Contents

DEDICATION........................................................................................................ 7

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... 7

PREFACE ............................................................................................................. 9

CHAPTER 1 - IS IT SPELLED COFONE OR CAFONE? .................................. 14

CHAPTER 2 - THE JOURNEY TO THE NEW LAND......................................... 17

Natale Cofone .................................................................................................... 18

Angela Gabriele................................................................................................. 28

CHAPTER 3 –THE MARRIAGE OF NATALE & ANGELA ................................ 33

Early Life ............................................................................................................ 38

Off to Pennsylvania .......................................................................................... 38

Next Stop: Minnesota ....................................................................................... 43

Back to Italy ....................................................................................................... 44

Back to the US................................................................................................... 46

CHAPTER 4 – GRANDPA MILITARY SERVICE ............................................... 49

CHAPTER 6 - THE AMERICAN HOMESTEADS ............................................... 56

The Nutley House .............................................................................................. 56

The Nutley House Fire .................................................................................... 63

The Lyndhurst House ....................................................................................... 70

CHAPTER 7- OUR GRANDPARENTS’ FAMILY & ANCESTORS .................... 79

The Family’s Geographic Origins .................................................................... 81

2
Brief Ancient History ........................................................................................ 82

Acri Geography ................................................................................................. 83

Demographics ................................................................................................... 85

The Italian Homestead ...................................................................................... 86

Ancestral Lines ................................................................................................. 87

NATALE COFONE .......................................................................................... 88

Immediate Family ........................................................................................ 88

Natale Cofone’s Ancestors .............................................................................. 99

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Grandparents .................................................... 99

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Grandparents........................................ 103

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Great Grandparents.............................. 108

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents ................... 113

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Grandparents ................................................. 114

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Grandparents ....................................... 117

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Great-Grandparents ............................. 121

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents ................... 127

Natale Cofone Pedigree Chart ....................................................................... 129

ANGELA GABRIELE ..................................................................................... 131

Immediate Family ...................................................................................... 131

Angela Gabriele’s Ancestors ......................................................................... 136

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Grand Parents .............................................. 136

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great Grand Parents ..................................... 137

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great-Great Grand Parents .......................... 139

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great-Great-Great Grand Parents ................ 143

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Grand Parents .............................................. 144

3
 Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great Grand Parents .................................... 146

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great-Great Grand Parents .......................... 150

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grand Parents ................ 154

Angela Gabriele Pedigree Chart .................................................................... 155

CHAPTER 8 - THE FAMILY NICKNAMES ...................................................... 157

CHAPTER 9 – TWO UNCLES WE NEVER KNEW.......................................... 162

Angelo Cofone ................................................................................................ 166

Alfonso Cofone ............................................................................................... 170

Other Children ................................................................................................. 175

CHAPTER 10 – INSIGHT INTO FAMILY LIFE ................................................ 179

Extended Family............................................................................................ 184

Grandpa Was A Strict Man ............................................................................ 187

Grandpa’s Gentle Heart ................................................................................ 187

The Carnival .................................................................................................. 189

Aunt Mary Stories .......................................................................................... 191

Grandpa’s wagons ........................................................................................ 193

Louie’s Bike ................................................................................................... 194

Louie’s Motorcycle......................................................................................... 194

Animal Stories ............................................................................................... 195

Uncle Jimmy Stories...................................................................................... 196

Nicknames .................................................................................................... 199

Grandma’s “Medical” Skills ............................................................................ 199

Grandpa Goes To Jail ................................................................................... 200

Trying To Survive The Depression ................................................................ 204

4
 Family Friend Mallarielo Chimento ................................................................ 205

Aunt Jean Stories .......................................................................................... 206

Aunt Tessie ................................................................................................... 207

Aunt Florie ..................................................................................................... 208

Aunt Josie ..................................................................................................... 209

Baptismal Records ........................................................................................ 209

Personal Recollections .................................................................................. 212

Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat ............................................................................. 227

Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie ........................................................................ 237

Aunt Josie and husband 1 ............................................................................. 242

Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie ........................................................................... 242

Aunt Mary and husband 1 .............................................................................. 245

Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny .......................................................................... 247

Aunt Florie and Uncle Red ............................................................................. 250

Uncle Louie and Aunt Angie .......................................................................... 257

Aunt Jean and Uncle Louie ............................................................................ 263

CHAPTER 12- IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY............................................ 266

Uncle Sonny .................................................................................................... 268

Uncle Eddie ..................................................................................................... 271

Uncle Red ........................................................................................................ 273

Uncle Louie Cofone ........................................................................................ 275

Uncle Louie Meggiolaro ................................................................................. 276

CHAPTER 13 – THE WAY THEY WERE ......................................................... 279

5
CHAPTER 14 – FAMILY GRAVESITES .......................................................... 285

CHAPTER 15 - THE SECOND GENERATION ................................................ 291

Jimmy and Louie Go to Washington ............................................................. 292

Aunt Josie, Aunt Jean and the Hill ................................................................ 298

EPILOGUE ....................................................................................................... 299

APPENDICES................................................................................................... 302

Cofone Family Abbreviated Time Line .......................................................... 302

Relationship Chart .......................................................................................... 305

Cofone Name Distribution in Italy ................................................................. 306

Gabriele Name Distribution in Italy ............................................................... 307

INDEX ............................................................................................................... 308

6
 Dedication

For Grandpa and Grandma and all their past, present and future generations.

Acknowledgements

This historical account and memoir would never have been possible were
it not for the contributions or research efforts of many people. Through many
interviews and the contributions of photos and documents I was able to learn
some interesting information about our family’s early years here in the United
States. I feel it is important to recognize several people who passed on first-
hand accounts of family connections and events. Those persons are my parents
Louis Cofone and Angela Cofone, my aunts Rose Cafone, Mary Arace, Jean
Meggiolaro and Tessie Simone. Also included in this category are my great-uncle
Nunziato Cofone and Grandpa’s niece Christina Sapporito and cousins Rose and
Frank Adragna, Joe Simone, and Rich Simone. Those who assisted directly in
the research were my wife Barbara Cofone, my sisters Marie Kearns and Rose
Ann Cofone-Stewart, and cousins John Cafone and Gail (Adragna) Maurillo.
Other cousins from the Cofone, Cafone, Bolcato, Meggiolaro, Dygus and
Adragna line provided help with photos and documents and recounting stories
passed down to them. I apologize to those I may have forgotten.

I also need to acknowledge a man who is no direct relation and whom I

have never met in person. His name is Edward Bronejko and I believe he lives in
California. Ed is a gifted Genealogist who has generously given his time and
effort to provide Italian historical family information garnered from a database of
official Acri birth, death and marriage records that he has in his possession and

7
which date between 1809 and 1910. I have come to learn that Ed has assisted
many people who were and are seeking familial data from southern Italy and in
particular Acri, the cradle of our family’s origin. By a stroke of luck I encountered
Ed on the internet while seeking source information regarding our family’s
heritage and pedigree. Much, if not most, of what you will read about regarding
the ancestors of Natale Cofone and Angela Gabriele has been paraphrased or
taken directly from data Ed has graciously provided and explained.

This work was done to provide present and future generations a historical
background of the beginnings of our branch of the Cofone family both here in the
United States and in Italy.

According to the U.S. census bureau in 1990, Cofone is the 74,077th most
popular last name (surname) in the United States; frequency is 0.000%;
percentile is 89.053 [SourceCBN]

8
 Preface

This is the second edition of our family’s history. This edition is

differentiated from an earlier version largely due to access of information
contained in Italian birth, death and marriage records that were not available
when the first edition was released several years ago. This edition also contains
some information from other governmental records such as Census and Military
records which were previously not accessible.

The project, which involved many hours of research, investigation and

writing, actually began many years ago. As a kid I recalled hearing family stories
told to me by Grandma, my parents, and some of our aunts and uncles and I
wondered if some of the stories were true or merely fictionalized accounts of
events that transpired those many years ago. I promised myself that one day, if
time permitted, I would try to shed some light on our family’s history. It was in
1992 that I began the initial investigation into what has proven to be a fascinating
albeit, protracted endeavor.

Since 2003 semi-retirement has provided me more time to explore our

family’s history, but unfortunately due to life’s demands a project such as this can
only be conducted in a piecemeal fashion. What is presented here only scratches
the surface. You will read factual accounts based upon documented evidence
and actually view copies of some of the evidence. You will also read information
that was provided to me by eyewitnesses who were present when certain events
unfolded. Just as in 2003 when I started to set this account to paper, sadly,
today in 2012 there are hardly any eyewitnesses remaining. Of the original seven
commonly known surviving Cofone children only Aunt Mary and Aunt Jean
remain and of the original in-laws, my mother Angela and Aunt Rosie are still with

9
us. Now in my late 50s, I have often regretted that I had not spoken to our long
gone relatives and family friends about the origins and early times of our family
both here and in the old country. From time to time I will assert my own
recollections of the family’s past, limited though they may be, to help emphasize
a fact or to help you imagine how things were.

Like all families ours had its difficult moments. Besides tragic events such
as the premature deaths of some of our members, there were extended periods
of time, such as in the mid to late 60’s when, due to a major family feud, certain
family members did not speak to one another, The derision in the family lasted
for approximately 15 years, but fortunately the family resolved their differences
and reunited again. Issues surrounding money and property often provoked
events such as these. Troubled times certainly helped to form the fabric of our
family and for some the memories may still be uncomfortable at some level. In
the tabloid driven society of the early 21st Century intimate details of family
schisms might be relished by some. However, this endeavor is not a tabloid and
some things are better left unsaid. Therefore you will not read about intimately
detailed accountings of such events other than perhaps a brief passage
contained among the information presented throughout this snapshot of the
Cofone family. This work is merely a window to our past and serves as a
reference of where we have been.

As I alluded to above, a major regret I have is that years ago I did not sit
down with some of the people you will read about to record some of their
accounts of the past and question them about the major events of our family’s
history. Fortunately, over the course of preparing this attempted historical
account I was able to speak to the first generation Americans of the Cofone
family and garner some useful information. It would be wonderful if we could all
record stories and information about our kinfolk learned from our parents and
10
relatives and preserve it for the posterity of our family. This is an immediate
challenge to those of us in the second American-born generation as we are now
the nearest authoritative source. Another related regret I have is that many of the
people of which I speak in the pages that follow are not here to read this
accounting.

In examining what follows, you will also learn something about your roots
in the old country. You will find out where we came from and a little about how
we got here. Only recently, with the help of a gentleman I mentioned in the
acknowledgements, Ed Bronejko, have we been given insight to some lines of
our family’s roots that date back to the late 1700s. I will provide what I have
learned through Ed. In my possession are copies of actual birth, death, and
marriage records that he provided. Perhaps one day, should a Cofone family
website ever come into existence, those copies of the actual documents can be
displayed for all to peruse. Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the
family connections from the mid-1800s and earlier are extrapolated or otherwise
surmised. As such, there is always some uncertainty in the data.

I have decided to focus most of my investigation on the early years

beginning with Grandpa and Grandma’s arrival in America and continuing up
through the first several decades of the twentieth century. While that sounds like
a major undertaking the truth is there is not as much factual information about
our history through that period as I was hoping and able to uncover. I can tell you
that like many families, over the years our family has seen some wonderful times
as well as tumultuous and tragic times. My hope is that one-day someone else
from perhaps my generation or a generation to follow will continue with this work.

11
 In 2009 our family celebrated its 100th Anniversary of being in the United
States. Unfortunately it was too difficult to orchestrate a family enclave to
commemorate the event collectively. As our family continues to grow we find
ourselves moving further apart. While this is a sad but true fact of life, it is also a
natural progression. Our family has grown so much during its first hundred years
here in the United States. We are currently up to the fourth American born
generation of Cofone descendants. Life in the twenty-first century is not as
simple as it was in the 1950s and 1960s, which was a time when those of us in
the second American generation were children or young adults. Modern life has
brought us so many obligations and responsibilities that it is extremely difficult, if
not impossible, to make time for extended family. As the cliché goes, we seem
only to catch up at funerals and occasional weddings. Ironically, these very
events that have helped us to maintain our family bonds, sadly, in time, as the
family continues to expand, will no longer present an opportunity to come
together. Ultimately the family line becomes so widespread that we will
eventually lose the knowledge of who our blood relatives are. Beyond the
generations immediately before and after our own we do not even know the
names of our cousins or where they live and what they do. So perhaps for future
generations a short written history such as this will serve as a reminder of our
family’s journey, at least as it began here in America and with some reflection
towards its origins in Italy.

We were lucky years ago to join together for a family reunion. Perhaps we
can endeavor to do the same again sometime in the future.

I would like to thank all of you who gave some time to help me in this
endeavor. For as long as possible I will continue to maintain this repository of our
family history. I would ask each of you to please contact me to share whatever
facts and memories you would like to add to this historical account. If and when
12
such additional information becomes available and it is of sufficient quantity and
quality, I will, if able, publish subsequent editions. And of course any such
updated information will be made available to all in our family.

13
 Chapter 1 - Is it spelled COfone or CAfone?

There has always been a question as to the correct spelling of the family’s
last name. Grandpa’s official birth certificate (a 1937 copy attached) shows that
the spelling of his last name is COfone.

