Given name: Rosario - could Sara be an Americanized version?

[tammyweinercuratilo]

I am trying to find the original immigration records for my husband's grandmother. In the States, her name on official documents was Sara. I have been unable to find her record listed with the name Sara, so I believe she must have "AMericanized" her first name.

Her husband did the same thing - went by Sam instead of the original Salvatore.

I have found a few records for Rosario Costa (her maiden name) from her village, San Cataldo in Sicily, that I believe may be her.

Her husband Sam used to call her "Saree", which to their kids sounded like it was short for Sara.

Could her given Italian name been Rosario? Do any others come to mind that could have been changed into "Sara"?

Any help or thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Tammy

[nuccia]

Hi!

Yes, Sara is a common North Americanized version of the Italian name Rosaria. I have also heard of it being shortened to Rosa and Sina, but the most common short form is Sara or Sarah.

Hope this helps.

[vj]

Tammy,
Have you seen this record for a
Rosaria Costa on Ellis Island??
Does the record match anything for
your Sara?
vj

manifest page 1
manifest page 2
lines 3-5
3 Aug 1907 SS Francesca Palermo to NY
Crociffisa Mortorana, 40 (abt 1867)
- last residence S Cataldo
- going to Pittston PA
- joining husband Giuseppe Costa
- born in S. Cataldo
daughter Rosaria Costa 15 (abt 1892)
son Giuseppe Costa 11 (abt 1896)
---

did not sail manifest
manifest
2 Jul 1907 SS Sofia Hohenberg Palermo to NY
lines 28-30
Crocifisfa Martsrana (prob Martorana) 40
Rosaria Costa 15
Guiseppe Costa 11

[tammyweinercuratilo]

Yes, I have seen that record. - thanks for sending it.

I have another question for you though - did the first ship not set sail? This would answer another issue I am having with Sara Costa's husband.

He is Salvatore Curatolo - and has 2 ship records in the month of Nov 1903. The first record is on the Sicilian Prince, the 2nd record on Napolitan Prince. Both records say Salvatore is from San Cataldo, and going to stay with a brother in Pittston, MA.

At first I thought it could be 2 different people, thinking there is a whole family of Curatolos in San Cataldo, going to relatives in Pittston, MA, but maybe his first ship did not sail?

Can you tell me how you figure out the ship did not sail - is it in the first few pages of the manifest?

Thanks!
Tammy

[Biff83]

Tammy,

It's not that the ships didn't sail but rather that the passengers whose names are lined out on the manifest did not sail for whatever reason.

Not sure if you know but San Cataldo in central Sicily was a sulphur mining area and a number of the town's natives who worked in the sulphur mines emigrated to Northeast Pennsylvania to the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area and took jobs as anthracite miners. The WW I Draft Registration card for Salvatore Curatolo, wife Sara, living in Pittston at 142 Elizabeth, shows him working at No 4 shaft at the Penn Coal Company.

For some pics of the Penn Co Company mines in Pittston circa 1910, click on the following link and search for Pittston.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/nclcquery.html

[tammyweinercuratilo]

Thanks for the help with the no sail issue. I re-checked the first ship record - Nov. 9, and his name is crossed out. Duh - what a simple thing - I have been doing this for a month or so and didn't realize it until now.

Yes - that is them - I used that doucment to confirm his first name was really Salvatore - he is listed in the census records and SSDI as Sam.

The whole family were miners, and Sam actually died of black lung disease I am told. They eventually moved to Middlesex County NJ to allow the sons to get better jobs, and out of the mines.

Thanks
Tammy

[Biff83]

By 1930, anthracite was rapidly losing ground to electricity and oil. This loss of market share coupled with the Depression meant that many of the mines didn't work full time leaving the miners underemployed. Starting in the 1930's, residents of NE PA began moving out of state to find employment, and, at the end of the Second World War, the migration from the area that started in the 30s increased significantly as a large number of people left to find employment elsewhere. So many young people were moving out that Congressman Dan Flood stated that the area's largest export was high school graduates.

Pic of San Cataldo Mutual Benefit Society from 1928 showing the society's building constructed in 1927 on Elizabeth Street in Dunmore PA. Incorporated in May of 1906, the society celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

http://www.hsp.org/files/sancataldosoc.jpg

[Biff83]

Tammy,

If you're interested in tracing your husband's grandparents' ancestry further in San Cataldo, the following link might prove useful.

http://myrosi.com/genealogy/SanCataldo.htm

Let us know how you're progressing and if we can help.
.

[wldspirit]

A reference to bookmark for future use regarding Italian names and the most common Americanized version:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Poin ... ame.html#R

wldspirit

[tammyweinercuratilo]

Thanks to all for the help - this is my first post but I have learned a lot and gotten a lot of useful links! I have some new questions - will most them under a new topic.