Help??

[shutterbug1002]

My great great grandfather immigrated from Turin. He was not naturalized until the 1940's. I've been told he was also an orphan. The only information that I have is listed below. If anyone can suggest any starting points I would Soooo greatly appreciate it. I don't want our Italian heritage to end with our Grandpaw.



Name: Stephen (Joe) (Sefeno) Concordia
Born: 15 May 1867 Turin, Italy
Died: 18 Nov 1943 Walker Co, AL

[jcsm400]

Hi Shutterbug,

Welcome to the forum.

The best place to start is to obtain US records for him & his family.
Naturalization record
Death record
Birth and baptismal records for his children born in the states
Ship manifest
Marriage record (if married in the US), especially the marriage application
Obituary
Census records


For vital records in Walker Co., AL>

Walker County Clerk
P.O. Box 749
Jasper, AL 35501-0749
(205) 384-7268

The county clerk may also have his naturalization record or obtain from the National Archives

Form for requesting naturallization record fro the archives>
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/ ... f3d6a1RCRD

Hope this helps.

jcsm

[shutterbug1002]

Ok..We have death, naturalization, and marriage records. But he spoke no english and was given a name when he arrived. We're not even sure which name was the given one although he used Sefeno most of his life. I assume that is the Surname that he had in Italy. How would I go about finding the orphanage?
What do I do with the AL records? How can I use them to help me find family in Italy? I'm totally clueless here.

[jcsm400]

What information did his naturalization record provide as to his date of arrival, port of arrival, & ship name? If after 1906, the manifest may list his nearest relative in Italy & will show town of birth.......

Turin, now Torino, is both a city & a province. Do you know which you are referring to?

Does his marriage record have his "parents" names? This would mostly be on the marriage application.

jcsm

[suanj]

maybe this could be the probable 1930 census:
-Joe Safina name city, Walker, AL abt 1864 Italy

1920 probable census:
-Joe Sefens name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1870 Italy
- Parlee Sefens name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1873
- Frank Sefens name,name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1903
-Mary Sefens name,name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1906
-Fred Sefens name,name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1907
-Grady Sefens name,name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1909

1910 probable census
-Joe Sefeno ( other possible names Steve CONCORDI, Joe SIFENO) name city, Walker, AL abt 1865 Italy

probable 1900 census:
- Save Concord name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1867 Italy White relation
- Pairlee Concord name city, Walker, Alabama abt 1878 location White

I believe that the original name could be Serafino Concordia but is only a my suggestion....

it will be interesting to read as the surname was wrote on the census.. regards, suanj

[shutterbug1002]

Found marriage license today and as best as I could make out it was signed Stephano Concordia. All the grandchildren know is that he was an orphan from Turin, Italy. Naturalized in AL in 1941. So maybe this is the end to this branch of my family tree

[MikeSavoca91]

Don't give up hope! Give it time, something will come up. NEVER COUNT YOURSELF OUT!!! I can't help much but I do wish you luck, and look foward to reading more.

Mike

[shutterbug1002]

suanj

I found an Ellis Island record with the name Serafino Concordia.

First Name: Serafino
Last Name: Concordia
Ethnicity: Italy
Last Place of Residence:
Date of Arrival: Apr 18, 1896
Age at Arrival: 34 Gender: M Marital Status:
Ship of Travel: Britannia
Port of Departure: Naples
Manifest Line Number: 0042

In some Census records it states that he was 30 when first married in 1897. However, the 1930's record states that he was 35. But the birth date that we have is May 15 1867. Obviously census records were often incorrect. If this ship manifest is correct and this passenger is the man I'm looking for...how can I verify?

[suanj]

suanj

I found an Ellis Island record with the name Serafino Concordia.

First Name: Serafino
Last Name: Concordia
Ethnicity: Italy
Last Place of Residence:
Date of Arrival: Apr 18, 1896
Age at Arrival: 34 Gender: M Marital Status:
Ship of Travel: Britannia
Port of Departure: Naples
Manifest Line Number: 0042

In some Census records it states that he was 30 when first married in 1897. However, the 1930's record states that he was 35. But the birth date that we have is May 15 1867. Obviously census records were often incorrect. If this ship manifest is correct and this passenger is the man I'm looking for...how can I verify?

by original ship's manifest abt Serafino CONCORDIA no more infos.... and I cannot find a Stefano CONCORDIA, as must be the italian spell... regards, suanj

[shutterbug1002]

Have documents. Spoke with Mormon Family History Center and they can not find a death record for any of these names. They put me in touch with a man who has reasearched Walker Co. AL extensively. He tells me yet another name this man was known by. Ceasar 'Moly' DeSefeno. I can't tell you how frustrated I am.


Trying to figure out how to post the marriage license and naturalization papers. Here is a translated copy of a letter. The family isn't sure if it is to the grandfather or an uncle Louis Davito, also from Italy. But there is an address and names in the letter.

