Ancestors of Leonardo Antonino CIAMPA

Fourth Generation


8. Giovanni (di Angelo) CIAMPA was born on 20 Dec 1843 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). He was christened on 21 Dec 1843 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). He died on 29 Sep 1896 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). Giovanni married Teresa TODINO on 21 Aug 1869 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). [Parents]

Giovanni was a contadino.  He died in Montefalcione in 1896. (His father Angelo outlived him.) Giovanni's address was "Contrada Verzare[-Lolli], No. 26." (Later the house was renumbered 33.)  His daughter Mariuccia predeceased him by a month-and-a-half, at age 3.  His son Raffaele also died around 1896, perhaps predeceasing him as well.

Giovanni was the second cousin of Federigo Ciampa b. 1856; their paternal grandmothers (Iantosca) were sisters.

Giovanni and Teresa were married on 21 August 1869, and had the following children (the first & last girls, the 7 in the middle boys). Note that Feliciano & Federigo married sisters – Nicoletta & Angela Pagliuca were daughters of Orazio Pagliuca & Carolina Baldassare.

1. Rosa (called Rosina) - (born Montefalcione 5 Sep 1870 - died Montefalcione 26 Sep 1933). Rosina married her second cousin Federigo Martignetti (born 15 May 1870) on 21 June 1894. Rosina & Federigo had two children who married siblings (who were her second cousins).  Rosina's son Antonio Martignetti (1895-1966) married Olimpia Ciampa (1897-1968). Rosina's daughter Teresa Martignetti (1905-1988) married Olimpia's brother Carmine Ciampa (1909-1968).*  Antonio & Olimpia's son Freddy Martignetti (1926-2020) was very close to my family.  Carmine & Teresa's son was Gennaro Ciampa (1929-1994).

2. Angelo Raffaele (called Raffaele) - (born 19 Feb 1873) killed c. 1896 in the Abyssinian War (a.k.a. the "First Italo-Ethiopian War")

3. Antonio - (born 27 Jan 1876) Married Consiglia Maria Gensale 24 Aug 1899. They had a daughter Teresina (born 1 June 1900, married Federico D'Amore 1924, died in Aiello del Sabato 12 Apr 1978). Consiglia died three weeks later, on 21 June 1900 at age 26. Antonio's second wife was Carolina Petruzziello (daughter of Giuseppe & Maria Baldassarre). They were married in Pratola Serra (where she was from) on 9 August 1903. They had a son Raffaele (born 18 Jan 1909 -- married his first cousin Teresa Ciampa daughter of Federigo on 29 Nov 1933.) Antonio and his younger brother Ciano arrived at Ellis Island (without their wives) on 29 Mar 1911 on the ship Cedric, to work for a few years in Boston. However they did not stay and returned to Italy. (It's unclear where Antonio lived.  Ciano lived at 48 Snowhill St. with three of his brothers. Antonio may have also lived there but is not listed in the Boston city directory.)  Antonio & Carolina had another son Giuseppe (born after 1915) who was still alive in 1996. Sometime before 1933 Antonio & Carolina moved from Montefalcione to Chiusano di San Domenico.

4. Giuseppe - (born Montefalcione 8 Dec 1878 - died Boston 29 Mar 1925). Arrived at Ellis Island on 14 June 1902. Married Maria De Pascale (De Pasquale, Di Pasquale) (born Sorbo Serpico 4 Aug 1884 - died Boston 1950) at St. Leonard's Church in Boston on 15 Jan 1905. In the 1912 city directory, there were four Ciampa brothers living at 48 Snowhill St.: Giuseppe, Ciano, Federigo, and Carmine. (A fifth brother, Antonio, may also have lived there.) Giuseppe died from a fall. (He walked in a door that he thought led to the bathroom, but instead led to the basement stairway.) Giuseppe & Maria had 9 children:

*Giovanni (Johnny) (1905-1969)
*Domenico (Domenic)
*Raffaele (Phil)
*Teresa (married name Di Gregorio)
*Michele (Michael)
*Angelo
*Angela (Lina) (1918-2003)
*Evelina (Evelyn) (1920-2008)
*Giuseppina (Josie) (1925-2011)

The youngest three, Lina, Evelyn, and Josie, lived their whole lives at 48 Snow Hill St. in the North End of Boston.  "The three girls" were well-known in the neighborhood, and were among our most beloved cousins.

