need help clearing up some info on great grandfather

[jacobarber]

Hello friends. Over the past several months, I've been doing a lot of research on my family history. One of my goals is to obtain dual Italian citizenship, as is something many of you are doing I'm sure.

Here's my problem ...

My great grandfather's name after he came to the US was Dominic Barber. He was born October 28, 1886 in Italy. I don't know what comune, though, because of some inconsistencies. His WWI Draft Registration card (found via Ancestry.com) says what looks strongly like "Catona". His family's 1920 Census record says he arrived in 1905, but the only record I can find on ellisiland.org with the following criterea:

first name: "Dom"
last name: "Barb"
birth: "1886"
arrival: "1905"

is a Domenico Barbieri from Catanzaro. Catanzaro is a good distance from Catona (Reggio Calabria) , and I doubt that he'd have traveled that far from home (Catona) aside from moving to another country. I may be wrong about that, though.

I found a record for Domenico Barberi from Catona who arrived in 1907, but that's impossible due to the fact that he got married in the US in Jan of 1907. I really don't believe that he lived in Catanzaro.

I already paid for the ICGS to grab both Dominic's and my great grandmother's birth certificates (no problem with hers), and didn't find the inconsistencies before this.

So i'm kind of nervous. There's a chance, I guess, that his birth certificate will be found in Catona, Reggio Calabria. But if it isn't, then I'm hitting a major dead end. Any help or suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks much.

additional info: Dominic's parents names look like Nunzio and May Romeo on his marriage certificate

[PeterTimber]

Why don't you wait and see if the record will be found in catona (RC) and if indeed it is not located in that comune we can take the next steps, if any to locate the records. =Peter=

[jacobarber]

see now, that's the logical answer. but i'm super anxious and hate waiting. i guess i'll just have to. thanks

[jcat]

If you can, try and obtain his death certificate via the county in which he resided. usually they have a vital records page where you can obtain death certificates as a genealogical request. if the death is 50 years or older it should be easy enough to obtain. This document will have at least the comune of your ancestors birth along with the names of his parents.Once you have his fathers last name you can go from there. If there was a name change there might be the Italian name listed in parenthesis also. While documents from the county are not acceptable when applying for dual citizenship, they can be a goldmine for family information. Good Luck !

[federici1999]

Do you know when he married? His wifes name? Possibly where they were living. There is a lot on ancestry just need a little more info.

[jacobarber]

His wife's name was Filomena Condoluci. Alt spelling is Philomena, and she was listed by her middle name Louise in their 1920 census record. She came to the US in 1903. I actually have a photocopy of her birth certificate from Melicucco, Reggio Calabria.

They married in the village of Albion, NY on Jan 7 1907. They lived in the village of Brockport NY in the town of Sweden. I have a photocopy of their marriage certificate and just got it certified and stamped yesterday.

I'm definitely going to check the county's records and see if they have anything about his origins in the death record. Thanks a lot for the suggestions.

[jcat]

you can check with Orleans and Monroe county. Hello fellow Western New Yorker, I was born and raised in Rochester and lived in Ontario, Wayne County for many years. good luck to you!

[federici1999]

Check this out

On Ellis Island page 512
Domenico Barbieri
Arrived April 24 1905 from Naples on the SS Roma
From Catanzaro

[jacobarber]

Check this out

On Ellis Island page 512
Domenico Barbieri
Arrived April 24 1905 from Naples on the SS Roma
From Catanzaro

I've known about this one for a long time now. There are two things that makes me believe this isn't him.

First: his birthday is October 28, 1886. This ship arrived April 24, 1905. That would make him 18 upon arrival, but the manifest lists him as 19 on arrival.

Second: his WWI draft registration card has what looks like "Catona" in the field for Place of Birth.

I'm going to head to the Monroe County office tomorrow to see if they have anything more about the comune where he was born.

I've attached a section of his military card. If that looks like something besides Catona, please say so.