Searching LaGalante from Orphanage in Scontrone.

[stargazer200529]

I am looking for information on my great grandfather, John Baptist LaGalante. My grandmother says he was born in October of 1885. She said he was born in Scontrone and was raised in an orphanage.

I searched the civil records for Scontrone and could not find a record of his birth.

Could he have been born in another city and brought to an orphanage in Scontrone? If so, how can I find which orphanage in Scontrone he could have been from? Did they even keep records?

[suanj]

Hi, I found only 1 possible record abt a Giovanni Battista Lagalante, but coming from Casamassima( bari province) emigrated with Vita wife and sons: Achille( Leo) and Gregorio ( Gregory); he left the uncle Domenico in Casamassima

Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943
about G Battesta Lagalante
Name: G Battesta Lagalante
Arrival Date: 27 Jul 1913
Age: 27
Estimated birth year: abt 1886
Gender: Male
Ethnic Background: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Naples, Italy
Ship Name: Palermo
Port of Arrival: Boston, Massachusetts
Friend's Name: Domenico Jugline ( Domenico Pugliese cousin)
Last Residence: Italy
Birthplace: Casamaninn, Italy

this Giovanni Battista Lagalante was born the 31 oct 1886:
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Baltista Lagalante
Name: Baltista Lagalante
City: Waterbury
County: New Haven
State: Connecticut
Birthplace: Italy
Birth Date: 31 Oct 1886
Race: Caucasian (White)
FHL Roll Number: 1561990
DraftBoard: 3

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
about Battisto James Lagalante
Name: Battisto James Lagalante
Birth Date: 31 Oct 1886
Birth Place: Camassima, Italy
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Race: White
he ios listed on the 1930 census as Jim Lagalante...
Lagalante is not a surname of Abruzzo region, but of Apulia region...


suanj

[Tessa78]

Hello and welcome!

Could this be your John (Giovanni) Baptist (Battista) La Galante?

Found a Possible manifest for G Battista LaGalante, 27
Arriving Boston 1913 with wife Vita and
Children Achille and Gregorio
Last Residence - Casamassina (Province of Bari)
going to cousin Domenico Gugliemi (sp?) on Lafayette St. in NYC


Page 1 - Line 7
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7701/lagalante1913.jpg

Page 2
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5924 ... e19132.jpg

T.

[Tessa78]

Hi suanj!

Sorry for the duplication...my imagesharing site was acting up!

Hugs,
T.

[Tessa78]

Listing for the 1930 Census suanj referenced above...

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1930 United States Federal Census
about Jim Lagalante
Name: Jim Lagalante
Home in 1930: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
View Map
Age: 43
Estimated birth year: abt 1887
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Grace Lagalante
Race: White
Household Members:
Name Age
Jim Lagalante 43
Grace Lagalante 53
Leo Lagalante 30 (Achille?) born in Italy
Gregory Lagalante 22 (Gregorio?) born in Italy
Frank Lagalante 15
Julia Lagalante 12
Anna Lagalante 10

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/7994 ... te1930.jpg

T.

[Tessa78]

Looks like Giuseppe, Leo and Gregory filed first papers for Naturalization as noted on the 1930 Census, and also on manifest where you'll find Certificate of Arrival (C/A) notations by their names...

T.

[stargazer200529]

Yes that is him. Sorry, it was my fault. I knew he was from Bari, I just got the names mixed up because the other side of my family is from Scontrone. We did search the records in Cassamassima. We sucessfully found my great grandmother Vita Maria, but we could not find her husband John Baptist.

So I guess the question is still the same... how can I find the orphanage and would they even have records of him.

Thank you all soo much for the information. I can't wait to show my family the records you found for him.

[suanj]

Yes that is him. Sorry, it was my fault. I knew he was from Bari, I just got the names mixed up because the other side of my family is from Scontrone. We did search the records in Cassamassima. We sucessfully found my great grandmother Vita Maria, but we could not find her husband John Baptist.

