Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

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elsantoro
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

Isn't that sad? They notified a "friend" instead of his wife. The reason was most likely that she was a minor. Her age was flubbed on the marriage certificate so that they could get married. She was 13 when they married, 16 when he died. He left a life insurance policy with my Father as the beneficiary so my Father was assigned to a guardian because his mother was still a minor. The guardian invested the funds and thankfully, very well so when my Father was old enough he was able to go to West Point and college.
Biff83 wrote:Pasquale "Patsy" Santoro death certificate

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... cc=1307272

Assigns Comment:
35 Co 9 Training Battalion 158 Depot Brigade to 30 Sept 1918; Headquarters Company 158 Depot Brigade to death. Private Died of broncho pneumonia 6 Oct 1918. Notified Dan Fasano, friend, 630 S. Prospect, Ravenna, O.

Biff
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

My Grandmother did say her family came from Sicily and I believe Suanj may be right about them being from Messina. I know there was a mass emigration in the late 1800s - early 1900s, then a large earthquake and tsunami in 1908 and the effects of WWII in the 1940s. Between all of those events, I imagine those who stayed in Italy and survived scattered across the country.
johnnyonthespot wrote:Are you certain about her "southern Italy" origins?

Try variations of the surname spelling here http://www.gens.info/italia/it/turismo- ... 3iZjCgpeno and you can see that the likely candidates are primarily central/northern in present-day Italy.
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

I just did the math... my Dad was born November 1915 and they were married in March. Haha! Pasty was a well-known musician in Ravenna. I can picture now my teenage Grandmother being smitten.
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

On Millie 1915 marriage record the her father name was:
Memcio Serrotti
Memcio maybe could be Nunzio in italian...
Serrotti I believed Siroti.....
But I had a perplexity... Siroti is a very rare surname in Italy.... so I think that maybe it could be SIDOTI.... also the fact that on a record the Millie father was Antonio and another Memcio seeming tho me that they no remembering very well .. and also the Millie birth place: San Francisco.. and from San Francisco, CA.. they lived in Cleveland, OH? Seeming more probable that NY going in OH....
Also abt Millie age.. I am positive that she was born after 1900 or in 1900 and lied abt age....
So I searched abt Sidoti ( first name: Nunzio or Nunziante or Nunziato)
and I found a Nunziante SIDOTI 44 old with wife M. Rosa LA TORRE 20 old coming from Roccella (Roccella Valdemone, Messina, Sicily, T)
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0029
final destination: NY

Nunziato SIDOTI born in Roccella Valdemone on 28 Apr 1855 son of Antonino Sidoti and Carmela Giardina
pag 1
http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.i ... ewsIndex=0
pag 2 http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.i ... ewsIndex=0

just a suggestion... and if my suggestion is right Mildred was born with name of Carmela Sidoti
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

I found a Birth record abt
Casmelina Sidoti (Carmelina Sidoti) born on 24 March 1902 in NYC cert. No 13561
http://bklyn-genealogy-info.stevemorse. ... 902/s.html
but no parent's names...
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

suanj wrote:Hi,
maybe this record could be helpful, seeming the marriage of Mildred mother with Mildred stepfather:

Serotti in entry for Artino Antonino and Rozina Serotti, "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994"
Name: Artino Antonino (viceversa: Antonino ARTINO)
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Feb 1913
Event Place: Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Age: 38
Birth Date:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1875
Birthplace: Italy
Father's Name: Salvatore
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name: Maria Ritti
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Name: Rozina Serotti
Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Age: 33
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1880
Spouse's Birthplace: Italy
Spouse's Father's Name: Salvatore Lettori
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Mother's Name: Giuseppe Gierma
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID: 84740
GS Film Number: 886228
Digital Folder Number: 004016972
Image Number: 00274


the all name's spelling are bit wrong... I wish to search better...
suanj
Now I know that the right surnames spelling are SIDOTI and LA TORRE;
Rosa La Torre 20 old, born and resident in Roccella Valdemone, daughter of Salvatore La Torre and Giuseppa Gemma married in Roccella Valdemone on 9 Jul 1898 #7 at Nunziato Sidoti 43 old, farmer, born and resident in Roccella Valdemone, son of late Antonino Sidoti and of late Carmela Giardina...

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,179078801
the Rosa parent's names are the same (just a bit mispelled) as on her second marriage certificate ( married at Antonino Artino)
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

I was thinking the same thing about Memcio being Nunzio (Nuncio) It makes much more sense.

