The S.S. Ravenna (Part 1?)

On 9 March 1903, my great-grandfather Generoso Picariello boarded the S.S. Ravenna in Naples, Italy.  After a voyage of a little over two weeks, the ship arrived in New York on 25 March 1903, 120 years ago today.

 

Also on board the Ravenna were 30 other men from the same town as my great-grandfather, Montemarano.  They ranged in age from 16 to 50;  13 were single and 18 were married.  The names were spread across two pages of the passenger manifest.  This blog post will focus on the 13 men who appeared on the same page as my great-grandfather.  The men on the other page will have to wait for a future blog post.

For the past few years, I've been abstracting the civil registration records for Montemarano and building a family tree.  I thought it might be an interesting project to see what became of Generoso's fellow passengers.  Montemarano is a not a large town by any stretch of the imagination, so it was not a surprise to discover that Generoso was distantly related, either by blood or by marriage, to most of the other men.  So, with one puzzling exception (see #6), here's a brief synopsis for 13 of those passengers who made that voyage across the Atlantic together, then went their separate ways.

 

1.  Pasquale Ricciardelli;  age 16;  single;  destination Glens Falls NY;  joining brother Giovanni Ricciardelli

Pasquale Ricciardiello was born on 19 June 1887, the fifth child of Angelo Ricciardiello and Rachele Mastromarino.  In all, there were ten siblings, of whom seven survived to adulthood.  His brother Giovanni was the eldest, born in 1875.  Pasquale's parents and their seven children would all eventually make their way to the U.S., settling in New York and Massachusetts.  Most of the family used the surname spelling Ricciardelli.  Three years after Pasquale arrived, he married Giuditta "Judith" Mongiello in Brooklyn, NY.  While Giuditta was born in Nusco, Italy, her parents were both from Montemarano.  Pasquale and Giuditta had four children:  Angelo, born in Brooklyn;  and Albert, Christina, and Rachel, born in Glens Falls.  Over the years in census records, Pasquale's occupation went from laborer to farmer to grain store proprietor.  Pasquale died in September 1972, at the age of 85.

Common ancestors:  Pasquale Ricciardelli and Generoso Picariello were fourth cousins, both descended from Francesco Ricciardi & Carmena Benevento.

 

2.  Giuseppe Gambale;  age 19;  single;  destination Trenton NJ;  joining uncle Vincenzo Corso

Giuseppe Gambale was born on 25 December 1884, son of Vincenzo Gambale and his first wife Filomena Pisapia.  Filomena died when Giuseppe was four years old, and his father married secondly Nicoletta Picariello.  While Giuseppe said he was going to his "uncle" Vincenzo Corso, there's no close family relationship between the two.  [Side note:  In the 1940 census, Vincenzo "James" Corse was living next door to my great-grandfather Generoso's in-laws, John & Louise Gallo in Trenton; Louise & Vincenzo's wife Rose were sisters.]  Giuseppe had returned to Montemarano by 1906, when he married Graziantonia Barbaro there.  They remained in Italy for a least year, as a daughter Maria Filomena was born in 1907.  I don't know when Giuseppe returned to the U.S., but Grazia and Maria arrived to join him in April 1921.  Two more daughters were born in New Jersey, Antoinette and Jennie.  Census records indicate that Giuseppe was a pottery laborer.  Giuseppe died on 5 May 1971 in Trenton, at the age of 86.

Common ancestors:  Giuseppe Gambale and Generoso Picariello were third cousins once removed, both descended from Pasquale Trofeo & Maria Nuzzolo.

 

3.  Nicola Mastromarino;  age 19;  single;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining cousin Luigi Mastromarino

Nicola Mastromarino was born on 23 June 1884, the fourth child of Gennaro Mastromarino and Carmosina Corrado.  His cousin Luigi was 17 years older, the son of Gennaro's elder brother Carmine.  Nicola returned to Montemarano and married Maria Gallo there in 1907.  The couple would have at least six children:  Gennaro, Carmosina, Alberto, Giovanni, Orazio, and Luigi.  Maria Gallo died in 1931, but Nicola was still living as of 1945.

Common ancestors:  Nicola Mastromarino and Generoso Picariello were third cousins, both descended from Pasquale Trofeo & Maria Nuzzolo.

