56, who died Monday, September II, 1938, at her home in Adah, as the result of a fall, will be held at 1l o'clock Monday morning in All Saint church, Masontown. The Ht. Rev. Francis K. Kolb will be celebrant. Burial will be in St. Agnes cemetery."

MATERNAL

Rick's mother was Gloria Restagno. From the same paid obituary,

"Gloria Restagno was born on November 9, 1925 in Chicago, one of six children of Anna and Frank Restagno. Frank was born in Italy, while Anna emigrated from Austria. Frank was an elevator operator and delivery man for a bread company." He was actually a distributor for a bread company. Gloria was a clothing model.

Rick's maternal grandparents were Francesco "Frank" Restagno, 31 Dec 1892, Ardoria, Italy, 30 April 1976, Chicago, Illinois, and Anna Rose Tromick/Tromiczak/Tromki, 29 Mar 1894, Vienna, Austria, 8 Dec 1993, Chicago, Illinois.

Frank was a craneman, bread sales/distributor and a member and Officer of the Chicago Lawn Lodge 1693 of the Order of the Sons of Italy. The Chicago Lawn Lodge's "primary aim is to enroll all Americans of good character and of Italian ancestry and encourage the active participation of its members in the political, social and civic life of their communities to promote better relations with other nationalities and to uphold the prestige of Italian Americans." He changed the last name to "Ellis" when he arrived through Ellis Island then changed it back to Restagno. Frank and his wife Anna celebrated their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries with notices in the newspapers. Below is the announcement for their 60th wedding anniversary,

"MR. AND MRS. FRANK RESTAGNO. Celebrate 60th year. Mr and Mrs Frank Restagno, 5915 S. Mozart ave., recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at a dinner. The dinner was attended by their close friends, their six children, 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mr. Restagno, a native of Italy, was in business for himself as a bread distributor from 1927 to 1950 and was an elevator operator in the McCormick building until his retirement in 1957. Mrs. Restagno is a native of Vienna, Austria. The couple has three sons and two daughters who live Chicago and a daughter in California.

Below is Frank's obituary,

"Frank Restagno, beloved husband of Anna, nee Tromki, dear father of Frank (Ethel), Mary (late Stephen) Bies, Guido (Mary Ann), Edith (Paul) Bies, Gloria (Henry) Caruso and Remo (Bonnie); grandfather of 11; great grandfather of four. Funeral Monday, May 3, 11 a.m. at Soltes Chapel, 2746 W. 5th St. Interment Skyline Memorial Park."

Anna Rose Tromick's obituary,

"RESTAGNO Anna Reatagno, nee Tromczyk, age 100, beloved wife of the late Frank; dear mother of Eda (the late Paul) Bes of Decatur, MI., Gloria (Hank) Caruso of Beverly Hills, CA, Guido (Ruth Ann) of Hot Springs, AR, Remo Restagno of Scottadale, AZ, and the late Frank; mother-in-law of Ethel Restagno of Chicago, IL; loving grandmother of 11, great-grandmother of 19; survived by many friends. Interment St. Mary."

Photo of Frank and Anna Restagno from Rick Caruso's website below. It looks like Gloria standing in the back holding Marc Anthony with Christine on the left and Rick on the right. Anna and Frank front row bottom. I think the photo is about 1973. Hank must be taking the photo.

Rick's great grandparents were Mr and Mrs Restagno, Italy and Jan "John" Tromick and Regina Bigley, Austria.

Rick has two siblings, Christine Jean and Marc Anthony Caruso. Rick married Tina Patricia Willson and has four children in Los Angeles, California. Tina's parents are from England, Canada and the US.

References

Obituary, Hank and Gloria Caruso, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, December 3, 2017 pg B7

Obituaries, Wedding Anniversary announcement, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, Times, Los Angeles, California.

US Census Records

California Birth Index

Newspapers.com

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California by Mary Cummins

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90038, Mary Cummins, genealogist, real estate appraiser, Mel Blanc, Ramones, celebrities, gravestones, headstones, mortuary, cemetery, Hollywood, ancestry, actor, musician

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Enter on Santa Monica Blvd. There is parking when you drive through the gates. The cemetery backs up to the studio lots. Lots of celebrities and people in the film industry. Map below along with photos.

Mel Blanc's grave, tombstone, coins, stones, man of a thousand voices, hollywood forever cemetery

Top of Mel Blanc's headstone, pennies, stones, gifts

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90038, map, layout, plan, grave locations, Mel Blanc, Ramones, celebrities, gravestones, headstones, mortuary, cemetery, Hollywood, ancestry, actor, musician

Mary Cummins

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Rachel Maddow, Rachel Anne Maddow, ancestry, ethnicity, family tree by Mary Cummins genealogist

rachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner, msnbc

Rachel Anne Maddow was born in Alameda County, California April 1, 1973. Her father is Robert Bernard Maddow b. 1943 in New Jersey. Her mother is Elaine T Gosse b. 1941 in Canada. Below is a pic of Rachel Maddow from 1987 at Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California.

