Looking for Family Records - Sicily

[ralph.pica]

Hello All,

Obviously a shot in the dark here, but I am hoping that the forum could provide guidance or even information and records on two family members, Luigi Imperato and his wife Assunta DeCiccio.

Unfortunately, all of what was known about them have been lost over the years but two facts, 1.) that they gave birth to my great grandfather Vincenzo Imperato on January 3rd 1906 in Brooklyn, NY and 2.) that they were both Sicilian. My grandmother thinks that they were from Palermo, but that could have just been the closest major city and easiest identifier of location for those not familiar with the actual town(s).

Quite unhelpfully all the records of Luigis (with several spelling variations of Imperato) have a last known residence of towns in Campania. Whether these are all the wrong Luigi or whether it was instead a staging ground to departing Italy for NY is obviously unknown. While another set of Sicilian gg grandparents (Francesco Paolo Messina and Rosalia Frangipane) have a great deal more of locatable US records, such as census data, etc., Luigi and Assunta have been a tougher task.

My father with be traveling Sicily on holiday for the next two weeks and was hoping to be able to trace some sort of lineage while there.

Thanks

[Tessa78]

Were Luigi and Assunta married in USA or Italy?

Was your GGF, Vincenzo, the first born son?

Here is the birth of Vincenzo in the NYC Birth Index...
Vincenzo Imparata
New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909
Name: Vincenzo Imparata
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 03 Jan 1906
Event Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Gender: Male
Father's Name: Luigi Imparata
Mother's Name: Assunta Decicco Imparata

FYI - the surnames Imparato and Imperato are rare in Calabria, but more numerous in Palermo Province. However, it is quite common in the Campania Region... primarily in the provinces of Naples and Salerno.
The spelling in Vincenzo's birth record (ending in "a") is non existent in Calabria, and VERY rare in Sicily, and non existent in Campania.

*** EDIT
This 1930 US Census appears to be them - Louis Imperato and Assunta, his wife.
He is a bricklayer and lists is arrival year as 1895.
She lists her arrival as 1892 -
So probably married in USA?
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/62 ... cessSource

***

POSSIBLE marriage of Luigi Imperato and "Gussie" DiCicco in NYC in 1900
Luigi Imperato in the New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937
Luigi Imperato
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 25 Nov 1900
Marriage Place: Kings, New York, USA
Spouse: Gussie DiCicco
Certificate Number: 7341

You can send for this marriage, if you don't already have it. There is a fee.
https://www1.nyc.gov/dorforms/marriageCertificate.htm

***
This appears to be the birth of their first son, Pasquale, in 1901
Can you confirm?
Assunta De Ciceo
mentioned in the record of Pasquale Imperato
Name: Assunta De Ciceo
Age: 19
Birthplace: Italy
Sex: Female
Husband: Luigi Imperato
Son: Pasquale Imperato

Name: Pasquale Imperato
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 04 Dec 1901
Event Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Gender: Male
Race: White
Father's Name: Luigi Imperato
Father's Birthplace: Italy
Father's Age: 26
Mother's Name: Assunta De Ciceo
Mother's Birthplace: Italy
Mother's Age: 19

T.

[ralph.pica]

Thanks Tessa!

I do not know if they married here or there, unfortunately.

I do not know if he was the first born.

I agree on that birth record, less the transcription misspelling of the Imparata.

I do not have an ancestory account but I'll try to find the same on FamilySearch, thanks!

And, I would agree if they were here for 11 and 14 years, respectfully, before Vincenzo's birth than yes they most likely married here.

Does Gussie seem to you like a possible alternative for Assunta though?

Thank you

[Tessa78]

I have posted their possible first son above...

I think the marriage is a strong possibility regardless of the "nickname" for the bride.