 

4.  Salvatore Doto;  age 16;  single;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining uncle Giuseppe Gambale

Salvatore Doto was born on 18 February 1887, the eldest of Antonio Doto and Emmanuele Gambale's thirteen children.  His uncle Giuseppe Gambale had been in the U.S. since before 1897, when his daughter Rosa was born in Boston.  On 31 July 1910 in Brooklyn, Salvatore married Rosaria Venezia, who was originally from Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, about 13 miles from Montemarano.  The couple had eight children, all born in Brooklyn:  Emanuele, Josephine, Antoinette, Anna, Anthony, Angelo, Nancy, and Frances.  On 28 November 1917, Salvatore made his declaration of intention to become a U.S. citizen, and petitioned for naturalization on 10 December 1919.  Per census records, Salvatore worked for Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit.  Salvatore died on 25 June 1964 in Brooklyn, at the age of 77.

Common ancestors:  Salvatore Doto and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Salvatore was a distant cousin of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Onofrio Pellecchia & Brigida Bocchino.

5.  Ciriaco Benevento;  age 18;  single;  destination Boston MA;  joining uncle Arangelo Corrado

Ciriaco Benevento was born on 11 April 1885, the eldest of Angelo Benevento and Maria Gallo's eight children.  He returned to Montemarano by 1908, when he married Emilia Raimo.  They would have at least two children, Maria and Giovanni, before Emilia died.  Ciriaco came to the U.S. again, arriving in Boston MA on 26 March 1914;  this time, he said he was going to his cousin Felice D'Agnese in Swampscott MA.  In 1920, Ciriaco was back in Montemarano, where he married secondly Immacolata Gambale.  Immacolata died in 1936, and the following year Ciriaco married thirdly Teresa Pastore.  A notation on Ciriaco's birth record indicates that he died on 11 April 1955 in Montemarano;  he was 70 years old.

Common ancestors:  Ciriaco Benevento and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Ciriaco was a distant cousin of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Pasquale Coscia & Maddalena d'Agnese.

6.  Generoso Granese;  age 18;  single;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining brother Giovanni Granese

Unclear who this man was or what became of him.  There was a Generoso Granese who was born on 18 January 1885, but he died on 10 July 1886.  He doesn't resurface in the Montemarano records (up to 1945, at least), but neither is there any evidence he remained in the U.S.

7.  Giovanni Gambale;  age 31;  married;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining brother Giuseppe Gambale

Giovanni Gambale was born on 1 December 1872, the fifth child of Domenico Gambale and Maria Rosa Pecariello.  His brother Giuseppe was two years older, and had been in the U.S. since at least 1897, when his daughter Rosa was born in Boston MA.  Giovanni married Angela Doto in 1895, and they had three children before he left for New York.  He had returned to Montemarano by 1905, when a son Salvatore was born.  Giovanni was back in Brooklyn NY to be counted in Giuseppe's household in the 1910 census.  Also living with the family was nephew Salvatore Doto (#4 on this list), listed as a boarder.  However, it must have been a quick trip for Giovanni, because he was back in Montemarano for the birth of his son Eugenio in September that year.  Giovanni made at least one more voyage to New York, arriving on 23 September 1916.  This was very timely trip, as his brother Giuseppe died in Brooklyn a month later, on 24 October.  Giovanni last appears on a record in 1929, when his daughter Nunziata was married in Montemarano.

Common ancestors:  Giovanni Gambale and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Giovanni was a distant cousin of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Onofrio Pellecchia & Brigida Bocchino.

 

8.  Giuseppe Piccirillo;  age 31;  married;  destination Nanuet NY;  joining nephew Giovanni Coscia

Giuseppe Piccirillo (originally, Peccerillo) was born on 2 August 1871, the youngest of Nicola Peccerillo and Maria Giuseppa Novellino's nine children.  His nephew, Giovanni Coscia, was only about five years younger, the son of Giuseppe's older sister Giuseppa.  In 1897, Giuseppe married Nicoletta Gallo, and they had three children before Giuseppe left for the U.S:  Nicola, Giovanni (who died young), and Luigi.  Giuseppe had returned to Montemarano by 1907, and he and Nicoletta had at least five more children together:  Maria, Rosa, Immacolata, Alfonso, and Generoso.  Giuseppe and Nicoletta were both still living as of 1945.