5. Feliciano (called Ciano) - (born 25 Nov 1881). Married Nicoletta Pagliuca ("Za Colett'"), daughter of Orazio (sister of Angela below) on 3 Dec 1908. Ciano & Coletta had no children. Ciano and his brother Antonio came to Boston in 1911, without their wives. (See note on Antonio above.) According to the Boston city directory, Ciano was a candymaker living at 48 Snowhill St. from 1912 to 1914. Around 1915 Ciano went back to Italy.

6. Federigo - (born 29 Sept 1884) Arrived in Boston (not Ellis Island) 18 Mar 1908. In the 1910 census, both he and Carminiello were living with their brother Giuseppe at 48 Snowhill St.  In the 1912 city directory their brother Ciano was also living there. According to family legend, Federigo helped excavate the Blue Line tunnel in East Boston. He returned to Montefalcione where he married Angela Pagliuca daughter of Orazio (sister of Ciano’s wife Nicoletta) on 31 Jan 1914. After only four years of marriage, Angela died on 9 Oct 1918 at age 35.  Federigo & Angela had a daughter Teresa (born 27 Nov 1914), who married her first cousin Raffaele Ciampa (son of Antonio) on 29 Nov 1933. Federigo's second wife was Carmela Carbone (married in Lapio on 23 Oct 1920), with whom he had two sons who died young: Federigo Jr. (died 1934 at age 11) and Lorenzo (died 1924 at age 2 months). Federigo used to smoke cigars backwards, with the burning part in his mouth!

7. Gennaro (24 May 1887 - 20 March 1929) Married Assunta Carmela Cataldo (1895-1960) on 17 Nov 1912.  (He was 25; she was 17.) My father was named for him. He had red hair (as do several of his descendants today). He was called "Gennarino." He died at age 41. His wife, who was called "Menella," was so distraught over his death that for the rest of her life she almost never spoke of him, because to do so made her cry.  Gennaro & Assunta had 9 children:

*Teresa (born 16 Sept 1913) - married Antonio Cella from Chiusano di San Domenico, in 1935
*Pasqualina I (died 14 Feb 1918 age 3)
*Giovanni (1916-1983), married Mariagrazia Ciampa (1919-2012) daughter of my Zi' Peppino, in 1939. Giovanni & Mariagrazia had eight children who live in Italy, England, and Canada.
*Carmela ("Meluccia") - married Lorenzo Petruzziello from Pratola Serra, lived in Dedham, Massachusetts
*Pasqualina II (died 11 Apr 1938 age 16)
*Raffaele - married Pasqualina D'Alelio (the widow of Federico Ciampa 1922-1945, son of Giuseppe 1889-1980)
*Maria - married Raffaele Rizzo
*Giuseppe - died in a car accident in England. Was married to Meluccia Cataldo, sister of Franco Cataldo**
*Rosina - married Carmine Reppucci

8. Carmine (my grandfather) - (born Montefalcione 22 Feb 1890 - died Boston 27 Aug 1956) Named "Carminiello" on his birth certificate, but no one in America called him that. (Carminiello means "Little Carmine" -- no one knows who the "Big Carmine" would have been.)

9. Mariuccia (born Montefalcione 6 July 1893 Montefalcione - died Montefalcione 11 Aug 1896, age 3). Her father was 50 when she was born. Her oldest sister was 23 when she was born. Her father died only 6 weeks later. Neither my father nor any of his siblings (not even the oldest one) knew anything about her. Evidently my grandfather never spoke of her.  

