Historian Mike Colangelo finds Family Roots

City of Rome Historian Mike Colangelo had a fascination with local history that led him to genealogical research. Colangelo has a camp in Boonville where he spends most of his free time. Colangelo took an Ancestry DNA test.

When Mike Colangelo received the notification that his results were in a few months later, he and Jackie rushed home to view them on the computer. The information contained information about his origins. The unavoidable truth glared brightly from the screen.Historian finds that he is not 1% Italian. That meant his father wasn’t his father. This revelation left Colangelo wanting more information. After some time had gone by, Mike Colangelo was able to track down a phone number for Jim Gallagher, his biological father.

Gallagher lived in Arizona, was blindsided by the call.He admitted that he had lived in Rome before joining the Navy, more than 50 years prior, but insisted that he hadn’t had an intimate relationship with Colangelo’s mother.Four months later they met in person in Arizona, and for Colangelo, it was as if puzzle pieces of his identity were finally connected. He and Gallagher immediately noticed how much they looked alike, and how outgoing they both were. They also shared an interest in history and did autobody work.

He also gained three half-brothers, who like his father, all have features and personalities similar to his own. Those similarities, such as features, mannerisms and personality quirks, were remarkable, especially considering Colangelo hadn’t even met, or known they existed, until his 55th year of life. Gallagher’s wish was for his ashes to be spread at sea. After he died, his ashes were shipped to New Jersey to where a sister lived near the Atlantic Ocean.