Pesto Family Help

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kirreskald
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Re: Pesto Family Help

Post by kirreskald »

Biff83 wrote: 29 May 2017, 22:34 Since many of the Italian immigrants were not literate when they arrived in the US, it was fairly common for their surnames to become corrupted. He might have changed it himself but it's also possible that when he gave his name to apply for a job or for some other reason, the person who heard his name thought it sounded like "Pesto" and that's what was written down. My grandfather had a similar experience. His name was Giuseppe Epifano but when he went to work for the railroad in PA he was listed on the roster as Joseph Bifano.

Biff
Oh that's really interesting. I didn't even factor in the idea that the name change could have come from an employer instead of Immigration Personnel. I guess something like that did happen since he either had work lined up before he arrived or quickly joined on as a miner for West Virginia.

The marriage license is a neat find! I know that he also had my great-grandmother in 1910. She's listed as his child on his Oath of Naturalization in 1914. I can't believe how quickly you found all this info though!
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Biff83
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Re: Pesto Family Help

Post by Biff83 »

kirreskald wrote: 29 May 2017, 19:57 I didn't even realize Joe Pesto had had siblings, although I guess it isn't surprising,
It's likely that the Carmelo Pizzuto who was travelling with him on the Liguria manifest posted before was his brother. They were joining their cousin Giuseppe Ridolfo in Philadelphia, probably their mother's nephew.

Biff
"Mintammicce impizzu mpizzu ca pue largu minne fazzu sule!"
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kirreskald
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Re: Pesto Family Help

Post by kirreskald »

Huh. I suppose that makes sense. The mining companies of yesteryear sure corralled folks about, it seems. He would have had to have gone to Philly, which had mining, and then left for West Virginia. Still mining but now with a family of his own.
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