Paternal Grandparents

Joseph and Maria Cassar in 1920, with 2 of their children, Julian standing and Concetta sitting

I like you to meet today my father’s parents, whom I actually never met myself, because they both died before I was born. My grandfather Joseph Cassar was born in Carthage, Tunisia in 1885, while my grandmother Maria Magri was born in St Julian’s in 1884. They were married on June 28, 1913 and had 7 children, Julian, Concetta, Costanza, Carmelo, my father John, Joseph and Magdalen. Incidentally my godmother was Concetta and she is still alive in a nursing home, aged 96. All the other siblings have died, my father being the last to leave us on January 4, 2002. My father was only 10 years old when his father died on October 19, 1935, and it must have been very hard for Maria to raise 7 children by herself, even though the majority of them were teenagers, with the youngest, my aunt Magdalen aged 7. My grandmother died on December 3, 1950. For the records, it’s important to say that my grandfather was the founder of the Circolo San Giuliano in 1927, along with a great uncle Fr Paul Galea. Within this social club they also started the music section, with the help of bandmaster Angelo Pullicino, thus becoming the St Julian’s Band Club .

6 of the 7 Cassars in 1936, my father John is seen standing on the right.