I am not quite sure how the CAfone version got started but I suspect it
must be related to how the name sounds in pronunciation. Grandpa's military
discharge papers have the name clearly spelled as CAfone, yet his naturalization
papers show the spelling as COfone. The army probably spelled it phonetically
and hence the CAfone derivative.

I distinctly remember Grandpa and Grandma pronouncing the name and

emphasizing the “CO” sound. Uncle Jimmy is usually credited as the first one of
Grandpa and Grandma’s children to consciously use the CA version, which he
likely did when he was very young. He may have based his decision on how the
name sounded or perhaps he took the spelling from Grandpa’s military papers. I
am not sure how it is
spelled on Uncle Jimmy’s
birth certificate, but I
suspect it likely is the CA
UNDATED NOTATION IN UNCLE JIMMY ’S 1921 BAPTISMAL RECORD
derivative. We do know INDICATING HE LEGALLY CHANGED HIS NAME

however, that the official Baptismal Register from Holy Family Church has Uncle
Jimmy’s name listed very clearly as Vincenzo COfone. An undated notation in
the last column of the Register indicates that Father Cuzzini has seen papers
which indicate that Uncle Jimmy legally changed his name. The spelling in the
record seems to read James COfone however the notation was probably meant
to spell it CAfone.

14
 My father followed suit with the CA spelling in the late 1980s or early
1990s mostly out of frustration with people and the government just spelling it
that way. However as children my sisters and I were taught the COfone spelling.

As indicated, evidence of the correct spelling can be found on Grandpa’s

birth certificate. The document indicates that he was born on December 11, 1888
to parents Vincenzo and Teresa (nee Fabbricatore) COfone. Grandpa's death
certificate indicates December 22, 1966 as the date of death and the spelling
there is CAfone. The source of
this spelling is traced to Uncle
Jimmy who was directly
involved in Grandpa’s funeral
arrangements.

Beyond Grandpa’s birth

certificate I also have a copy
of Grandpa’s father's birth
certificate that clearly shows
the spelling as COfone. The
document indicates that
Vincenzo COfone, who was
born on February 24, 1856,
(Uncle Jimmy was likely
named after his grandfather),
T HE B IRTH CERTIFICATE OF MY GRANDFATHER N ATALE CO FONE
was the son of Luigi COfone
(my father was probably name after his great grandfather) and Maria (nee
Coschignano). (Aunt Mary may have been named after her paternal

15
great grandmother). As an interesting sidebar you will learn in a later chapter that
addresses Grandpa’s ancestors, is that his Grandmother Maria’s last name was
not Coschignano as indicated on the Vincenzo’s birth certificate. With each
preceding generation the spelling of the family name appears in the Italian
records as COfone.

Grandpa's birth certificate indicates his mother Teresa (Aunt Tessie was
probably named after her grandmother) was born to Filippo Fabbricatore and
Luisa (nee Intrieri) on September 1, 1856. More on familial lines will follow in an
ensuing chapter.

16
 Chapter 2 - The Journey to the New Land

This chapter focuses Grandpa and Grandma’s immigration to the United

States. It was much easier to enter the United States during the time period our
grandparents immigrated than it is today. In the early twentieth century passports
were not required to gain entry into the U.S. That requirement first began after
the start of World War 1 in 1914. However even then there was no statutory
authority for the requirement. A law entitled the “Travel Control Act of May 22,
1918” permitted the president, when the United States was at war, to proclaim a
passport requirement. That law stayed in effect until 1978 when an amendment
to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 made it illegal to enter or depart
the United States without an issued passport, even in peacetime.

At the time our grandparents came to the U.S. the country more or less
had an open door policy on immigration. Even though a passport was not
required at the time our grandparents’ arrival, the immigration process however
was none the less stressful. Immigrants entering the United States who could not
afford first or second-class passage came through the processing center at Ellis
Island, New York, which many of the Italian Immigrants from Acri referred to as
“la batteria”. Government inspectors asked a list of questions that were designed
to determine if the immigrant had money, relatives, or a job in the United States,
or were criminals. They questioned their marital status and sometimes political
beliefs or affiliations. They were examined by doctors and nurses who were
looking for signs of disease or incapacitating handicaps. Generally immigrants
were only detained 3 or 4 hours, and then free to leave. If they did not receive
stamps of approval they were sent back to their place of origin at the expense of
the shipping line.

17
 The account of Grandpa and Grandma’s immigration to the United States
is garnered mostly from immigration records. They arrived during a period that
lead up to the high point of Italian immigration to the United States which,
according to Wikipedia, reached its peak in the 1910s. It is claimed that over two
million Italians immigrated in the early twentieth century alone. Records indicate
that a total of 5.3 million Italians immigrated to the U.S. between 1880 and 1920.
Two of those millions of Italian immigrants were our grandparents.

Natale Cofone

The SS Indiana is the ship that carried Grandpa Cofone from the port of
Naples and Campania, Italy to Ellis Island. The trip took 18 days. The ship
departed on March 26, 1906 and is known to have arrived on April 12, 1906. The
source of this factual information is the passenger list also known as the ship’s
manifest. It is found on the Ellis Island web site.

According to internet sources, contrary to popular belief, U.S. customs

THE SS INDIANA IS THE SHIP THAT BROUGHT NATALE
COFONE TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1906.
known to add remarks, notes or observations to these ship passenger lists, both
officials did not create ship
passenger lists. Ship manifests
were completed by steamship
companies, generally at the
point of departure. These
passenger manifests were
then submitted to the
immigration officials upon
arrival in the United States.
U.S. immigration officials were

18
at the time of arrival or many years later. These annotations may have been
made to correct or explain certain information or to reference other important
documents.

A search of the American Family History Immigration Center database at

Ellis Island indicates that five men by the name of Natale Cofone landed in Ellis
Island over the course of several years. It took a little bit of math and some
deductive analysis to determine from the group of five candidates which one was
likely our Grandfather. Three of the five were immediately negated as a
possibility because they had not originated from Acri, Grandpa’s home region.

One of the Natale Cofone’s from Acri was 24 when he arrived in 1913.
Although he would have been born in 1888, the same year as Grandpa, he was
going to visit a brother Luigi in Brooklyn and he had a wife named Antonetta. This
clearly was not Grandpa as he had no brother by the name of Luigi and was not
married prior to his immigration.

The Natale Cofone that arrived on April 12, 1906 was 18 years old and
single. If we subtract 18 years from the 1906 arrival year we find that this Natale
Cofone would have been born in 1888 which corresponds with Grandpa’s known
year of birth. In other words, Grandpa would have been 18 in April of 1906.

The 1906 Natale Cofone also corresponds to another interesting

observation. Since our Grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
in 1959, we know that they were married in 1909. And indeed this is evidenced
by their marriage certificate which will be presented in a later chapter. This fact
alone clearly suggests that both of them arrived in the United States either during

19
or prior to that year. Therefore I believe with a reasonably degree of certainty
that the April 12th 1906 Natale Cofone was our grandfather.

The SS Indiana, which is the ship that brought our grandfather to America,
was built in 1905 for the shipping line Lloyd Italiano. It sailed under the Italian
flag and was built by an Italian company from Riva Trigoso. Dimensionally the
ship was 4996 gross tons, 341 feet long, 47 feet wide, and had a top speed of 14
knots. Quite small when compared to today’s modern cruise ships. It carried
1625 passengers of which, all but 25 traveled third class between Italy and New
York. The ship was sold several times and eventually scrapped in 1928.

The ship’s manifest, which documents the names and other information
regarding its passengers, is hand written in such a style that it is difficult to clearly
discern some of the words. In viewing the manifest we find on page15 that
Grandpa was passenger 259 and is listed on line 17. We also see that he was 18
years old and single at the time of this voyage. His occupation is listed as
laborer. It also indicates that he is not able to read or write. It states that his
destination is Niantic RI; however he did not have a final ticket to that destination.
The manifest also indicates that he arrived in good health and had $9.00 in cash
in his possession and that he had never before been to the U.S. It also indicates
that he was intending to visit an uncle, Salvatore Morrone of Box 41, Niantic RI.

M ANIFEST ENTRY IDENTIFYING N ATALE COFONE . T HE X S INDICATE THAT HE WAS HELD FOR SPECIAL INQUIRY BUT LATER
ADMITTED .

20
 The Xs that appear over the log entries pertaining to Grandpa have some
significance. Generally an "X" to the far left of the page, before or in the name
column, signifies that the passenger was temporarily detained. If you look to the
left of Cofone you will see a stamp that contains the word “admitted”. These
stamps will usually be located next to the name of someone who was later to be
held for Special Inquiry. Also if we look under some other boxes we see the
handwritten word “Hold’ suggesting Grandpa was to be detained for some
reason. Notations had different meanings depending on the column in which
these cryptic entries were made.

A NOTHER CLUE IN THE SHIP ' S MANIFEST INDICATING THAT G RANDPA WAS HELD FOR FURTHER INQUIRY . NOTE THE WORD “HOLD”.

This evidence in the ship’s manifest leads me to conclude that Grandpa

may have indeed been temporarily detained for some unknown reason. To
corroborate this suspicion we need to look at the end of the ship’s manifest for a
section entitled “Record of Aliens Held for Special Inquiry”. In looking at the
record for the SS Indiana we find that index number 36 is a notation for Grandpa.
After his name come two columns which connects Grandpa to his passenger list
record. The "Group" number corresponds to the ship’s manifest page number
containing Grandpa’s listing. The number ("No.") column contains the
passenger’s list line number within the manifest page. The “List of Aliens Held”
also shows the cause of exclusion under the heading "Cause," and gives the
name of the Immigrant Inspector who decided the immigrant should have a
hearing. In Grandpa’s case the inspector was someone named English. We also
see that the cause of detention is listed as “LPC”.

21
 R ECORD OF A LIENS HELD FOR S PECIAL I NQUIRY SHOW G RANDPA LISTED AS INDEX NUMBER 36.

The most common exclusion was "LPC" or "Likely Public Charge," taken
from the section of law which excludes anyone who might become a burden on
the public. Many LPC cases were coupled with Medical Certificates, because it
was a medical condition or physical disability which caused officials to think the
immigrant would not be able to earn their own living. U.S. Public Health Service
officials issued the Medical Certificates during the immigrant’s medical
inspection. If we look closely at the top of the “Cause” column we see
handwriting that seems to say “Dr Cert Idiot”, likely meaning a doctors certificate
indicates that persons listed have a mental incapacity. It is not clear if this
annotation applies just to the first person listed or everyone indicated in the
column. According to information I found on the Internet, apparently doctors saw
the immigrant first, so if a medical certificate was issued it would be known to the
Immigrant Inspector who saw the arriving passenger next. Sometimes the fact
that an immigrant was held on the basis of a Medical Certificate would also be
annotated on the passenger list although we do not see this in Grandpa’s case.

22
 Most immigrants appeared at a brief hearing and were admitted after
explaining their situation or producing a recent letter from a friend or relative at
their destination. Others might not have the proof with them, so they would wait
until someone came to testify in their behalf or sent a telegram. Later (sometimes
later the same day), in a rehearing the new evidence would be produced, or the
doctor would certify the immigrant as cured, and the Board would admit the
immigrant. The record indicates that Grandpa did not require a re-hearing or fall
under a deportation exclusion. Grandpa’s hold was withdrawn on April 14th and
he eventually was admitted on April 16, 1906 four days after he arrived. Every
day during the era 1892-1924, ten percent or more of arriving immigrants were
sent to wait for a Board of Special Inquiry hearing.

T HE SECOND PART OF RECORD OF A LIENS H ELD FOR S PECIAL I NQUIRY SHOWS THAT DATE AND TIME G RANDPA WAS ADMITTED . T HE
LAST THREE COLUMNS SHOW THE NUMBER OF BREAKFASTS , LUNCHES AND DINNERS HE WAS GIVEN .

23
 Returning to the original ship’s passenger list for Grandpa we focus on the
part that says he is heading to Niantic RI with $9.00 in his pocket.

F URTHER CONTINUATION OF G RANDPA ' S MANIFEST ENTRY

A close-up of the last section shows that he is intending to visit his uncle.
The name Salvatore is rather easy to distinguish, however there is a word
preceding and following Salvatore that were a challenge to discern.

T HIS BOX OF THE MANIFEST SHOWS GRANDPA ' S REPORTED DESTINATION OF N IANTIC , RI TO VISIT AN UNCLE
MARRONE SALVATORE , AT BOX 41

When Italians of Grandpa’s era were asked to identify themselves they

used their last names first. Looking at other entries on the same manifest page
with similar lettering in words that are much easier to understand, we were able
to determine that the word, or rather the name, to the left of Salvatore is Morrone,
which is a common surname in Acri and throughout Italy. Using the same
method we discovered that the word after Salvatore is Box 41, inferring a post
office box. Bear in mind that Morrone may be a phonetic spelling of Salvatore’s
last name based upon Grandpa’s pronunciation to inspectors at Ellis Island.

We have been able to confirm that a Salvatore Morrone from Acri did
enter the U.S. in July of 1901 at the age of 19. It appears he was going to visit a
brother Angelo in Niantic. It remains to be seen if this is the same person listed
on Grandpa’s ship’s manifest as the person he was enroute to visit.

