Galante, Petrillo, Di Maria from Santa Croce del Sannio

[vino_verno]

Hey Everyone,

I figured I'd give a little introduction post before I start posting questions and really getting into all the good stuff.

My name is Vernon. I've been doing some research on my own off and on for about the past 10 months now and I'm starting to come across some problems that hopefully others here can help me get by. Right now my only Italian connection is through my father's side. My last name is Galando, but after years of speculation of what the family's real name prior to coming to the US in the early 1900's I guess I caught a break and was a bit lucky as my grandparents found a family tree that my Grandfather's Aunt made back in the 70's. The information I found has my family name as Galante and all the people with birth locations listed as Santa Croce del Sannio, Benevento, Campania.

I was hoping to maybe catch someone in this thread that is also researching the Galando (Galante) name from that area. The other names I have listed in the thread title (Petrillo and Di Maria) are also in the stack of family information my grandparents passed on to me. So maybe some connections can be made through those names too.

I'll head on over to the other parts of the forum now and start posting some of my questions there to hopefully solve some of the problems I'm having.

[Tessa78]

Hello Vernon, welcome to the forum!

Can you provide some additional detail?
Approx. date of birth of your father and grandfather, and possibly GGF?
First names?
Who was born in US? Italy?
Where in US did the Galando/Galante family live?

Any details you can provide can be helpful...
Do you have US records like ship manifests, censuses?

T.

[vino_verno]

Hi Tessa,

I do actually have some ship manifests and the 1920 and 1930 Censuses for for my gggf and my ggf. They were the last of the family to move to the states. I'm 99% sure the ship manifest I have already found for my G-Grandfather, his mother, and 2 siblings is correct (they all traveled together in 1916). The one I am a little hesitant about is the ship manifest for my GG-Grandfather who came to the states approx. 6 years before the rest of the family.

Starting with my GG-Grandfather, the information I have received, from my grandfather via his aunt, is that his name was Giovanno Galante born in Santa Croce on Jan. 1, 1874. Once in the states the family settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. (More specifically Jeannette,PA and some ship manifests list West Jeannette as being the final destination) I know that everyone in the family took up anglicized names, so my gggf became John Galando at this point. Through Census information I've gathered that he arrived in 1910. This is where I start to get unsure of which manifest for this particular person is correct because I've found several with similar names and even names of relatives living in the states match up to information I have. I've seen Giovanno as it is written on my info, as well as Giovanni and Giovanni Antonio.

My GGF is the last Italian born person in my line (and the one I was hoping to find more information about to possibly look into Dual Citizenship). He was born Sabastiano Galante in Santa Croce on Nov. 10, 1903. The ship manifest I have for him, his mother and siblings I'm fairly sure is correct. From then on he went as Samuel Galando. I've found him on the 1920 Census with the rest of his family and then 1930 Census with his wife, first child, and sister in law. But that is it that I can find on him. I'm having trouble tracking down any kind of marriage records (wife's name is Josephine Eckenrod (Eckenrode is another possible variation). I've heard stories that they ran off just to get married since my GGM was only 16 at the time, but my grandfather isnt sure where they got married and I can't track anything down. Also my Grandfather said that Samuel did become a Naturalized Citizen, but again I haven't been able to find anything. I was helped in another thread here about some notes and stamped dates I was seeing on Ship Manifests, which we believe to be Certificates of Arrival and pointing towards family members becoming Naturalized Citizens, but my GGF is the only one in the family that does not have any of the Certificate of Arrival markings on his line.

Maybe there might be someone here that could help me track down some of this information that I'm hitting a wall on. Here is a little rundown of all the info I have on the entire Galante(Galando) family that came to the US.

