Help! Need info on my great grandparents

[karelle173]

Hello!

I just found this site today! My grandmother, Lola, has been trying to find any information regarding her side of the family. Her parents were Joseph Pacifico Cenini (or Pacifico Giuseppe) I know some names were "Americanized" upon arrival in the US. He was born about 1893 and died in 1980. Came to America about 1926? He was naturalized on July 7th 1933.

My great grandmother was named America Maria Carnielli. Again not sure if the spelling is exact but grandma Lola says that's her maiden name. They lived in the Buffalo NY area, where my grandmother was born, and then the family moved to San Mateo, CA. We pretty much know nothing of them before they came to America. My grandmother said that she believed they were Italian but that they were both born in Brazil. I haven't found anything census wise on them in Brazil's records. And the 1940's US Census says Italy for both of them. I know Grandpa Joe came to the US about 6 months ahead of the rest of the family to get a job and a home set up. They supposedly entered through Ellis Island but I have not found any records through their site either.

I know the general area they were was Treviso, but I do not know exact addresses. Here is information I found but I disregarded it when my grandmother told me that she believed her parents were both born in Brazil.

America Maria Carnielli
Birth abt 1896 in Fontane, Veneto, Treviso, Italy
Death 1980 in San Mateo, CA, USA


Pacifico Giuseppe (Joe) Cenini
Birth abt 1896 in Italy
Death abt 1980 in San Mateo, CA, USA

The kids they had before they came to the US are. (All of them are deceased now except for my grandmother Lola, but I do not know all of the death dates.):

Inez (b. 1921)
Cenina (b. 1922)
Adriana (b.1924-1988)
Lino Luigi (b.1926 -2011) **Lino was about 6 months old when the family arrived.**

Grandma Lola has photos of them about their 20's in her home. GGrandpa Joe has a military guard type uniform on. No idea if there would be records of that anywhere either.

Thanks for any info you can come up with!

[erudita74]

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... :n73092714

page 2 of the manifest

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... :n73092714

This should be a link to America's passenger list with the children.

From the California death index-

CENINI AMERICA MARIA 08/29/1898 CARNIELLI F SAN MATEO 12/20/1980 558-21-9687 82 yrs

CENINI PACIFIC J 03/14/1892 M SAN MATEO 04/03/1967 553-07-9178 75 yrs


Info extracted on familysearch from the 1930 census. Sorry but I can't access the actual census page-



Joseph Cenini, "United States Census, 1930"
Name: Joseph Cenini
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1930
Event Place: Buffalo (Districts 1-250), Erie, New York, United States
District: 0210
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Birth Year (Estimated): 1893
Birthplace: South America
Immigration Year: 1926
Father's Birthplace: Italy
Mother's Birthplace: Italy
Sheet Number and Letter: 11A
Household ID: 214
Line Number: 38
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T626
Affiliate Film Number: 1431
GS Film number: 2341166
Digital Folder Number: 004661101
Image Number: 00453
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Joseph Cenini M 37 South America
Wife America Cenini F 32 South America
Daughter Ines Cenini F 9 Italy
Daughter Cenina Cenini F 8 Italy
Daughter Adriana Cenini F 6 Italy
Son Lino Cenini M 3 Italy

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X7CY-G2C : accessed 13 Feb 2014), Joseph Cenini, Buffalo (Districts 1-250), Erie, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0210, sheet , family 214, NARA microfilm publication .

Erudita

[erudita74]

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... 1760654834

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... 1760654834

two pages of Pacifico's passenger list which show his place of birth as Descalvado, Brasil

link to 1956 passenger list with both husband and wife

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... 1329498286

Erudita

[karelle173]

Well you're fast! I'll pass this on to my grandmother. Thanks a bunch!

[erudita74]

Well you're fast! I'll pass this on to my grandmother. Thanks a bunch!

You're very welcome. There are online baptism records, and some other church records, for a parish in Descalvado, Brazil, but I just went through all of the baptism records for 1892 and don't see a record for Pacifico. It's possible that this was not the only parish there. I honestly don't know. The records are in Portuguese but there are first names in the margin.

https://familysearch.org/search/image/i ... %3D2177299

Erudita

[karelle173]

I was able to find Joe's WWII registration through that site you were linking. And the 1st manifests 2nd pages had relatives names on them so that was really helpful as well.

[karelle173]

Also, a group of friends on FB skimmed through those Baptisms and we didn't find anything. Do you know how we look up the other parish records for the area? Like the manifest says America Maria was born in S. Juan, Bona Vista, Descalvado. Is the S. Juan perhaps a church? I know the records you linked had Belem in them. Someone told me Belem meant Bethlehem and they pieced the church named together as "Our Lady of Bethlehem" ....hmm.... just searched for a Belem on Google and there is a city with that name on the north eastern coast of Brazil. :/

**I was really tired when I wrote this so if it needs "translation" let me know!**

**Okay, there's no "Bona Vista" but there is a Boa Vista, Brazil.

[erudita74]

I wish I could answer your question about the place given as America's place of birth on the manifest. I couldn't find anything on it and really don't know. I have no experience with the Brazilian records either. Only what I found in trying to help you the other day. Hopefully someone else will see your post and have some further ideas to help you with your search. If you do find any record you need written in Portuguese though, and you upload it to the forum, I may be able to tell you what it says, as I can read some Portuguese, even though I have never studied it.
Erudita

[erudita74]

Maybe her place of birth was Sao Joao da Boa Vista in Sao Paolo, Brazil, which is 134 miles from the city of Sao Paolo. Is that the place you were thinking?

Here's a list of parishes from wikipedia-

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_de ... _Boa_Vista.

Erudita

[erudita74]

I forgot to add that Joao is the Portuguese equivalent of the Spanish name Juan (John in English).
Erudita

[karelle173]

Hi! I am back again. My aunt found a website that you can order photos of the ships from. You helped me find the manifest for my great grandfather but we haven't found one for Great grandma and the children when they came over later. I think around 6 months later after grandpa Joe. If you have any ideas it would be greatly appreciated.