24
 So far I have not been able to clearly confirm whether or not Grandpa had
an uncle or any relative by the name of Salvatore Morrone who lived in Niantic. It
could be that Morrone was a friend and the immigration agent somehow
mistakenly put in the word uncle, not really knowing what Grandpa was trying to
tell him. Another possibility is that Morrone was married to one of Grandpa’s
relatives, the identity of whom we do not know. As you will later read, there was a
Morrone in Grandpa’s ancestral lineage.

One can also speculate whether or not Grandpa ever made the trip to
Niantic. Recall that the manifest indicates that he did not have a ticket to his final
destination. The logical counter-argument would be that unlike today there was
no mechanism to pre-purchase a transfer ticket to Niantic. A point could
reasonably be made that he would not have purchased the ticket to Niantic until
his arrival in the U.S., therefore making a trip to the destination a possibility.

Another dimension to this story can be inferred from an interview I did with
Aunt Tessie in 1992. Grandpa had an uncle, Pasquale, his father’s brother, who
lived on Ellen Street in the Avondale section of Nutley. He was referred to as the
first American “Scaramuzzo”. Aunt Tessie said that Grandpa’s father told him that
if he was going to America he should be sure to go and see his brother
Pasquale. She specifically used the words “go and see” and not “go and stay
with”. One could infer from Aunt Tessie’s statement that Grandpa may have been
on the way to some other destination but that he should, at some point, make
time to visit his uncle. Aunt Tessie also said that although Grandpa came to the
U.S. alone he met people here that he already knew. She never mentioned who
those people were, which I believe she would have had she known. Perhaps
Salvatore Morrone was one of them. It may also be that Grandpa’s uncle

25
convinced him to remain or at least return to Avondale, which could explain how
he came to settle in Nutley.

There is yet another twist we can add to this story that is purely
speculation but none the less intriguing to ponder. Grandpa’s father Vincenzo
was reportedly born on contrada Morrone in Acri. Perhaps Grandpa was trying to
convey to immigration authorities that he was going to see someone named
Salvatore in Niantic that he knew from contrada Morrone. One of the meanings
for the word contrada is the English word road. It is sometimes used
interchangeably with the Italian word via, meaning a street. Perhaps Grandpa
used Via Morrone to describe where his contact had lived instead of Contrada
Morrone. Via Morrone somehow got convoluted to Zio Morrone by the
immigration interpreter or entry official thereby resulting in Uncle Salvatore
Morrone.

Regarding Morrone, we find an interesting sidebar and a point for

speculation provided in the 1927 Nutley directory. Apparently a family named
Maroni lived at 18 Roma Street in Nutley, which of course is located in the
Avondale section. Again, this listing may be a phonetic spelling. We just don’t
know for sure. Whether the Maroni’s were living in Avondale in 1906 or migrated
later from elsewhere is also not known. And unfortunately we cannot at this time
make any direct connection between Salvatore Morrone and the Maroni’s who
lived on Roma Street. However, when pronounced in Italian, both names sound
very similar. The establishment of a connection may be an interesting pursuit for
some future researcher.

Aunt Rosie Cafone has told me that our family had relatives in New
England, perhaps as far as Massachusetts. My mother told me she recalls
26
hearing Grandpa saying he had an uncle in the Westerly, Rhode Island area. So
it is plausible that he did indeed have relatives that lived in Rhode Island. I have
some information to suggest that one such cousin went by the surname of
Croschi (pronounced crow-shkey). Grandpa had another cousin Immaculata
Strafaci who lived in Rhode Island. Strafaci was her marriage name. The aunts
may remember her and her son know as Junior who was a barber by trade. I
seem to recall that Junior had a barbershop somewhere near Groton,
Connecticut.

Niantic RI did indeed exist. It is an old region that goes back to the 1600’s
and consisted of the southern coast of New England from the mouth of the
Connecticut River east to southwest Rhode Island including Block Island in the
Long Island Sound. Eastern Niantic is situated in southwest Rhode Island which
is the same region that contains the town of Westerly, which is where Grandpa
did have relatives. As a matter of fact I recall as a child visiting relatives there. A
check with the Westerly Public Library reveals that a part of Westerly was once
known as Niantic. The village that is now Bradford was called Niantic from
around 1900 to 1912.

Another interesting fact about the Niantic area is that it was famous for its
granite, mined from quarries in Bradford and Potter Hill. In other words the area
presented an opportunity for work. Quarries were at their peak during the last
quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. Manual labor
was used for drilling, cutting, and dressing the stone and moving equipment. The
work was laborious, noisy, dirty and hazardous. It may be Grandpa heard that
work was available and so set his destination for that area of the country. If
Grandpa did work as a laborer he likely worked 8 to 9 hours a day at a rate of
less than twenty cents an hour. It may also be whoever told him about the work

27
had an uncle or relative who lived in Niantic and perhaps that it what Grandpa
tried to convey to the authorities at Ellis Island.

We have been able to make what appears to be a connection between the

Morrone and Cofone families about seven generations back, however the
connection may be tenuous at best. Information contained in a later chapter
indicates that Grandpa may have had a paternal great-great-great grandmother
with the surname of Morrone. For now however, we cannot make a supportable
argument that Grandpa indeed had an uncle in Niantic.

Virtually nothing is known regarding Grandpa’s whereabouts between his

arrival in April 1906 and marriage in November of 1909.

Angela Gabriele

Our Grandmother,
Angela Gabriele, arrived in the
United States on August 3,
1909 aboard the SS Berlin
sometime between 1:50 pm to
4:10 pm. The ship departed the
port of Naples on July 12, 1909
and arrived at Ellis Island 22

THE SS BERLIN IS THE SHIP THAT BROUGHT ANGELINA

days later. Grandma was 19
GABRIELE TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1909.
years old, single, and did not
speak English. Line 12 on page 661 of the manifest indicates that she came from
Acri, Cosenza Italy and that her father’s name was Raffaele. It also indicates that
she was 5 feet tall. The manifest shows that she arrived with less than $20
dollars, although it does not say how much less. It also shows that her final
28
destination was Avondale, New Jersey where she was going to join her sister,
Santa. As many of you know, Avondale is a section of Nutley.

M ANIFEST OF SS B ERLIN SHOWING HEADER AND G RANDMA LISTED ON

LINE 12

S ECTION OF P AGE 2 L INE 12 OF SHIP ' S MANIFEST INDICATING THAT GRANDMA WAS GOING TO VISIT HER SISTER S ANTA IN
A VONDALE

In the same box that contains Grandma’s first name is a small notation
that seems to indicate that Grandma is the cousin of passenger # 21. The
passenger in row 21 is Maria Gabrielli a 19-year-old female who was traveling
with her brother Francesco age 24. The spelling of the surname in the manifest is
different than the true spelling, likely a phonetic interpretation by whomever it
was who recorded the data. Maria and Francesco were going to Avondale to see
their brother Michele. Michele went by the nickname “Michele e Fosse”. Later he
would live on East Center Street in Nutley almost directly across from the home
of Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat. The father of Maria and Francesco was indicated
in the manifest as Salvatore, who is believed to have been a brother of
Grandma’s father Raffaele. What we have discovered is that Raffaele did indeed
have an older brother Salvatore Giuseppe Gabriele born on March 18, 1853. A
possible birth record for Michele Gabriele was located that indicates he was born

29
on October 20, 1881 to Salvatore Gabriele and Anna Ritacco. Similarly, a birth
citation for Francesco Gabriele born on January 22, 1885 to the same parents
was also located. To date no birth record for Maria could be found. The evidence
therefore seems to point directly to the fact that Grandma was indeed traveling
with her first cousins.

Further confirmation came to light in a 1992 interview with Aunt Tessie.

During a brief conversation regarding Grandma’s immigration to the U.S. Aunt
Tessie and my mother recalled Grandma saying that she had come to the U.S.
with someone else, however they could not recall who that person may have
been. We now have the evidence that it was Maria and Francesco. According to
Aunt Tessie Grandma spent some time living at Michele’s home probably
because her sister Santa and her husband had gone to Nashwauk Minnesota in
search of work.

The manifest also indicates some sort of calling or occupation for

Grandma. The writing is difficult to decipher. It appears to indicate “farm lab”, with
the latter part being perhaps an abbreviation for laborer.

Page 2 of the manifest indicates that Grandma did not possess a ticket to
her final destination. It also indicated that her father paid her passage and that
she had never before been to the United States. The record also indicates that
she was 5 feet tall in in good health and not a cripple. It indicates a place of birth
of Cosenza, Acri.

A. G. Weser Shipbuilders, Bremen, Germany, built the SS Berlin in 1909.

It weighed 17,323 gross tons; its dimensions were 613 (bp) feet long and 69 feet

30
wide. Steam quadruple expansion engines, with twin screws, powered it. The
ship’s service speed was 16 knots. It carried 3,212 passengers of whom 266
were in first class, 246-second class, and 2,700 in third class. You can be sure
that Grandma sailed as one of the passengers in the latter category.

The ship was built for North German Lloyd, and sailed under the German
flag in 1909 and named Berlin. The line provided Bremerhaven-New York and
Mediterranean-New York service. Transferred to White Star and Dominion
Lines, in 1920, the ship was renamed Arabic. It continued to provide Trans-
Atlantic service. The ship was finally broken up in Italy in 1931.

We now have a sense of how it was that our Grandparents came to the
United States and in particular, Avondale. As indicated, Grandma had a sister
Santa who was already here. It believed she may have resided at 14 Humbert
Street. From information provided by Christina Sapporito, Santa sent money
home to her father who was believed to use the money to purchase some
property. It is likely that some of the money was used to subsidize Grandma’s trip
to America.

As far as we know Grandpa’s uncle Pasquale Cofone, known as old man

“Scaramuzzo”, was living in Nutley prior to Grandpa’s arrival there. From a
previously discussed hypothesis it may be that Avondale was not Grandpa’s
original destination. As indicated above he may also have had other relatives
living in other parts of the country as well. He eventually visited his uncle
Pasquale and perhaps it was he who convinced Grandpa to remain in Avondale.
It may have been that the prospect for work was better in NJ and so he
remained. At the time quarries existed in the Avondale section of Nutley and so

31
Grandpa may have found work there. We know that Grandpa had siblings who
immigrated to the U.S. but only after his arrival.

While we may not know the precise reason why our Grandparents came
to America, it is very likely it was to escape the abject poverty that existed in the
countryside where they lived. Like millions of other young immigrants, they came
to find a better life and in so doing, they provided a life for us. Without the
courageous feat of leaving behind all they knew and risk the venture into the new
land, your parents would never have met and you would not be reading this now.

32
 Chapter 3 –The Marriage of Natale & Angela

It is inferred from an article that appeared in the Nutley Sun newspaper on

Tuesday, November 24, 1959 that Grandma and Grandpa were married on
November 22, 1909. At the time Grandma and Grandpa would have been 20 and
21 years old respectively. It was believed that the month and day of the 50th
Anniversary party coincided with the month and day of the actual marriage, and
so for many years the family believed that the anniversary date was November
22. As part of the research into the family history Holy Family Church in Nutley
was contacted. The church provided a copy of Grandma and Grandpa’s marriage
record, which is included below. The record shows that our Grandparents were
actually married on November 20, 1909, which was a Saturday.

M ARRIAGE RECORD OF NATALE COFONE AND A NGELA G ABRIELA FROM H OLY F AMILY C HURCH IN N UTLEY .

The document indicates that the best man and maid of honor were
Vincenzo Terranova and Francesca Simone, respectively. A parish priest named
Father A. DeSantolo officiated at the ceremony. It is interesting to note the
spelling of their last names. As can be seen Grandpa’s last name is spelled with
the CO derivative. There is a slightly incorrect spelling for Grandma last name
33
indicating Gabriela instead of Gabriele. This illustrates how alternative spellings
of names can occur.

The wedding took place after a short courtship. Grandma had only arrived
in the United States in August of 1909 and according to steam ship records, was
living in Avondale with either her sister Santa or with her cousin Michele on East
Centre Street.

We really don’t know exactly how our grandparents met, but one story
provided by Aunt Tessie is that Grandpa was already living in the United States
and met Grandma in Nutley. Grandma was living with her cousin Michele “e
Fosse” (Gabriele) on East Centre Street in Nutley. Grandpa evidently was a
friend of Michele. When they first met Grandma did not want to go out with
Grandpa. Aunt Tessie relayed that Grandma’s words to her cousin were “I don’t
want this Scaramuzzo”! “Do you think I came over here to marry him”? Again
according to accounts provided by Aunt Tessie, Michele was heard to reply, “You
think you are better than him”? “He’s a good man”. Michele evidently convinced
her to go with Grandpa, who we are led to believe was really enamored with
Grandma.