Letter dated Dec. 13 1938 from Torrino, Italy

Dear Brother and family,
I'm answering the letter you have written to Rocca.
You wanted to know how things are going here; we're working and managing to eat fairly well.

About (our) health, I am not too well either and our brother Giovanni has been in the hospital for the last five months, but now he is doing better. The rest of the family are al well.

Excuse me for sedning you this small photograph of my daughters and Mother, but for the time being that's all I have.

Your children must be big. My children are all married.

My best regards to everyone from all of us.

your sister, Marietta

I am sending my address
Gili Maria Via Stradella 191
Madonna di Campagne Torrino


This letter was translated by Dr. Mercedes Turon, Assoc. Professor of Spanish and Italian, Dept. of Foreign Languages, University of Montevallo in Alabama.

I havent figured out how to attach the naturalization papers or the marriage license. Names vary from document to document.

[suanj]

Well, Madonna di Campagna is a quarter of Torino, and Via Stradella is in the quarter center as you can see by this map:

http://www.quartieri.torino.it/madonnac ... /index.asp
GILI is a surname with good rilevance in Torino town;
the other name that you found: Ceasar 'Moly' DeSefeno, let me think, that your ancestor changed many time the name in USA permanence, and most probable the Stefano or Di Stefano or De Stefano are names pertaining him origin; Concordia could be the mother surname.. but this are just ideas... the better search could be in militar service card in Torino province archive, they have the draft registration cards from 1824 to 1921:

U f f i c i o d i l e v a d i T o r i n o , regg., ~011. e mazzi 1.041 (classi 1814-1921).
Elenchi.< Liste di leva > 1824- 1921: comprende anche le liste di Pinerolo (dalla classe 1899) eSusa (dalla classe 1896). < Liste di estrazione > classi 18 14- 189 1. < Sommari delle decisioni
dei consigli di leva > classi 1827-l 891. < Riformati e renitenti 1 classi 1892- 1921:comprende Pinerolo e Susa.
but it is necessary to find the right name spell, obviously........ and this is the big problem.........
However in ARCHIVIO STORICO della Città di Torino( Torino town Archive) it seems that they have the civil records from 1850 http://www.comune.torino.it/archiviosto ... fondi.html ( stato civile) maybe you can send a email
archivio.storico @ comune.torino.it NO SPACES,
with this italian txt:
----------------------------------------
Archivio Storico Città di Torino
via Barbaroux 32
TORINO -ITALY

Spett.le Archivio Storico,
mi chiamo...............( your name) e sono cittadino statunitense di origine italiana.
Mi rivolgo a voi nella speranza che possiate aiutarmi a ritrovare l'atto di nascita del mio anetnato emigrato prima del 1897 negli USA, e specificatamente nello Stato dell' Alabama.
Del mio antenato conosco con esattezza il luogo di nascita: città di TORINO; conosco con esattezza la data di nascita: 15 Maggio 1867; ho difficoltà ad individuare il corretto nome in italiano e comunque è memoria di famiglia che fosse orfano o trovatello; dopo estenuanti ricerche, egli, avendo americanizzato il suo nome, dapprima risulta sull'atto di matrimonio del 1897 in Alabama quale: Stefano CONCORDIA, diventando successivamente nel censimento del 1900 Steve CONCORDI, e quindi Joe( Giuseppe) SEFENO ( volendo forse riferirsi al nome di battesimo Stefano).
Ho anche in mio possesso una lettera datata 13 dicembre 1938 di una parente italiana di nome GILI Maria Via Stradella 191, Madonna di Campagna, TORINO, in cui parla di cose di famiglia, riferendosi a una sorella Rocca, ed a un fratello Giovanni in cattiva salute al momento. Non sappiamo se la lettera fu inviata al mio antenato o al di lui zio Luigi DAVITE/O anche emigrato da Torino.
Dunque questi sono i dati in mio possesso: luogo e data di nascita e un probabile nome italiano, e parentele in Torino nel 1938.

Con la presente cortesemente prego che si possa accertare presso lo stato civile di Torino, riguardo alla data di nascita fornita, se risulti un bambino nato in tale data e immediatamente vicino, o se sia possibile trovare qualche traccia tramite i passaporti rilasciati tra il 1895/7.
Capisco che sono pochi i dati forniti, ma non so come fare e ho bisogno di aiuto.
Qualora codesto spettabile archivio non sia preposto o non abbia la risorsa pertinente per tale mia richiesta, prego almeno che mi possiate indicare a chi rivolgermi o possiate gentilmente trasmettere la mia richiesta.
Vi ringrazio anticipatamente, e colgo l'occasione per salutare distintamente, in attesa di una vostra cortese risposta,
..................your name
...................your complete and exact address
....................your email
----------------------
good luck, suanj

[shutterbug1002]

Thank you very much. I have sent the email. Have also written to Concordia's in Torino and family of Marietta Gili at the address from the translated letter.

Still searching records in Alabama for anything on him.

[suanj]

good luck! suanj