Parents
-Great Great Grandfather - Giovanno Galante (John Galando) born Jan 1, 1874 in Santa Croce
-Great Great Grandmother - Maria Antonia Galante (maiden name Petrillo, anglicized name: Mary Galando) born April 12, 1874 in Santa Croce

Children
-Great Grandfather - Sabastiano Galante (Samuel Galando) born Nov. 10, 1903
-Francesco (Frank) born Sept. 18,1900 in Santa Croce
-Salvatore (seemed to have kept this name, but I have seen the spelling of Salvadore on Censuses) born Oct 12, 1908 in Santa Croce
- Giovannina (Jennie) born June 14, 1910 in Santa Croce

I listed Santa Croce as the location several times, and while I know there are several communes in Italy by this name, I've narrowed it down to being Santa Croce del Sannio, Benevento, Campania. Also as to where the family settled in the US, they stayed pretty much in either Jeannette, PA or nearby cities all within Westmoreland County.

Any help would really be appreciated, and sorry for such a long post. I just figured that I should probably clarify what I do know as much as possible.

[Tessa78]

Hi Vernon,

Thanks for all the information...that will really help!

You wrote:

Through Census information I've gathered that he arrived in 1910. This is where I start to get unsure of which manifest for this particular person is correct because I've found several with similar names and even names of relatives living in the states match up to information I have.

Census information can be very inaccurate - use it with that in mind...

Here is a manifest that seems to be your GGGF Giovanni Galante
Arriving NY on May 2, 1903

He is married, 29, and from San Croce del Sannio
Going to his brother-in-law Carmine Petrillo in Jeannette, PA
Since Sebastiano was born in November 1903 - this is a good possibility!

Line 5
Click once to enlarge, and again to magnify


It's interesting to note that on the line below Giovanni is Giuseppe DiMaria, 17, single, also from San Croce del Sannio... who was originally destined for Jeannette, PA, but went to Ossining, NY instead, to an uncle - possibly last name "Zeoli"?

T.

[Tessa78]

You can write directly to the comune (town) of San Croce del Sannio to request the birth and marriage records of Giovanni Galante (GGGF), and the birth record of Sebastiano Galante (GGF), since you have the approx. year of birth...

Do not request more than one or two records with each letter ---
Do not send money unless/until you are requested to do so. These records are generally free...
DO send a self-addressed UNSTAMPED envelope as a courtesy

Address:
Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Piazza Municipio
82020 Santa Croce del Sannio (BN)
ITALY

You will need to make your request in Italian...
Help with letters of request:
http://www.circolocalabrese.org/resourc ... civile.asp
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... talrecords

T.

[Tessa78]

You mention a 1910 Manifest for Giovanni -

If it is the one for the SS Berlin arriving NY March 1910
I think that also is your GGGF's manifest...
He is listed as Giovanni Antonio, 35.
It states that he is leaving his wife "Maria Annia (Antonia) Petrillo" in San Croce
On page two of the manifest it states he is going to his brother "Dito" (VITO?) Petrillo at 1052 Penn Ave, West Jeanette, PA.
Looks like Giovanni traveled back and forth a few times before bringing his family over.

T.

[vino_verno]

Yep, those manifests I have found during my searches. And that is what frustrated me. Because of the information I have from my grandfather's aunt (she is the wife of Salvatore Galante that I listed in that long post), she included TONS of information and all of it kind of pointed towards those manifests that you found to be my GGGF.

In the first one you mentioned with him visiting a Carmine Petrillo, that is a possibility because in my stack of papers, it shows that he did indeed have a brother in law named Carmine Petrillo (but I lack the date of birth information and when he traveled.) And then in the second manifest that you mentioned a Dito(Vito) Petrillo, that too was another Brother in Law of his so it is another possibility.

You mentioned the Giuseppe DiMaria visiting a Zeoli family member also. The DiMaria line goes through my GGGM (Maria Antonia Petrillo). I do not have dates of births or immigrations, but I do have some names. Zachiele DiMaria was her Grandfather, and her mother (Angelina DiMaria) married into the Petrillo family. I do have a few Zeoli's listed as well, but that came from Maria Antonia'a cousin (daughter of the Vito Petrillo that you mentioned you saw) marrying into that family.