Interestingly, within four months of her arrival here in the United States
Grandma got married. The ceremony took place somewhere in Holy Family
parish. Our Grandparents were one of the first to be married in the newly formed
parish. Historical accounts of the parish indicate that it began sometime in 1909
among a collection of poor Italian immigrants. The Reverend Father Alfonso De
Santolo, the same priest who married our Grandparents, and who had worked in
Paterson and Lyndhurst, started parochial work among the Italians in the
Belleville-Nutley area. Several years elapsed before the first church was built. In

34
the interim masses were offered at first in private homes in the area. According to
historical accounts for several months Father De Santolo offered Mass in the
homes of Michael Stefanelli at Passaic Avenue and Mitchell Street in Belleville
and Ciriaco Jannarone at 14
Harrison Street, Nutley. It has
been reported that Father De
Santola was assisted by the
late Dominick Ciccone in
raising funds to construct the
first church. The first
permanent Church structure H OLY F AMILY CHURCH AS IT APPEARED CIRCA 1915. I T HAD BEEN
LONG BELIEVED THAT OUR G RANDPARENTS WERE MARRIED IN THIS
C HURCH .
was built on a 30 by 100 foot
plot at 115 Harrison Street,
Nutley. A frame building, it
measured 20 by 50 feet and
seated perhaps 140 persons.
Its cornerstone was laid by
Father James P. Smith of St.
Peter’s in Belleville in 1911. An
adjoining rectory was built
115 H ARRISON S TREET N UTLEY FORMER SITE OF H OLY
about 1915. F AMILY C HURCH T HIS IS HOW THE BUILDING APPEARED IN
D ECEMBER OF 2003

Contrary to a long held belief, it appears that our Grandparents were not
married in the actual Harrison Avenue church which was built about two years
after they were married. More likely the ceremony took place perhaps in a
temporary church structure or the home of one of the parishioners indicated
above. Italian immigrants from all over Nutley used Holy Family Church for their
religious ceremonies as it was considered an “Italian Church”.

35
 Remnants of the old church
can still be seen. It is unknown exactly
when, but the church property was
sold and converted to a private
residence. The modern day photo of
the property shows that the external
structure of the church is nearly as it
was in 1909 with the exception of the
missing steeple.

There was reportedly a fire

that engulfed at least part of the
church. However the date of the fire
remains unknown at this writing. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ANNOUNCING THE 50TH
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. ONE OF THESE APPEARED
IN THE NUTLEY SUN ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24,
1959. IT IS UNKNOWN IN WHICH OTHER PAPER THE
ARTICLE ALSO APPEARED.

The newspaper article

announcing their 50th wedding
anniversary, which was based on
information provided by Aunt Mary,
indicates that Grandpa and
Grandma lived on Ellen Street in
Nutley for approximately 15 years
before moving to Lyndhurst. We now
know that they purchased the Nutley
home in 1921 and following a fire, T HE WAY THEY ACTUALLY LOOKED IN 1959 AT THEIR 50 TH
A NNIVERSARY . O UR G RANDMA IS 70 AND G RANDPA IS
purchased and moved to the NEARLY 71 YEARS OLD IN THIS PHOTO .

Lyndhurst house in 1926.

36
 The photo that appears in the newspaper article is not from their 50th
anniversary celebration. In all likelihood the photograph was probably taken at
the wedding of one of their children, presumably Aunt Florie in October of 1949.
If this indeed were true, Grandma and Grandpa would be 61 and 60 years old
respectively when the photograph was taken.

According to the article Grandpa worked for many years at American

Chain and Cable Company in Newark, New Jersey. The company actually began
in 1936 after an acquisition of the American Cable Company of Newark by
American Chain, a company which started in about 1917. American Chain and
Cable had advertised nationally that it was the largest manufacturer of chain in
the world. While we do not know the duration of his employment, 1940 Census
records indicate that Grandpa was working for a cable company at the time as a
janitor. This corresponds with information provided by family sources that
indicated that Grandpa was a porter for American Chain and Cable. It was said
that he would work seven days a week and holidays, walking from the Thomas
Avenue house to Jauncey Ave in North Arlington where he would take a bus into
Newark.

The anniversary article never indicated Grandpa’s employment prior to

American Chain. From the 1930 Census listing for the family it indicates that
Grandpa was a helper on what appears to be the Rail Road. Again, we do not
know how long he was employed or for which railroad he worked.

Following his employment with American Chain, Grandpa worked at East

Ridgelawn Cemetery on Main Street in Clifton as a gravedigger and eventually
retired from that job. He walked to and from work daily. The trip from Lyndhurst
to Clifton was approximately 3 miles.
37
 Early Life

Following their wedding it is not exactly known where Grandpa and

Grandma resided but Aunt Tessie believed they lived somewhere on Roma
Street in Nutley. Aunt Rosie provided an insight that leads us to believe that after
they were first married they probably lived with relatives somewhere in Avondale.
As of yet I have been unable to document their residence from 1910 Census
records. This may be due to the fact that they may have likely been on the move
during the year.

The town of Nutley at this time was beginning to grow. Its population in
1910 was just over 6000. At the time our Grandparents married the town had
entered an era that saw streets and sidewalks being built, the extension of water
mains and the metering of water use, not to mention the collection of taxes and
water bills, and the licensing of saloons, dogs and peddlers. Municipal services
and organizations such as firehouses, churches and new schools were also
being built.

There are no records or recollections as to how our Grandparents made a

living in their early married life. In all likelihood Grandma stayed home and
tended to domestic chores while Grandpa worked as a laborer, possibly in the
nearby quarry.

Off to Pennsylvania

Sometime in 1910, Grandpa and Grandma are believed to have traveled

approximately 400 miles to the small town of Carnegie Pennsylvania, which is

38
located southwest of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. The newlyweds likely
proceeded to the Carnegie area via railroad. A train took them from Nutley to
Trenton and then onto Philadelphia and further west to Pittsburgh. Another train
from Pittsburgh took them to the Carnegie area. The reason for the move was
clearly in pursuit of work. The industry of mining bituminous coal grew a great
deal in the early twentieth century. With this growth came the need for more
workers most of whom were unskilled and who worked for cheap wages.
Grandpa certainly would fit into this category of worker. Workers came from all
over the country to work in the mines, seeking a better life in America and hoping
to find good paying jobs.

It remains unknown as to exactly when they left Nutley for Carnegie. We

can speculate that perhaps it was in the spring or early summer of 1910.
Grandma likely became pregnant in April of 1910 and so Grandpa, who was now
an expectant father, needed to provide for his new family and so he likely sought
opportunities for sustained employment. Just how Grandpa learned about the
mines in the Carnegie area or why they went to this particular region is not
presently known. Likely a relative or friend sent word back to Avondale that
opportunities for work in the mines existed. Word probably spread among
Grandpa’s contemporaries and so hearing of the opportunities that awaited them,
off they went. This theory seems to be in agreement with something Aunt Tessie
told me in 1992. She said that someone told our Grandparents that work might
be available in the Carnegie area. She of course heard this from one or both of
her parents. She could not offer any further insight as to who it may have been
that provided the information.

Aunt Tessie’s birth certificate indicates that she was born in Carnegie
Pennsylvania on January 18, 1911, but just where in Carnegie remains a
mystery. In pursuit of this answer my wife Barbara and I visited Pittsburgh and
39
Carnegie in November of 2011. We stopped at the Pennsylvania state vital

2011 COPY OF B IRTH C ERTIFICATE OF A UNT T ESSIE

statistics department, the Pittsburgh archdiocese, the Carnegie Library at

Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie historical society in the hope of
finding the home where our Grandparents lived.

What we discovered is that the family very likely did not live in Carnegie
proper but rather one of the many small settlements that were built by coal
companies known as “patch towns” or “coal patches”. To get a sense of what it
must have been like living in a coal patch I visited the ExplorePAhistory.com web
site. What I found was that not only did the companies build the mine and all of
its buildings, but they built the company store where all the miners and families
could buy their supplies, often using a system known as company "scrip" which
simply meant that the cost of any commodities were deducted from their

40
paychecks. The company built the workers’ houses and then rented them to the
miner families while they worked in the mine. Sometimes the company would
also build a church, a school, and possibly a post office. In these patches the
miners lived, often settling along ethnic lines into neighborhoods.

Some companies built poor quality houses for the miners. For example the
roofs leaked, wind came through walls with no plaster, etc. The houses were
designed to be built quickly. In order for the houses to be built quickly, the
company usually built the same type of house, so all the houses looked the
same. Several designs were used in various patch towns – such as row houses,
which were cheap to build since they shared walls, and also two-story double
houses. They were called double houses because it was one building, but
divided into two separate houses inside which could hold one family on each side
of the house. These double houses would have 4 to 6 rooms per side. Behind the
houses would be the double outhouse. Often families would take in boarders to
bring in more money. These boarders paid for a place to live, meals, and laundry
done. At times there would be two families on one side, plus single mine
boarders, making 15 to 20 people living in one small house. The houses were
very simple in their furnishings and primitive in function – they did not have
running water or electricity. As indicated the miners paid the company rent for
these houses. The companies could evict miners if they joined a strike or spoke
out against the company. Along with the rental of the house, the families usually
also received a small piece of land upon which they could grow vegetables. Not
knowing the mine where Grandpa worked, we cannot determine what type of
home the family lived in or if they had boarders living with them, although I
cannot imagine Grandpa renting space unless it was someone he knew or
trusted. It may also been possible that he and Grandma were boarding with
another family.

41
 Saying that life
was harsh for the
miners and their
families might be an
understatement.
Mining was
extremely
dangerous. Like
most coal miners
Grandpa probably
worked 10 to 14 hour
T YPICAL “ COAL PATCH ” TOWN . I T IS BELIEVED OUR G RANDPARENTS LIVED IN
SUCH A COMMUNITY IN THE C ARNEGIE PA AREA WHERE A UNT T ESSIE WAS
days and earned
BORN .
barely enough to
provide for a family. Grandma probably started her days early with fixing lunch for
Grandpa and then working hard doing the housework, sewing, cooking,
gardening, and once Aunt Tessie was born, child rearing.

One of the difficulties in locating the exact coal patch where Grandma and
Grandpa lived and Aunt Tessie was born is due to the fact that so many mines
existed at the time and very few coal company employee records exist
today. Most coal company employee records have been lost or destroyed after
the mines were closed. The state maintains some records, but generally only in
the case where a miner was killed or injured. The likelihood of discovering the
exact mine or mines where Grandpa worked is extremely remote and so
unfortunately we will probably never know.

42
 Next Stop: Minnesota

Sometime soon after the birth of Aunt Tessie the family is believed to have
relocated to the area of Nashwauk, Minnesota which was about 1,000 miles from
Carnegie. Aunt Tessie recalled hearing that the family moved on because work
had become scarce.

As indicated earlier, it seems that Grandma’s sister Santa (nee Gabriele)

Chimento may have been living in Nashwauk at the time. Another possibility
emerged when it was learned that a close friend of Grandpa known as Vincenzo
“Tindillo” Celico, may also have been living in the Nashwauk area and may have
contacted Grandpa regarding available work. As a matter of fact Vincenzo
Celico may have been more than a close friend and may have indeed been
Grandpa’s cousin. In a subsequent chapter you will learn that Grandpa’s
grandmother was Maria Celico.

The Iron Range Research Center Naturalization Record Index (IRRCNR)

indicates that a Vincenzo Celico lived in Itasca County, which is the county where
Nashwauk is located. Whether this is the same person as Grandpa’s friend is
unknown at the present. Without further inquiry all we do know is that this
particular Vincenzo lived there sometime between 1854 and 1957 and that his
wife’s name was Josephina. (Location: ITASCA State: MINNESOTA Reel #: 3
Vol #: 5 Code #: 7 Page #: 414) Also discovered in the Minnesota Statewide
Database for Alien Registrations under the IRRCNR there is a listing for a Sanda
(sic) Chimento who is indicated to be 30 years old (County: Itasca City:
Nashwauk State: MINNESOTA Age: 30 Roll #: 72 Frame #: 0188) This may very
well be the listing for Grandma’s brother-in-law Santo. These leads may be left

43
to some future researcher to explore further. From what I could gather this area
is a mining region and so Grandpa may have spent some time working in a local
iron ore mine. According to the web site “Immigrant migrations from Northern and
Southern Europe provided the bulk of the labor needed for underground and
open pit mining operations”. It is not clear how abundant work in the mines was
during our Grandparents time in Nashwauk.

According to information provided by Cristina Sapporito, Vincenzo Celico

must have come to Nutley to visit his brother Natale Celico, who lived
somewhere near Holy Family Church. Vincenzo told Natale about how difficult it
was for Grandpa and Grandma to be living in Minnesota evidently due to a lack
of work. Natale presumably told Vincenzo to have Grandpa return to Nutley.
From what I have heard from other sources it appeared that the Minnesota winter
was too severe to their liking, and so Grandma and Grandpa left.

It is not clear exactly how long they remained in Minnesota however it is

not thought to be of any significant duration perhaps, less than a year. According
to Aunt Tessie, during their stay in Nashwauk Grandma gave birth to another
daughter named Maria. It believed that she died in birth or shortly thereafter. I
have tried to document this fact, but have been unsuccessful thus far. The
church in the area at the time has no record of a birth or death for Maria.