Below is Rachel Maddow from 1988 at Castro Valley High School.

Rachel Maddow 1988, Castro Valley High Schoolrachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

Rachel graduated from Stanford University in 1993. She graduated with honors and distinction after 3.5 years. She received her B.A in public policy and ethics in society. She wa a volunteer for serveral AIDS related programs. She was an outstanding high school volleyball player. She was chosen as a Rhodes Scholar in 1994 to attend Oxford University in England. She was also chosen to receive the equally prestigious Marshall scholarship but declined so she could take the Rhodes scholarship. (San Francisco Examiner, Dec 12, 1994).

Rachel Maddow has an older brother David Robert Maddow b. 1969 in Inglewood, California. Below is a pic from 1987 from Bishop O'Dowd High School which is an expensive private school in the San Francisco area.

David Robert Maddow, Rachel Maddow's brother, Californiarachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

Rachel's father Robert Bernard Maddow was born May 1, 1943 in New Jersey. He attended Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California 1959 and 1960. Below is a pic from that time.

Robert Bernard Maddow 1960rachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

He also attended Stanford University in 1964 as a political science major. Below is a pic from that time.

Robert Bernard Maddow 1964 Stanfordrachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

Robert Maddow went to law school at UC Hastings College in San Francisco. He passed the California bar exam December 1967 and became a lawyer January 1968. He is currently a California lawyer working at Bold, Polisner, Maddow et al in Walnut Creek, California. Here's his profile in the site https://www.bpmnj.com/About/Robert-B-Maddow.shtml). 1972 he was appointed assistant attorney at the East Bay Municipal Utility District. He entered private practice in 1993. Here is a link to more of his biography taken from a Berkeley oral history interview from 1997.

Robert Maddow met his wife Elaine Gosse in 1965 at a party in California. Elaine had arrived in California from Newfoundland, Canada back in 1963. Elaine worked in a financial business at the time as a portfolio analyst for Dean Witter. Her sister Barbara at the time worked as the secretary to the President of the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange.

http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/rohoia/ucb/text/watersupplyrights00maddrich.pdf

Rachel Maddow's mother is Elaine T Gosse. She was born April 16, 1941 in St. John's, Torbay, Newfoundland, Canada. Elaine married Robert Maddow November 30, 1968 in San Francisco, California. She petitioned to be a US citizen in 1973 and became a citizen March 6, 1973. She was a school administrator.

Rachel Maddow's paternal grandfather was Bernard "Bernie" Maddow November 18, 1915, Brooklyn, New York to January 27, 2005, San Diego, California. Below is his obituary.

"MADDOW, BERNARD Bernie Maddow passed away peacefully on January 27, 2005, 2 weeks after celebrating his 67th wedding anniversary with his beloved wife Trudy. He was born in Brooklyn, New York 89 years ago, and lived in New Jersey until 1946. After 8 years in Tucson, Arizona, the family moved to San Diego in 1954, residing first in Pacific Beach and then in Clairemont. Bernie was trained in the fine arts of clock and watch repair and manufacture, and worked most of his long and distinguished career in the esoteric field of precision instrumentation. He was a leader of the local chapter of the Instrument Society of America. His survivors include Trudy; their daughter Cheryl Dowden of Los Angeles and her daughters Lorraine Hughes and her husband John of Rialto, California and Kathleen Smith and her husband Dan of Newport News, Virginia; their son Robert and his wife Elaine of Castro Valley, California, their son David of San Francisco and daughter Rachel of West Cummington, Massachusetts and New York City; and great-grandchildren Christy and John Hughes and Jake Smith. At Bernie and Trudy's request, no services will be held. Remembrance donations should be made to your favorite personal charity. "

Rachel Maddow's paternal grandmother was Geertruide "Gertrude" "Trudy" Maria Smits. She married Bernard Maddow in New York January 13, 1938. Trudy was born September 8, 1915 in Paterson, New Jersey. She and her family were members of the North Reformed Dutch Church in Passaic, New Jersey. Trudy graduated from Clifton High School in Clifton, New Jersey around 1933. Her high school nickname was "Smitty." Her yearbook quote was "Intelligence is to genius as the whole is in proportion to it's parts." Smitty was on the Reflector Staff June 1933. Below is a pic of Trudy, date unknown.

Geertruide "Gertrude" "Trudy" Maria Smits Maddow, Rachel Maddow familyrachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

Rachel Maddow's maternal grandfather was Daniel Joseph Gosse born December 5, 1894 in Torbay, Newfoundland, Canada, died November 6, 1973 in Torbay, Canada. 1917 he registered for the military in the US in Bangor, Maine. His occupation is listed as fisherman for Bay State Fishers working on the coast waters. He was single at that time stating he had to support his mother and father. He came to the US to work as an alien. 1945 in Canada he was listed as a cod fisher.