* = The names Ciampa and Martignetti were intertwined in the family tree for centuries.  Giovanni Ciampa's mother was Serafina Martignetti, whose mother was Giuseppina Ciampa, whose mother was Anna Martignetti. Meanwhile, Giovanni & Serafina's daughter Rosina Ciampa married her second cousin Federigo Martignetti (grandson of Serafina's brother Tommaso). Rosina & Federigo's children, Antonio (1895-1966) and Teresa (1905-1988), married siblings (their 2nd cousins once removed): Antonio Martignetti married Olimpia Ciampa (1897-1968), and Teresa Martignetti married Carmine Ciampa (1909-1968). Carmine & Teresa's son Gennaro (1929-1994) married his second cousin Antonietta Ciampa, whose sisters married Martignettis.  Meanwhile, Carmine and Olimpia were Rosina's second cousins, because their parents were Gennaro Ciampa son of Andrea (b. 1863) and Clementina Ciampa (b. 1863). Clementina's mother was Luisa Martignetti. Clementina's father was Carmine Ciampa, whose mother was Angela Martignetti. This is only a partial list of Ciampa-Martignetti marriages in Montefalcione since the 1700s. (On my paternal grandmother's side, my uncle Peppino Ciampa had a son who married a Martignetti, and a granddaughter who married a Martignetti.)

** = Franco Cataldo lived in Medford, MA, with his wife, my cousin Virginia Gensale, daughter of my aunt Virginia Ciampa Gensale (1906-1986). Franco was the brother-in-law of the Boston restaurateur Massimino D'Amore. Like Martignettis, there were a lot of Cataldos and Gensales who married Ciampas, and who may be related in more than one way.

9. Teresa TODINO was born on 1 Nov 1851 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). She was christened on 2 Nov 1851 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). She died on 23 Dec 1937 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). [Parents]

According to Teresa's birth certificate, her mother was 40 and her father 29 at the time of her birth.  Teresa died in Montefalcione, address "Contrada Verzare Percianti, Nr. 20."  (Contrada Percianti still exists today, running off of Contrada Verzare-Lolli.)  On the birth certificates of her children, she was listed as "Maria Teresa."  Teresa was predeceased by FIVE of her children: Mariuccia (1896), Raffaele (1896), Giuseppe (1925) Gennaro (1929), and Rosa (1933).

Later in life, she was referred to as "Mamma Teresa."

[Child]


10. Federigo CIAMPA was born on 10 Nov 1856 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). He died on 12 Dec 1926 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). Federigo married Mariagrazia DEANGELIS on 30 Nov 1884 in Torre le Nocelle, AV (Italy). [Parents]

Federigo was the miller of Montefalcione. His mill still exists in a beautiful park in Montefalcione, the Parco Vecchio Mulino. The physical mill itself (now fully restored) is on the Montefalcione/Lapio line, in a village called Arianiello.

In the Pubblicazioni di Matrimonio (marriage banns) from November, 1884 ("Parte IIa, Registro 4"), the parents of Federigo Ciampa are listed as Raffaele Ciampa and Giuseppa Fabrizio.

Federigo was the second cousin of Giovanni Ciampa b. 1843; their paternal grandmothers (Iantosca) were sisters.

Federigo and Mariagrazia were married in Torre le Nocelle on 30 November 1884, and had the following children. (Note that THREE of them were married in the year 1919, the same year that Mariagrazia died.)