Back to Italy

As indicated, it was probably a combination of little work and the extreme

cold weather that prompted Grandpa and Grandma sometime in late 1912 or
early 1913 to decide that the family should return to Italy and so they left
Minnesota. It is not entirely clear, but it seems they did not all return to Nutley
44
together. The information suggests that Grandma and Aunt Tessie proceeded
the 1,300 miles to Nutley ahead of Grandpa and then went on directly to Italy.
Evidently Grandpa said he was going to return to Italy as well and sold what little
they had in Minnesota and eventually followed to Avondale. Several accounts
place Aunt Tessie’s age at between one and a half and two years old when she
and Grandma departed for Italy, which agrees with the estimated time frame for
their leaving as suggested above.

For whatever reason, Grandpa decided to remain in the United States.

Living in Avondale during this period of time were Grandpa’s sisters Zia Rosa
and Zia Grazia. We can speculate that he probably stayed with one them for
some time or perhaps with some of his old friends.

According to Aunt Tessie Grandma and Aunt Tessie returned to the home
of Grandma’s parents who lived in a rural area of Acri known as Sericella which
is also referred to in general as “Chi la bana Mucone”. It is believed they also
visited Grandpa’s parents as well. Except for the time just prior to their return to
the U.S., it is believed they never received any communications from Grandpa.

Aunt Tessie told the story that she would ask Grandma why she has no
brothers and sisters. Grandma would show her a mark on her knee and say that
Grandpa has the key and that when he eventually comes they will get the key
and Aunt Tessie’s wish will be fulfilled. Evidently Old Italian folklore was that
babies were born from the knee.

Aunt Tessie went to school in Italy. She would sometimes cut school and
punishment would be swift and certain which meant she would get hit.

45
 Eventually they heard from Grandpa, who after being discharged from the
army, sent for Grandma. From what we now know Grandma received some sort
of stipend from the U.S. government. In his communication Grandpa is believed
to have said that he had “sweat blood” for the money Grandma received. He
chided her with words to the effect “Don’t think you’re going to get the check and
spend money”. It is not entirely known for how long Grandma received
government financial assistance however it was likely during the period of
Grandpa’s active service. She evidently accrued sufficient funds to pay for her
and Aunt Tessie’s return passage.

Back to the US

Records obtained from

Ellis Island indicate that
Grandma and Aunt Tessie
returned to the United States,
along with Grandma’s
youngest sister Carminella, on
January 25, 1921. They
departed Naples on January T HE DUCA DEGLI ABRUZZI IS THE SHIP THAT TRANSPORTED
GRANDMA AND AUNT TESSIE BACK TO THE US AFTER NEARLY A
12th of the same year aboard 9 YEAR ABSENCE

the SS Duca Degli Abruzzi and

like most poor immigrants traveled steerage. Interestingly and ironically the name
of the ship’s captain was Giul Simone.

Grandma and Aunt Tessie returned to the United States after nearly a 9-
year absence. Grandpa had been out of the army for several years and it is not
46
known what he did to support himself in the intervening years or where he
resided. The records indicate that they arrived in the port of New York, which for
immigrants usually meant Ellis Island. However, according to Aunt Tessie,
Grandpa met them at the battery in Brooklyn. Aunt Tessie had just turned ten
when they returned and was somewhat confused when she saw Grandpa. She
thought Grandpa would have been happier to see Grandma, but instead he
embraced Aunt Tessie first and was kissing her and telling her how much he
missed her.

According to Aunt Tessie upon their return the family lived on Humbert
Street next door to one of Grandpa’s dear friend Carmine “Mallarielo” Chimento,
in what has become known as Pitelle’s house. Zi Carminella also lived with them
at this time. It is believed that the family lived in two rooms in the house that was
owned by Grandpa’s cumbare, Vincenzo Terranova. You will recall that Vincenzo
was Grandpa’s best man and very likely his best friend.

Terranova had two homes in the area over the years. The one that shows
up in a 1927 directory at 35 Humbert Street is the house referred to here. The
1928 Nutley directory shows that the Terranova’s moved to another house
located on Spurr Place in Nutley, immediately adjacent to what later became the
Cofone Nutley homestead.

As indicated above Terranova’s house is also referred to “la casa di

Pitelle”. Pitelle was a nickname for Terranova.

The town of Nutley had grown significantly during Grandma’s ten year
absence. Evidently the economic prosperity of the 1920s was being experienced

47
to some degree in Nutley as well. The population increased to nearly 9000.
Reportedly there was a good deal of optimism. It was in this period that Grandpa
managed to buy the Nutley, and then later, Lyndhurst homesteads and most of
the children were born. We do not know what Grandpa did for a living during this
time. It is indeed possible that he may have worked for the Belleville Land and
Stone Company that operated the brownstone quarry on Park Avenue and from
whom he purchased the Nutley homestead. However once the Great Depression
arrived in 1929, the family, like the rest of the country, would have to endure
severe hardships that shaped the way they lived the rest of their lives.

48
 Chapter 4 – Grandpa Military Service

Below is a copy of Grandpa’s Honorable Discharge Certificate, which

shows that Grandpa served in the U.S. Army during World War 1. He attained
the rank of private first class and was part of the 307th Labor Company
Quartermaster Corp. I am not sure exactly what specific jobs he performed but I
imagine he was used for various manual labor details, which could mean just
about anything that required a strong back.

America entered into World War 1 in April of 1917. In May of that year The
Selective Service Act was created that required all male persons between the
ages of 21 and 30 to register for service. Being 29 at the time, Grandpa was
subjected to these requirements. The initial registrations began in June of 1917.

Grandpa registered and was drafted. His discharge certificate indicates

that he was inducted into the army on May 28, 1918 at Newark, New Jersey. To
put things in perspective, his entry into the Army occurred about six years after
Grandma and Aunt Tessie left for Italy. In examining the various draft categories,
Grandpa could have been exempt due to extreme hardship, which included
married registrants with dependent spouse and / or children with insufficient
family income. Either by design or error he was apparently drafted under some
other draft category. It may be that initially he may have led authorities to believe
that Grandma was living in Italy with her parents and that he may not have been
directly providing for her and Aunt Tessie. Another possibility may be that
Grandpa was not too forthcoming with the true facts regarding his family status
because he saw the Army as a source of steady income as well as the security of
knowing where your next meal was coming from and free shelter. He may also

49
have discovered that service to the country was a fast track to U.S. citizenship
and perhaps other benefits after the war. Until such time that his full military
record might become available, the truth may never be known as to why
Grandpa was not exempt from the draft.

At the time of Grandpa’s induction World War I was on-going and over the
next several months the German army launched several unsuccessful offensives.
Allied counter attacks weakened the German forces. In a less than 8 months the
war would be over. Following induction, Grandpa would have initially undergone
about six weeks of boot camp where he trained for the war. It is not clear where
he conducted his initial training. Camp Dix, located in Wrightstown, NJ, would
have been a logical choice however after May of 1918, it was used as
embarkation camp for troops going overseas. Later it was designated as a
demobilization and as debarkation camp. As far I can determine, Grandpa was
never sent overseas or was involved in combat. One uncorroborated story is that
he was on a military ship sailing to Europe when the war ended and the ship
immediately returned to port in the US. The end of the war occurred in November
of 1918, but the Germans had requested an armistice in the beginning of
October. If the story about Grandpa’s deployment is correct, then it likely
occurred sometime in September of 1918.

In the beginning of 1919 the army began to demobilize and service men
began returning home. Grandpa was apparently honorably discharged on March
18, 1919 from Camp Mills in Long Island, New York after about ten months of
service.

Upon closer inspection there appears to be an error on the document

regarding his age. It says that he was 28 when he enlisted in 1918. However
50
since he was born in December of 1888, he would have been 29 when he went
into the service in May of 1918. As you can see from the dates, it seems that he
spent less than a year in the service. His naturalization papers indicate that he
was 27 years old in July of 1918, another error. None of the documents required
a date of birth so my suspicion is that either they asked Grandpa his age and
recorded what they were told by him or perhaps received the information through
a translator, who misunderstood what Grandpa was saying.

The discharge certificate also shows that he was married and indicates
that Grandpa was discharged due to dependency. Generally speaking,
dependency discharges are based on the emotional hardship being in the military
is causing. During the time that Grandpa was in the army we know that Grandma
and Aunt Tessie were living in Italy. Grandpa evidently convinced the Army that
he qualified under the then existing requirements for this category of Honorable
Discharge.

Based on accounts of family members we also have reason to believe that

Grandma qualified and received some form of a military stipend, however we are
not sure of the duration or how much she actually received. It was also not made
clear if the money came as a result of Grandpa sending money to Italy or via the
government directly. It would seem plausible that the stipend may have been
paid during some segment of Grandpa’s military service time and probably
ceased once he was discharged.

The discharge paper goes on to say that Grandpa was of excellent

character and that his service was honest, faithful with no AWOL. He was entitled
to travel pay which included a train ticket at 2/3 the regular rate to Newark. He
also received a bonus of $60.00.
51
 You will notice that the discharge papers spell his name as CAfone. You
will also notice that Grandpa could not write and therefore made “his mark”,
which is designated as an X, in place of a written signature.

There is a date of July 5 written in pencil at the top right corner of page
two of the discharge paper. I believe this possibly refers to the date he became a
U.S. citizen.

G RANDPA ' S DISCHARGE AND E NLISTMENT R ECORD

52
 Chapter 5 – Grandpa’s U.S. Naturalization

Grandpa’s Naturalization Certificate (see copy below) was issued

sometime in July (possibly the 4th or 5th) of 1918, approximately two months
pursuant to Grandpa entering into the army. It says Grandpa was 27 years old.
He is listed as being 5 feet 5 ½ inches tall, of medium complexion, brown eyes,
and dark hair. In reality Grandpa was 29 in July of 1918. Grandpa’s last name in
the certificate is spelled COfone.

The certificate indicates that his wife, Angelina, is 28 years old and resides
in Gagore, Italy with their daughter Tazianno who was born on January 18, 1911
in Pittsburg, P.A. At the time of Grandpa’s naturalization, Aunt Tessie was
approximately 6 years old.

Initially, from Christina Sapporito, a since deceased relative who lived on

Humbert Street in Nutley, I learned that Grandma returned to the United States
sometime in either 1920 or 1921, approximately one year before Uncle Jimmy
was born. More precisely, from Ellis Island immigration records we know that
Aunt Tessie and Grandma returned from Italy on January 25, 1921.

Christina recounted the story that when she came to America from Italy in
1920, she brought with her a piece of string which Grandma had given her. The
length of string was equivalent to the height of Aunt Tessie. In this way Grandpa
could gauge how tall Aunt Tessie had grown.

53
 Grandma often said that she and Aunt Tessie were in Italy for nine years.
That would make their departure date from the US sometime in late 1911 or early
to mid-1912 when Aunt Tessie was still an infant. Christina seems to recall that
Aunt Tessie was approximately one and a half years old when she and Grandma
returned to Italy, and is in agreement with the proffered estimate.

I came to learn from my mother, who has been a wealth of knowledge on

the early family history that Grandma and Aunt Tessie went to stay with
Grandpa’s father and mother, since Grandma’s own mother was dead. Christina
also mentions that Grandma and Aunt Tessie would often stay at Grandpa’s
father’s home.

Grandpa lived in a section of the Acri countryside known as Policaretto.

Presumably there is an area, or a portion of Policaretto, known as “La Gonga”
(the o is pronounced as a long o such as in the word NO). Again it seems quite
likely that La Gonga may have been misunderstood and was recorded as Gagore
on Grandpa’s naturalization papers. The same misunderstanding apparently
occurred with the spelling of Aunt Tessie’s name, which as indicated above was
presented in the Naturalization document as Tazianno. Grandma pronounced
Aunt Tessie’s name as Tarazina, which loosely translated means little Teresa.

Included in another chapter is a picture of the Cofone homestead in Italy.

Given the information provided by Cristina and my mom we can then reasonably
assume that it was also the house where Grandma and Aunt Tessie spent at
least part of their nine years in Italy. The naturalization document also indicates
that Grandpa was residing at Camp Dix, New Jersey at the when he was made a
citizen, which makes sense since he was in the army at the time he became
Naturalized.
54
 By virtue of the fact that Grandma was married to a naturalized citizen she
came under the provisions of the first major exception to the naturalization law.
From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became "derivative"
citizens. Aunt Tessie being born in Carnegie, PA was of course a native born
citizen.

G RANDPA ' S N ATURALIZATION C ERTIFICATE

55
 Chapter 6 - The American Homesteads

There were only two principal family homesteads in the U.S. The first was
located in Nutley and the last in Lyndhurst. Prior to the purchase of the Nutley
house, the family lived with friends in the Avondale section.

The Nutley House

Grandpa and
Grandma’s first home was
bought on September 6,
1921 and was located in
the Avondale section of
Nutley. Geographically
speaking, Avondale was
contained within the
borders of Grant Avenue to
the north, Park Avenue to
the south, River Road to
the east and Washington
A N 1886 MAP OF A VONDALE . T HE LARGE TRACT NEAR THE
CENTER OF THE PHOTO BORDERED BY Q UARRY S TREET Avenue to the west. In
( LATER TO BECOME P ARK A VE ) AND G RANT A VENUE , DEPICTS
PROPETY OWNED BY THE T HE B ELLEVILLE S TONE C OMPANY addition to those boundary
AND CONTAINED ONE OF SEVERAL QUARRYS IN THE AREA . THE
RED CIRCLE DEPICTS THE GENERAL AREA WHERE THE NUTLEY roadways, Avondale also
HOMESTEAD WOULD LATER BE LOCATED .

contained Roma Street, Humbert Street, Ellen Avenue, Spurr Place and Quarry
Street, each of which was and is a short, narrow street.

