The first member of my father's family to come to Brazil was his great-grandfather (my great-great-grandfather), Mr. Salvatore Pantuzzo, in the early 20th century. His craft was metal foundry.

A few years later, in 1909, his son – my father's grandfather, my great-grandfather, Mr. Francisco Pantuzzo – came alone to Brazil at the age of 14, boarding a ship in southern Italy. Here he learned from his father the craft of metal foundry and developed the craft of blacksmith.

Already established in Belo Horizonte, my great-grandfather Sr. Francisco met the also Italian immigrant Miss Antonieta Merlo, she came from Verona, northern Italy, in the late 1910s.

Together, Francisco and Antoineta had eight children, among them my grandfather Mr. Homero Pantuzzo, who also developed the craft of blacksmith and worked with my great-grandfather for many years.
My grandfather met my grandmother, Miss Dagmar Correa in Belo Horizonte, they got married and together they had four children, among them my father Alexandre Pantuzzo.

4)    Is there an interesting family history?

Curiosity of my mother's family. My paternal great-grandmother, Maria Conceição, lost her father when she was still a baby. And her family kidnapped her after what happened to be with her. My great-great-grandmother did everything and managed to rescue her and raise her.

My grandmother told me that when she was seven, she went to the window that was onto the street, cut half her hair and keep watching her little locks fall on the sidewalk.Her mother was very angry with her. She loves to remember this family history.

 

My mother's maternal family: My grandmother doesn't know about the family origin. She thinks she's Portuguese.  My great-grandmother called Constance Monteiro Silva, my  great-grandfather was Saint Clair Silva.  Despite the French name, my great-grandfather was not French. He was bald, so he was known by the nickname Careca (bald in Portuguese).  My  great-great-grandmother called Giorgina Monteiro Rios. Known as Vovozina.