S. Leopoldo, 22 anni/Salvatore Ramondino/Eugenio DiStefano

[lorriewhite007]

Help! Looking for any info on our Italian family with a changed name!
Family history is:
Grandfather Salvatore Ramondino, (born 16 Oct 1884/86 in Italy - died 5 Jun 1954 in Brooklyn, NY) arrived in New York around 1905.
His story was always that he was in the Italian military and an incident happened that he did not want to be involved with. So he jumped ship and swam to another ship that took him in the harbor of New York. (he was not a physical person, so swimming from ship to ship, we do not believe was true) He then changed his name to Ramondino and never told anyone his real name.
Hints were that it was DiStefano, because found among his belongings were letters from a nephew named Sergeant Eugenio DiStefano, who was at the time a Italian prisoner of war being held in the Italian camps in Hereford, TX in WWII 1944 - 45. Family believes that Eugenio went to Brazil after his release. Salvatore was very intellegent and knew some Doctor terms and knowledge.
There was also a photo of a young Italian military man, on the back of the photo was the name: S. Leopoldo, 22 anni It is believed that this might be Salvatore's father. Salvatore was running from some kind of family problems! Which the family believed he was possibly from Sicily and not Naples as he had told everyone. As he knew the Sicilian language and recipes! Salvatore married Rosa Federico in Brooklyn, NY. She was born 5 Dec 1893 and died 31 Dec 1969. They had 11 children, of who which 4 are living and still in the area. Her family was from Naples and her father was Giambattista Federico. Her mother was Maria Concetta Germano.
We are wanting anyone who thinks they recognize the photo of Salvatore and Rosa. Or have any type of info to contact us. The Leopoldo photo is too large to upload. If contacted by someone who has knowledge of Italian military, I can send you the photo of S. Leopoldo.
I pray someone who researches within this site will have some answers so we can further our family research!

[PeterTimber]

Dear Lorrie the best way to unravel this family mystery is to start with Eugenio DiStefano who was a POW in Hereford Texas during WW11.


To obtain personnel files for former Italian POWs in the USA during ww11 you can write (In Italian language) to:
Ten. Col. fasullo
Ministero della Difesa
Via Mattia Battistini 113
Piano 7
00167 Rome, Italy

Normally there are form letters in Italian but your situation requires somewhat more than a normal letter requesting records since you do not have all the information such as his birthyear, his birthplace, what branch army,navy etc but what you do have is his place of internment as a POW
I will have to make some inquiries inyour behalf thru a Professional Researcher in Utah since the only records that are maintained in the USA for Italian POW's are one line entries in a roster list from March 31, 1945.

This information is on 6 CDs which cost about $100.00 and perhaps we can get around this by just finding out if there is a record for Eugenio Di Stefano to start with so when you write you can have something to present o Lt. Col Fasullo!! =I will get back to you Peter=

[PeterTimber]

Dear Lorrie I could not reach my contact on the telephone so I sent off an e-mail instead and wanted to reassure you that I am on top of this so that if you do not hear from me until whenever my e-mail is answered then "never fear Peter is here" and be reassured. =Peter=

[vj]

Hi! Not sure if you’ve seen these records
Valarie

From footnote. com

1912 Declaration of Intention image

Publication Number: M1879
Publication Title: Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court for the
Eastern District of New York, 1865-1937
Content Source: NARA
Partner: NARA
State: New York
Court: Eastern District
Catalog Keywords: Petitions Naturalization Immigration Citizenship
Footnote Publication Year: 2008
Language: English
Birth Country: Italy
Document Date Year: 1912
Surname Starts With: R
Surname Starts With Two: Ra
Surname: Ramondino
Given Name: Salvatore
Document Type: Declaration of Intention

1914 Petition for Naturalization image

Publication Number: M1879
Publication Title: Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court for the
Eastern District of New York, 1865-1937
Content Source: NARA
Partner: NARA
State: New York
Court: Eastern District
Catalog Keywords: Petitions Naturalization Immigration Citizenship
Footnote Publication Year: 2008
Language: English
Birth Country: Italy
Document Date Year: 1914
Surname Starts With: R
Surname Starts With Two: Ra
Surname: Ramondino
Given Name: Salvatore
Document Type: Petition for Naturalization

1915 Oath of Allegiance image

Publication Number: M1879
Publication Title: Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court for the
Eastern District of New York, 1865-1937
Content Source: NARA
Partner: NARA
State: New York
Court: Eastern District
Catalog Keywords: Petitions Naturalization Immigration Citizenship
Footnote Publication Year: 2008
Language: English
Birth Country: Italy
Document Date Year: 1915
Surname Starts With: R
Surname Starts With Two: Ra
Surname: Ramondino
Given Name: Salvatore
Document Type: Oath of Allegiance

[PeterTimber]

Dear Lorrie I am sorry that I did not have your information and would have been spared the necessity of reaching out to a professional genealogist in Salt Lake for information you already have in your possession. I am sure you had your reasons for witholding such information.

Be that as it may the address I furnished you is obviously not the address your originally sent your correspondence which went unanswered. In view of this perhaps it still might be worth while transmitting this vital available information to Ten Col. Fasullo at the address I furnished. He just may be able to assist you further in this matter. Lots of Luck. =Peter=

[lorriewhite007]

Peter,
Thank you for getting back to me! In the past, I did contact an address in Rome and they said that the files were transfered and no one ever got back to me! We lived over there for 3.6 yrs while my husband was in the Navy. So I am aware of the domani attitude! I also had contacted Marie Capenti at Nara.gov which got us nowhere! She said everything was sent to Rome!
The info from the letters is: Sergant Eugenio DeStefano #8W1 30439
Compound 1, Company 14,
Prisoner of War Camp Hereford, TX.

His letters are dated from March 1, 1945 to July 24, 1945.

I've also checked this website: http://www.prisonersinparadise.com/history.html
We have also done the YDNA from his living son, but it is a very rare DNA and we've only had four matches. Each with a different name! Each of them did their DNA and did not make a profile and have no contact point. The President of the company has even tried to contact them for us. So we are sure there is a strange circumstance with the family.
I am losing patience!
Any new ways to research would be appreciated!
Thank you for your time!
Lorrie C. White

[lorriewhite007]

Valerie.........
Yes we have seen the files that Footnote has, as I am a member of Ancestry and Footnote. As I stated, he came in with another name, changing it after he arrived to Ramondino. So the Ramondino files are not his, as the family says he came in around 1905. We are not even sure that Salvatore is his real first name. I have copies of two different registration cards with two different birth dates. The family has verified both addresses on these registration cards as places he lived. November 4, 1886 and October 16, 1884. For some reason they said he always celebrated October 16, 1886 as his official birthday. We have another Italian grand daughter who is helping with the research.
Does anyone know of anyone who researches Italian military pictures?

[lorriewhite007]

Peter,
Thank you for your help! I am in the process of writing another letter to send to the address and person that you've provided!
Thanks again!

[PeterTimber]

Dear Lorrie thanks for the heads up on this matter and please keep me posted so that I can keep track. Luck =Peter=