Here is the image you cannot access on Ancestry...
https://s22.postimg.cc/slut5u6k1/Impera ... Census.jpg

And the birth of another son in 1904...
Do these names sound familiar (Pasquale and Giulio)
Name: Giulio Imparata
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 15 Apr 1904
Event Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States
Gender: Male
Race: White
Father's Name: Luigi Imparata
Father's Birthplace: Italy
Father's Age: 29
Mother's Name: Assunta Decicco
Mother's Birthplace: Italy
Mother's Age: 21

AND - what appears to be the family in the 1905 NYS Census residing at Degraw St. in Brooklyn,
Luigi is a bricklayer...
Assunta is listed as "Susan"
Sons - Pasquale and Giulio
Right side - line 7
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/73 ... PUBJs=true

Some thoughts...
If Assunta arrived (according to the 1940 US Cenus) in 1892, and was born about 1885 (again according to the census), them she must have arrived with her parents or close relatives. She would have been about 7 Years of age.

T.

[ralph.pica]

I'm confused, the 1920 census with the same names and on Degraw lists immigration year as 1901.

[Tessa78]

I'm confused, the 1920 census with the same names and on Degraw lists immigration year as 1901.

I have not seen the 1920 US Census.

The 1905 NYS Census that I posted has Luigi's "years in US" as 9 - so immigration about 1895.
This agrees with the 1930 US Census where Luigi's arrival is listed as 1895.

It is probable that the person providing the information to the census taker in 1920 did not know the correct year, or was mis-understood.

I am sending you a PM (private message)

T.

[ralph.pica]

Hm, I don't see any variation of Luigi Imperato coming through Ellis Island from 1894-1896

[Tessa78]

Though it would be more likely that he arrived through Ellis, there are other port possibities...

Here is one - Boston arrival 1896
Not much information in the listing - and destination is Boston, not NY - so not promising
AND keeping in mind that these may NOT be passengers with first name LUIGI...

Name: Imparato
Gender: M
Birth Date: 1875
Origin Country: Italy
Destination Place: Boston
Arrival Date: 19 Mar 1896
Additional:
<ship>Italia
<departurePort>Naples
<transitCode>Staying in the USA
<travelCode>Steerage
Reconciled Origin Country: Italy

And another...

Name: Imparato
Gender: M
Birth Date: 1874
Origin Country: Italy
Destination Place: Boston
Arrival Date: 18 Jun 1895
Additional:
<ship>Alsatia
<departurePort>Marseilles and Naples
<transitCode>Staying in the USA
<travelCode>Steerage
Reconciled Origin Country: Italy

*** This one arrived NY
Name: Imparato
Gender: M
Birth Date: 1874
Origin Country: Italy
Destination Place: New York
Arrival Date: 23 Nov 1896
Additional:
<ship>Italia
<departurePort>Gibraltar and Naples
<transitCode>Staying in the USA
<travelCode>Steerage
Reconciled Origin Country: Italy

T.

[Tessa78]

OK... maybe a breakthrough

I believe I have found him in the 1900 US Census residing on Degraw St. in the house of his brother, Pasquale.
He is listed as Louis, is age 26, a bricklayer (the whole family appears to have the same occupation), and states his arrival as 1894. This would be a more accurate "recall" of arrival date since it was only a few years after his arrival.
In addition, it lists his month and year of birth as July 1875. THAT is very helpful

BUT... it also appears that he immigrated with his brothers, Gabriele and Giuseppe/Joseph, and also with his sister-in-law and his two nephews (sons of Pasquale). That gives us a lot of people whose immigration record may lead us to Luigi's...

Here is the census. They begin at line 2, and the surname is spelled Imperati
https://s22.postimg.cc/etu6fdu7l/Impera ... Census.jpg

***EDIT TO ADD***

This appears to be the family again in the NYS Census in 1905.
Pasquale is a bricklayer, his brothers are no longer residing with him, but it appears his father had immigrated 8 months before and not resides with Pasquale. His name is Clemente Imperato
They reside on Sackett St.
Bottom of left column and top of right...
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... HT-6QC4-9P

T.

[ralph.pica]

Wow Tessa!