Common ancestors:  Giuseppe Piccirillo and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Giuseppe was a distant cousin of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Pasquale Coscia & Maddalena d'Agnese.

 

9.  Antonio Benevento;  age 34;  married;  destination Haverstraw NY;  joining cousin Giuseppe Giso

Antonio Benevento was born on 30 May 1869, the son of Angelo Benevento and Grazia Santoro.  He married firstly Carmela del Percio;  they had three children - Maria, Angelo, and Ferdinando - before Carmela's death in April 1899.  Ferdinando was then only six weeks old, so Antonio soon remarried, to Maria Michela Loro in November that same year.  The couple had at least four children:  Carmela, Grazia, Giuseppe, and Pasqualina.  Antonio's trip to the U.S. must have been brief, as he had returned to Montemarano in time for Grazia's birth in September 1903.  Antonio and Maria were both still living as of 1945.

Common ancestors:  Antonio Benevento were Generoso Picariello only distantly related by marriage;  Generoso and Antonio's first wife Carmela del Percio were fourth cousins, both descended from Francesco Ricciardi & Carmena Benevento.

 

10.  Ferdinando Perullo;  age 19;  single;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining uncle Antonio Perullo

Ferdinando Perullo was born on 18 April 1884, the third child of Salvatore Perullo and his first wife Graziantonia Filomena Marino.  His mother Graziantonia died in August 1903, a few months after Ferdinando left for the U.S.  He traveled back to Italy at some point, because he again landed in New York on 28 February 1910.  Later that year, on 30 October 1910, Ferdinando married Antonia Coscia, another Montemarano immigrant who had arrived in New York in 1906.  The couple had six children, all born in New York:  Antoinette, Rosina (who died young), Salvatrice, Salvatore, John, and Mary.  On 11 December 1919, Ferdinando made his declaration of intention to become a U.S. citizen.  In the 1930 census, Ferdinando was listed as railroad foreman, and in 1940, he was a trackman for Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit.  Ferdinando died on 1 February 1944 in Brooklyn, at the age of 59.

Common ancestors:  Ferdinando Perullo and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Ferdinando was a second cousin once removed of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Salvatore di Dio & Rosangela Todino.

 

11.  Generoso De Lisio;  age 28;  married;  destination Boston MA;  joining brother Giuseppe De Lisio

Generoso di Lisio was born on 7 January 1875, the second of Giovanni Antonio di Lisio and Felicia Gallo's six children.  Though he was coming to join his older brother Giuseppe, Giuseppe wasn't yet a permanent U.S. resident, and this wasn't Generoso's first trip to the U.S.  [Side note:  Both brothers would be called "Joseph" in America.]  Generoso's trip back to Italy had (hopefully!) been a short one;  he was rejoining his wife Luisa Corrado, and meeting his new son Fred, who was born 18 March 1903, one week before Generoso arrived.  In all, Generoso and Luisa would have eight children together:  John, Fred, Albert, Michael, Felicia, Anna, Joseph, and Minnie.  Eldest son John was born in Monson MA;  all the others were born in New York.  While living in Massachusetts, Generoso was working in a quarry, along with his father-in-law and brother-in-law.  After moving to Brooklyn, his occupation was first given as stone cutter, and later as coal yard laborer.  Generoso died on 2 March 1927 in Brooklyn, at the age of 52.

Common ancestors:  Generoso di Lisio and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Generoso was a distant cousin of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, both descended from Andrea Gallo & Grazia Todino.

 

12.  Giovanni Mastromarino;  age 33;  married;  destination Brooklyn NY;  joining brother Orazio Mastromarino

Giovanni Mastromarino was born on 3 January 1870, the youngest son of Carmine Mastromarino and his first wife Mariangela Gallo.  Orazio was the eldest sibling, nine years his senior.  Giovanni was a year and a half old when his mother died, and his father would later marry two more times.  In 1895, Giovanni married Filomena d'Agnese.  The couple would have only one surviving son, Carmine, before Filomena's death in 1900.  The following year, Giovanni married Angela Doto, and they would have three sons:  Salvatore, Raffaele, and Antonio.  Giovanni would not stay in the U.S. long, as son Raffaele was born in July 1905.  Giovanni died on 15 April 1929 in Montemarano, at the age of 59.

