Strangis

[CWoodzie]

My father Frank Strangis was born in 1917 in Pittsfield Massachusetts to Francesco Strangis who was born in Sambiase Calabria Italy and Julia Strangis born in Buffalo NY in 1898. Her maiden name was Vitullo and her father was Raimondo Vitullo born in Italy and her mother was Mary D'eugenio also born in Italy. I believe both her parents were from Abruzzo. Her mothers parents were Carmella Amicone and Giovanni D'eugenio. My fathers father Francesco's mother maiden name was Caterina Amendola. I really know nothing much about my grandfather Francesco. I know that when my father was about 2 years old he and his parents moved back to Sambiase, and he and his mother returned to the U.S when my father was about 9 years old. I don't know what happened to his dad, I just know that he did not return to the U.S. with them. I don't know if he was deceased or if they divorced.I also know my grandfather had 2 sisters and several brothers. My dad never talked about his dads side of the family. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[pink67]

From the site Familysearch.org this is a death certificate for:

Antonio Strangis, born on 1 september 1918 in Niagara Falls/Buffalo (son of Francesco Strangis born in IT and Giulia Vitullo born in Buffalo - NY) who died on 25 september 1919 in Chicago:

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsea ... ordResults

Laura

[pink67]

I just want to point you to this great site in the case that you don't know it because you'll find several newspaper articles about your family:

http://www.fultonhistory.com/

Laura

[pink67]

From Ancestry.com the military enlistment for the First World War for Francesco Strangis:

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Name: Frank Inrito Strenge
City: Pittsfield
County: Berkshire
State: Massachusetts
Birth Date: 16 Jan 1892 place of birth Sambiase (Catanzaro)
Race: White
FHL Roll Number: 1674426
DraftBoard: 0

he stated he was married, and had one child, an alien, was a labourer c/o Emerson Contractor of Pittsfield. Address was 34 Jordan avenue, Pittsfield MA

Laura

[pink67]

Related post?

http://www.italiangenealogy.com/Forums/ ... art=0.html

Laura

[CWoodzie]

First thank you so much for the links that were given to me. I am new at researching so this really helped! Yes Laura that is a related link. My niece was doing research on our family but didn't consult with any of us first and gave a lot of wrong information. There is a section on here Strangis revisited and it was after I gave Elizabeth the right info to go with. There are still so many unanswered questions though and I would like to find answers. There is a marriage cerificate that states my grandmother Julia Vitullo married a Francesco Trunzo which we never knew about. Then my dads birth cerificate shows Francesco Strangis, so she was either married twice or Francesco Strangis and Francesco Trunzo are the same person. Those are things I am trying to find out. If you can offer any ideas of how I can go about this I would really appreciate it.
Thanks again,
Carol

[pink67]

Carol,
thank you for the update...
Can you post here the marriage certificate with the Trunzo lastname? Is it possible that it was a mispelling of Strangis? Trunzo it does exist as lastname and it is present in the same area of the Strangis lastname...
Where they did marry?

Laura

[pink67]

There is a marriage cerificate that states my grandmother Julia Vitullo married a Francesco Trunzo which we never knew about

This is a 1916 arrival manifest (from Canada to the U.S.) for Francesco Trunzo, Giulia's husband:

Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956
about Francesco Trunzo
Name: Francesco Trunzo
Arrival Date: 18 Mar 1916
Port of Arrival: Niagara Falls, New York, United States
Departure Contact: Wife Giulia in Niagara falls - 7 th Street
Age: 25
Birth Date: abt 1891
Birth Place: San Biasi
Birth Country: Italy
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Record has photo?: No
Record Type: Cards

He stated that he was in the U.S. since 1907...

image here:
http://postimage.org/image/14ofiww04/

Laura

[pink67]

For references:

http://www.italiangenealogy.com/Forums/ ... 11919.html

Laura

[CWoodzie]

