finding ancestors

[marialuigi]

Hi Biff, Maria Luigi here. Want to try your hand at my maternal grandparents & their parents. Formato/D'Alessio families. Born in Montefalcone di Val Fortore a comune in the Province of Benevento the region of Campania. Giuseppe Formato married Consolata D'Alessio. Dont have ship manifest info. Dont know their parents names. Consolata's brothers Caspare, & maybe Giovanni & Miguele, all came here. I remember her sister(s) stayed in Italy. John & Mike stayed in New York. We dont know about grandpa, parents, siblings etc.
Anything would be appreciated Biff.
Grazie,
Maria.

[Biff83]

Hi B & V....I just cant believe I now know the name of my great grandpa,
& my grandma's brother. This rocks!!!!!!
Maria

Hi Maria,

Although Vincenzo Miceli and Francesco Ciccia are likely relatives of Rosina and Giuseppe, we've found no documents linking them as siblings. To determine if they were siblings, you would need to check the birth certificates to see if they had common parents.

Besides the Mammola Ciccia's I also found Ciccia's from Cinquefrondi, province of Reggio, in Chicago. In doing your research, you'll need to distinguish between these two lines.

Hi Biff, any more news for the Ciccia's? How about Rosa Miceli, mom? Her name or anyone else from San Fili?? Date that Giuseppe & Rosa were married. Any more siblings either have.
Til later,
Maria

Rosa's mother's name will be on her birth act; likewise, there should be an annotation for her marriage date to Giuseppe on her birth act if she was married in her hometown.

Hi Biff, Maria Luigi here. Want to try your hand at my maternal grandparents & their parents. Formato/D'Alessio families. Born in Montefalcone di Val Fortore a comune in the Province of Benevento the region of Campania. Giuseppe Formato married Consolata D'Alessio. Dont have ship manifest info. Dont know their parents names. Consolata's brothers Caspare, & maybe Giovanni & Miguele, all came here. I remember her sister(s) stayed in Italy. John & Mike stayed in New York. We dont know about grandpa, parents, siblings etc.
Anything would be appreciated Biff.
Grazie,
Maria.

We'll see what we can find on this side of your family.

Biff

[Biff83]

Possible 1930 census
Name: Concetta Formato
[Consolata Formato]
Home in 1930: 2839 Lexington St, Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Age: 53
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1877
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head-of-house: Head
Household Members: Name Age
Concetta Formato, head, age 53, widowed, naturalized, immigration, 1905?
Charles Formato, son, age 28, born New York
Leonard Formato, son age 21, born Illinois
William Formato, son, age 17, born Illinois
Mary Formato, daughter, age 14, born Illinois

1920 census
Page 1
Page 2
Name: Joseph Formato
Home in 1920: Chicago Ward 19, Cook (Chicago), Illinois
Age: 42 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head-of-house: Head
Spouse's name: Congalette
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Marital Status: Married
Home owned: Rent
Year of Immigration: 1900
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph Formato 42, immigration 1900, naturalized, tailor
Congalette Formato 42, immigration 1900, naturalized
Charlise Formato 19
Annie Formato 15
Leonardo Formato 12
William Formato 7
Marie Formato 4

WWI Draft Reg Card
Name: Joseph Formato
City: Chicago
County: Cook
State: Illinois
Birth Date: 5 Jul 1876
Address: 849 Gilpin, same address as 1920 census above

1900 census
Name: Joseph Formato
Home in 1900: Manhattan, New York, New York
Age: 24
Birth Date: May 1876
Birthplace: Italy
Race: White
Ethnicity: American
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1898
Relationship to head-of-house: Brother-in-law
Marriage Year: 1899
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 1
Residence: 289 Elizabeth St, New York City, New York, New York
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Agostino Delessio, head, age 31
Casparo Delessio, brother, age 18
Joseph Formato, brother in law, age 24
Consolata Formato, sister, age 20

Biff

[Biff83]

Naturalization Index Card for Agostino D'Alessio
Name: Agostino D'Alessio
Age: 37
Birth Date: 28 Aug 1868
Arrival year: 1895
Issue Date: 14 Nov 1905
State: New York
Locality, Court: Southern District of New York, District and Circuit Court
Occupation: Designer (Clothing?)
Witness: Michael D'Alessio, cigar manufacturer

Biff

[Biff83]

There is a chance that Consolata's parents' names are on her death certificate:

Full Name/Record Type/File Number/Event Date/
FORMATO, CONSOLATA/Death/36100/12/16/1948

Copy can be ordered here:
http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/default.aspx

Biff

[marialuigi]

Grazie Biff, I just ordered Grandma's death certificate. I'll let you know if there are any new names.
ML

[Biff83]

Not sure what to make of the following. Appears to be the same family:

1911 manifest for a Maria D'Alessio and children, Carlo (Charles?), Mariamina and Carlo Leonardo Formato
Last residence: Montefalcone
Destination: Chicago Illinois to join husband/father Giuseppe Formato at 173? Ewing St
Nearest rellative in Italy: mother/grandmother Filomena Ciarnoli/Ciarmoli?
Arrival Date: 4 Nov 1911
Port of Departure: Naples, Italy
Ship Name: Duca degli Abruzzi
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Previously in Illinois, 1903-1911

Note that the four passengers are on two pages of the manifest
Page 1, image A lines 29 and 30
Page 1, image B

Page 2, image B lines 1 and 2
Page 2, image B

Biff

[Biff83]

MariaL,

You might want to contact Consolata from this thread. She might be a relative. She is referencing the 1911 manifest I posted above.
"I am looking for ancestors from Montefalcone Italy.
Maria D'Alessio came to the US in 1911 with her nephew Carlo Formato.
Carlo's father was Giuseppe or Joseph Formato and was a tailor at Silverstone & Co. on Market St in Chicago. (about 1934)
We did have relatives in New York, Gregory and Teresa D'Alessio, but the search ends in 1900 on Elizabeth St. in New York.
Any help would be appreciated."
http://italiangenealogy.tardio.com/Foru ... 90776.html

The manifest, however, states husband Giuseppe Formato and lists the three children as Maria's sons and daughter. I wonder if the manifest listed the relationships incorrectly?