In the early twentieth century Avondale was an ethnic neighborhood that

consisted almost entirely of Italian immigrants from southern Italy. Grandma and
Aunt Tessie had just returned from Italy in January of 1921. At the time of the
56
purchase, Grandma was approximately five or six months pregnant with Uncle
Jimmy. According to the deed that is on file with the Essex County Hall of
Records, Grandpa paid $1.00 and other valuable consideration for the property
to the Belleville Stone and Land Company. This is typical boilerplate language
and does not mean he actually paid one dollar for the property. To date no record
of the actual purchase price has been determined although a rather broad price
range of between $300 and $3500 has been handed down over the years. In
2012 dollars the range would represent a value between $3,500 and $35,000,
respectively. It is not certain if that amount pertained to just the first property,
which included a house, or included subsequent properties you will read about
shortly and which I believe contained no structure. In any event the initial
property, which was designated as Lot 33, was located at the northeast corner of
Ellen Avenue and Spurr Place and consisted of a lot that measure approximately
25 feet along Ellen Ave by 109 feet along Spurr Place.

A small item of trivia is that Spurr Place was named for Joseph G. Spurr,
treasurer of the Belleville Stone and Land Company, which as we know was the
company from which Grandpa purchased the Nutley home. Since the house was
on the corner of Spurr Place and Ellen Street it is difficult to determine whether
the actual address was Ellen Street or Spurr Place. None of our remaining
relatives can seem to recall where the front of the house faced. The address of
the current house that stands on the property is 4 Spurr Place. I do not however
believe that the original address was the same. Baptismal records of our aunts
born in the house indicate an address of 80 Ellen Street. Throughout this writing
the location of the house is referred to as both Spurr Place and Ellen Street.

57
 In the next two
succeeding years
Grandpa bought two other
contiguous lots. On May
25, 1922 he purchased a
contiguous lot, number 34,
which was of comparable
size to the first. The
frontage was on Ellen Ave.

M AP SHOWING THE GENERAL NUTLEY LOCATION OF THE HOMESTEAD

LOCATED AT S PURR P LACE AND E LLEN S TREET . On September 28,
1923 Grandpa bought the
third lot, the number of which was absent on the deed but which is assumed to

Roma St Humbert St

T HIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN CIRCA 1915 ALONG P ARK A VE. T HE SOURCE OF THE PHOTOS INDICATES THAT THE
QUARRY BEHIND WHERE THE MAN IS STANDING COINCIDES WITH THE CURRENT LOCATION OF THE R ETS
B UILDING 103 P ARK A VE. T HE NORTH SIDE OF P ARK A VE IS ALSO VISIBLE WITH THE BEGINNING OF ROMA
AND H UMBERT S TREETS SEEN BETWEEN SOME OF THE HOMES .

be lot # 35. The records show he also paid $1.00 and other valuable
consideration for these lots. The deeds never mention what the “other valuable

58
consideration” consisted of, in other words the actual purchase price. Nor do any
of the deeds expressly mention or describe the structure that certainly was in
place on at least one of these lots.

From what we can piece together the house stood on the corner lot. So
what we know is that Grandpa owned 3 lots which in total measured
approximately 75 feet along Ellen Ave and 109 feet along Spurr Place. Not much
is known about the house itself except that it was quite small and probably
consisted of two floors. By all accounts we have, it is known the house contained
a stone foundation and a wooden frame. At the time of purchase it was probably
not in the best of condition. Information provided during a 1992 interview with
Christina Saporitto, who was Grandpa’s niece, indicates that the house had been
previously used as a real estate office evidently by the Belleville Stone and Land
Company, which also sold homes on Washington Avenue in Nutley. Another
possibility is that the house may have been one of many residences previously
used by skilled Italian quarrymen who migrated to Nutley to work in the famous
sandstone quarries that were located
along Park Avenue but had been
abandoned in the early 1900s.

At the time or shortly before Grandma

and Aunt Tessie returned to Italy it is
believed that Grandpa lived at the
house of Domenica “Teca Teca”. We
also know according to the 1920 U.S.
Census Records that Grandpa was a

G RANDPA C OFONE WAS LIVING IN "NAPS" HOUSE ,

border at 122 Park Avenue, Nutley.
122 P ARK A VE, N UTLEY IN J ANUARY OF 1920. T HIS
IS HOW THE BUILDING APPEARED IN J ANUARY OF The 1920 Census data lists Grandpa’s
2004.

59
name as Natalie Cofoni, 30 years of age and single. It also indicates that he
came to the country in 1910 and is a laborer who worked in a factory. One family
that lived in the same building was that of Frank Burlat, his wife Mica, daughters
Rafaela and Mary and another boarder Frank Grabiero. Also in the building was
another family consisting of Joseph Genarelli, his wife Fannie, a nephew Angelo
and a border Natale Fingeramo. In the 1927 Nutley Directory, Burlat’s name is
listed as Brulatto and Genarelli’s name is indicated as Gencarelli.

The building was owned by someone called Cappuccina, which is

probably a nickname. It is believed that Cappuccina’s building was located at the
corner of Park Ave and Roma St. The home was also known as the house of
“Nap”. Teca Teca’s house is believed to have been located on Roma Street next
to “Nap’s corner store.
60
 CLOSE UP OF LINE 95 (ARROW ) OF 1920 CENSUS SHOW GRANDPA AS A BOARDER AT 122 PARK AVE NUTLEY

It was at Nap’s house in June of 1920 that Grandpa received an

interesting and important message from Grandma, who he had not
communicated with for nearly 9 years. Recall an earlier story where Grandma
sent a thread equivalent to Aunt Tessie height, via Christina Sapporito. To
ensure that the thread made it to America, Grandma sewed the thread into
Christina pocket for safekeeping. Aunt Tessie was about 10 at the time.

Upon seeing how much Aunt Tessie had grown, Grandpa was evidently
moved and went to see his friend, Vincenzo Terranova, who was his best man
(cumbare) and best friend. Also Vincenzo’s wife Carmela “Pitelle” baptized Uncle
Jimmy. Vincenzo was also known as “la gagha”, which loosely translated means
wisdom tooth. One story passed down over the years is that Vincenzo may have
subsidized, at least in part, the return of Grandma and Aunt Tessie, who
according to Christina, arrived six months later. As we now know the family
reunion occurred in January of 1921. We also believe that Grandma was
receiving some sort of government subsidy which may have contributed to
funding the return voyage.

With the impending return of Grandma and Aunt Tessie, one prevailing
concern was where the family would live. The issue resolved itself when Antonio
Cofone, also known as “Cara Cara”, and a cousin to Grandpa, was apparently
returning to Italy around the time of Grandma and Aunt Tessie’s arrival. The two

61
rooms he and his family occupied in Vincenzo Terranova’s house at 35 Humbert
Street became vacant. Terranova’s house is also referred to as the Pitelle house.
“Pitelle” is another family nickname, which loosely translated means a scar or
mark. The name is believed to have applied to Vincenzo’s wife, Carmela who
has been mentioned above. Several years later Antonio would become Aunt
Mary’s Godfather.

Conditions at the Pitelle house

were very crowded. Evidently
Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Tessie
had to share the previously mentioned
two rooms which had been vacated
by Antonio Cofone with as many as
seven other people. They remained at
Pitelle’s house for several months
until such time as they purchased the
Nutley homestead.
THIS RENOVATED HOME ON HUMBERT STREET IS
THE HOUSE OF “PITELLE”. IT IS ALSO BELIEVED TO
BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF UNCLE JIMMY IN 1921.

It is believed that Uncle Jimmy

was born in Pitelle’s house in December of 1921 as evidenced by his baptismal
record, which indicates the 35 Humbert Street address for the residence of
Grandma and Grandpa. We know that the Ellen Street house was purchased in
September of 1921. Why Uncle Jimmy was not born there is not actually known.
One reason could be that Grandma had the support of friends in the Pitelle
house that helped her through the delivery and recovery period. We do know
however that Aunts Josie, Mary, and Florie were born in the Ellen Street house.
Another possibility is that the Ellen Street house was undergoing some sort of
renovation and was not ready to be moved into at the time of Uncle Jimmy’s
birth. Recall that the structure was speculated to have been an office of some
62
sort. If this is true some modification to the structure may have been necessary to
convert the space to a residence.

The Nutley House Fire

It was the Nutley home that was lost due to fire. Thorough a process of
deduction and elimination it was projected that the date of the fire must have
been sometime in the first six months of 1926. There were several accounts
regarding the fire by several immediate and extended family members. A
newspaper article was also discovered and will be discussed later in the story.

One version of the story of the fire’s cause was first obtained from
Grandpa’s niece, Cristina Sapporito, who told me she clearly recalled the event.
It seems that supposedly a possible cousin of Grandma, Antonio Viola, had a
son, Luigi Viola, who was respected as being a man of intelligence and wisdom.
Luigi convinced Grandpa to purchase homeowner’s insurance for the Nutley
home. The story goes that at about 1 a.m. on the evening of the fire the family
had just finished making sausage at the home of Carmella di Pitelle. At some
point during the evening Grandpa left for a while. It was Cristina’s suspicion that
Grandpa’s absence was with the purpose of igniting the fire. It is unknown
whether he departed alone or with someone else. Grandma’s sister Zia
Francesca presumably also claimed that the house was deliberately set on fire
however how she came to this conclusion will never be known.

According to Cristina’s account the fire occurred somewhere around 2 or 3

a.m. It seems that a person only identified as possibly a teacher, saw the flames
and tried to gain entry into the home thinking that someone might still be inside.
Intense flames prevented him from gaining entry. Presumably the family pet,
either a cat or dog perished in the fire.
63
 Christina claimed that Grandpa rolled a 25-gallon barrel of wine down a
set of stairs near the rear of the house as a ploy to make it seem that the person
or persons who had attempted to steal the wine started the fire. The barrel was
presumably found intact sometime after the fire.

Christina claims that Grandpa, at some time shortly before the fire, buried
a sewing machine, furniture, and a trunk in a deep hole somewhere on the Ellen
Street property. He covered the hole with boards and dried grass.

Another story as to the cause of the fire was provided by Aunt Mary who
said the following story was conveyed to her by Aunt Tessie. This account is a lot
less dramatic than the version proffered by Cristina. It seems that Grandma and
possibly Grandpa and perhaps Aunt Tessie as well as others were in the process
of making homemade canned tomatoes when the stove burst into flames causing
the house to catch fire. In this version of the event the family received $300 from
insurance, which was just enough to put down on the Lyndhurst house. Aunt
Tessie was 15 years old at the time of the fire and there is every reason to
believe that she would have been present and involved in the process of cooking
or canning tomatoes.

In a 1992 interview with Aunt Tessie she told me that she and Grandma
weren’t home when the Nutley house caught fire. She claims they were at
Carmine “Malarielo” Chimento’s house on Roma Street at the time of the fire,
which she thought occurred in the afternoon. The Nutley homestead was
described as an old house with an outhouse in the rear. Aunt Tessie believed
that Grandpa was working when the fire occurred. She did not recall an exact

64
date or time of year the fire occurred but she thought that it was not too cold. She
recalled being very scared. Following the fire, the family stayed for a short while
with Grandpa’s niece Cristina and her husband Mike Sapporito. Cristina, who
provided an earlier version of the event, was Grandpa’s niece by virtue of the fact
that her mother Rosa was Grandpa’s sister.

An examination of the Nutley Fire Department records, which consisted of

a handwritten blotter entry into labeled columns, reveals that on Wednesday,
March 17, 1926, at 11:40 p.m. a two-story, one family house caught fire on Spurr
Place. The fire was called in from fire box 52 which, according to the 1927 Nutley
Directory, was located at the corner of Park Avenue and Walnut Street. The
record indicates that the fire started on the first floor and that the building was
lost. The record indicates that no cause of the fire was ever determined. Firemen
were dismissed from the scene at 1:20 a.m. A notation in the report indicates that
the fire was “well under way when the alarm was put in”. There was no address
listed for the house in the official fire department records. However a thorough
examination of the records by Cousin John Cafone, a Nutley Fire official, reveals
that this was the only fire of a structure on Spurr Place for 1926 that could be

E XCERPT FROM P AGE 1 OF 1926 N UTLEY FD REPORT OF FIRE AT NUTLEY HOMESTEAD

found and in all likelihood was Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

The Saturday, March 20, 1926 edition of the Nutley Sun, the local
newspaper, contained a story about a house fire that occurred on Spurr Place.
The Nutley Sun was a weekly paper in the mid-1920s and reported on events
65
that occurred in the prior week. One can see from reading the article that there
immediately appears to be some discrepancies. The residence where the fire
occurred is reported to belong to Pasquale Cafone. Grandpa did have an uncle
by that name that according to the Nutley Directory was believed lived at 61 Ellen
Avenue, but there is no family recollection that Uncle Pasquale’s house ever
caught fire. My father indicated that Uncle Pasquale’s house was located on the
south side of Ellen Avenue and was the last house on the block. It was located
just at the point where Ellen Avenue turns north becoming Quarry Road which
eventually intersects Grant Ave. The source for information contained in the
article likely came from the police or the fire department as no byline appears. It
seems more credible that some of the alleged facts were just incorrect.