Rachel Maddow's maternal grandmother was Ann F McGrath born August 1909 in Torbay, Canada. They married about 1935. They had eight children, Sister Joan Gosse b. 1936, Austin Mark Gosse 1936-1994, Barbara Gosse b. 1938, William Daniel Gosse 1939-2014, Daniel Gosse, Anne Gosse O'Discoll b. 1943, Mary Gosse b. 1945 and Elaine Gosse.

Rachel Maddow's paternal great grandfather on the Maddow side was William Maddow July 9, 1881 Poltava, Ukraine to May 25, 1958. Below is his obituary.

William Maddow, 76, husband of Mrs. Sarah Bernhardt Maddow of 76 Cutler St.. Clifton; died Monday after a long illness. A native of Russia, he came to this country 65 years ago and had resided in the Passaic-Clifton area since. Mr. Maddow was an electrical contractor. Funeral services were conducted yesterday at 12 noon in the chapel at 66 Howe Ave., Passaic. Rabbi Max Zucker of Temple Emanuel, Passaic, officiated. Interment was in King Solomon Cemetery, Clifton. Surviving are his widow, four daughters, Mrs. Edward (Pauline) Stein of Miami, Flo.; Mrs. Murray (Alice) Goldberg of Fair Lawn; Mrs. Dunn (Dorothy) Joseph of Long Beach, N. Y., and Miss Lillian Maddow of Passaic; a son, Bernard of, San Diego, Calif.; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two brothers, Morris and Joseph and a sister, Mrs. Sarah Mapu/ Transcription by Mary Cummins.

William Maddow's father was Abraham/Benjamin Medwedof/Medwedow/Maddow b. 1840 from Ukriane/Russia. His mother was Anna b. 1865.

Rachel Maddow's paternal great grandmother on the Maddow side was Sarah Bernhardt b. 1888 Russia died August 7, 1966 New Jersey. Below is her obituary.

"Sarah Maddow, 77. Fair Lawn - Mrs Sarah Bernhardt Maddow. 77. of 10-15 Plymouth Drive, died yesterday at Brookwood Nursing Home, Saddle Brook. Born in Russia, she came to this country 74 years ago. She had lived in this Borough for the past 74 years and previously in Passaic. Her husband William died in 1958. She is survived by four daughters: Mrs Murray (Alice) Goldberg, with whom she resided and at whose home the mourning period will be observed: Mrs. Edward (Pauline) Stein of Miami: Mrs. Joseph (Dorothy) Dunn of Long Beach. N.Y.: and Mrs. Peter (Lillian) Ianuzzi of Passaic: a son Bernard of San Diego, Calif: nine grandchildren: and six great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be toay at 2 P. M at the George Louis Jewish Memorial Chapel, 747 Market Street. Paterson Rabbi David H. Panitz of Temple Emanuel will officiate. Burial will be in King Solomon Cemetery, Clifton. Transcription by Mary Cummins."

Sarah Bernhardt Maddow's parents were Abraham/Abraha Bernhardt from Lithuania and Hanna/Annie Leah Matuk b. 1854 in Shirvent, Lithuania.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandfather on the Smits side was John Smits 1881-1967 born in Holland and died in Passaic, New Jersey. Below is his obituary.

"John Smits, Was Shipping Clerk. NORTH HALEDON - John Smits. 86. former Clifton and Plainfield resident, died today in the Holland Christian Home, Graham Avenue, after a brief illness. Born in The Netherlands, Mr Smits came to the United States 49 years ago. He was a resident of the home for two years. Before retiring he was employed as a shipping clerk. His wife, the former Margaret Keyser, died in 1947. Services will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel at the home. The Rev. Robert Prins of the First Christian Reformed Church, Paterson, will officiate. Burial will be in Crest haven Memorial Park, Clifton. Surviving are five daughters, Mrs. Anna Ververs of Paterson, Mrs. Addie Miller of Plainfield, Mr Henrietta De Bell of Little Falls, Mrs. Gertrude Meadow (Maddow) of San Diego. Calif., and Mrs Marie Yuhas of Riverdale; a son, Richard Daalder of East Paterson; 15 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. The News, Paterson, New Jersey, 28 Aug 1967, Mon • Page 31. Transcription by Mary Cummins."

John Smit's parents were Dirk Smits and Tona A Van Der Vliet from Holland.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandmother on the Smits side was Grietje Margaret "Maggie" Keijzer/Keyzer/Keyser born 1882 in Holland and died 1949 in Passaic, New Jersey. Below is a photo of her when she was married to her first husband John Jan Dirk Daalder 1878-1904. Maggie had four children with Daalder, Richard, John, Marie and Anna Daalder. She later had about ten more children with John Smits.

