Carbon, Mahoning Twp, Lawrence Cty, PA

[amastadonna]

Pennolino Family

We have searched for information on the Pennolino family and have reason to believe Antonio & Rosa Pennolino lived in a community surrounding the limestone quarries of Western, Pa (supplying Limestone for the steel making of Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Oh).
We have a baptismal record of one of their seven children born in this area from Villa Maria stating the the birth place as "Carbon", pa.
Does anyone have family from this boarder area of PA. I would like to find more information on specifically where Carbon was (never incorporated in as a city or twp) and how to find census records from 1890, 1900, or 1910. Any help would be appreciated.
amastadonna

[rancelli]

I'm from western Pa near New Castle, but never heard of Carbon, PA . My great grandfather worked in the stone quarry in Hillsville, PA area which is in Mahoning TWP. It's very close to the Ohio border. I found Antonio's death certificate, maybe you have this already ? I think this would be your ancestor. Wife's name was Rosa Mastadonna. He was living in Campbel, OH around the time of his death. Campbel is not too far from PA. Probably about 10 miles.

http://postimage.org/image/f7i3nm12f/full/

[rancelli]

I believe this might be your guy. Last name was spelled Pennanlia. They were living in Mahoning Twp. Doesn't give exact location, but I do know for a fact that it's in Lawrence County in western PA. I wouldn't be surprised if he was living in Hillsville around that time. Hillsville had lots of Italians and many of those Italians worked in the stone quarries.

1900 Census starts on line 78 with Tony

http://postimage.org/image/sej9d1haf/full/


History on Mahoning Twp

http://www.mahoningtownship.net/about.html

[Biff83]

There is a Carbon PA in Westmoreland County.

http://pennsylvania.hometownlocator.com ... carbon.cfm

http://patheoldminer.rootsweb.ancestry.com/carbon.html

Biff

[amastadonna]

Thank you for your help. I have already located the census information you have found.
Yes you are correct this is my family. If you go to the Mahoning Twp. Website they do confirm that "Carbon" existed. Checkout this link:http://www.mahoningtownship.net/about.html

What I still haven't found was exactly where this is. I believe on a map it would be Graham Rd. in Mahoning township that goes into Lowellville, Oh. along the Mahoning river.

We drove it and it's high atop a the hill bordering the Mahoning River. Nowhere have we seen anything that would look like it would have been populated other than a few single family homes. We were hoping just to get confirmation of an address. i may be looking for something that has long disappeared.

We do believe the family was one of the families "abused" by the "Black Hand" and moved away....We can't find them in 1910 anywhere.
thank you for your attempts to help!

Tony Mastadonna

[Georgie61]

Re: Carbon, Pa.?
My maternal gf lived in Hillsville and worked for the Carbon Limestone Company in the 1930s. This might be the "Carbon, Pa." you are seeking.

[RoslynT]

Hello! I grew up in Lowellville and can provide some information about the area you are interested in. Carbon was the settlement just over the Ohio border near Hillsville. US Rt 224 runs through Carbon. My aunt lived there in the 1940s. Now it is probably just considered a part of Mahoning Township. Villa Marie is north of Lowellville and is a convent. It still exists. Hillsville, Carbon, and Lowellville were home to a large population of Italian immigrants who worked in the local limestone quarries or the steel mill in Lowellville. I hope this helps!

[joetucciarone]

Hi,

You might be interested in these articles about convictions of Black Hand members in New Castle, PA, they were found using the Library of Congress newspaper archives:

One article says that Rocco Racco, an "alleged leader of the Black Hand", was hanged in New Castle, PA on October 28, 1909 (reported by the Daily Arizona Silver Belt, Globe, AZ). Another article reported that 23 Italian members of the Black Hand were sentenced to prison on October 17, 1907 in New Castle (reported by the Morgan County Republican, Versailles, MO).

Joe

[rancelli]

Hello! I grew up in Lowellville and can provide some information about the area you are interested in. Carbon was the settlement just over the Ohio border near Hillsville. US Rt 224 runs through Carbon. My aunt lived there in the 1940s. Now it is probably just considered a part of Mahoning Township. Villa Marie is north of Lowellville and is a convent. It still exists. Hillsville, Carbon, and Lowellville were home to a large population of Italian immigrants who worked in the local limestone quarries or the steel mill in Lowellville. I hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing that piece of information. I live in Bessemer now, right next to Hillsville. I love reading the history of Hillsville and about Rocco Racco. It's an amazing story and I wish Hollywood knew about it. It would make a great movie about the earlier times of the mafia.

[amastadonna]

Does anyone have any pictures from the hillsville, pa limestone quarries from around 1900 give or take 20 years either way?
I believe the Italian immigrant workers lived in a company owned "ghetto" of sorts and would love to find any photo documentation I can find.
Thank you in advance for sharing!
Tony Mastadonna

[joetucciarone]

Hi Tony - I just ran across an article from the March 28, 1909 Cleveland Plain Dealer. It's a two-page spread about the Black Hand in Hillsville, PA. It tells how, except for the Bessemer quarry, all of the quarries in Hillsville - "the Johnson, Lake Erie, Union, Carbon and the Interstate" - exclusively employed Italians. The article said Hillsville was known as "Helltown" and tells how police from Pittsburgh, Philadelphis and detectives from the Pinkerton Agency worked to infiltrate the Black Hand around Hillsville. There are no photos of the town but there are about ten pictures of bad guys.

[amastadonna]

Joe Thank you for the article from the Cleveland Plain dealer: March 28, 1909. This is the most complete story on the "Black Hand" murders and arrests in Hillsville Limestone quarries (in 1907) that i've read yet! This story confirms and tells me this was a thriving Italian settlement of Limestone Quarry workers at the turn of the 19th century. I just can't believe that I find little to no documentation or little evidence of this italian community between 1880 and 1920. I have found that it (on a map of the period) was located across the Mahoning River from Hillsville, pa and housed the workers for the adjacent Limestone quarries. I have NOT found any census information or pictures from this time. Please if anyone knows more about this workers community of "Carbon" within Mahoning Twp, Lawrence County, PA. share your documentation. I feel so close but so far away from learning more about my Pennolino relatives that immigrated from Roccoromano, Italy in the late 1800's to this Limestone quarry settlement. Thank you, Tony Mastadonna My email: amastadonna@neo.rr.com

[Biff83]

http://www.lawrencecountymemoirs.com/lc ... lsville-pa

[Hillsvillepa]

What do you need to know I grew up in carbon and my family has been I Hillsville since the Italians came,carbon isn't on a map it is a neighborhood in Hillsville, the area around carbon limestone company

[amastadonna]

Thanks for the reply. Do you know of ANY pictures of the Limestone quarry immigrant workers settlement called Carbon located outside of hillsville, pa? I have found little to no documentation as well as pictures. Any information or help would be appreciated