I'm fairly certain she was born in 1902 because when Pasquale died in 1918 she was still under 18 which is why my Father ended up with a guardian for his money. It has been said many times that she was 13 when she married Pasquale and when my Father was born so that would mean she was born in 1902 but most likely lied on the marriage license so that she could be married. I saw that there was a lot of writing on the top and sides of their marriage certificate but I can't see what the writing says. Most likely, it has to do with her being pregnant and underage. This could be the reason for the "ward" part of it.

The story has been that she was born on the ship between Italy and San Francisco so the part about her birthplace being California in other documents does seem to confirm that. Although I am having the same trouble you are having with finding passenger lists from San Francisco that reflect anyone from her family arriving there. I also see that most of the Italian Immigrants from Southern Italy came to New York and then Ohio.

Carmelina makes sense. It would be easy to get the nickname Millie from that, and then change that to Mildred! This is the closest I've gotten to knowing her real name!

She had a very interesting life after Pasquale died. Once we get to where she really came from, I will share with you the rest of her story. Thank you so much for staying with this and all of your help. You have been amazing!
suanj wrote:On Millie 1915 marriage record the her father name was:
Memcio Serrotti
Memcio maybe could be Nunzio in italian...
Serrotti I believed Siroti.....
But I had a perplexity... Siroti is a very rare surname in Italy.... so I think that maybe it could be SIDOTI.... also the fact that on a record the Millie father was Antonio and another Memcio seeming tho me that they no remembering very well .. and also the Millie birth place: San Francisco.. and from San Francisco, CA.. they lived in Cleveland, OH? Seeming more probable that NY going in OH....
Also abt Millie age.. I am positive that she was born after 1900 or in 1900 and lied abt age....
So I searched abt Sidoti ( first name: Nunzio or Nunziante or Nunziato)
and I found a Nunziante SIDOTI 44 old with wife M. Rosa LA TORRE 20 old coming from Roccella (Roccella Valdemone, Messina, Sicily, T)
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0029
final destination: NY

Nunziato SIDOTI born in Roccella Valdemone on 28 Apr 1855 son of Antonino Sidoti and Carmela Giardina
pag 1
http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.i ... ewsIndex=0
pag 2 http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.i ... ewsIndex=0

just a suggestion... and if my suggestion is right Mildred was born with name of Carmela Sidoti
suanj
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

Also, I will ask my Father what her birthdate was. He is 98 years old, but his mind is still very sharp.
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by johnnyonthespot »

suanj wrote:...
Now I know that the right surnames spelling are SIDOTI and LA TORRE...
Raffaella, you never cease to amaze me. :)

And, yes, SIDOTI is still a very common surname in Sicily:
http://www.gens.info/italia/it/turismo- ... 3n1ACgxjng
Carmine

My hobby is finding things. Having found most of my own, I am happy to help others find theirs. PM me! :)
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

Thanks Carmine! :D
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

I missed this post last night. Amazing! Thank you!

suanj wrote:
suanj wrote:Hi,


Now I know that the right surnames spelling are SIDOTI and LA TORRE;
Rosa La Torre 20 old, born and resident in Roccella Valdemone, daughter of Salvatore La Torre and Giuseppa Gemma married in Roccella Valdemone on 9 Jul 1898 #7 at Nunziato Sidoti 43 old, farmer, born and resident in Roccella Valdemone, son of late Antonino Sidoti and of late Carmela Giardina...

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,179078801
the Rosa parent's names are the same (just a bit mispelled) as on her second marriage certificate ( married at Antonino Artino)
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

Raffaella, I wonder since you are SO good at this and can read read Italian (Io capisco un po l'italiano) would you be able to find a birth record for Pasquale Santoro born 6 January 1895 Father Antonio in Vieste, Foggia? I don't know if any of his family ever came over here after he did. The names are so common too.
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

Hi,
I am sorry, but for bad luck, the Vieste civil records are no available on line....
Best regards,
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by elsantoro »

Grazie for your help! I learned so much because of you and now have a picture of where my family comes from!

I hope one day Vieste records go online so I can find out more about Pasquale. He died so young it would be nice to know who he was.
suanj wrote:Hi,
I am sorry, but for bad luck, the Vieste civil records are no available on line....
Best regards,
suanj
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Re: Need help figuring out S. Italy surname

Post by suanj »

happy of help you!
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