Laura,
I noticed that the marriage record can not be brought up anymore in the strangis revisited post. I did print it when it was first posted so I will post it for you to see. Now in the border crossing that you sent it states that Francesco Trunzo was still married to my grandmother in March of 1916. But by Summer she would have had to be married to Francesco Strangis because my father was born in May 1917. I do have his birth certificate and Francesco Strangis is listed as his father. That's why I just wonder if the two Francescos are the same person and he used Trunzo when he came from Italy. I also know that when my grandmother and dad came back to the States I think in 1926 she came back under her maiden name Vitullo and my dad came back under her fathers name Raimondo Vitullo. I don't know what happened while they lived in Italy. I don't know if my grandfather died there or chose to stay in Italy, I do know my grandmother wanted to come back to the States and it took a long time for her family to be able to get them back here. Thanks again for the help.

Carol

[pink67]

Carol,

Can you tell me the address of the family at the birth of your father in Pittsfield ma? I believe this date may appear on the birth cert.
You can compare the address with the military enlistment for the WW1 that posted for you... that Frank Strangis was living on 34 Jordan avenue and the document is dated June 5, 1917, so if your father was born in Pittsfield on may 1917 most likely address was the same...

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Frank Inrito Strenge
Name: Frank Inrito Strenge
City: Pittsfield
County: Berkshire
State: Massachusetts
Birth Date: 16 Jan 1892 in Sambiase
Race: White
FHL Roll Number: 1674426

image here:

http://postimage.org/image/178egton8/

member vj (Valarie) did a great resume for your research in a previous thread:

Hello!
Best guesses?

Francesco TRUNZO is the original name. He probably chose to change it to a more ‘Americanized’ version to ‘fit in’ - STRANGIS.

Going by your family’s recollections and probable records, a summary:

Francesco Trunzo arrived in 1908 joining his brother Tommaso just across the NY border in Niagara Falls Ontario.

In July 1911 Francesco Trunzo is living in Niagara Falls, Welland County, Ontario, born Sep 1889 in Italy, immig 1908
(click here) 1911 Census

He may have met Julia’s family or neighbors at work.
(note: 7th Ave Niagara Falls, Welland, Ontario is only about 3.5 miles from 2210 MacKenna Ave Niagara Falls, Niagara, NY)

Francesco & Julia married in Niagara Falls Ontario in 1914 - Julia apparently didn’t tell the truth about her age, she was about 15.

Francesco and Julia Trunzo lived on Seventh Street in Niagara Falls Ontario after they were married. (address also on the March 1916 border crossing)
In 1915 they lost two daughters, both named Maria/Mary.
11 Feb 1915 Death Record (Julia's maiden name spelled wrong)
31 Dec 1915 Death Record

In March 1916 they traveled across the boarder to visit in Niagara Falls, NY.

In May 1917 they were apparently living in Pittsfield, Berkshire, MA where their son Francesco (Raimondo) was born on May 10th.

It is possible that they moved to Chicago, Cook, IL. [this is a correct date, confirmend by the death certificate for their son Antonio Strangis on 1919]

If they moved back to Italy before 5 June 1917 there wouldn’t be a record of Francesco registering for the WWI Draft.
If they were still in the US there should be a 1917 Draft Registration Card under either Trunzo or Strangis.
So far we can’t find a 1920 census for Francesco or Julia.

In October 1926 Julia obtained a passport from Washington DC
In November 1926 Julia & her son returned from Italy to Niagara Falls, NY to her parents’ address. Julia is listed as being married.
We can’t find a record of Francesco traveling back to the US.

In 1930 Julia and her son Frank STRANGIS (edit: corrected name) are listed with her parents in Niagara Falls, NY. Julia is listed as being a widow.
(from the older thread)
1930 census page 1
page 2

Ity is a normal thing that Giulia travelled on 1926 under her maiden name because here in Italy women keep their maiden name for all their life even if married...

You need to verify and confirm or not these various records os suppositions...