1. Domenico - born Montefalcione 11 Oct 1885, died Somerville, MA, 9 Dec 1991 at age 106! (He was the first to be born and the last to die!  He was 21 years older than his baby sister Virginia, who lived to be 80 -- and he outlived her by 5 years!) Domenico's name is on several plaques in Montefalcione. Domenico's first known trip to America was to Boston (not Ellis Island) on 22 Mar 1903, age 17. (His obituary said that he came in 1898 at age 14.) Domenico returned to Italy and married Mariannina ("Marion") Ciriello (born in Montemiletto 1892, married in Montemiletto 9 May 1912). The newlyweds arrived at Ellis Island on 4 June 1912 on the ship Saxonia. (The contact Domenico listed was his cousin Raffaele Ciampa (1876-1945), a brass finisher who lived on Liverpool St. in East Boston.) He changed his name to "Domenick Champa" and had an upholstery business in Medford, MA. Marianna died in Medford in 1954, after 42 years of marriage. In 1961 Domenico bought a plot of land from the Gensale's on Contrada Verzare-Lolli in Montefalcione, on which he had built a small chapel, the Cappella di San Domenico.  Domenico's second wife was Antonietta Gensale. She was born in 1920 in Montefalcione. They were married c. 1963 and lived in Somerville, MA. He was 78; she was 43. They remained married for 28 years, until his death in 1991. Antonietta outlived Domenico by 25 years, dying in Medford as recently as 2016. She was 96, and Domenico would have been 141! (Her name in the obituary was "Antonetta Champa".) Domenico had no children with Antonietta.  With Mariannina he had five: Maria (Mary Lowry), Carolina (Carol Shepherd), Mafalda (Mitzi Allen), Federico (Freddy "Jazzbow" Champa), and Gloria (Gloria Parrella).

2. Maria Cristina - born 23 Dec 1887 - died Boston 7 Nov 1965. Married Carmine Pisano, who was born in Montefalcione but lived in Montemiletto.  They were married in Montefalcione on 17 Sep 1908. Their first child, Mariagrazia (Mary), was born in Montefalcione in 1909.  Carmine, Cristina, and Mariagrazia came to America (first Rockland, ME, then Boston, MA). Cristina & Carmine had seven more children: Rose, Albert, Annie, Fred, Theresa, Pasquale ("Patsy"), and Anthony (died in infancy). Theresa (married name Di Primo)(1924-2008) and Patsy (1927-2012) were very close to my family. Patsy's first wife Angie Uva was like a sister to my paternal aunts, who were devastated by her sudden death in 1972.  Patsy's second wife, Sylvia Scrima, was Angie's cousin and was the sister of Fr. Claude Scrima O.F.M., long-time priest at St. Leonard's Church in the North End.  

3. Giuseppe ("Peppino") - born 9 Dec 1889 - died Montefalcione Sep 1980. Married Mariantonia ("Antonietta") Marcantonio 2 Aug 1919. Peppino was known throughout Montefalcione as "Peppino 'o Mulinaro" ("Peppino the Miller"). He worked in his father's mill from a very young age.  However, I'm not sure that he actually took over his father's mill. He was constantly traveling to and from Boston, to help his brother Domenico with his upholstery business. (On one of his trips, he didn't have the money for a ticket, so he actually worked on the ship, traveling for three months to various countries, until finally landing in America.) Finally in 1931 Peppino stopped traveling, bought pieces of land on Contrada Croce, and set up a masseria (large farm), where he lived and worked for the next half century. A beautiful palm tree which he himself planted still stands in Contrada Croce. Peppino & Antonietta had 5 children: Mariagrazia, Federico (born 24 Mar 1922, died in WWII, 8 Apr 1945 in Germany), Gaetano & Serafina (twins), and Armando. On 31 Mar 1971, Peppino became a Cavaliere (the Italian equivalent of a knight). Mariagrazia (1919-2012) married Giovanni Ciampa (1916-1983), son of my great-uncle Gennaro Ciampa (1887-1929). Giovanni & Mariagrazia had eight children who live in Italy, England, and Canada.

4. Maria (My grandmother. Maiden name and married name both Ciampa) - born 27 Dec 1893, died East Boston 21 Jan 1981. Married Carminiello Ciampa 11 June 1919.

5. Angelo - born 12 Mar 1896. He fought in World War I in the 216° Reggimento Fanteria (216th Infantry Regiment). (According to family lore, he was an ambulance driver.) He was killed in action on a hill named Dosso Faiti in Slovenia (then Austria-Hungary) on 5 Jun 1917.

6. Nunzia - born 25 Mar 1897, died Montemiletto 1962. Married Raffaele Lembo (born Montemiletto 29 Oct 1894) on 10 Nov 1919 in Montefalcione. Raffaele & Nunzia lived in Montemiletto. They never came to America. They had 8 children (4 boys & 4 girls), several of whom moved to Massachusetts. Nunzia was predeceased by her son Beppo.

