looking for Spagnola and Taormina

[geytchison]

I am looking for information that will help me make contact with my relatives in Sicily. I hope you can help.

Here is what we know:

Great Grandfather: Apafanio (Felix) Taormina
Great Grandmothe:r Asunta Maria Spagnola

Both families from Carini

Later, both families settled in Youngstown, Ohio and Pittsburg, PA

I'm not sure how to begin this search. Is there a database that I could reference?

Thank you for your consideration

Glen Eytchison

[JamesBianco]

Hello Glen, There are two forums and a website dedicated to Carini Genealogy. Is it that you want to find living relatives in the town or to trace your ancestry backward? I have the records for the town from 1588 to 1905, the first 200 years are available on my Carini Exchange Site:

http://www.jamesbianco.com/page5.html

There is a Carini Genealogy Yahoo Group as well:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Carini_Research/

and a forum :
http://www.board123.com/forums/index.ph ... howforum=1

My grandmother was from Carini, and I was there in 2003, and will be going back in December of this year. Give me more details (Dates especially for Epifanio & Assunta) I am in contact with a lot of Carini Researchers worldwide.

Jim

[JamesBianco]

There are two Epifanio Taormina's coming here through Ellis Island

one in 1910
He is also traveling with his wife and brother Vito (lines 28-30)
His wife is Giuseppa Taormina (Maiden name) and it is her father, Francesco Taormina, who Epifanio lists as his father in law living South Street 762, Youngstown.

http://ellisisland.org/search/shipManif ... 0692%2ETIF

and one in 1907
He is going to his brother Felix in Youngstown

http://ellisisland.org/search/shipManif ... 1978040317&

The ages are similar enough for it to be the same man.

In the 1920 Federal Census they are listed :

1013 Wabash Street Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio

Epifanio Taormina age 38
Josephine (Giuseppa) age 28
Lucia age 7
Joseph age 6

Vito Taormina (Brother) age 22
Cecilia , his wife age 17

[geytchison]

James,

I can't thank you enough for your quick response to my query.

My grandfather passed away recently at the age of 91. Coincidentally, my wife was on vacation in Rome. She decided to detour to Sicily to look up my our relatives there, but we realized that there is no one left in our family who remembers where they are. My grandfather was the last of his generation, and the only one who kept in touch with home.

We are currently pouring through old family photos hoping to catch some names and dates that could help us.

Here's what we have gathered so far:

My great grandparents Asunta Maria Spagnola and Epifanio Taormina had four children; Johnnie, Andy, Frank (my grandfather, born in 1913) and Chuck

Epifanio Taormina was also sometimes called Felix. He was 16 years old when he came to America. He had several brothers and sisters; Anna, Andy, Mary, Antonia (Ann Antonia) and Josephine. We think Epifanio's mother was Josephine.

Asunta Spagnola had and brother Charlie and a sister Mary

We have found photos from a 1979 visit to Sicily where my grandfather's brother Andy is standing on the steps of a house in Carini that he identifies as follows:

"... a two story stone house with a tile roof where my great grandparents lived. The house is still in our family." The photo also identifies our cousin "Toto" (is this a name?).

I have a call scheduled for this evening with a cousin in Youngstown. I'm hoping she can give me some more names and dates to help some of this make sense.

In the meantime, my wife is still in Sicily, staying with friends from America who have a villa (and family) near Carini. They are planning to take her there day after tomorrow to see if they can track our people down.

That's all for now, and again, thank you so much for helping us. This is a tough time for our family and this search means so much to us.

Sincerly,

Glen

[Senarighi]

My Grandparents were born in Sarnano My Grandfather's name was Adolph Senarighi or Adolfo Senarighi born 1884. My Grandmother's name was Artemisia DeAngelis. His father was Domenico Senarighi born in 1855. died 1901 in Rocca Priora.
His mother was Diomirra Fratini Born in 1858
Other names in my genealogy are Boni , Angelini , Mazzetti
Adolph's sister Maria born 1892 in Sarnano and Died 1928 in Sarnano she married Navareno Montana
Lucia another sister also died in Sarnano. His brothers Luigi and Tony died in America
Artemesia's brothers were Romeo DeAngelis, Pacifico, Adorno, Rinaldo,Enrico. Her sisters were Dosolina (her married name was Pennessi)
Rosa, and Geneitta.
I have had no luck finding my grandmothers relatives in Italy. I would appreciate any information that you might come up with

[wldspirit]

While this may be trivial......have you done a surname search for the towns you have listed in your post? A potential relative letter could be sent to persons with said surnames.........
wldspirit

http://www.anzwers.org/free/italiangen/ ... #relatives

http://www.paginebianche.it/index.html

cognome - surname

dove = town

[geytchison]

Thank you wldspirit. I'll give it a try.

