How do you know who is the right one on a manifest?

[DeFilippis78]

Im looking for my great great grandfather. Not for citizenship but my continuing genealogy. Im seeing several people with his name on a manifest close to descriptions of him. So now I dont know how to figure out the "real" one. Any tips?

His name is Giuseppe Paonessa born in 1879. He didnt marry until in America in 1908 to Serafina Basilotta. Im finding some of his american records but nothing that can lead me to where he is from. His census dates of arrival are different and seem off because it means he had some children before he came here which I know he did not. All his kids were after his marriage in 1908. I just want to figure out the right one.

Alicia

PS- he settled in the Bronx and Jersey City. Hes not with the Paonessa's of Connecticut or Niagara Falls.

[misbris]

You will have to do it by process of elimination. Are you sure of his birth date? Do you have an approximate year of immigration? Or age at immigration?

Some manifests have a lot more info than others, you have to look at them carefully. What is the earliest census record you have for him? Are you using this site to search.

http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/EIDB/ellisgold.html

[DeFilippis78]

I have a subscription with ancestry. Im positive of his date of birth. Its December 8th, 1879. His earliest census is 1920 and says he came 1905. Im afraid to trust this date because Im finding the cenuses to be grossly inaccurate in all of my genealogy for several relatives.

Alicia

[nuccia]

It is possible he came in 1905 since he married Serafina in 1908 according to this record:
Surname: Paonessa
Given Name : Giuseppe
Month of Marriage: Apr
Day of Marriage : 19
Year of Marriage: 1908
County: Manhattan
Certificate Number: 8720
Soundex: P520
Link to Brides: Basilotta Serafina

Do you know who any of his siblings or relatives could be? Sometimes a relatives name is written on the manifest in the column where it says going to see or leaving behind ...next of kin..

Also, do you know where in Italy he came from?

[DeFilippis78]

Thats where Im stuck. I dont know his parents names or siblings names. Just his wife and kids here in America. His last place of residence is Napoli but Im not sure if he was born there.

So far NARA, NJ state archives and the county he lived in said there is no record of naturalization. My last hope is USCIS but I think it will be hard to get a search on him with limited amount of info. Im also waiting for a possible death certificate with more info hopefully. And as long as I dont know where he was born, there is nothing I can do. My chance of citizenship goes out the window without date of birth, town of birth, to get birth certificate

Alicia

[nuccia]

Ok..so I am looking at the 1920 census and it says 1905 PA meaning he filed his first papers for Naturalization then BUT it says Searphina and daughter Josephine arrived in the US in 1894 which puts her birth at about 1902 making her 18. His first daughter Mary was born in the USA about 1910, which is roughly two years after they married. Maybe he did have children before he married? Do you know if Serafina was married previously?

[DeFilippis78]

I saw Josephine on a census a few days ago and it struck me as strange. I dont know who she is. Serafina came here in 1894 at 5 years old from Nicosia, Sicily. I saw the manifest. As far as I know she wasnt married before and Giuseppe was her first husband when they married on April 19th, 1908. Their first daughter Mary, is my great grandmother. Im not quite sure where Josephine fits in.

Alicia

PS- I just realized in previous post where I was saying I need a date of birth, no records on naturalization and birth certificate was for a different grandfather. So many relatives! Im getting confused I want to know about Giuseppe because of general genealogy. The Basilottas (Serafina) are from Sicily but Im not sure about the Paonessa's