Giovanna Lai

Giovanna was a daughter of Francesco Lai and Maria Ledda, born circa 1857. She married Giommaria Mandras.

Luigi Ruffini reports that his father had a cousin named Mandras. This could if taken literally only be the son of a sister of either Pietruccia Lai or Giovanni Maria Ruffinu. I think I have accounted for all the Ruffinu, presumably eliminating the latter possibility. This left us looking for a female Lai, mother of Mandras.

A Giovamaria Lai reported the birth of Giovanni Ruffinu in 1887, when she was a 30-year-old housewife. Is this the same woman?

I find in Ellis Island searches an apparent cluster of at least four Mandras males, two of whom end up on Olive Avenue, one of whom has a mother named Giovanna, and another of whom shows up in the California Death Index as having a mother of the maiden name Lai. I had thought all four of these two be brothers, but have since unlinked two of them. I am certain of Tony's connections to me. I also continue to suspect that Giovanna Mandras and Raymondo Marrone of Greenwich CT, whom I interviewed on the phone, may be related to Tony's Mandras group, but they do not think so.

The Ozieri marriage records 1878: 8 show a Giovanni Lai Ledda, age 20, casalinga, born and living in Ozieri, marrying Giommaria Mandras Manca, age 24. She is given as the daughter of Francesco and Maria, so this is certainly a match, the missing link between the Ruffini and Mandras.