Glen

[JamesBianco]

Glen, did you get any more information? Do you know when Felix (Epifanio) and Assunta were born/died/married ? Spagnolo/Spagnola is not a common Carini name, but Taormina is one of the oldest and most plentiful. I have Carini Taormina Ancestors back to the early 1500's when the records start. I am supposing since Epifanio came here at 16 he was married to Assunta in Ohio or Pennsylvania. Could he have had a first wife Giuseppa (Josephine)?? I always love to find a new Carini researcher..

Jim

[geytchison]

Jim,

I have located our family in the 1930 census for Allegheny County Pennsylvania. Some info from the census (and a bit more from the family) follows...

Felix Taormina
Born: Carini, in 1889
Died: Pitts, Penn 1954
Came to US: 1903
Occupation: Barber

Note: There is some disagreement in the family as to what his real first name was in Italy. Still trying to confirm (my research indicates that Felix comes from the Italian Felice, but no one in the family remembers hearing that name)

Married in 1912, at the age of 23 to:

Mary Spagnola
Born: August 1st, 1895
Died: ?
Came to US: 1904
Married at 17

The census indicates another Mary Spagnola
Born: 1864
Came to US: 1904
Relationship: Mother-in-Law
Living at the same address

They lived together at:
1202 Federal St
Pittsburgh, Penn
(this house is still in our family)

Felix's mother was:
Josephine Taormina
Born: Aug 10, 1861 in Italy (we believe Carini)
Died:1960 in the US
This from a photo of her tombstone

Felix's father: still working to get this.

Also found another photo from Uncle Andy's visit to the family in 1979. The caption reads: "...picking pears and figs on cousin Toto's farm in Carini"

I'm still looking for more information. Putting the word out to the American family to look at their photos for captions etc.

Let me know if you would like me to forward the census document to you.

More to come Jim, and thanks again for all of your help.

Glen

[JamesBianco]

Great info Glen, I am thinking his father is Giuseppe Taormina. This man is listed as the father of Epifanio Taormina, Felix and Vito of Youngstown, OH. If you check the manifests i posted earlier you will see what I am referring to. So...I need to look and see if a Giuseppe Taormina married a Josephine sometime in the mid 1880's. I will be back in a bit!

Jim

back---Boy there were a lot of Giuseppe's!! Only one married a Giuseppa, and it was too early (1872) for her to be the one who died in 1960.

I did find this interesting (remember the first male child is almost always named for the paternal grandfather)

23 Jan 1879
Giuseppe Taormina, son of Epifanio Taormina & Antonina Lucido
married
Lucrezia Monterosso, daughter of Matteo Monterosso & Francesca Sciarrino.

Epifanio is not the most common name in Italy, as a matter of fact from 1875-1890 there was not one Epifanio Taormina married in Carini.

Let's see what more I can find.

[JamesBianco]

Ok this is getting better...

1910 Pittsburg

Frank Taormina age 50 (1859-1860)
JOSEPHINE!!!! wife age 48 (1861 or 1862)
Dominick age 22 (1888-1889)----Could this be Felix???
Mamie (Maria) age 16 (1893-1894)
Frank age 9 (1900-1901)
Virginia age 7 (1902-1903)

check it out--U.S. Census > 1910 United States Federal Census > Pennsylvania > Allegheny > 6-Wd Pittsburgh > District 350

[JamesBianco]

Checked the marriages, can't seem to make any of them fit. I suspect some of them traveled into Philadelphia (which I do not have access to)
so I am at a loss for those manifests. The 1910 census lists that Frank came in 1900, Josephine in 1902 with 2 children, and the older son Dominick 1901.

