DiGregorio & Di Gregorio

[bob2682]

I've just started to research my DiGregorio (or Di Gregorio) heritage, and I'm a bit overwhelmed ... any help or suggestions anyone can provide are greatly appreciated!

I'm specifically looking for information on my great-grandfather and beyond.

What I've heard:
Name: Leonard Anthony DiGregorio
Born: September 2, 1896
Married: Paula Rizzo
Served: Italian Navy / Medical attendant (perhaps 1914-1918)
Immigrated from Sicily to the U.S. (Brooklyn), possibly in the 1920s
Son: Michael Joseph DiGregorio [Born 11-Sept-1928 (Brooklyn), Died 5-Feb-1996 (New Jersey)]

[misbris]

Hi and welcome to the forum,

There are 2 manifests for Leonardo. On one, he did not sail, but there is information.

Did not sail
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0022

p2
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0022

edited to repair link

[misbris]

Here is the manifest for Leonardo and Paola.

http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0029
p2
http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0029

You're lucky, the manifests are typed, so they are pretty easy to read.

[misbris]

A little info about Castellamare

http://en.comuni-italiani.it/081/005/index.html

[bob2682]

Thanks!!

What would be the best way to continue to trace the family ... would a marriage or birth certificate list the parents names?

[misbris]

You have Leonardo's mother's name from the manifest, Giuseppa Messina. You also know they went to a cousin, Benedetto D' Angelo. I would get all my US records (census info, naturalization, WWI, WWII, draft records etc)

You'll get a lot more family info that way. Then, get the records for Castellammare del Golfo rom the Family History Center and you can research your family.

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library ... umns=*,0,0

There are people here who will be happy to help

[bob2682]

Thanks again! With the link you provided, it sounds like the town's records are on microfilm ... how to I determine where the microfilm is located? And if the microfilm is in Salt Lake City, is there a way to send a request for copies of the records I'm looking for?

Thanks!!

[pink67]

There are people here who will be happy to help

Here I am!!!

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
about Leonardo Digregorio
Name: Leonardo Digregorio
Arrival Date: 23 Oct 1926
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Naples, Italy
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Ship Name: Conte Rosso
Search Ship Database: View the Conte Rosso in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Nativity: Italy
Line: 11
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_3953
Birth Location: Italy
Birth Location Other: castellamar
Page Number: 117
Leaving in Italy (in §Castellamare) his wife Rizzo Paola and going to his house in 38 Rivington? Street, New York.

Page 1:
[img=http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/4277 ... xf8.th.jpg]
Page 2:
[img=http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7224 ... yz6.th.jpg]

his enlistment for the Second World War:

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
about Leonardo Digregorio
Name: Leonardo Digregorio
Birth Date: 2 Sep 1895
Residence: Brooklyn
Birth: Castellamore Del Golfo, Italy
Race: White
Roll: WW2_2369424
nearest Relative: Paulina De Gregorio

[img=http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/8355 ... jf7.th.jpg]

Laura

[pink67]

Are these records about your grandfather?

Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
about Leonardo Digregorio
Name: Leonardo Digregorio
Death Date: 20 Dec 1978
County of Death: Lee
State of Death: Florida
Age at Death: 83
Race: White
Birth Date: 2 Sep 1895


1930 United States Federal Census
about Leo Degregorio
Name: Leo Degregorio
Home in 1930: Brooklyn, Kings, New York
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1897
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Lodger
Race: White
Occupation:
Education:
Military service:
Rent/home value:
Age at first marriage:
Parents' birthplace: View Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Philip Perrone 34
Caroline Perrone 33
Carmine Perrone 14
Rosa Perrone 10
Fortuno Perrone 8
Mary Picone 16
Pauline Degregorio 29
Leo Degregorio 33
Michael Degregorio 1 7/12

Manifest:
[img=http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1764 ... gt7.th.jpg]

[bob2682]

Here I am!!!

You're amazing!! Thanks so much!!

Yes, the Florida death records are my grandfather also ... any possibility of finding his parents (and Paula/Paola Rizzo's parents), or are we going too far back into time?

[pink67]

Ciao Bob!