The newspaper account

indicates that the fire occurred on the
previous Wednesday. This confirms the
March 17 date reflected in the fire
department report. The paper also
reports the address of the fire as 6
Ellen Avenue, which does not exist.
This address conflicts with other
information regarding the actual
address of the Ellen Street house. A
birth announcement for Aunt Florie that
appeared in the Nutley Sun in 1925
indicates an address for the family of 80
Ellen Street. The address also appears
in her baptismal record from Holy N UTLEY S UN ARTICLE OF S ATURDAY
M ARCH 20, 1926 DETAILING ACCOUNTS OF
Family Church in Nutley as well at that THE FIRE THAT DESTROYED THE N UTLEY
HOUSE
for Aunt Mary. No direct sources for the

66
information in the article were ever quoted. Perhaps a typographically error can
account for the misrepresentation of the address in the article. We can continue
to speculate on the various reasons why the information was not reported
accurately, however given the times it is not too surprising that such information
could become distorted.

According to the article the two-alarm fire occurred around midnight. The
fire department was initially alerted by a telephone call reporting a grass fire at
the back of an automobile junk yard evidently in the area.

An attempt was made to determine is such a junk yard existed. Nutley

Auto Wreckers was located 188 Washington Avenue, which is located within the
boundaries of Avondale. Specifically the building was located on the east side of
Washington Avenue between Viola building supply and what had formerly been
the Bell Lap Tavern, situated at the northeast corner of Washington and Park
Avenues. It is certainly feasible that Nutley Auto Wreckers may have had a
storage lot in the near vicinity. The 1927 Nutley Directory indicated that no
residences existed on Spurr Place. This was probably true for 1926 as well. So
the area just east of Spurr Place and south of Grant Avenue located directly
behind the Nutley properties may have indeed served as a junkyard.

As the fire apparatus was about to depart headquarters an area fire box
alarm was pulled. By the time that the fire department arrived the second floor
was ablaze. The fire was so intense that its glow was presumably visible from the
town hall. It took the entire Nutley Fire Department more than an hour and a
quarter to extinguish the fire.

67
 Although the walls were still standing at the end, the roof and floors had
fallen. The article indicates that the damage was assessed at between $3000
and $3500 which was interestingly corresponded to what was believed by at
least one handed down account to be the insurance settlement and the price of
the Lyndhurst house. This assessment was compared to the fire department
report which indicated the value of the building was $6000 and that the loss
totaled $4000. The fire report indicates that there was $6000 insurance coverage
on the building. How the fire department arrived at these figures is unknown. The
fire department estimated value of the loss would tend to support an insurance
claim settlement of between $3000 to $3500 and not that proposed by other
accounts that placed the insurance settlement at about $300.

Another noteworthy fact contained in the newspaper article is found in the

last line of the story. It read that the house was unoccupied but fully furnished.
Ironically the official fire report’s entries under the columns for Value, Loss, or
Insurance of contents are blank. If it is true that the house was furnished then
the account of Cristina Sapporito regarding Grandpa’s burying of furniture is
called into question. The furnishings probably consisted of little more than a bed
or two, a table, and perhaps a few chairs and maybe a sewing machine as
Cristina suggests. Cristina’s account also begs the question as to why Grandpa
would not have buried everything.

Another interesting sidebar to the story that appeared in the Nutley Sun is
that there had evidently been a related story written about a dog that warned
residents to escape the fire at the last moment only to die in the fire itself. The
last paragraph of the main article indicates that firemen, who stated that the
house was fully furnished but unoccupied at the time of the fire, denied the
account of the heroic dog. As mentioned earlier there was an account floating

68
around that seemed to indicate that a pet of some sort was lost in the fire but
how this incredible version developed is anyone’s guess.

It is interesting to note that the fire occurred on Saint Patrick’s Day. If we

are to believe the scenario that Grandpa and his cronies committed arson and
then contrived a falsehood to explain the “accidental” cause as involving alleged
thieves attempting to steal wine, perhaps they were rather cagy in selecting that
particular day. Maybe they thought given the celebratory nature of the holiday by
others outside the Italian conclave, that somehow the “Americani” who
administered the town might easily believe this story. We will never know for
sure.

Following the fire the family returned to live in the Pitelle house until such
time that they could move into the Lyndhurst homestead.

The search for another homestead began shortly after the fire. Sources
told us that Grandma did not want to remain in Avondale. She was afraid that
Grandpa would continue carousing with his friends. It seems he would regularly
go out at night visiting friends, some of whom were females, leaving Grandma
alone at home with the children. A frequent stop would be the house of
Philomena Schiecca, which was believed to be located somewhere on Humbert
Street, and where Grandpa and his friends would eat goat cheese, drink wine,
and sing Calabrese songs into the night. Another hangout was a bar on Park
Avenue known as Pasqualina’s. It is said that often upon arriving home from
work Grandpa would hang his jacket on the fence and go off to the bar.

69
 In the prevailing culture of the time that existed in small Italian communes
such as Avondale, the husband was the breadwinner and undisputed head of the
household. As such, he had free reign to do as he saw fit and go where he
pleased. In many instances wives were completely subservient to their husbands
and concerned themselves almost entirely with maintaining the household and
raising their children. It was also not uncommon for some wives to be subjected
physical abuse from their husbands. Often such abuse was a byproduct of the
husband’s level of sobriety. It is not entirely known to what extent Grandpa’s
demeanor compared to such a profile but it seems clear that Grandma wanted to
separate him from the existing environment.

The Lyndhurst House

I suspect that Grandma may have been behind what happened next.
Apparently Louie Viola, possibly at Grandma’s behest, convinced Grandpa to buy
another house quickly or risk losing the insurance money. A family friend,
Nunziata Montalto, also known as “Pedarsa”, which loosely translated means
stroke or paralysis, actually advised our grandparents that her brother Carlo was
selling a new home he had built in Lyndhurst. According to records in the Bergen
County Courthouse, the Lyndhurst house was purchased from Charles (Carlo)
and Josephine Montalto on August 16, 1926 for the sum of $3,958.16. It is
located at 209 Thomas Avenue. According to an interview with Aunt Jean in
1992, it is believed they may have first looked at a house on Sanford Avenue
before settling on the Thomas Avenue house.

It is not entirely clear or substantiated, but by one account it was believed

that Charlie Montalto may have been a cousin to Grandpa. Charlie was a builder
and was considered a big shot by the local gentry. Aunt Tessie said that family

70
friend Pepina “a Ribichina” loaned them some of the money to buy the house,
which as indicated was newly constructed.

Due to dire financial conditions brought about by the Great Depression,

the Lyndhurst house was nearly lost three times. An interesting sidebar regarding
the Lyndhurst house is that Grandpa filed a tax appeal with the Bergen County
Board of Taxation in 1932. The house had been assessed at $2300. Grandpa
won the appeal which reduced the assessed value of the home to $2000 and
also reduced his property tax.

The Lyndhurst house is located at the intersection of Thomas Avenue and

Riverside Avenue. In 1926 the house could best be described as a two-story
wood frame structure with an open front porch. The porch was later enclosed but
still functioned as a porch of sorts, acting as storage space until the late 1960’s
when the area was incorporated as living space. As a child I recall the house
being painted a medium gray. It is my belief that the house had been originally
painted the same color. Sometime after selling the Nutley property in 1958
Grandpa had light green aluminum siding installed. Years later my father would
have the siding painted gray. The home’s exterior and interior underwent several
renovations over the years.

The house originally contained four rooms on each floor. Essentially the
first floor consisted of a kitchen and three bedrooms. The front room closest to
the front door served as the bedroom of Grandma and Grandpa. The other front
room nearest the driveway was Jimmy and Louie’s room. The rear bedroom
located behind the boys bedroom and adjacent to the kitchen was the girls’
bedroom. The girls shared a bed and slept head to foot. Aunt Florie and Aunt
Jean being the youngest slept with her head at the foot of the bed, while Aunt
71
Mary, Aunt Josie and Aunt Tessie slept with their heads at the head of the bed.
The kitchen contained a coal stove, washing machine, sink, table and icebox.
The house was heated by coal. The accommodations were sparse to say the
least.

The basement was unfinished and contained a coal furnace centrally

located and coal bin centrally located along the rear wall. The rear corner of the
basement adjacent to the driveway was where Grandpa kept his wine press and
other paraphernalia which he used to make his annual stock in the fall.

THIS IS THE EARLIEST PICTURE OF THE LYNDHURST HOUSE, CIRCA LATE 1930’S. UNCLE
JIMMY DONS A FLASHY BATHING SUIT AS AUNT ROSIE ADORINGLY LOOKS ON. IF YOU
LOOK CLOSELY YOU WILL SEE THE” OTHER WOMAN “IN UNCLE JIMMY’S LIFE. HE USED TO
REFER TO THE TATTOO OF A MERMAID ON HIS RIGHT THIGH AS HIS “GIRLFRIEND”. HE
WOULD ENJOY MAKING HER “DANCE”, WHICH HE DID BY FLEXING HIS MUSCLE.

Grandpa’s wine recipe utilized both red and white grape. I believe
Muscatel was the variety of red grape he used. As I recall it, the wine was very

72
rustic and very strong. I also recall how the boxes of grape where passed
through the basement windows, stacked and then opened. My father and Uncle
Jimmy helped in the production. Over the years some of the uncles may have
also assisted. When completed the wine was stored in barrels in the area of the
basement known as the “cold cellar”, which was located beneath the porch. It
was separated from the rest of the basement by a concrete block wall that had a
single door entry point, thereby creating a room. The room maintained a cool
temperature year round ideal for aging and storing of wine. Grandma also kept
preserves and other items in the room as well. Grandpa eventually added a
bathroom in the other rear corner of the basement that consisted of a toilet and
shower. The walls around the shower stall were made of scrap boarding.

The second floor was a rented apartment. The first tenants were the
Bucceroni’s. Over the years other tenants included Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie,
Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie, Annie Papalina and Annie’s brother Sammy Rosa,
Harry Sparta and “Florence the Jew”, cousin Jenny Alessio and her husband who
vacated when Aunt Mary was to be married, Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny, and
finally, Louie and Angela.

An item of trivia that pertains to the address of the Lyndhurst house is that
the house was numbered out of sequence. As one is facing the Lyndhurst house
the four- family structure to the left contains the address 201 and 203 Thomas
Avenue. To the right the house is numbered 205 Thomas Avenue. Likely the
Lyndhurst homestead was built subsequent to those addresses previously
mentioned, although a clerical error could also have been responsible for the
break in continuity.

73
 The Lyndhurst house was located in a section of the town known as “The
Hook”, a triangular shaped area bounded by Kingsland Avenue to the North,
Stuyvesant Avenue to the East and Riverside Avenue to the West. There is no
documentation on how that section of town got its name. Leading theories refer
to either a bend in the Passaic River opposite that area of town or a bend in
Riverside Avenue, in the area of Sanford and Copeland Avenues, as it enters
and passes through that section of town. Around the time Grandpa purchased
the Lyndhurst house The Hook section, like the Avondale section in Nutley,
contained a large concentration of Italian immigrants.

Over the years I had heard the names of neighbors who lived on the block
and nearby adjacent streets. From the 1930 U.S. Census we learn who some of
these people were. Living in the Lyndhurst house was Grandpa, Grandma and all
the kids. In the four rooms on the second floor lived Joe and Mary Rosa and their
five kids. They appear to be Carmine 16, Josephine 13, Anna 11, Rose 9, and a
7 year old son whose name is not entirely legible but appears to be Sam.

At 201 Thomas Avenue, which was the left side of a four-family home,
located next door the Lyndhurst house lived Martin and Margaret Sylvester and a
4 year old son whose name is not legible in the record. Immediately next door at
203 Thomas lived a young couple John and Mildred Ferraro, probably on the
second floor. On the first floor were Charlie and Josephine Motaldo (sic) and their
children Elizabeth 21, Ernest 13, Rose 9 and Josephine 4. I believe their last
name was actually Montalto. Charlie is the same person from whom Grandpa
purchased the Lyndhurst house and allegedly the same person who during the
Depression alerted authorities regarding a welfare fraud allegation which resulted
in Grandpa doing time on a labor farm. On the other side at 205 Thomas Avenue
lived and older couple Frank and Lizzie Madato (sic). Their last name appears as
Montalto in the 1940 census.
74
 Up the block at 229 Thomas Avenue, which is located at the northeast
corner of Thomas and Meyer Avenues was Joe and Louisa Durando and their
children Louis 20, Mary 17, Angelo 13 and Nancy 7. Twenty three years later
Mary would become my Godmother. The Durando’s later had a small grocery
store on the first floor of their home.

The addresses 208 and 212 Paul Street were located directly behind the
Lyndhurst house. Living in 208 was Sam and Rose Del Core and their children
Tessie 14, Carmela 12, Rose 9, Antoinette 7, Josephine 4, Sammy 2 ½, and
Carmine 6 months. Grandma and Grandpa were very close with the Del Cores.
They were cumbari as either Rose or Sam or both baptized one of our aunts and
uncles. Rose was simply known as cumara Rosina.