Also, the 1930 census shows Consolata Formato as a widow which means Giuseppe passed away before 1934.

Biff

[marialuigi]

Hi Biff, just saw your message about the manifest. I must say i'm confused. I'm trying to sort this info out, but, its not making sence. I'm thinking that Filomena is grandma Consolata's sister & Mariamina is her daughter w/the surname of Ciarnoli. I also thought Carlo Leonardo could be her son as well. But then, they are going to meet Giuseppe Formato Does everyone in that town have the same name?????? As a heads up, I think my grandma put herself in the census as a widow, cause (Pepino) was out & about. She was the head of the house. I need to sleep on this new info.
I so apprec iate all of your help. Grazie, ML

[greenweedz]

FYI, the Agostino D'Alessio in the May 1 2009 post was my great uncle Gus, who ran a dressmaking school and patented a dressmakers' drafting tool. The Michael who was his witness was my grandfather. I'm not familiar with any of the other D'Alessios mentioned in this thread, though.

[marialuigi]

Hi Greenweedz, Maria here. I dont know if we're on the same track, but, did you have any relative in NY that wrote a strip in the paper (I'll get the name of him & the name of what he wrote). My grandma's brothers were in the fashion business. She is a D'Alessio from Montefalcone, Italy the town of di Val Fortore in the region of Campania. Her brothers were Jojn & Mike. I'm a newbie also, looking for any info that I can put together to round out the family. There's no one left of my parents generation, so it becomes difficult to find their ancestors. Any help would be appreciated.

[marialuigi]

Hi Biff, just got a thread from greenweedz, saying Michael who was the witness in your post of May 1, 2009 is greenweedz grandfather. my grandma Consolata had a brother named Michael D'Alessio. Any more info?
Maria

[greenweedz]

Hi Maria. I did have an uncle, Gregory d'Alessio, who drew "These Women", a single-panel strip, for many years. He also was a serious artist who taught at the Art Students League in New York.(his wife was Terry Fellman, pen name Hilda Terry, who was instrumental in gaining recognition for women cartoonists). Gregory was the son of Michael D'Alessio. Michael D'Alessio was born in Montefalcone in 1873, and came to the US in 1890. His father, Joseph (Giuseppe), and brothers Agostino (Gus) (ran a dressmaking school), John (a furrier), Antonio, and another brother whose name I don't know, also came to America, though whether they came together or separately I don't know. Apparently that last brother had to go back to Italy after shooting a priest. Wish I knew the whole story about that. Let's see what else can I tell you...
- Michael's mother was Philomena (Filomina? ) Quattrocchi.
- Here's the dressmakers drafting tool Agostino invented:
http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=007 ... first+page
- Here is an image of an ad for Agostino's school:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/ ... 'Alessio+D
- Gregory was also an accomplished amateur guitarist, president of the New York Guitar Society, and wrote a book, "Old Troubadour", about Carl Sandburg.
- Lucy, Greg's mother, lived to be over 90 years old, as did Lucy's father, Gregorio Damaturco, who died in 1946 at the age of 94.
-Lucy's father was a fruit peddler and loved to eat bananas.
- Lucy and Michael's other children were Josephine, who married John Olsen and had one son, Gregory John; he and two of his children and one granddaughter now live in Ohio. Florence married Harry Judson, but had no children. Greg and Terry had no children. Charles, the youngest, married Jean Hickie and had two children, me and my sister, both now in New Jersey. Between my sister and I we have 8 kids, 1 grandchild, and 1 grandchild on the way.
-Lucy and Michael's great-grandchildren are in WA, OH, NJ, PA, NY, FL and one is somewhere in the West? Maybe Montana....?
- all of Lucy and Michael's children (Josephine, Florence, Gregory, and Charles) have passed away. Lucy, Michael, Jo, Florrie and Charlie are buried in St John's Cemetery, Queens. Greg is buried somewhere in boston with Terry.

Now, a question for you: Consolata certainly sounds like she's Michael's sister. But I have no records of her. Did she come to the States or stay in Italy? Did she marry someone named Corso? Gregory and Terry visited Montefalcone in 1962 and I have a picture they took of a woman named Clara Corso, identified as the "daughter of Fillipo Corso, Michael D'Alessio's nephew". (It's not a very good picture; she's standing in the distance and you can't see her face or determine how old she is).

If you send me your email (mine is greenweedz at yahoo dot com) I will send you an invitation to the family tree I'm working on at Ancestry.com and some old photos, plus a photo of the D'Alessio headstone in Queens.

Barbara (greenweedz)

[greenweedz]

sorry - I'm a stickler for grammar LOL - I just saw I wrote "between my sister and I" - horrors! Please consider that officially changed to "between my sister and ME" !

[greenweedz]

Maria - one more thing. I just dug up some old notes on the D'Alessio family and it does mention a sister, unnamed, who stayed in Montefalcone when the father (Joseph/Guiseppe) and brothers (Michael/Michele, Gus/Agostino, Tony/Antonio, and John/Giovanni) came to America. That must be your grandma.