new immigration challenge for you smart folks

[warriorrabbit]

Hi,

My grandmother was married (and divorced, gasp) before she married my grandfather. I'm helping my cousins with their grandfather's (my grandmother's first husband's) family.

I've found his parents Peter and Josephine Rodi (later changed to Rodie, and on at least one document it was Roti) on the censuses starting with 1900. I think we can assume they were originally Pietro and Giuseppa, but on all censuses they are Peter and Josephine.

Frank Rodie and most of his siblings (except for sister Antonia) were born in NYC, Frank in 1889. On the 1900 census they say they came over in 1888.

Of course there's no census for 1890, but I also can't seem to find any immigration records online under any version of the name, even on Castle Garden. Any thoughts?

As Frank was born here (and Antonia as well as the other sisters lost their maiden names), it's difficult to determine where the family is from. Most records just seem to say Italy.

Frank's and my grandmother's 1920 marriage record also suggests his mother's maiden name is Catalifimo or Catalifino (definitely two dotted Is), but googling that suggests that's wrong. Perhaps it was Catalfimo and the clerk butchered it, who knows.

[qnana]

warriorrabbit-

Try italiangen.org to see if you can find marriage records in NYC for the sisters and possibly Frank. It may help take you forward with the family if you have married names.

Good luck
qnana

[warriorrabbit]

I should have mentioned I'd tried that, but there are no records. Just a death record for Peter, nothing else for anyone under any spelling variant.

Frank and my grandmother married in NJ, that's why there was no record for them there.

[PeterTimber]

Both Rodi and Roti are good names in Italy and Pietro Roti arriving in 1892 at age 25 shows up in Castle Garden and should also be in Ellisisland.org. Look for Giuseppina (or Giuseppa) =Peter=

[warriorrabbit]

Saw that Roti. Too young to be mine, and they were already here by 1889, as Frank was born in NYC in 1889 and another sibling in July of 1892.

Also looked for Giuseppa already, including under her maiden name (all variants). Also looked for Antonia, the only child born in Italy, under Rodi, Roti, and her mother's name. No dice.

[PeterTimber]

Where were they residing prior to 1898? What port would be closest for them at that time? =peter=

[warriorrabbit]

Prior to 1898? Manhattan, then they moved later to Brooklyn.

Prior to 1888? No idea. We have absolutely no idea where in Italy they are from, because we can't find immigration records (is 1888 part of the lost years?) and the kids (save one) were born here, and my aunt is really super old and fading and can't remember much. Plus with the divorce and her mother's (my grandmother's) remarriage and all (ooo scandalicious), she didn't see her father all that often. He stayed in NYC while they were in New Jersey.

If the whole marrying-someone-from-your-neck-of-the-woods thing holds true, then one could assume Messina as place of origin, as that's where my grandmother's family is from. But members of her family also married people from Bari, and so on, so Frank's family really could be from anywhere. My grandfather, her second husband, wasn't from Messina either, though he was at least from the province of Messina.

I might try to find Andrew's obit today or tomorrow, see if any of the sisters are mentioned, so that I can get a married name for them and try it from that angle. If he had an obit. Frank had no obituary. In fact, whoever reported his death didn't even know who his parents were, and Andrew died after he did, so I would have assumed he would have reported the death. Strange.

It's never easy, is it?

[PeterTimber]

Did you check out the Pietro Rodi coming in 1904 thru Ellisisland.org coming from FANO, Italy? Was rthis his first trip in or was he here earlier and went to Italy for a visit? =Peter=

[warriorrabbit]

That Pietro is the right age, except that by this time mine is going by Peter. Also, this guy's headed off to New London, Connecticut to see people who aren't my Peter's wife and kids in NYC. So I don't think it's him.

Could he have gone back and forth? I suppose. And honestly, we just don't know enough.

How can I find that 1888-ish arrival? Is it part of the records that were burned? Castle Garden seems to cover a lot of ground, but neither it, Ellis, or Ancestry (other ports) are returning anything.

[wldspirit]

Did you try the following site:

Altreitalie

wldspirit

[PeterTimber]

Dear Wildspirit nicey nicey website..it ties all the info together. See! you always need a woman around. =Peter=

[suanj]

I found a:
New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
about Pietro Rota
Name: Pietro Rota
Arrival Date: 13 Feb 1888
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Le Havre, France
Destination: New York
Place of Origin: Italy
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian
Ship Name: La Gascogne
Search Ship Database: View the La Gascogne in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: New York
Line: 41
Microfilm Serial: M237
Microfilm Roll: M237_515
List Number: 172
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States

no Giuseppa or Antonia... maybe travelled after some month... it could be?
suanj

[PeterTimber]

Dear mazzaconiglio I believe volume 11 of Italian arrivals 1880 to 1902 found at your nearest family hisotry library as a book along with the other volumes will show arrivals and their origin. =Peter=

[PeterTimber]

error should rerad volumes 2 or 3...=peter=

[warriorrabbit]

Hmm, Rota, didn't try that.

I'll check my FHC for the book. The downtown library also has a genealogy room (which is locked and you have to get permission/sign your life away to go in, I guess they don't trust us). I'll try there first as I'll be there looking for obits anyhow.

Thanks!