So I guess the question is still the same... how can I find the orphanage and would they even have records of him.

Thank you all soo much for the information. I can't wait to show my family the records you found for him.

by ship's manifest, the Giovanni Battista birthplace is also Casamassima; the birthyear is 1886 and not 1885; you searched in 1886 births?
Also by marriage record, and better also the marriage banner you can find the birthplace.. by LDS microfilms:
Registri dello stato civile, Casamassima (Bari), 1809-1900 Casamassima (Bari). Ufficio dello stato civile

it must be this records, and sure they married before of Achille birth...
all the best,
suanj

[suanj]

Hi suanj!

Sorry for the duplication...my imagesharing site was acting up!

Hugs,
T.

no problem Tessa!
Hugs,
suanj

[stargazer200529]

Yes I did. I requested the microfilm from the Family History Library. My mom and I spent several hours pouring over them. We searched 1883 to 1887 just to be sure.

We could not find a record for him.

What could the reasons be... either he was born in a different city or they just never reported his birth.

He said he was from Cassamassima, but that doesn't mean he was born there. Maybe he was born in a different city, but was sent to an orphanage in Cassamassima.

[suanj]

I understand, but he declared that was born in Casamassima in WWII draft registration card:
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6547 ... alante.jpg
in the trip of 1913 Giovanni Battista declaring that he already was in USA from 1909 to 1911; he travelling with wife Vita and children
well here the trip in 1909:
pag 1: http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0024
wife Maria Grazia in Casamassima ..(?)
and joining at brother in law Antonio Fortunato:
pag 2 http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0024
the birth place is Casamassima... he was born in Casamassima...

however you can request the birth certificate in Casamassima, because the civil records in Commune are more complete sometimes
writing a request to:
Ufficio Stato Civile
Via V. Savino angolo Piazza A. Moro
70010 CASAMASSIMA (BA)
Italy
email: urp @ comune.casamassima.ba.it
(No Spaces)
suanj

[stargazer200529]

My grandma said her mother was 32 when they married. I know she was born in 1875 so they would have been married in 1907 which is after the LDS index dates.

[stargazer200529]

I will write to them. Hopefully they can dig something up. Thanks for the advice.

[suanj]

if you read the ship's manifest:
Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943
about G Battesta Lagalante
Name: G Battesta Lagalante
Arrival Date: 27 Jul 1913
Age: 27
Estimated birth year: abt 1886
Gender: Male
Ethnic Background: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Naples, Italy
Ship Name: Palermo
Port of Arrival: Boston, Massachusetts
Friend's Name: Domenico Jugline ( Domenico Pugliese cousin)
Last Residence: Italy
Birthplace: Casamaninn, Italy

pag 1 http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9218/lagalante1.jpg
pag 2 http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6443/lagalante2.jpg
Giovanni Battista is 27 old and Vita 38 old; the first son , Achille is 16 old, and Gregorio 2 old; now surely Gregorio was born abt in 1910/1 and Achille around 1897 so cannot be the son of Giovanni Battista, maybe only of Vita.. this matching with the probable marriage year around the 1907; and no before, because just now I understand that Giovanni Battista cannot be the father of Achille... Giovanni Battista was abt 11 old in 1897!
so the marriage records by LDS are out for the year... however writing in Casamassima you can have a reply that can solving the mystery...
all the best,
suanj

[stargazer200529]

I know Vita Maria was married before, my family line comes from her second husband John Battista. My mom said she has cousins from the first marriage, so it makes sense that there were children that were not John's.

Actually, Vita's first husband murdered her mother. There has to be an article or something about that. It would be interesting to see!

I will write to Cassamassima for John's birth certificate and their marriage certificate.

Not to be stubborn, but is it possible he wrote Cassamassima on his documents because the orphanage was there. Perhaps he was born someplace else but didn't know where?

I only say this because the records from the Family History library seemed so extensive. I find it hard to believe it could be missing.