I was searching the Ellis Island records and found that my great grandfather put down Meddlani, Africa as his residence. I know he left Bologna, Italy when he was ~12 to work in the diamond mines of South Africa, then came to America when he was 18 (1912) to work in the coal mines of Illinois.
But I can’t find ANY reference to anyplace named Meddlani on the internet - this is one of the few times Google has failed me. Does anyone have any ideas where I can find out anything about this city, or at least place it on a map for me?
How about something like “meddi ani, Africa” with a sense of “in the middle (or intervening) years, Africa”?
The word meddiani shows up in a single passage found by Google, but neither Google nor Babel Fish can translate it. That suggests a regional dialect or slang, but I wouldn’t know what it meant.
Is the word/name written in cursive or block printing? Is there a possibility that it is misleading and that the letters are different than you thought? (How well could great grandpa spell?)
Failing that, Meddi is an Italian family name and a Meddiani is simply a member of the extended family.