Felice Guerriero (Felix) and Donata DiPierro (Missanello)

[CaputoBruno]

Good Morning,

This is not an urgent matter, but it’s one that has lingered in my research for quite some time without resolution.

The Guerriero family was once very closely tied to mine. Donata Di Pierro married Felice (Felix) Guerriero in Missanello, and they had several children together. Donata was the sister of Filomena Di Pierro, who was married to my G.G Grandfather Antonio Caputo. This made Felice the brother-in-law of Antonio.

Their families lived in close proximity, and when emigration to the U.S. began around 1901, Antonio and Felix took turns traveling between Missanello and Utica, New York. One would remain in Italy while the other worked in Utica, sending money back home. This exchange went on for several years and underscores how closely knit these families were. Felix’s name appears on key documents, such as passports and baptism records, further illustrating the strength of their bond.

As the years passed, my family remained connected with the descendants of the Guerrieros, but over time, like many such relationships, those ties faded with the passing of generations.

Here’s where it gets interesting:
I had long assumed that both Donata and Felice eventually returned to Missanello, which would have made sense. However, I recently discovered that Donata returned to Utica to live with her son, Rocco (also known as Felix). While I’ve never located her death certificate, I did find her grave at Calvary Cemetery in Utica, where she is buried alongside Rocco, his wife, children, and in-laws.

What I cannot figure out is what happened to Felice. He is not buried with Donata or any of the other family members at Calvary. I have searched extensively—obituaries, state archives, death indexes—but have found no trace of his final resting place.

Given all this, I can't help but wonder if he remained in Missanello and passed away there. Donata died in 1926 and is confirmed to be buried in Utica. But Felice remains a mystery.

Does anyone happen to know if he died in Missanello? Any guidance or information would be deeply appreciated.

[Tessa78]

I did not find Felice Guerriero in the death indices for Missanello 1909-1929.


There is a family Tree on Ancestry (owner: Angela Pate) that gives a year of death as 1919 for Felice, but no other information.

Also, here is the marriage in Utica, of Giovanni Guerriero, son of Felice and Donata.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/co ... 1050500697

Here is the link to the arrival in 1922 of Donata Di Pierro, 56, widow from Missanello where she leaves her daughter Maria Izzo. Destination Utica, NY, to son Rocco Izzo(/)
Line 17
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collect ... cessSource

T.

[darkerhorse]

Have you searched for her immigration record to see her marital status?

I found a widow with that name from the same town joining her son Rocco in Utica in 1922, but his surname is Izzo.

[CaputoBruno]

I did not find Felice Guerriero in the death indices for Missanello 1909-1929.


There is a family Tree on Ancestry (owner: Angela Pate) that gives a year of death as 1919 for Felice, but no other information.

Also, here is the marriage in Utica, of Giovanni Guerriero, son of Felice and Donata.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/co ... 1050500697

T.

I have reached out to Angela but she does not know where that date came from and was just a placeholder date. I have been going back through all my records. I did find that in 1925 Donata was living at 703 Blandina Street in Utica and listed as a widow at that time so working back from that date. He had died by 1925. The record here is for their son Giovanni's marriage and I have all those records.

[Tessa78]

Darkerhorse referenced an arrival in 1922 as a widow.
I have posted that arrival link above.

T.

[CaputoBruno]

Darkerhorse referenced an arrival in 1922 as a widow.
I have posted that arrival link above.

T.

Awesome! Yes I see that. Rocco was definitely a Guerriero. The children are all at Calvary. Giovanni and Angelina are at New Forrest in Utica. It was her daughter that was married to the Izzo side in Missanello. So closing the gap. She was a window in 1922.

[CaputoBruno]

Ok closing the gap....Just found this Utica Directory and in 1906 Donata is listed as a widow of Felice

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/co ... 1326739907

My G.Grandfather lived at 7 Montomery so this is a solid record

[CaputoBruno]

Appears alive in 1901 at the same address at 2 Montgomery. Although they spelled his name wrong...Guerino Felice

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/co ... 1326739907

[CaputoBruno]

1904 shows her as a widow

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/co ... 1326739907

[CaputoBruno]

SO I went back to 1899 and it show Felice living at the same address on Montomery.

I can keep going back but may not be necessary. It shows that he was at this location in 1899-1903 but in 1904 onward it shows Donata (widow). So I suspect we are looking for his death between 1903 and 1904. I know they were going back and forth to Missanello, so maybe the death index from that time in Missanello? I checked in the US but dont seem to locate it.

[darkerhorse]

Death records:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... ang=en&i=0

Isn't it more likely he died in the US?

Also, if you're using city directories the information can lag by some years.

[darkerhorse]

I can't find the family in the 1900 US Census or the 1905 NY State Census.

[CaputoBruno]

Good afternoon, @Darkerhorse,

I agree—I would have expected him to pass away in the U.S., especially since I know exactly where he lived at the time. His residence was next to my great-grandfather’s place in Utica. Also, Donata is buried at Calvary Cemetery, and I currently maintain those graves.

That said, Calvary has not been able to locate him, but I submitted another request to them this evening—so we shall see. He is not in the obituary records for Utica or in the New York State Archives. What I do know for certain is that Felice and my great-grandfather were going back and forth between Utica and Missanello. They continued to maintain their homes in Italy at that time, so it’s possible he went back to Missanello and passed away there.

Tessa and I just found the death record for my great-grandfather’s son, Antonio, who passed in 1909, and it was a very similar situation. They were living in Utica, traveled back to Missanello, and he passed while they were there. The big burning question is that I believe Antonio and his wife Filomena (Donata's sister) returned to Missanello permanently—hence the reason for the question.

I will definitely keep searching in the U.S., but I also need to confirm whether he may have passed in Missanello.

Regarding your question about the directories: Utica is a bit different. Utica, NY, maintained a street-by-street registry in addition to a directory, which was updated annually. While there may have been a slight publishing lag (month to month), the directories were extremely accurate, especially when cross-referenced with other records such as birth, marriage, death, naturalization, and passport documents.

I only used the directory to try to help narrow the search. When I made my earlier post today, I couldn't remember if I had searched all of these sources—so I pulled them back up to double-check. You posted a record from 1922 showing Donata’s arrival and listing her as a widow. Obviously, we now know she had been a widow for some time by then.

Someone else posted on Ancestry that he died in 1919, but I know that is inaccurate. The best information we have at this point is that he was definitely on Montgomery Street in 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903. In 1904, it switches to listing his wife, Donata (widow), in the 1905 and 1906 directories. She is missing in 1907 and 1908, so I suspect she may have returned to Missanello—possibly around the same time my great-grandparents went back in 1908. Donata and Filomena's mother died in January 1909, so it would make sense that she returned at that time, if she hadn't already.

Sorry for getting so off-topic, but I think the background might help.

Thanks so much for all your efforts. I’m truly obsessed with making sure I understand what happened to the major figures who paved the way for me and my family. We are what they wanted. They left everything, struggled, and most died broken and poor, all to ensure their children had a better life. I’m just doing what I can to make sure they know their sacrifice was not in vain.

[darkerhorse]

Did you search the death records I posted; they cover 1867 to 1910. I took a quick look, and I didn't find him in the suspected years.

What was his date of birth?

[CaputoBruno]

I did search those. I have been going record by record because I have found at times discrepancies in the indexes, but I have not located it either. Going through all those records in Missanello, births, deaths, marriages all around the 10-15 years that my ancestors were having children, getting married has been great. I found some of their siblings births, etc. So great! That said nothing on Felice's death