Going back to the two manifests that you brought up about my GGGF, while I had come across both of those during my searches, I never really considered the possibility of him making multiple trips between Italy and America. Was this something that was common? I was under the assumption that it was an expensive process to be sailing around the world for most people at the time and that people didn't bother making trips back and forth because of costs.

Thank you for all the help, and I will definitely be taking the information you helped me with for the Commune and writing a letter this week.

[Tessa78]

I never really considered the possibility of him making multiple trips between Italy and America. Was this something that was common? I was under the assumption that it was an expensive process to be sailing around the world for most people at the time and that people didn't bother making trips back and forth because of costs.

Yes, actually, it was more common that you might think.

Many immigrant men came only to work and return home with money. If they were successful at that, they would return again and again to work and earn more money, then return home.

When/if they decided that this would be their permanent home, they would either bring their family, or send for them.

T.

[Tessa78]

Here are some listings for "Zeoli"s arriving in US

At free site...
http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsea ... ordResults

T.

[vino_verno]

I just wanted to thank you again Tessa for all your help. I was able to write up a letter looking for birth certificates with the help of the links you posted and got it sent out yesterday to the commune. Hopefully I will get a response. Thanks again!

[Tessa78]

That's great!

Keep us posted - always like to hear how you make out

T.

[vino_verno]

So it's now been just over 5 months since I originally wrote to the commune looking for birth records, and still no response at all. Is it typical for it to take this long with no response? Should I write to the same place again, with essentially the same letter or do I need to try somewhere else now?

[adelfio]

Why dont you post the letter you wrote so we can help

Marty

[italiangrands]

Researching husband's family, Di Maria Grands and father who emigrated from Santa Croce del Sannio.
Grandfather: Antonio Di Maria, emigrated 1914, went to Jeanette, PA to stay with brother
Sebastino.
Grandmother: Pasqualina, maiden name also Di Maria, emigrated with son, (husband's father)1926
1920 census lists Antonio living in Detroit, Michigan, cousin of Angelo Petrillo and Antonio Petrillo

Antonio's parents were Rosario Polzella and Domenico Di Maria. Four people are listed on the death certificate of Domenico:
1) Domenico D'Uva ~ reported death
2) Agostino Di Maria ~ reported death
3) Fioraneglo Zeoli ~ witnessed and signed death registry
4) Crescento Petrillo ~ witnessed and signed death registry
Research shows that Crescento Petrillo was the father of Angelo and Antonio Petrillo

Pasqualina's parents were Teresa Capozzi and Guiseppantonio Di Maria.
Her brother Vincente emigrated 1923 and married Angeline Galente.
Paperwork pertaining to Vincente lists Antonio Di Maria as 'cousin'

Could Domenico Di Maria and Guiseppantonio Di Maria be brothers?
If so, this wuold make Antonio and Pasqualina first cousins.

Could Domenico and Guiseppantonio have a sister who married a Petrillo?
If so, this would verify the 'cousin' connection of the 1920 census for Antonio

We have other names on various birth and death certificates.
If anyone recognizes a name, please let me know.

[vitasopus]

I knew the Galante Family from Jeannette, Pa -they were friends with my Grandparents. I do not know if any are still living but their decedents probably are. I will give you my family info and then I will send the 1940 census concerning the Galande Family. My Grandfather was Carmine Capozzi, my grandmother was Vitangela Petrillo Capozzi, her Mother was Antonia Meola (never immigrated) Antonia later married a man by the last name of Zeoli, after her death he came to New York. My family all came from Santa Croce del Sannio, Benevento, Campania

1940 United States Federal Census about Frances Galante
Name: Frances Galante
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1927
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Home in 1940: Jeannette, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
View Map
Street: Gaskill Avenue
House Number: 1025
Inferred Residence in 1935: Jeannette, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 8A
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Sabastino Galante 57
Mary Galante 42
Josephine Galante 23
Anthony Galante 20
Leonard Galante 18
Frances Galante 13
Julia Galante 7