Common ancestors:  Giovanni Mastromarino and Generoso Picariello were not related, but Generoso was a distant cousin twice over of Generoso's wife Marianna Gallo, descended from both Andrea Gallo & Grazia Todino, and Nicola Capezzuto & Antonia Bolino.

 

13.  Generoso Picariello;  age 23;  single;  destination Trenton NJ;  joining brother Pasquale Picariello

My great-grandfather Generoso Pecariello was born on 25 November 1879, the youngest child of Francesco Pecariello and Marianna Lombardi.  The couple had five children, but only Generoso and Pasquale survived to adulthood.  Pasquale was 11 years older than Generoso;  he had arrived in New York exactly one year to the day before Generoso made the crossing.  While Generoso was single, Pasquale already had a wife and two children in Italy, and he only stayed in the U.S. for a short while.  In 1908, Generoso married Marianna Gallo in Brooklyn.  Marianna was also from Montemarano, and had traveled to New York with her mother and siblings when she was eight years old.  Generoso and Marianna would raise seven children:  Frank, Martin, Helen, Nunziato, Angelo, Assunta, and Pasquale.

 

"Little Duck"

D'fhág mé slán ag na daoine 'tá fágtha		I said farewell to the people left behind
'San talamh a rugadh mé		In the land where I was born
D'fhág mé slán ag daoine istigh i mo chroí		I said farewell to the people in my heart
Sin mar a bheas chóiche		I'll never see again
--"Sailing Away" by Moya Brennan

I remember someone once telling me that between Picarello and Paparella, one meant "Little Lamb" and one meant "Little Duck" in Italian, but they couldn't remember which was which.  Well, according to Ancestry.com, Paparella is the one that means "Little Duck".

Today marks the 129th birthday of my great-grandfather, Raffaele Paparella.  Just recently, I found a copy of his Italian birth record from Corato!  I've had a fun time trying to decipher it, though, and I'm still missing some of the names.  Old-style handwriting is hard enough to read in English.

A very rough transcription and translation:

L'anno milleottocentottantaquattro, ad di diciasette di Maggio, a ore antimeridiane dieci e minuti quindici, nella Casa comunale.  Avanti di me ___Antonio___, Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Corato è comparso Paparella Domenico, di anni quaranta, contadino domiciliato in Corato il quale me ha dichiarato che alle ore pomeridiane sei e minuti ___, del di quattordici del corrente mese, nella casa posta in via ___ al numero sette, da Bucci Peppa di Michele, sua moglie, contadina, seco lui convivente è nato un bambino di sesso maschile che egli mi presenta, e a cui da il nom­e di Raffaele.  A quanto sopra e a questo atto sono stati presenti quali testimoni ___ Francesco, di anni quaranta, contadino, e ___, di anni sessanta, contadino, entrambi residenti in questo Comune.

The year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-four, on the seventeenth of May at ten-fifteen in the morning, in the municipal House.  Before me ___Antonio___, Officer of Civil Status of Corato appeared Domenico Paparella, age forty, a peasant residing in Corato who told me that at six in the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the current month, in the house placed at number seven ___ Street, by Peppa Bucci di Michele, his wife, peasant, living together with him, was born a male child that he introduces to me, to be named Raffaele.  To the above and to this act were present as witnesses Francesco ___, age forty, peasant, and ___, age sixty, peasant, both residents of this municipality.

From Raffaele's Social Security record, I had his parents' names as Dominick Paparella and Josephine Bucci.  Domenico and Dominick obviously match up, but his mother's first name is different.  Perhaps a nickname?

Going back through the records for Corato, I found the marriage record for Raffaele's parents, dated 1872.  As this one is entirely handwritten, it'll take me a lot longer to transcribe and translate, but it confirms that Domenico's wife's name was Peppa Maria Bucci.

Raffaele arrived in New York on October 23, 1920.  He had left behind his wife and two young daughters, who would follow him to the U.S. seven months later (see earlier blog).  According to his immigration record, he was joining his cousin, Luigi Maldera, who was living at 128 Nott Street in Trenton, New York.  I guess Raffaele was still working on his U.S. geography.  Under identifying marks, it says that he had a "mark on the face."