7. Antonio - born 12 Dec 1899, died Boston 2 Feb 1987. First wife: Mariangela ("Angelina") Sacco (born in Torre le Nocelle 1899, married in Montemiletto 21 March 1921, died in Boston 1975). Second wife: Anna (last name & date of marriage unknown).  Antonio & Angelina lived in Montemiletto (though their oldest son Federico was born in Torre le Nocelle).  Antonio arrived alone in Boston (not Ellis Island) in 1922. Mariangela & Federico arrived in Ellis Island 7 Sep 1923. Antonio & Angelina had six children: Federico (Freddy), Mariagrazia (Marie Grace Arena), Umberto (Humbert, or Albert), Carolina (Caroline, born & died 1928), Antonio (Anthony) and Salvatore (Salvy). Freddy was the only child born in Italy, and the only one to spell his name Champa.

8. Carolina - born 25 Sep 1902, died from a bolt of lightning at 5 p.m. on 10 Jun 1917 (died the same week as brother Angelo). She was 14 years old. Death certificate states that she died on Contrada Verzare (where she lived) "in seguito a paralisi cardiaca per fulminazione" ("following cardiac paralysis by a lightning strike").

9. Virginia - born 15 Oct 1906, died Torino 1986. When she was born, her father was a few weeks shy of 50 years old; her brother Domenico was 21. She was not yet 13 when her mother died, and 20 when her father died.  Virginia married Giuseppe Gensale in Montefalcione 17 Nov 1927. They never came to America. After Giuseppe's death, Virginia lived with her son in Torino, where she died at age 80.

11. Mariagrazia DEANGELIS was born on 5 Jul 1862 in Torre le Nocelle, AV (Italy). She died on 13 Sep 1919 in Montefalcione, AV (Italy). [Parents]

I found the Nov. 1884 marriage banns on a Montefalcione microfilm ("Parte IIa, Registro 4") at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  There I learned that Mariagrazia and her parents were not from Montefalcione but from Torre Le Nocelle.  All of the information on all of the other Torrese relatives came exclusively from the extraordinary website "The Genealogy of Torre le Nocelle, Italy" by Carm Cefalo and Florindo Cirignano, or from personal emails between myself and Mr. Cefalo (to whom I extend my heartfelt gratitude).

At the time of Mariagrazia's birth, the DeAngelis family lived on Contrada Fontana d'Agli.  Mariagrazia was the sixth of nine children.

[Child]


12. Antonino Leonardo MAGGIO was born on 30 Dec 1860 in Salemi (TP). He was christened on 31 Dec 1860 in Chiesa Santa Maria della Catena, Salemi (TP). He died on 14 Apr 1911 in Boston, MA from pneumonia, caused by a mediastinal tumor. (His only surviving son, my grandfather, would also die of the same tumor.). Antonino married Vita RENDA on 26 Apr 1890 in Salemi, TP (Italy). [Parents]

Antonino was born in "Via Santo Antonio," which no longer exists. He was baptized the next day by "il Parroco della Catena," the pastor of the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena. The street must have been near both the Catena and the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate.

Antonino arrived at Ellis Island on 16 October 1905 on the "Algeria."  His wife and two daughters did not arrive until almost two years later (30 August 1907).

Antonino's birth certificate does not indicate Leonardo as a middle name. However, family legend is that his middle name was Leonardo (after his father).

Antonino had at least 3 siblings: Vito Giuseppe Maggio (born 19 October 1852), a brother also named Antonino (born 21 June 1855, died 23 March 1857 at age 22 months), and a sister, Maria Antonia Maggio, who married Cristofaro Tripoli.  Maria and Cristofaro's son, Francesco Tripoli (9 August 1886 - 1960), would marry his first cousin Antonina Maggio (31 August 1897 - 1 August 1988), the daughter of Antonino & Vita and sister of Tony Maggio (my grandfather).

According to his marriage record, Antonino was a "contadino" (farmer).  The Ellis Island record corroborates that he was a "farmhand" and says that he could read and write. In America, however, he was a laborer.