As I saw (from 1920 census) that probably Paulina/Paola Rizzo was born in the state of New York, here is what I found on Ancestry.com

Name
Paola Rizzo
Birth Date 30 Jul 1899
Certificate Number 12206
Source Births Reported in 1899. Borough of Brooklyn.

Request Birth Certificates from the NYC Municipal Archives:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/vi ... irth.shtml

This is another great site for records in New York:
http://www.italiangen.org/VRECLIST.stm

And this is an interesting site about Castellammare del Golfo last names:
search for Di Gregorio, you can se the most common first names for Di Gregorio are Leonardo and Calogero:

http://www.castellammareonline.it/main3 ... ogy00.html

I'm going on with the search....
Laura

Edit to add details

[pink67]

Social Security Death Index
about Paula Digregorio
Name: Paula Digregorio
SSN: 095-18-2617
Last Residence: 33936 Lehigh Acres, Lee, Florida, United States of America
Born: 16 Dec 1899
Died: 25 May 1998
State (Year) SSN issued: New York (Before 1951


These dates don't match with the birth I posted in the previous message...


Found these censuses about Paola/Pauline Rizzo.....
I'll post them so you can see if the names can light something...

1900 United States Federal Census
about Paula Rizzo
Name: Paula Rizzo
Home in 1900: Brooklyn Ward 29, Kings, New York
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899
Birthplace: New York
Relationship to head-of-house: Daughter
Father's Name: Frank
Mother's Name: Catherine S
Race: White
Occupation: View Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Frank Rizzo 36 head
Catherine S Rizzo 27 wife
Angelo Rizzo 3 son
Vincenza Rizzo 2 daughter
Paula Rizzo 1 daughter

Manifest page 1:
[img=http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9195 ... xv2.th.jpg]
Manifest page 2:
[img=http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4766 ... az0.th.jpg]

the same family in 1910 census:

1910 United States Federal Census
about Pauline Rizzo
Name: Pauline Rizzo
Age in 1910: 10
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1900
Birthplace: New York
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Father's Name: Frank
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Name: Catherine
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Home in 1910: Brooklyn Ward 29, Kings, New York
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Gender: Female
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Frank Rizzo 46 head
Catherine Rizzo 35 wife
Angela Rizzo 13 daughter ?
Vincenza Rizzo 12 daughter
Pauline Rizzo 10 daughter

[img=http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7109 ... tf1.th.jpg]

[misbris]

Laura,

You are amazing!!!!!!

So Leonardo met Paola here on one of his trips, and brought her back to Italy. That's why she lists his mother as her next of kin on the manifests.

[pink67]

Thanks Misbris!!!


As you know your great grandfahter birth date, (September 2, 1895 or 1896) you can ask for his Estratto dell'Atto di Nascita to the Comune of Castellammare del Golfo:

Servizi Demografici
Comune di Castellammare del Golfo
Sede:Via Speranza, 15
91014 Castellammare del Golfo TP

Tel. 0924 592245 Fax 0924 592310

e-mail anagrafe@castellammaredelgolfo.org (no spaces)

specifing his mother's name Messina Giuseppa

Or, if you prefere search in person you can go to your nearest Family History Center http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library ... et_fhc.asp and ask for the microfilms for Castellammare:

Title Registri dello stato civile, 1820-1910
Authors Castellammare del Golfo (Trapani). Ufficio dello stato civile (Main Author)

Notes Microfilm dei registri originali nell'Archivio di Stato, Trapani.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Include indici parziali.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microfilm ad alta riduzione (42x). Si consiglia di adoperare una macchina ad alto ingrandimento.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births, marriages, deaths, banns, citizenship records, supplements, miscellaneous documents.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Includes ten-year indexes.
Subjects Italy, Trapani, Castellammare del Golfo - Civil registration

But, As i've never been in a Family History Center I hope some other member can explain you how to proceed in this way....

Laura

[Biff83]

Morning Laura and MJ !!

The only thing that bothers me about Paola's New York birth record is the naturalization markings on her 1920 manifest. If she were born here, wouldn't she have been considered a US citizen? Or did the law at the time of her birth convey the citizenship of her father?

The manifest also gives her birthplace as Castelelamarre.

Anyone out there who knows what the citizenship laws were in 1899/1900?

Biff