From family records and our research, we have deduced that our surname of Venolia is an Americanized name, which happened when my grandfather came to the United States and couldn’t speak English. He worked as a coal miner in Braidwood, IL (1880 – 1904), then with his family moved to Belleville, IL (1904 – 1920), and in 1920 they moved to Southern California. He died in 1928; death certificate states name as John Venolia, born in Italy. Both he and his wife are buried in Forest Lawn, Los Angeles, CA, All of his children are buried in California.
My Grandfather Giovanni was born in Italy in 1860. In 1900 the Illinois Census in Braidwood City, Reed Township listed his name as John Fenolia, along with (common-law) wife, Taro [her name was Maria Catterina Ferrero, (Dec. 1852 – May 1933), Canischio, Italy], children: Annie by a different father (1882), Vincent (1889), Frank (1891), my father Joseph (1892), twins Lucy & Florence (1897).
My grandfather immigrated in 1880 and my grandmother immigrated 2 Dec 1882. There have never been any discussions in our family about Giovanni (John) coming to America with family.
St. Clair County, IL: In 1914 on his Declaration of Intention from the Department of Commerce and Labor, Naturalization Service, his name is listed as John Vinolia, birthplace New Chato, Italy, 29 July 1860, and that was his last foreign residence in Italy. The Declaration states he arrived in New York, 26 August 1880, from Le Havre, France. The Declaration is signed with his mark of an “X.â€