Grietje Margaret "Maggie" Keijzer/Keyzer/Keyserrachel maddow, rachel anne maddow, family, history, biography, mother, father, brother, grandparents, jewish, christian, catholic, canada, canadian, irish, english, russia, ukraine, dna, heritage, family tree, ancestry, wife, girlfriend, mary cummins, california, dutch, netherlands, holland, gosse, smits, maddow, bernhardt, robert maddow, bernard maddow, daniel gosse, annie mcgrath, elaine gosse, trudy smiths, william maddow, sarah bernhardt, john smits, keyzer, thomas gosse, mary cole, thomas mcgrath, anne kely, cole, codner

Maggie's parents were Hendrik Jan "Henry John" Keijzer/Keyzer 1857-1934 and Maria Bakker 1858-1896.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandfather on the Gosse side was Thomas Joseph Gosse born March 1, 1857 in Torbay, Canada, died December 20, 1932 in Torbay, Canada. He was a cod fisherman. His father was William Goss 1823-1888 Canada. His mother was Mary Maria Codner 1832-1900 Canada.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandmother was Mary Hannah Cole 1864-1945 Canada. Her parents were Uriah Coe and Catherine Manning from Canada.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandfather on the McGrath side was Thomas J McGrath 1872 - 1947 Canada. His parents were John McGrath 1840-1907 and Mary Hanna Codner 1845-1897.

Rachel Maddow's maternal great grandmother on the McGrath side was Anne Maria Kelly 1884-1947 Canada. Her parents were James Kelly and Elizabeth King

Based on Rachel Maddow's family tree she is about 1/4 Jewish from Ukraine/Russia, 1/4 Dutch Protestant from the Netherlands and 1/2 Roman Catholic Canadian/English/Irish from Canada.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Mary Cummins

Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt, writer, author, Latino? by Mary Cummins genealogist

jeanine cummins, jeanine christen cummins, cummins, irish, mexican, latinx, american dirt, puerto rico, grandmother, puerto rican, maria quixano, review, oprah winfrey,

UPDATES BELOW ORIGINAL ARTICLE. I'm reading the book and reviewing it now. This is the most implausible plot I have ever read in my life. It reads like the author wrote her own porn. The lead character Lydia is a pretty, smart young woman who loves books. The head of the Mexican cartel Javier is a smart well read man who also loves books (ha ha ha ha ha!). Javier is in love with Lydia because of her love of books. Javier kills Lydia's entire extended family at a quinceañera because Lydia doesn't want to be his book club friend anymore when she finds out he's the head of the cartel. WTF or as Jeanine would say como el effo? I'd like to file a personal injury case because I seriously injured my eyes from all the eye rolling at this story line. Seriously, como?! Don't worry. My book review way below is not a spoiler. (Update - As I've read more it turns out that is not the full reason why Javier kill's Lydia's family. The real reason is even more unbelievable).

ORIGINAL: By now many people have heard about Jeanine Cummins' book "American Dirt." The book is a highly fictionalized story about a woman and her son fleeing violence in Mexico to come to America. Cummins (no relation) claims she is "Latinx." FYI real Latinos hate the term "Latinx." Cummins stated in the book cover “I wished someone slightly browner than me would write it." Being Mexican or a Central American immigrant is not mainly about skin color. Also, white is not any shade of brown.

Cummins has claimed in her current book tour that she is "Latinx" because she has a Puerto Rican grandmother. She later stated she is a "Puerto Rican." Oddly enough during a book tour for her previous book she stated "I am white," "in every practical way, my family is mostly white." This article explores Cummins' "brownness," her whiteness as it relates to her family, her experience and her book "American Dirt." I'll start with her family tree then pick back up with the main part of the article.

I will not be posting anything that is not publicly available data which anyone can find. I see no evidence she was born in Spain on a US military base but I will give her the benefit of the doubt. Jeanine Christen Cummins was born December 1974.

Cummins parents, Eugene Joseph Cummins Jr and Marily Kay Matthews married November 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri. Cummins has an older brother, Thomas P Cummins, who was born November 1971 in Los Angeles, California. Cummins also has a younger sister, Kathleen "Kathy" born July 1976.

Cummins stated that her father is Puerto Rican, "my father died a week before the 2016 presidential election. He was Puerto Rican." Her father is not, was not Puerto Rican.

Cummins graduated from Gaithersburg High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 1992. After Cummins completed college at Towson University in 1996 Cummins went to work as a bartender in Belfast, Ireland for allegedly two years. If her roots were so deep in Puerto Rico, why not work as a bartender in Puerto Rico? At least she wouldn't need a work visa in PR.

Cummins has written two books about Ireland and the Irish. In the preface of one book she literally said "very few people in the US know about the potato famine in Ireland." That's why she wrote a book about it. WTF?! Everyone learned about that in school. Cummins also claimed that she worked for a book publisher in NY for ten years after graduating from college. That doesn't jive with her Ireland bartender story. Difficult to know what is real and what is fiction.