Here is Josephine's death record

I would order it..

JOSEPHINE TAORMINA
Gender: Female
Date of Death: May 22, 1961
Volume: 16530
Certificate: 35831
Marital Status: Widowed
Place of Death: Youngstown, Mahoning County
Race: White
Residence: Youngstown, Mahoning County
Age: 99

[geytchison]

Jim,

The 1910 census shows the Spagnola family living in the house at 1202 Federal St noted in my previous post. Here then is a summary of what I've found combining the 1910 and 1930 census documents...

--- 1910 Federal St in Pitts PA

Mary Spagnola (my great, great grandmother)
Head of Household
Born:1864 (or 1861)
Came to US: 1904
Occupation: Retail Merchant Fruit

Charles Spagnola, Son
Age: 32 (b.1878)
Came to US: 1892
Occupation: Retail Merchant Fruit

Leo Spagnola, Son
Age: 30 (b.1880)
Came to US: 1904
Occupation: Retail Merchant Fruit

Catherine Spagnola, Daughter
Age: 25 (b.1885)
Came to US: 1904

Mary Spagnola (my great grandmother), Daughter
Age: 15 (b.1895)
Came to US: 1904

--- 1930 Federal St in Pitts PA

Felix Taormina (my great grandfather)
Head of Household
Born: Carini, in 1889
Died: Pitts, Penn 1954
Came to US: 1903
Occupation: Proprietor, Barber Shop

Mary Taormina (formerly Spagnola, my great grandmother)
Wife
Born: Sicily August 1st 1895
Died: Pitts, Penn 1955

Mary Spagnola (great, great grandmother)
Mother-in-Law
Born: 1864

Frank Taormina
Son_ Born USA_ Age: 16 (in 1930)

John Taormina
Son_ Born USA_ Age: 12 (in 1930)

Andrew Taormina
Son_ Born USA_ Age: 10 (in 1930)

--- SUMMARY

Here's how it looks so far ...

1892 Charles Spagnola comes to the US from somewhere in Sicily. By 1904 he has a store front with a home in the back at 1202 Federal St in Pittsburgh and he brings over his widowed mother Mary and three brothers and sisters; Leo, Catherine and Mary.

Meanwhile, in 1903, Felix Taormina comes over from Carini to join his family in Youngstown, Ohio.

Somehow, Felix meets Mary and they marry in 1912 when he is 23 and she is 17. Felix leaves his family in Youngstown and he and Mary move in with the Spagnolas on Federal St in Pitts. Felix builds a barbershop into the storefront and settles in to raise his family.

The 1930 census shows that Felix is now indicated as Head of Household. Mary senior is listed as mother-in-law. The other Spagnola children have moved on. Felix and Mary now have three children; Frank (my grandfather), John and Andrew.

The census does not mention Felix's mother Josephine so I'm guessing she is still in Youngstown.

That's it for now Jim.

I gues now I have to look to the Ellis Island records from 1904 to try to find a reference to Felix's arrival in the states. Perhaps then I can learn his real first name.

My wife has extended her stay in Sicily. She'll be spending a few days in Carini knocking on doors. Maybe we'll get lucky.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Glen

[geytchison]

Jim,

Regarding your earlier message:

"...remember, the first male child is almost always named for the paternal grandfather"

This could be important. One of my relatives said they think that Felix's father (Josephine's husband) was Francesco Paulo Taormina. I haven't been able to varify this, however, my grandfather was Felix's first born son, and his name was Francesco Paulo Taormina.

I'm trying to varify this. More to follow...

Glen

[JamesBianco]

I see a Leonardo age 18 (Born 1885-6) coming here in 1903

http://ellisisland.org/search/shipManif ... 2636140465

His surname is spelled: SPAGNUOLO

he is going to his cousin Filippo Piccolo, 311 Pittsburg Street
Connelleritto? PA??

Then I find another Leonardo Spagnuolo, age 31 (Born 1878-1879)
coming here 9 June 1910 to his cousin Giovanni Gatto of Pittsburg.

Both men were from POSTIGLIOLA, Italy (Reggio di Calabria)