Italian Immigrants in Boston

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craftsrus
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Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by craftsrus »

My ancestors have made it fairly difficult to follow them back to their homeland.
My grandfather, Giuseppe Rosano, came to Boston between 1895 and 1907. My grandmother, Carosina Giordano, arrived in September 1905 aboard the Romanic with a younger brother and sister who were all going to their brother, Modestino.
My grandparents never naturalized, so there is no point in searching those records. I have been unable to pinpoint when or on what vessel Giuseppe arrived. The only records I have been able to locate for him are the marriage record and 2 census records, 1910 and 1920 - he died in 1924. They had at least ten children after moving to Braintree and the last name was changed to Rosanna somehow. Carosina went by Rosina and I don't believe that her full name was ever known before finding the marriage record.
I am going to try the Archdiocese of Boston archives next week, for any church records that might exist for either family. I have been unable to determine what other members of Giuseppe's birth family there might have been; his marriage record shows his father's name as Giustiniano and his mother as Caterina Vurlita, although I believe it was actually Colita. The whereabouts of his grave are no longer known, although there exists a record of his having been buried in the Braintree town cemetery. The superintendent speculated that the grave may have been re-used over the years and there doesn't appear to ever have been a headstone.
The Giordano side has been more cooperative, most of this family remained in the Boston area and raised families there. I am hoping to find something in the church records which will assist.
Does anyone have a suggestion for filling in the blanks?
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by Biff83 »

Possible WWI Draft Card
Name: Giuseppe Rosano
City: Gardner
County: Worcester
State: Massachusetts
Birthplace: Vallefiorita, province: Catanzaro - region: Calabria
Birth Date: 22 Dec 1887
Occupation: Laborer
Employer: B&M RR (Boston & Maine Railroad)**

**Check the census records you've found to see if the occupations match.

Biff
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by craftsrus »

Unfortunately this is the wrong Giuseppe, my grandfather registered in South Braintree and I have that record - I just forgot to mention it. What I'd really like to locate are older records, perhaps the immigration information. I am guessing that he came from the Avellino area, since most of the Italian immigrants married people from their own village in Italy. Carosina's last permanent residence, as shown on the Romanic's manifest, was St. Nicholas.
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by pink67 »

Hi, :D

so, just for reference and to help you in the better way are these records pertaining to your ancestor?

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Giuseppe Rosano
Name: Giuseppe Rosano
City: South Braintree
County: Norfolk
State: Massachusetts
Birth Date: 5 Oct 1884
Race: White
Roll: 1684751
DraftBoard: 36

image:
[img=http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/6007/rosanowwi.th.jpg]


1910 United States Federal Census
about Joe Ruano
Name: Joe Ruano
[Joe Ruana]
Age in 1910: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1885
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Spouse's Name: Revis
Home in 1910: Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Year of Immigration: 1900
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Joe Ruano 25
Revis Ruano 25
Felice Ruano 9/12
Catherine Ruano 2
Victor Contant 18
Tony Mauyuero 26


1920 United States Federal Census
about Joseph Rose
Name: Joseph Rose
Home in 1920: Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Age: 36 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Rosie
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Year of Immigration: 1885 on the manifest 1895
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 308
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph Rose 36 head
Rosie Rose 67 wife
Katie Rose 12
Fannie Rose 11
Joseph Rose 9
Grace Rose 8
Flenmine Rose 8
Jospehine Rose 6
Thresa Rose 5
Michael Rose 3 0/12
Samuel Rose 3/12

image:
[img=http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1739/rosano1920.th.jpg]

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craftsrus
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by craftsrus »

Those are the records. I have also found Rosina in the 1930 census, a widow, and the children many of whom are working in shoe shops. The marriage record is online on NEHGS website, this is where I found the name changes for my grandfather. Giuseppe Rosano appears to have been a common enough name, but very few of the records which come up at a search pertain to my grandfather. His death record from the state of MA didn't help a lot, he died of rheumatic heart disease and his parents are shown as Jeffrey Rosanna and Catherine Colita (marriage record shows Vurlita).
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by Essgee »

In the NEHGS records, there is a marriage in 1898 for a Luigia Rosano, age 31. While it states Austria for place of birth...as it did for her husband...often Austria is Italy for places that went back and forth from one to the other in political boundaries. In any event, her father was listed as a Justino Rosano, her mother a Maddelena di F??? Could this Justino be Guistino and maybe she is a step sister to Giuseppe? Long shot I know, but it might be worth pursuing to see where it leads.
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by pink67 »

Essge,

could you please check also the marriage for Francesco Rosano?
He married in Boston on 1906 vol. 565 - pag.236.
I believe this person was from San Sossio Baronia.
It's a comune very near to San Nicola Baronia (Giuseppe's wife's birth place) ...

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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by Essgee »

I checked it out initially because he also married a Giordano. But both don't appear to be siblings to the others. Francesco was the son of Pasquale. Perhaps they were cousins. Would think that looking in the area you suggested might be wise.

Second thought...if he arrived in 1895, might have arrived with parents or older siblings. Might be listed with mother's maiden name possibly. Find nothing remotely similar to him in any passenger record. Not sure what is being overlooked.
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Re: Italian Immigrants in Boston

Post by craftsrus »

Thanks for all these ides, but I have pursued these leads already. I havn't found an evidence that Giuseppe came to the US at the age of 11 with or without his parents. There doesnt' seem to be any mention of him in the 1900 census for any location in or near Boston. I have ruled out New York as his point of entry because there are just no records that I've located and also because Boston seems to have been his only location prior tomoving his family to South Braintree. According to the census records for this family, Giuseppe worked in Boston. That was a pretty long commute in those days with no public transportation form the South Shore. I can only assume that there may have been a padrone who kept charge of various immigrants and shuttled them back and forth. Even though the census shows Giuseppe's immigration dates as variously 1895 and 1900, I wonder if these are accurate - it is a well known fact that the folks who took the census weren't particular about accuracy. The fact that he never began the naturalization process would seem to indicate that he never planned to stay in the US. I was once told that my grandmother came from Avellino, but my father never spoke of his childhood and anything I have learned by way of family is mostly 2nd or 3rd hand information.
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