Paternal family Cummins

Cummins stated her father "identifies" as "Puerto Rican." Cummins' father Eugene Joseph Cummins Jr (1945-2016) was was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri at Rolla in Rolla, Missouri class of 1968. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering. Most men in her family on both sides are civil engineers. Immediately after college Eugene Cummins entered the Navy. He was a Navy Lt in Vietnam working as a swift boat commander. He was awarded the Vietnamese Service medal and the Vietnamese Medal of Valor and the Bronze Star. He was also a communications officer on the U.S.S. Hanson.

Paternal Grandparents

Cummins paternal grandfather was Eugene Joseph Cummins Sr. (1919-1997) born in Webster Groves, Missouri. Below is his obituary,

Eugene J. Cummins, 77; Was Tractor Firm Sales Executive. Eugene J. "Gene" Cummins, a retired sales executive for the John Fabick Tractor Co., died Jan. 28, 1997, after a stroke at his home in Clearwater, Fla. He was 77. Mr. Cummins had been the assistant general sales manager and pipeline manager for Fabick Tractor, based in Fenton. For more than 43 years, he handled international sales for Fabick. He worked on many projects, including the Trans-Alpine, Trans-Alaska and Saudi pipelines. He served as a commander in the Navy in World War II and in the Korean War. He specialized in defending harbors against submarines. He served in the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean and along the West Coast. Mr. Cummins was a founding member of the International Pipeline Contractors Association. Former President Ronald Reagan honored him for his achievements in export and American trade. Mr. Cummins was born in Webster Groves and attended the Vincentian Seminaries in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Perryville, Mo. Before his death, he was active in the Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor, Fla., where he was an Eucharistic minister, lector and lay spiritual guide. A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ, Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Manchester. His body was cremated. Among the survivors are his wife of 52 years, Maria Cummins; three sons, Eugene J. "Gene" Cummins Jr. of Gaithersburg, Md., Ric Cummins of Lawrence, Kan., and Kevin Cummins of Manchester; five daughters, Virginia Kerry of Spanish Lake, Lisa Thess of Wentzville, Patti Southerland of Spring Lake, Utah, Sheila Oliveri of Clayton and Jacquie Sweet of Harris-burg, Mo.; a sister, Sister Roberta Cummins of Normandy; 17 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Transcription by Mary Cummins.

While grandfather Cummins was posted in the military in Puerto Rico he met his future wife the Puerto Rican paternal grandmother Maria de los Angeles Victoria Quixano y Alvarez Torres (1921-2007) . This is where the "Quixano" name comes from in her book. There are pics of some of these people in the family tree image above. Below is Maria Quixano.

Jeanine Cummin's Puerto Rican grandmother Maria Quixano, Maria de los Angeles Victoria Quixano y Alvarez, born 1921 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, wife of Eugene Joseph Cummins, brown, american dirt, book, author

A quick lesson in Spanish names. Most common old timey first name for females in Spanish is "Maria" including mine. The last name is more difficult. The "first" last name is the main last name of the father, in this case "Quixano." The "second" last name is the main last name of the mother, in this case "Alvarez." The other "middle" names are nods to other relatives and god parents. My Mexican grandmother's baptism name i.e. "María Luisa Trinidad Enriqueta Margarita Rivera Baz" has enough names to open a large law firm. Her father was Rivera. Mother was Trinidad Baz. God parent was Enriqueta. She was called Maria Luisa Rivera.

Maria Quixano's family is very wealthy living in a very large home in the nicest part of the capital of San Juan, Puerto Rico with multiple live in servants on Calle Americo Salas in Santurce. They work in government in the Treasury Department and in finance. They are also university educated civil engineers and accountants. On top of this they are more recent white descendants of the Spanish European colonists of Puerto Rico. They are not "brown." The census docs say "blanco" i.e. white. For Cummins to claim this gives her some brown points is beyond insulting. White is the opposite of brown in Puerto Rico. The Spanish colonists killed and enslaved the native inhabitants of Puerto Rico and what is now Mexico. It's like a prison guard saying he knows what it's like to be a prisoner. Nope.

Maria Quixano graduated from Sacred Heart University in San Juan which is the oldest and largest private University in Puerto Rico. She and her family regularly flew to New York and other parts of the United States ever since she was a very young child. Her relatives live in New York and Florida. Her father lived at the Punta Borinquen Golf and Country Club in Puerto Rico which was initially built by the US Military and was a favorite of President Eisenhower.

Maria Quixano had two siblings, Ricardo Quixano 1922-1991 who died in Florida and Rafael 1926-1992 who died in Puerto Rico.

Eugene Cummins Sr married Maria Quixano April 10, 1944 in Jefferson City, Missouri. They had eight children, i.e. Jacquie, Kevin, Lisa, Patti, Virginia, Richard, Sheila and Eugene. I don't see any Spanish names. They wiped the Spanish, Latinx right out of the family. A child's name is his/her identity. The family does not identify as Puerto Rican, Spanish or Latinx.