I don't believe that Giulia stayed a lot of time in Italy because on her arrival manifest you can see that she obtain her passport from Washington DC on October 1926... on November 1926 she was already returning from Italy...

On Ancestry.com I found also the marriage dates for Giulia and Francesco:

Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1801-1926
about Francesco Crunss
Name: Francesco Crunss
Age: 24
Estimated birth year: abt 1890
Father Name: Saverio Crunss
Mother Name: Maria Antonia Paghura Crunss
Spouse Name: Giulia Vitullo
Spouse's Age: 18
Spouse Father Name: Raimondo Vitullo
Spouse Mother Name: Maria D'engenis
Marriage Date: 22 Jan 1914
Marriage Location: Welland
Marriage County: Welland
Archives of Ontario Microfilm: MS932_325

image here:
http://postimage.org/image/17b90579g/

Laura

[CWoodzie]

Hi Laura,

I know my uncle had to obtain a passport from Washington DC for my grandmother to return to the states. They lived there from when my dad was 2 years old to age 9. I know the name Strangis is very common in Sambiase, Calabria Italy, so I wonder if Trunzo was an alias name and then he went back to the Strangis name. If my grandmother was married twice wouldn't there have to be divorce records or a death certificate for Francesco Trunzo and also a marriage license for her and Francesco Strangis? Also, a death certificate for Francesco Strangis, since it is posted on the census that she is a widow. Is it hard to find records in Italy of births and deaths? I am sorry that I am so new at this. I know my dad told me that he had a younger sister named Catherine who died when she was 4. I am thinking that maybe she died when they lived in Italy? I am sorry for so many questions. It is something my dad never talked about. But my brothers and I would just like to know our family history. Again, thanks for the help you are providing.
Carol

[CWoodzie]

Hi Laura,
I just spoke with my brother who has my dads birth certificate and yes they did live at 34 jordan ave. I can get a copy and upload for you if you need it. I don't know how long they lived in Massachusetts before moving to Chicago.

[CWoodzie]

Hi Laura,
I just noticed on the thread you sent me that Valarie looked up it states that Francesco Trunzo was born September 1889, and the draft registration for Francesco Strangis his birth date is January 1892. So maybe my grandmother was married twice? But there would still have to be a death or divorce certificate for Trunzo and a marriage certificate for Strangis, right? This is just a mystery!

[pink67]

Carol,

at least now you have a sure date... this military enlistment for the WW1 is pertaining your grandfather (father of Frank Strangis junior)...

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Frank Inrito Strenge
Name: Frank Inrito Strenge
City: Pittsfield
County: Berkshire
State: Massachusetts
Birth Date: 16 Jan 1892 in Sambiase
Race: White
FHL Roll Number: 1674426

image:
http://postimage.org/image/178egton8/

in fact I checked also the city Directories for Pittsfield for those years and found out that there is a Frank Strangesi listed on 1917 but his name is no longer present in the subsequential on Ancestry.com (1919)..
image:
http://postimage.org/image/271tif1no/

1917 Pittsfield MA city directory:
Stragesi Frank, h 34 Jordan avenue - Pittsfield MA

Resuming... The last sure date about Giulia and Francesco Strangis/Trunzo in the U.S. is the death certificate for their son Antonio in Chicago on 25 september 1919 (family was living on 324 West 52th Street - Chicago)...

You know (from the 1914 marriage certificate) that Francesco Trunzo's father was Saverio Trunzo and mother was Maria Antonia Pugliese?...

Possibily they came back to Italy on 1920.... It's possible that Francesco Strangis/Trunzo died in Italy (and the marital status of Giulia at her 1926 arrival in NYC was mistaken)...
Usually on italian birth act you can find also the death annotation of the person... (not always but often), so maybe Francesco Strangis birth act may have some new clues for your research...

You may try to ask to the town of Sambiase the birth act of Francesco Strangis born on/around 16 january 1892 and see if there is a death annotation on it...

Laura