Antonino & Vita had 10 children, but only 4 survived infancy. Of the 6 who died, 3 were boys named Leonardo, and 3 were girls named Leonarda!  (This was something that I learned only in 2019.  It was not talked about by anyone, not even my grandfather.)

1. Leonardo (16 Feb 1891 - 9 March 1891)
2. Maria ("Mary") (14 May 1893 - 1963) (Married Matteo Angelo)
3. Leonardo (18 Mar 1896 - 12 Sept 1896)
4. Antonina ("Annie") (31 Aug 1897 - 1 Aug 1988) (Married Francesco "Frank" Tripoli)
5. Leonarda (24 Dec 1900 - 15 Jan 1901)
6. Leonardo (28 Feb 1902 - 15 Feb 1903)
7. Leonarda (18 Feb 1904 - 28 Mar 1904)
8. Leonarda (28 Feb 1905 - 24 Dec 1905)
*9. Vita ("Minnie") (1 Jun 1908 - 15 Oct 2002) (Married Salvatore "Salvey" Sotera)
*10. Leonardo (my grandfather)(2 Feb 1910 - 18 Jul 1995) (Married Grazia "Grace" Siracusa)

* Born in Boston

According to his death certificate, Antonino died from a malignant growth in the mediastinum.  My grandfather would later die of the same thing, though he didn't know it was the same -- he always believed erroneously that his father had died of pneumonia.  Antonino's secondary cause of death was listed as dyspnoea (difficulty breathing).

13. Vita RENDA was born on 15 May 1873 in Salemi, TP (Italy). She was christened in May 1873 in Salemi, TP (Italy). She died on 10 May 1949 in Boston, MA. She was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Boston. [Parents]

Vita was 16 when she married Antonino, who was 30!

Vita and her two daughters, Maria (1893-1963) and Antonina (1897-1988) arrived at Ellis Island on the "Perugia." (Antonina was one day shy of her 10th birthday.) Vita's husband Antonino had already been in America for two years.  

When my cousin found Vita's birth certificate, it didn't occur to him to read the entry just under it.  A half hour after Vita was born, a girl named Francesca was born to the same parents. Vita had a twin sister! This was something that no one in the family knew.  I long suspected that Francesca died either at birth or in infancy.  Lo and behold, I finally found the death certificate of Francesca, "gemella" (twin), who passed away on 24 May 1873, only 9 days old.

Vita was born in "Via Santo Antonio," which no longer exists.  It was the same street where her future husband Antonino lived.*

* = The Maggio's, Piazza's, and Renda's all lived on "Via Santo Antonio." A street by that name no longer exists, but we can deduce where it was. We know that the members of these three families were baptized at the Church of Santa Maria della Catena ("St. Mary of the Chain"), called "La Catena" for short.  And we know that streets named after saints were almost always located near the church with the same name.  The stone exterior of the former Church of Sant'Antonio Abate still stands in Piazza Santo Stefano.  The ruins of the Catena also still stand. The stones were dismantled with the intention of restoring it. The 1968 Earthquake halted that plan. The Catena was reputed to be one of the most beautiful churches in Salemi, with a famous Nativity scene.  The general area between the two churches is still marred by the earthquake damage. Very likely, Via Santo Antonio ran across that area (perhaps following Via Mistretta).

[Child]


14. Mario (di Giuseppe) SIRAGUSA was born on 14 Oct 1881 in Mineo, CT (Italy). He was christened on 16 Oct 1881 in Chiesa Di Santa Maria Maggiore, Mineo (CT). He died on 19 Oct 1926 in Boston, MA. Mario married Emmanuela SPITALIERI on 14 Apr 1906 in Mineo, CT (Italy). [Parents]

Mario and his brothers were born on Via Quattro Cantoni, no. 7.  A street by that name does not exist today.  It was probably Via Quattro Canti, which is very near the Siragusas' parish, Santa Maria Maggiore.  The Siragusas later moved to Via Sotto Divisione 1; San Pietro became their new parish.  