I wasn't going to mention the writer's children's names but she mentions them in the book. A hint, they are not Spanish names. They are incredibly Irish names i.e. Aoife and Clodagh. What's even more disgusting is the book has a few child rape scenes. The author states that the Latino under age girls in question are paraphrased "just too pretty for their own good." She acts as if they deserved to be raped because they are too pretty. Did she think the girls should have fugged it up a little to keep from getting raped? She talks about how sexy and desirable the underage girls are. She has two young girls similar ages. That is just gross!

Paternal great-grandparents

I will be brief with the great grandparents which are first Robert Patrick Cummins (1883-1964) and Virginia Shepherd (1884-1925) both from Missouri. Robert Cummins attended the University of Missouri and received a B.S. in Mine Engineering. He was a civil engineer who worked for the railroad. He was the past President of the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers.

Robert Cummins married Virginia Shepherd September 4, 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. Together they had the following children, Katherine, Virginia, Robert and Eugene J Cummins Sr. She died from septicemia from acute appendicitis. Her obituary,

"Mrs. Virginia M. Cummins Dies. Mrs. Virginia M. Cummins, wife of Robert P. Cummins, office engineer of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway, died yesterday at her residence. 811 East Big Ben Avenue. Mrs. Cummins, who was 41 years old, was operated upon for acute appendicitis last Sunday. She is survived by her husband and four children, two sons and two daughters." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr 19, 1925. Transcription by Mary Cummins.

Robert Cummins then married Katherine Tiffin who died in 1983. Robert's father was from Ireland.

The second set of paternal great-grandparents are Ricardo Quixano (1886-1968) and Rafaela Alvarez Torres (1894-1996) in Puerto Rico. Ricardo Quixano was an engineer who worked for the Puerto Rico railroad. He also worked in finance for the Treasury Dept of Puerto Rico. Rafaela was a housewife. Their parents, grandparents originally came from Spain. They are listed as "blanco" on all census docs. I traced them back to the 17th century in Spain. Some had stopovers in Cuba, Dominican Republic or Venezuela but they are all wealthy, politically connected white Euro Spanish.

Maternal family Matthews

Cummins' mother Marilyn Kay Matthews was born 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri. She went to nursing school, probably was a nurse and is a house wife. I haven't found much more info about her as of yet.

Maternal Grandparents

Marilyn Matthews' parents were Arthur Florenz Matthias "Matthews" (1908-2009) and Julia Pauline "Polly" Furley (1910-2012). Her father's original last name was "Matthias" which is German. They didn't change the name until after two generations in the US.

Arthur Matthews was an aeronautical engineer and the project development engineer for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St Louis. He invented a hinge which he patented. He was a graduate of Washington University and of the Chicago Art Institute. He was formerly a power plant designer with Curtiss-Wright. He worked on the XF-88B. His wife was Pauline Julia Furley. His children were Marilyn Kay, Arthur Florenz Jr (1938-1999), Robert Cummins and Thomas Steven Matthew (1945-1946). Arthur also directed a musical band.

Pauline Furley Matthew graduated from McComb High School Class of 1928 in McComb, Mississippi. Pauline and Arthur were married in St. Louis December 2, 1936.

Maternal great-grandparents

Arthur Matthews' parents were Florenz Mauritz Matthias (1872-1922) and Helen Matilda Olsen (1874-1945). His siblings were Robert Harry, Olive Leona, Harold Kanneth, Carlton Thomas, Gladys Verona and Helen Mary Matthews. Florenz Matthias was a painter and paper hangar. He was also involved in local politics. Arthur's parents were both born in Germany.

Helen Olsen was born in Norway as were her parents. She was a housewife.

Pauline Furley's parents were Thomas L Furley (1878-1945) and Julia Pauline McMahon (1879-1955). Thomas was a prominent insurance and general business man. Julia McMahon was a housewife.

Below is the basic wide version of the family tree to great grandparents only. Not everyone is in this tree because I didn't want it to get too wide. Click to see larger. If you zoom in, you can clearly see all the names and dates. You may have to download it first depending upon your browser.

jeanine cummins, jeanine christen cummins, cummins, irish, mexican, latinx, american dirt, puerto rico, grandmother, puerto rican, maria quixano, review, oprah winfrey,

Continuation of original article

I just checked out Jeanine's Facebook page and found her research for the book. She went to Tijuana and San Diego in 2015. There's a pic of her in Chicano park and in a Tijuana souvenir shop. She visited Border Angels and an orphanage. Her actual trip was July 15, 2015, maybe a couple of days. That was her in person research.

