Requiem for my Big Sister: Debra A. Samuelson, 1969-2024

Good evening. Most of you know me. For those of you who don’t, I’m Joe, Debbie’s little brother. When we were discussing her final arrangements a while back, Debbie told me that she wanted me to speak at her service. I tried to tell her that I’m a writer, not a speaker, but, show of……

My House is Haunted. No, Really.

I live in a haunted house. It’s not nearly as scary as it sounds. It’s annoying. I think by now we’ve all seen this tweet: Truthfully, that’s not far off the mark. My house is more than a century old; it was built around 1900. My grandfather lived here from February of 1949 until his……

Mohawk Farms, 1922-2019: A Retrospective

The farm has sold. I’ve been staring at the screen, trying to come up with some flowery, grandiose introduction, some better way of saying it, but there it is. The farm has sold. After 97 years in the family, and five generations of Berenato men and women working there, the farm has sold. We knew……

Hammonton’s First Joe Berenato Turns 150!

For as long as I can remember, the question most asked of me, upon furnishing my name, is, “Which Berenato are you?” My family, you see, has been in Hammonton for more than 125 years, and my name — Joe Berenato — is the most common name in town. And, with few exceptions, we’re all……

FOUND: Domenico Berenato, 1837-1921

The pieces all fell into place very quickly over the past five days. For some time now, my wife Robyn and I have been delving into the history of my family since they emigrated from Sicily. We’ve learned quite a bit over the last year and a half, and even recently gave a presentation on……

Il Camposanto Largu

My grandfather died last Sunday morning. He was 96. I said before that I don’t have the words to properly express what Grandpop meant to me, or the void he leaves behind. It was true then and it still is. I’ve been staring at this screen, off and on, for more than a week. The words don’t……