Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

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FindingDiNardo
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Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by FindingDiNardo »

I'm trying hard to trace my roots. I've had great success on one route(one of my relatives was a settler of Jamestown, VA), but I'm really struggling with the Dinardo side; I'm stuck at my great grandfather. His name eventually ended up as Joseph Denard, which evolved from Joseph Dinardo.

I know for sure that he was born in 1892 in what I'm almost 100% sure was Alcara, Sicily (one of my relatives said it was Alcarz, Sicily but I don't think that city exists). I know he immigrated through Ellis Island in 1907, probably either on April 13th or June 17th. There are two Ellis Island records of a Giuseppe Di Nardo, both born in 1893, both coming from Alcara, Italy, and both going to 104/106 Orange Street in Cleveland to see Nunzio Dinardo. One lists him as a brother, the other lists him as a cousin. BOTH records claim that Giuseppe Di Nardo had never been to the US before, so either they are lying, or they are two different people. I know for certain, though, that the Joseph(or Giuseppe) Dinardo(or Di Nardo) that I am trying to trace had a brother named Tindero who came to the US later on.

Anything...any little inkling or clue to set me in the right direction would be very helpful. I am really trying to trace the Di Nardo family in Alcara as far and wide as I can. Thank you.
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

The April 13th manifest (possibly?) has a line drawn through Giuseppe's listing. That typically means he did not sail on the voyage, for any of a large number of reasons. Sometimes the person made a reservation but then did not/could not reach the port in time, sometimes illness forced a change in plans, etc.

Click images once to enlarge; click again for maximum magnification. While at maximum, right-click and select "Save..." to save a copy of the image.

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 about Giuseppe Di Nardo
Name: Giuseppe Di Nardo
Arrival Date: 13 Apr 1907
Birth Year: abt 1892
Birth Location Other: alcura
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Palermo, Italy
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Calabria

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New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 about Giuseppe Di Nardo
Name: Giuseppe Di Nardo
Arrival Date: 17 Jun 1907
Birth Year: abt 1892
Birth Location Other: alcara
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Naples, Italy
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Roma

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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Do you have an exact date of birth for Giuseppe?

How about his wife's name?

There are several WWI and WWII draft cards which may apply, but it is difficult to narrow down the correct one.

This one seems a likely possibility:

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 about Joseph Severio Denard
Name: Joseph Severio Denard
Birth Date: 13 Oct 1891
Birth Place: Alcara Li Fusi, Italy
Residence: Jeff, Ohio
Race: White

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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by Tessa78 »

Here is a wonderful photo album of Alcara li Fusi :D
http://www.comune.alcaralifusi.me.it/

Address to write to comune for Giuseppe DiNardo birth record :-)
Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Via della Rinascita, 16
98070 Alcara Li Fusi (ME)
ITALY


Help with letters of request in Italian...
http://www.circolocalabrese.org/resourc ... civile.asp
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... talrecords

T.
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by FindingDiNardo »

johnnyonthespot, that is absolutely him! Joesph Severio. So he was from Alcara. I knew it. His wife was Stella Zakrzewski. They married in the States. And I didnt even notice the line through his name.

Tessa78, thank you I will check out the album and consider the request applications.
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Interesting...

Did you know that Joseph spent time in Pennsylvania?

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 about Joseph Dinardo
Name: Joseph Dinardo
County: Westmoreland
State: Pennsylvania
Birthplace: Italy
Birth Date: 13 Oct 1891
Race: Caucasian (White)
FHL Roll Number: 1926982
DraftBoard: 5

Image

Here is the blank card:

Image

If you are interested in inexpensively obtaining a (most likely) much better copy, see this thread: http://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/topic15686.html
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

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1920 United States Federal Census about Joseph Dinardo
Name: Joseph Dinardo
[Joseph ??Inardo]
Home in 1920: Latrobe Ward 1, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1892
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
[Head]
Spouse's Name: Stella Dinardo
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Year of immigration: 1907
[1909]
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph Dinardo 28
Stella Dinardo 27
Bernard Dinardo 8
Anna Dinardo 6
Joseph Dinardo 5
Henry Dinardo 2 [2 10/12] (means 2 years, 10 months)
Rosalia Dinardo 1 [1 6/12] (means 1 year, 6 months)

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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Yes? No? Maybe?

Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 about Joseph S Denard
Name: Joseph S Denard
Birth Date: 1892
Gender: Male
Race: White
Residence City: Martins Ferry
Residence County: Belmont
Residence state: Ohio
Residence Country: United States
Death Date: 17 Jun 1964
Hospital of Death: Cambridge Mental Hlth & Devlp
City of Death: Guernsey County
County of Death: Guernsey
Certificate: 42372
Age at Death: 72
Certifier: Physician
Autopsy: Yes, used for certification
Marital Status: Married


Also,

Social Security Death Index about Joseph Denard
Name: Joseph Denard
SSN: 285-03-9893
Last Residence: Ohio
Born: 13 Oct 1891
Died: Jun 1964
State (Year) SSN issued: Ohio (Before 1951)
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

In 1930, Stella and the children were living alone; I think Joseph was rooming somewhere else for work:


1930 United States Federal Census about Stella A Dinardo
Name: Stella A Dinardo
Home in 1930: Derry, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
View Map
Age: 38
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1892
Birthplace: Poland
Relation to Head of House: Head
Race: White
Household Members: Name Age
Stella A Dinardo 38
Bernard Dinardo 19
Joseph Dinardo 13
Henry Dinardo 12
Rosella Dinardo 10
Arthur Dinardo 8
Thomas Dinardo 4 8/12

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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by FindingDiNardo »

Yep. Those are all him. And I did know he spent time in PA. Latrobe, PA was where the next generation of Dinardos was born:)

What I am most interested in is tracing back further into Italy. I would love to find out his parents names. I've read that a good way to start is the Naturalization Record. I know both he and Stella were naturalized in 1917. I'm assuming that was in western PA also, but thus far I've had no luck finding the records.

Thanks for all the help so far.
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

I understand where you are coming from. I like lots of records because I find that each record adds some little bit of detail to the overall picture and you don't know what's under a stone until you lift it aside. :)

For naturalization records, I would suggest you begin at the National Archives. For just $7.50 they will search the records and mail copies; there is no charge at all if they don't find anything. The downside to the National Archives route is that they mostly have documents from the federal court system; if Joeseph (Giuseppe) naturalized in a state or county court, NARA will most likely not have the records. To place a document order, start here https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonl ... chives.gov and go ahead and create an account on the right. Next, click "Order Reproductions" -> "Immigration and Naturalization Records" -> "Naturalization Records". Some fields require an entry, even if you don't have exact data - just place xxxxx's or 99999's there and then use the comment box at the bottom of the order form to add any additional details. NARA usually processes requests in 2 to 3 weeks, so the turnaround is very fast.

Also, as Tess mentioned, you can simply write to the comune and request Giuseppe's birth act. You can find various letter templates here and on the web; I have had good success with this one:

15 agosto 2011 [agosto is August; month names in italian are written lower case]

[your name]
[your address]

STATI UNITI D'AMERICA - USA


Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Via della Rinascita, 16
98070 Alcara Li Fusi (ME)
ITALY

Egregi Signori,

Mi chiamo [your name here], ed abito negli Stati Uniti all'indirizzo sopradetto.

Vi scrivo affinché mi aiutiate a reperire:

* Copia integrale dell'atto di Nascita

per il mia bisnonno:

* DI NARDO GIUSEPPE nato nel Comune di Alcara Li Fusi, in data 13 ottobre 1891, paternità incerto, maternità incerto

Vi prego di farmi sapere quanto dovuto per il servizio e per i costi di spedizione.

Distinti saluti,

[your signature]

Birth/marriage/death photocopies of original registry pages are called: Copia integrale dell'atto di Nascita/Matrimonio/Morte. These are more difficult to read but contain lots of additional useful information compared to...

Birth/marriage/death computer-generated (sometimes hand-written) extracts are: Estratto Per Riassunto Per Atto Di Nascita/Matrimonio/Morte

Most comuni do not charge for these documents. Do send a large, self-addressed (but not stamped) envelope if possible; be sure to put "STATI UNITI D'AMERICA - USA" in the final line of your address. It is also a good idea to include a copy of your ID (driver's license, for example) as some comuni will not process requests without it.

Alternatively, you can try sending the above via e-mail to servizidemografici@comune.alcaralifusi.me.it - some comuni respond well to email requests; others not at all.

One problem you may face is that the month of August is vacation time in Italy and many government offices operate with minimal hours and skeleton crew if they open at all. Therefore, you may find your request will take even longer than usual to process.
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

PS: For information specific to naturalizations in Pennsylvania courts, see http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/se ... ons/387334

Also, http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/se ... ation/3851
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Also, since there is a good chance that the family was in Westmoreland, PA at the time Joe and Stella naturalized, be sure to inquire here: http://www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/westmo ... ftns=33918.

If they naturalized in the Westmoreland County courts, I believe the county "Prothonotary" office will have the records.
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Re: Di Nardo family from Alcara, Sicily

Post by FindingDiNardo »

Do you think it would be overkill to send both a letter and an email? Also, is enough information provided? Alcara is a small place, but is it possible that two josephs were born on the same day? If so, do you think they would send both records?
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