Cummins' claim that she is "Latinx" and somehow a shade of "brown" are clearly false. She definitely doesn't speak Spanish, neither Mexican/Spain Spanish or Spanglish. Her family is not from Mexico or a South American country. No one in the family is a recent immigrant or poor or had to cross into the US without money on top of "La Bestia." Most people who cross the border take the bus to the border. Most people who successfully cross the border do it with a travel visa on a plane like her ex-undocumented Irish husband Joseph "Joe" E Kennedy a photographer for the Baltimore Sun. The character she imagines in her book would never exist in the real world. Below is the plot summary,

"The protagonist of American Dirt is Lydia Quixano Perez. She lives a comfortable life in Acapulco, Mexico with her journalist husband, Sebastian, and her son, Luca. Lydia runs a bookstore and one day befriends a charming customer, Javier, who appears to have similar interests in books. But, Javier is the kingpin of a drug cartel. Sebastian publishes a profile exposing Javier's crimes. Javier then orders the slaughter of Sebastian and his family. Forced to flee Mexico, Lydia and Luca became two of the countless immigrants from Latin America who are forced to embark on a dangerous journey to the United States."

Sorry but drug cartels aren't charming well spoken individuals who frequent quaint book stores. I doubt Joaquín Guzmán frequented book stores or even left his compound for fear of being murdered by rival cartels or captured by the Mexican police or FBI. Guzman ended up being nabbed because he stupidly met with someone in the media which is why he's now in prison.

I also highly doubt that any Mexican journalist would write a tell all about a local Mexican cartel leader in his/her own name with their address. No Mexican is that dumb. Americans don't even do that and it's safer here in the U.S.

Someone just reminded me that in the movie "Desperado" Salma Hayek as Carolina owns a bookstore. The drug cartel leader Bucho paid to build her bookstore as another front for his drug-dealing. Later the drug leader turns on her and burns down her book store so she must run for her life. Reviews of the movie said that plot was severely lacking.

So it appears Cummins saw the movie Desperado, went to Tijuana and San Diego for two days of in person "research" and read a few books written by real Mexicans with experience. That is the depth of her "five years of research" for this book.

Recently in response to the outrage about her book Cummins stated "I am also Puerto Rican" ( https://www.npr.org/2020/01/24/799164276/american-dirt-author-jeanine-cummins-answers-vocal-critics ). She was not born in Puerto Rico. She did not grow up there. Her Puerto Rican grandmother did not raise her. She doesn't even speak the language. I wonder if she's ever even been to Puerto Rico.

Cummins went on to state in the same article linked above "Yeah. And that (Puerto Rican) was the ethnicity and culture of my father." Excuse me?! Her father has an American name as do all his siblings and children. He identifies as Irish. Her father's father was stationed in Puerto Rico in the military. That doesn't make the son Puerto Rican. The cover image on his Facebook remembrance page is a pic of himself and Ireland, not Puerto Rico.

Eugene Gene Joseph Cummins, Jeanine Cummins, irish, ireland, american dirt, author, book

Cummins stated that La Bestia tren is a "high speed train." La Bestia travels at 30-45 kph or 18-27 mph. That's no high speed train. High speed trains travel at 190–220 mph. La Bestia travels at about 1/10th the speed. I know the book is fiction but math is math, facts are facts. I'm sure if I had a copy of the book I could really pick apart the blatant lies and inaccuracies.

More falsehoods. Cummins here did not include the author of a famous quote which she used in her book. The quote is "tambien de este lado hay suenos," i.e. also on this side there are dreams, by accion poetica.

Eugene Gene Joseph Cummins, Jeanine Cummins, irish, ireland, american dirt, author, book, tambien de este lado hay suenos, accion poetica

Below are a few pics clueless Cummins posted on her public Facebook page. I'm part Mexican and even I don't post pics of myself with Frida Khalo style flowers in my hair. My Mexican relatives would laugh at me. Besides, Frida was half German and Euro mixed. Frida only wore the Mexican costume as part of her "look." It was the rage in Mexico at the time for socialites to dress in Mexican styled clothing ala La Contessa and other Euro Mexi actors. It was a costume. Cummins claims to have taken this flower headdress from her out of focus child's school project.

This selfie she took in Buenos Aires, Argentina she titled "la frontera salvaje" i.e. "the wild border." She just stumbled upon some old barbed wire used to contain cattle so they don't end up on the highway getting lost or causing car accidents. I dare her to cross the border into or out of Mexico without proper credentials. I once surfed in Mexico and got too close to some military lookout and they raised AK-15's or whatever at me. I paddled the hell away. I didn't take a selfie.

Jeanine posted this pic a few times. It's a Cummins Engine's shirt in green. She is not from that family. She got a green one because she identifies as Irish. She posts it a few times and people talk about how Irish she looks and she says "thank you!"

I absolutely agree with the comments by Los Angeles Times writer Esmeralda Bermudez. The main character is a cartoon that doesn't exist in the real world. It is trauma porn and horrible Mexican stereotypes. Cummins states she was trying to "upend the stereotypes" but she only reinforced them with this insulting, degrading book.