From Aunt Jo's memories of her father Raffaele:

"My father was a hard worker also.  He worked at the Crane Co. where they made tubs, sinks and toilets, when the depression came the factory closed, and it wasn't easy, he then found a job on a farm, picking beans and other vegetables, for 15 cents an hour 10 hours a day for $1.50.  He would ride his bike to Morrisville bridge then picked up by the farm truck, to PA farm. ... My father would bring vegetables home that were not perfect to sell, it was good because we had no money to buy them.  He always made wine every year.  We wanted to help him, but we helped by eating the grapes. ... At night after supper around the table, he would tell us stories of Italy and teach us Italian songs we all enjoyed."  

 

Raffaele and his wife Maria would have three more children born in the U.S. before Maria died from pneumonia on March 2, 1932.  According to Aunt Jo, Raffaele needed help with his young children, and so he was married again in November of 1932 to Maria Luisa Mangione, a widow with a daughter of her own - Aunt Mary.  The couple had two more children together, Marie and Joseph.

Some of Uncle Joe's memories of his grandfather Raffaele: 

"Grandpop was much more approachable and friendly than Grandmom ever seemed.  And he could converse in English, albeit with a heavy accent.  We would go over on Sunday afternoons to visit, and to visit them was to visit the whole neighborhood...  The Busulieri's, the Petroni's, the Lamarca's (sp?) etc.  Everybody sat out on the front porch on Emory Avenue.  Other Aunts and Uncles were always there visiting too.  I remember that Grandpop always sat at the head of the kitchen table and had a bottle of his homemade wine on the floor alongside his chair.  He would always offer a glass of wine to us kids, too.  And we always drank wine out of little plain juice glasses, no fancy wine glasses for our family.  My Dad always talked about how Grandpop tested him on one of his early courting visits to see if he could handle the wine, but he didn't realize that Dad was the designated refiller of the wine bottle for his own father and had plenty of experience."

Raffaele Paparella passed away at the age of 82 on June 29, 1966 at his home in Trenton.

P.S.:  I've also been searching for a birth record for Raffaele's first wife, Maria Lotito, so far without any success.  There are two girls of that name in the records for 1889 in Corato, but the dates and parents' names didn't match.  I've checked the years before and after, but still no luck.  The next step is try searching other places near Corato, so that might take a while.

Coming to America

Leaving for an unknown shore
With every breeze just like a sigh
The sea is deep with tears of those before
With feelings like the seabirds' cry
It gently took me by the hand
Across the ocean blue
And placed me in a foreign land
Far away from you
-- "Servant to the Slave" by Capercaillie

My ancestors can be grouped into three categories:  those who have been here since before the Revolution;  the Germans who arrived in the mid-1800s;  and the Italians who began to trickle in around the turn of the century.  Ninety-one years ago today, the last of my immigrant ancestors arrived.  On June 6, 1921, my great-grandmother Maria disembarked in Boston along with her daughters Josephine and Rose, after a twelve-day trip from Naples aboard the Canopic. 

 (from Norway Heritage)

Like many Italian women, Maria traveled using her maiden name, even though she was married with two children.  According to a note on the second page of the passenger manifest, she was suffering from "malnutrition that is likely to cause [her] to seek treatment."  Rose, my grandmother, had just passed her first birthday, even though the list shows her as four months old.

The family was following a common pattern.  Maria's husband, my great-grandfather, Raffaele had come to the U.S. seven months prior, sailing out of Marseilles on the Roussilon and arriving at Ellis Island on October 23, 1920.

From his immigration record, he was planning to settle in Trenton, where a cousin of his was living - though both Raffaele and Maria apparently believed Trenton to be in New York, not New Jersey.  Raffaele found work here and later brought over his wife and children.  A year after the family was reunited, baby Dominic arrived.

Between 1900 and 1930, more than 3.5 million Italians came to the U.S.  Many did not originally plan to stay.  Men wanted to find work, save up money, then return home.  By the time Raffaele made the journey, however, Italy was going through rough times, just coming out of World War I.  Unemployment and inflation were high, politics were unsettled, and Mussolini was coming into power.  It's easy to see how life in America seemed so appealing.

My mom always complains that I don't research her Italian family enough.  The problem isn't that I don't want to;  it's that the research is much more difficult.  All my usual resources - vital records, censuses, cemeteries - are U.S.-based, and thus only trace back so far.  My main source is some hand-written family notes from my grandmother and Aunt Jo.  So, until we brush up on our Italian and organize a family vacation to Bari, I can't research as far back as I have with my other ancestors.  Sorry!