I can't wait to look at all this when I get home from work!

Thank you!

[Tessa78]

Wow Tessa!

I can't wait to look at all this when I get home from work!

Thank you!

Enjoy! And let me know what you think. Maybe it will trigger some other recollection.

FYI - I posted an edit above regarding the possible identification of Luigi's father's name -

AND *** This looks to be a passport application by Clemente Imperato, son of Pasquale Imperato.
Read it over carefully. There is also a picture of Clemente on the second page.
He resides on Sackett St, and mentions that his father was naturalized in Richmond Cty, Staten Island.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=2185145

T.

[Chocopies]

Here are where the names Imperato and Imparato are found today in Sicily:

[Chocopies]

And for Imperato

[ralph.pica]

OK... maybe a breakthrough

I believe I have found him in the 1900 US Census residing on Degraw St. in the house of his brother, Pasquale.
He is listed as Louis, is age 26, a bricklayer (the whole family appears to have the same occupation), and states his arrival as 1894. This would be a more accurate "recall" of arrival date since it was only a few years after his arrival.
In addition, it lists his month and year of birth as July 1875. THAT is very helpful

BUT... it also appears that he immigrated with his brothers, Gabriele and Giuseppe/Joseph, and also with his sister-in-law and his two nephews (sons of Pasquale). That gives us a lot of people whose immigration record may lead us to Luigi's...

Here is the census. They begin at line 2, and the surname is spelled Imperati
https://s22.postimg.cc/etu6fdu7l/Impera ... Census.jpg

***EDIT TO ADD***

This appears to be the family again in the NYS Census in 1905.
Pasquale is a bricklayer, his brothers are no longer residing with him, but it appears his father had immigrated 8 months before and not resides with Pasquale. His name is Clemente Imperato
They reside on Sackett St.
Bottom of left column and top of right...
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... HT-6QC4-9P

T.

THIS IS AMAZING!!

Also extremely interesting that whoever(?) listed Luigi as Louis while he couldn't read, write or speak English... forced assimilation. Womp womp.

What do you make of the Imperati vs. Imperato?

Thank you!

[Tessa78]

I would not worry about the variation in spelling at this time. Finding a birth act will confirm...

If you look at the censuses for Pasquale Imperato's family that I have posted below, you will see that they readily change their first names as well Concetta becomes Carrie, Gennaro becomes James, Alfredo becomes Frederick and Clemente becomes Freeman (both child and grandfather)... I believe that some of it is an Americanization of the names, but some is also due to the misunderstanding by the census taker who just put in the closest "American" name he could for what he was hearing...

1905
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK9F-TBB

1910
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=1727033

1920
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=1488411

***
MAY have found their ancestral comune
IF... this is Pasquale, the brother of Luigi/Louis Imperato...
then we have a place of birth listed as San Prisco ...

This is a passport application from 1922. It states that Pasquale is a contractor, born in 1869, his father is Clemente who was also born in San Prisco, and now lives in Brooklyn.
Pasquale states that he was naturalized in 1899 in Richmond county, Staten Island; and that his permanent address is 418 Sackett St., Brooklyn.
His picture appears on the second page.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=2185145

NOTE:
It is important to determine that we are not chasing a "red herring" with Pasquale.
We must find another verification of Luigi being the brother of Pasquale.

I have been searching in the birth acts of San Prisco and have located the birth act of Pasquale, with his father given as Clemente. I have located a few Luigi Imperato in the 1871-1877 records, but none with the father stated as Clemente... So no verification of sibling relationship.
Luigi/Louis in the 1900 census residing with Pasquale - Maybe he is not his brother, but a cousin.

Here is the birth act (#98) from San Prisco in 1874 September for Luigi Imparato (that is the spelling). He is the son of Pasquale Imparato and of Maria Buonpane.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 30&cat=805

Given the fact that Luigi named his first born son Pasquale, I am inclined to think that the above may be his birth act.

T.