Cummins finishes up the most recent interview about the book's backlash by stating "All I can do is write the book that I believe in. And I did that." That shows you just how incredibly far away Cummins is from the subject matter. She is beyond clueless. Her book has done more harm that good to the image of Mexicans and immigrants.

The response from Oprah and other book reviewers makes me realize that popular books are not always good books. Getting a good review doesn't mean the writer knows the subject matter or can even write for that matter. I only read a few free pages here and there and the writing was atrocious. I'm not even a published writer unless you count newspaper articles and how to manuals. No one should ever buy or read this book.

**Cummins cancelled the rest of her book tour. She cites her safety but I don't think that was it. Many people I know in Los Angeles wrote to the places where she was doing a book signing. They requested it be cancelled because of the nasty, negative stereotypes of Mexicans, Latinos, Central Americans, immigrants in general and anyone with half a brain and a conscious. One book store in Los Angeles said they cancelled it two days ago. If the event was going to happen, people were going to protest. This book was really insulting even to people with basic Spanish.

https://apnews.com/971db8e2487ab58337218d2ddfdcce5e

*Post note. I just realized that Jeanine Cummins doesn't seem to care about the truth. In her factual book "A Rip in Heaven" she claims her two cousins and brother were pushed off a bridge, see blurb below from the author. The crime happened in 1991 and the book came out in 2004. Her brother quickly stated he lied about being pushed off the bridge long before she wrote the book. Witnesses including her father, police experts said it was not true in 1991. The police said he would have died like the two girls. Witnesses also noted he was dry and clean besides found very close to the bridge. Jeanine also said the experience was very traumatic for her brother. Then why write a book about it, go on book tours, talk about it on TV? Money.

I just found out a few more things about her first book "A Rip In Heaven." Cummins had been in the book industry for a while in sales. She really wanted to be a writer but couldn't get a contract. She finally pitched the story of her white cousins being gang raped and murdered by black men to her boss. Her boss said yes because the story was originally very big in the news. The publisher just said her brother had to be the main writer. Cummins' brother Tom didn't want to write a book about his horrible ordeal. He didn't want to even think about it again. Cummins pushed her brother into doing it telling him she would do all the work and promotion which she did. She later said that her brother wanted to do it originally but then backed out of doing anything later. I wouldn't doubt that if another family member were raped and murdered today that Cummins would probably instantly pitch to sell that book idea to Oprah et al.

UPDATE: I found a copy of the book online and am now reading the book so I can write a real review. I won't post any spoilers.

I had no idea she starts it off with "For him, she will leap onto the roof of a high-speed train." La Bestia goes 18-27 mph. High speed trains go 190-220 mph. That's 1/10th the rate of speed of a high speed train. Mexico doesn't have a high speed train. No one can leap onto the roof of a moving high-speed train. I wish the main character had tried that because the book would have been over in less than a second.

The intro also says "For him, she will carry a machete strapped to her leg." Has this woman ever seen or held a machete? I sure have. A machete is a long knife used as a short sword or to clear brush. The blade is 12-18" long. Below is a pic with a sheath attached to a guy's leg. One, it'd be difficult to walk, sit with a machete in a sheath on your leg. Two, if you don't use a sheath expect to slice yourself to ribbons. Three, machetes don't stop the bullets of AK-47's she mentions in Chapter one. And most importantly four, machetes are illegal to carry in Mexico as weapons. One Google search and she could have realized how dumb it would be to carry a machete attached to your leg. Dios mio!

Okay, just read the part about the "machete" in the book. Cummins clearly thinks "machete" just means "knife" in Spanish :-D In the book she said she bought a small "machete" with a "retractable blade." There is no machete with a retractable blade. Knives as weapons aren't legal in Mexico especially retractable blades. Utility knives would be legal but can't be concealed. Why didn't this woman at least Google some of these terms?

Cummins dedicates this book to her ex-undocumented Irish husband Joe who flew to the US and over stayed a visa. I'm sure he can relate to the struggle of undocumented immigrants coming to America on La Bestia with no money.

I found a copy of "American Dirt" online and have been reading it so I can write an article about it. It's definitely not a "page turner" like the reviews said. I'd be happy if the head of the Mexican cartel Javier would just kill the lead character Lydia already so the book would be over. I do feel a little sorry for her imaginary son Luca but for other reasons. The book reads like it's the writer's own fantasy porn. She's a pretty, smart young woman who loves books and the head of the cartel, a smart well read man (ha ha ha ha ha!), is in love with her because of her love of books. He kills her family because she doesn't want to be his book club friend anymore. This plot is so implausible and it moves along so slowly, awkwardly that I don't believe the people who reviewed the book ever read it. Keep in mind the author used to be in book sales before she started writing. Maybe she just pulled in a ton of favors with these reviews. I feel like she had a wager with book friends, "I bet you a margarita that I can write a shitty book but get a lot of reviews and Oprah's stamp of approval just with my book contacts!"

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

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