Mario and Emmanuela were married at Sant'Agrippina (her parish).  They lived nearby at Via Santa Croce 30 (diagonally across the street where she and her sisters were born).  Their first son, Giuseppe, was born on Via Santa Croce 30.  After he was born, Mario went to Argentina, where he worked as a laborer. (His father-in-law Nunzio was also working there.)  While in Argentina Mario adopted two sons (more on them below).  In or before 1913 Mario returned to Mineo (presumably with his adopted sons).

Mario & Emmanuela's second biological child – my grandmother – was conceived in late 1913.  My grandmother was born, however, in East Boston, on 19 July 1914. Mario arrived at Ellis Island on 16 Feb 1914 on the Regina d'Italia. The pregnant Emmanuela and little Giuseppe would arrive about six weeks later (3 Apr 1914) on the same vessel. (The two adopted sons remained in Mineo and eventually moved back to Buenos Aires.)

On the Ellis Island manifest, Mario's name is still Siragusa.  At some point in America, the family name got changed to Siracusa. Mario predeceased both of his parents.

They had 9 children (7 surviving infancy):

1. Giuseppe (Joe) (married 1. Caroline 2. Rose Vernacchio) born Mineo (all the others born in East Boston or Portland, ME) 26 Dec 1906 – 3 Sep 1976
2. Grazia (Grace) (my grandmother) (married Tony Maggio) 19 Jul 1914 – 26 Jul 1999
3. Antonietta (Ethel) (married Frank Viola) 1916 – 17 Feb 1976
4. Nunzio I 1917/18, lived 28 months
5. Luigi (Louis) (married Anne Carbone) 21 Mar 1919 – 14 Nov 1994
6. Nunzio II c.1920, lived 40 days
7. Giovanni (John) (married Mary McColgan) 15 Mar 1921– 30 Jan 1997
8. Beppina (Josephine, “Bip”) (married Paul Romano) 16 Feb 1923 – 23 Mar 2007
9. Emmanuela (Emily) (married Charles Kalell) 5 Feb 1926 – 9 Jul 2010

Mario's two adopted children were named Vincente and José Marmo. It appears that Mario's father-in-law Nunzio Spitalieri was the one who adopted them, and Mario adopted them from Nunzio (who stayed behind in Argentina and, so far as we know, never returned to Sicily).  Mario must have brought them to Mineo, because there is a photo, taken in Mineo 1911/12, with Emmanuela, her mother Antonia (Nunzio's wife), her younger sisters Maruzzedda & Angiuzza (who had not yet come to America), the two Marmo boys, and my uncle Giuseppe (Joe). (This photo must have been taken in 1911 or 1912, whereas Maruzzedda arrived in America on 14 Nov 1912, and Angiuzza came in 1913.)

It is not known who took care of the Marmo boys after Mario & Emmanuela came to America, or how long they stayed in Mineo.  Nor is it known why the boys weren't brought to America.  They returned to Buenos Aires.  (Possibly they lived with Nunzio, who may have still been alive.)  The boys remained in regular contact with Emmanuela and her sisters, who used to send them clothes and books from Boston. In 1958 the two boys came to Boston for Antonio Modica & Giuseppa (Beppina) Spitalieri's 50th wedding anniversary. They spoke Spanish and Sicilian. They remained in Boston for a month.

15. Emmanuela SPITALIERI was born on 21 Jun 1888 in Mineo, CT (Italy). She was christened on 24 Jun 1888 in Chiesa Di Sant'Agrippina, Mineo (CT). She died on 10 Jul 1938 in Boston, MA. [Parents]

Her name was spelled "Emmanuela" (two M's) on both birth certificate, baptismal certificate, and church marriage certificate.  However, on the town marriage certificate it was "Emanuela" (one M).  Emmanuela was born on Via S. Croce, no. 33, not far from the Church of St. Agrippina, which was her parish.

Emmanuela arrived at Ellis Island on 3 April 1914 on the Regina d'Italia.  She was 25 weeks pregnant with my grandmother, Grazia.  My grandmother spoke of her often and with admiration.

[Child]


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