Sam Albanese, known as Sabatile, and his five children Salvatore 21,
Mary 19, a 16 year old daughter whose name is illegible in the record, John 10,
and Rocco 6 lived at 212 Paul Street along with his 82 year old father Salvatore.
The house is located south of the Del Core home. In the house to the north of
the Del Cores were Vincent and Angelina Luzzi at 204 Paul Street with their four
children Louie 22, Josephine 16, Anthony 14 and Salvatore 11. At 220 Paul
Street, located next to the Albaneses were Eugene and Concetta Costa and their
two sons Ernest 23 and Alfred 21.

By the next decade some of the neighbors changed. In 1940 residing next
door at 201 Thomas was Ludwig and Genevive Hansler and a son, William Clark.
On the second floor were Joe and Mary Polito and a daughter Marian. At 203
Thomas on the first floor was Carmine and Amelia Vitteritto and their children

75
Nunzie, Jennie, Sarah, Frances and Marie. On the second floor were Pete and
Kathleen Stefano. Further up the block on Thomas Avenue were the Faziola,
Montalto, Vendola, Ricci, Giancarlo, Guzzo and Giaquinto families. Across the
way on Riverside were the McDonnell, Coehlo, Turano, DeBonis and Busceroni
families On Meyer Avenue were the Jiosi and Ferrarro families.

The rear yard of the

Lyndhurst house was small and
contained four attached flat
roofed wooden garages. I recall
that two of the garages stood
were the present garage stands
now. My father used to house his
car in the left garage. It had dark
green wooden hinged doors. The

THE LYNDHURST HOUSE AS IT APPEARED IN 2004

other was rented to Angelo
Pezzano, a neighbor who lived
next door at 203 Thomas Avenue. It had dark green corrugated steel, hinged
doors. Attached to these garages were two others that were located directly
behind the house. Of these garages, the outermost contained dark green sheet
metal doors. It was referred to as Grandpa’s garage. The other, which was
located between my father’s garage and Grandpa’s garage, contained no doors
at all. I seem to recall that Grandpa stored piles of wood in each of these
garages.

Grandpa hated to have anything done to the house. It is not really known
why he felt this way. As indicated earlier, it was said that he nearly lost the house
several times due largely to the poor economy during the depression.
Speculation was that he had a fear that perhaps renovations might cause some
76
irreparable harm to the structure. Others thought that any major improvements
could result in a property tax increase. I recall one event in the early 1960s when
my parents wanted to add a closet in their bedroom on the second floor of the
house. Arrangements were made to have Uncle Jimmy come and get Grandpa
and keep him occupied for several hours. I believe it was one of the Simone
cousins and perhaps one of our uncles who came to construct the closet in
haste. The last thing anyone wanted was for Grandpa to come home to find work
on going. I do not think Grandpa ever learned of the project.

There were four other children who were born after the family moved to
Lyndhurst. As far as we know at least two were born in hospitals. Louie was born
in 1926 in Passaic General Hospital. Next born was Alfonso in 1928, who died
within a few days, and Angelo in 1929 who only lived a few months. Based upon
information in their death certificates it is believed both were born at home.
According to information provided by one of the aunts, one if not both, had been
waked in the house. Finally, Jean in 1932 was also born in Passaic General
Hospital.

The Nutley property remained in the family until December 30, 1958 at
which time it was sold to Amedeo and Josephine De Berardinis. The story goes
that Christina Sapporito’s and her husband wanted to buy the property from
Grandpa but he refused to sell them the property. Evidently he had some sort of
disagreement with the Sapporito’s; some say he disliked their moral character.
Supposedly the De Berardinis’ were a front for the Sapporito’s and sometime
after purchasing the property from Grandpa they sold the property to John and
Jennie Casiello (nee Sapporito).

77
 As per Grandpa’s wish the Lyndhurst house was eventually inherited by
Louie in August of 1967. The house has undergone several renovations over the
years including a new garage, front brick face, an expansion that included a
master bedroom and bath at the rear of the house. Louie lived there until his
death in April of 2011. His wife and my mom, Angela, still live there to this day.

LYNDHURST HOUSE (RED CIRCLE) NEAR INTERSECTION OF RIVERSIDE AND

THOMAS AVENUE WITH ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS.

78
 Chapter 7- Our Grandparents’ Family &
Ancestors

Thus far we can trace some lines of our family back seven and possibly
eight generations beginning with my generation, the second American born
generation. Chronologically this extends some of our family’s ancestral lines to
the last quarter of the 1700s, which we have been able to establish by
extrapolating age information provided in records from early the1800s. There is
however a practical limit on how far back we can go. Vital records in Acri did not
begin until February 1809. Baptismal records existed through the Church, but
not birth records. Given the relatively high infant mortality rate that existed at the
time, of which people were intuitively aware, and the prevailing religious beliefs of
the region, it would seem plausible that most baptisms during the 19th and early
20th centuries were conducted close to time of birth, often within days.

The Cosenza Archive Web site and as well as the Latter Day Saints
database are the major sources of the information to follow. Both contain some
records that date back to the early 1800s. Most towns in the province of
Cosenza, of which Acri is a part, did not begin keeping vital records until as
stated above about 1809. When Napoleon Bonaparte conquered southern Italy
he instituted the Napoleonic Code there and required vital records to be
kept. After his defeat, many towns stopped keeping those records until Italian
unification in 1869. Thankfully Acri was not one of those towns, thus we have
information going back to the early 1800s. As indicated above the only possible
way to obtain factual data and advance the lines further back would be by a
painstaking manual review of church records, provided they still exist and are
accessible. Over the centuries events such as wars and natural catastrophes
have certainly obliterated some records. Cemetery records dating back to the
1800s and early 1900s are virtually non-existent. It is not like it is here in the U.S.
79
where you can often find your ancestor's tombstone. In Italy, it is common to rent
a grave for twenty years or so. When the time is up, the corpse is often dug up
and put in a communal grave so the rented grave can be reused. Remember,
Italian towns have been around for much longer than our towns and they don't
have the space for every corpse after many centuries.

To come up with some of the dates reflected in the sections to follow an

extrapolation was made that considered reported ages contained in birth, death
and marriage records. Generally the age is subtracted from the date of a
documented event to arrive at an estimated year of birth. In viewing the various
records, ages are given throughout each document not only for the person who is
the subject of the document but also the parents, where applicable, and any
witnesses to the particular event. The question that arises is how accurately does
the reported age reflect the actual ages of the persons named in a particular
document? The general rule on how to treat ages reported in the old documents
was provided to me by Ed Bronejko, who was mentioned earlier in the
acknowledgement section as being an authority on the 19th century Italian
records from Acri and who provided me with copies of many of the old
documents tracing our family’s roots. According to Ed, treat ages ending in zero
as “about”. For example, about thirty, etc. Treat ages ending in six as “mid” age.
For example, mid-twenty, mid-thirty, etc. Also, as you get past forty, the mid-
ages decrease leaving mostly ages ending in zero, such as 60, 70, and
80. While you will see many "exact" ages in the twenties and thirties, such as 22,
28, 31, etc., you almost never see similar ages around sixty, seventy, or
eighty. So, younger ages are more likely to be correct, unless they end in zero or
six!

I have tried to break down the various connections to make them easier to
follow, however it can still be challenging. I have also tried to relate the
80
regression of our ancestors to my generation, the second American born
generation. If your generation happens to succeed mine just keep adding
“greats” until you arrive at your generation. Attached to this document will be an
appendix that will present the information in tabular form.

We begin with Grandpa and Grandma individually and work backward as

far as records will allow. Thus far, as indicated, we have been able to trace back
some of our lineage to the late 1700s. My sister Rose Ann has been maintaining
what is commonly referred to as a family tree beginning with the children of
Grandma and Grandpa. I hope to one day find a way to integrate that effort with
this historical account.

In putting this chapter together I discovered, or I should say corroborated,

a major historical fact I had heard once from Aunt Rosie wherein she told me that
Grandpa and Grandma were cousins. You’ll see this interesting connection later
on but first let’s begin our exploration with a discussion of the area of Italy where
our family originated and what little we know about how our early ancestors lived.

The Family’s Geographic

Origins

Our Grandparents came from the town

of Acri in the southern Italian state of Calabria.
Calabria is located at the tip of the Italian
peninsula; it borders with the Italian state of
Basilicata and stretches between the
M AP OF I TALY WITH THE I TALIAN STATE OF
Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea in the C ALABRIA CIRCLED

81
direction of Sicily from which it is divided by the Strait of Messina. Calabria is
familiarly described as the toe and instep of the boot-like Italian peninsula.

Brief Ancient History

A brief history of Acri is contained in Wikipedia. A few interesting facts

from that accounting are presented below for your edification. Amidst all the
historical events is a fascinating piece of information that establishes a direct
Cofone connection to the return of stability to the town of Acri in the eleventh
century.

The area that encompasses Acri has been inhabited since the Neolithic
period (3500-2800 BC). Acri sided with Hannibal against Rome during the “War
Against Hannibal” which lasted from 218 to 201 B.C. but was besieged by the
Romans in 203 BC. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Acri became
part of several kingdoms until it was once again overwhelmed, ransacked and
almost completely destroyed during the Gothic War in 542. It was as if history
repeated itself numerous times during the course of the next five hundred years
as the town was again and again beleaguered, looted and conquered numerous
times. It was not until the city fell under the control of the Norman, Robert
Guiscard, who in 1074 assigned the city to Count Simone Cofone, that a stable
government returned and a sense of stability returned.

The stability that Count Cofone brought to the town was not enduring
lasting perhaps less than fifty years. Over the succeeding centuries Acri saw its
share of conflict, devastation, pillage killing and natural disasters interspersed
with occasional periods of prosperity. Some events were horrific such as when
the St. Maria Maggiore Church, the very church where many of our Cofone
82
ancestors were baptized and married, was set fire with women and children
inside or when medieval military commanders and certain nobility were sawed
alive in the public square. Fortunately unification came to Italy and Acri in the
1860s and a more lasting stability took hold.

It is interesting to ponder whether Count Simone Cofone could be a direct

descendant; however the truth is that we will probably never know. Tracing back
our lines to the eleventh century does not seem plausible. But if he was a
relative, the question that begs an answer is what happened over the course of
the next six or seven hundred years that resulted in a Cofone family descent from
nobility to nearly the lowest social strata? An amusing and somewhat ironic side
bar at this point is the Simone-Cofone connection. I couldn’t help but think about
Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie and how fascinated they would have probably been
to learn of the Count.

Acri Geography

The town of Acri, which was built on

T HE TOWN OF A CRI (I N CIRCLE ) LOCATED IN
THE I TALIAN STATE OF C ALABRIA
three hills overlooking the Mucone and
Chàlamo rivers on the edge of Sila National
Park, is located in the province of Cosenza.
Acri is very large encompassing an area of
approximately 78 square miles (202 km2). As
of this writing the population stands at about
22,000 people but has been showing a
descending trend since 2010.

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 Acri contains approximately
fifty one “frazione” or
territorial sub divisions.
These smaller villages and
hamlets are located in the
countryside that surrounds
the main township. More
specifically, the countryside

T HE MAIN TOWN OF A CRI SERVES AS THE HUB OF MANY “ FRAZIONE " SUCH AS
region where our
THOSE FROM WHICH OUR GRANDPARENTS CAME .
Grandparents came from is
located on the north bank of the Mucone River, generally southwest from the
town of Acri proper. Many Italians from Acri refer to the region as “chi la bana
Mucone” meaning the other side of the Mucone River. Generally speaking the
terrain is best described as
mountainous and heavily
wooded and interspersed with
farm land.

The region of the Acri

countryside where Grandma
was born is known as “la
Serricella”. Grandpa came
from the Acri region of
“Policaretto”. Sericella and
Policaretto are located about
1.7 miles (2.8 km) and 2.7
miles (4.3 km) from Acri,
respectively as the crow flies.
L OCATION OF GRANDPA ’S HOME VILLAGE OF P OLICARETTO WITH
RESPECT TO S ERRICELLA , WHICH WAS G RANDMA ’S HOME VILLAGE , AND
The villages are separated by THE LARGER MUNICIPALITY OF A CRI .

84
about a mile of mountainous terrain. Sericella is located at a height of 2,362 feet
(720 m) above sea level while Policaretto is located at 2,625 feet (800 m). Each
of these villages has a small population. Most recently Serricella reported 117
residents while Policaretto has 87. During the time of our Grandparents
upbringing both villages probably had more residents. It could take a day’s walk
to get from Acri to the region of Serricella. The preceding map shows the
geographic relationship of these various regions.

Demographics

At the time our Grandparents lived there, the inhabitants of their

respective villages were generally farmers (contadino), herdsmen (bovaro),
laborers (bracciale) and yarn spinners (filatrice) and, for all intents and purposes,
were living off the land. Occasionally some of our ancestors possessed trade
skills such as a tailor (sarto) or a carpenter (falegname). Generally however,
people that possessed trade skills lived in the more developed area of Acri
proper.

Additionally, most of the people who lived out in the country during the
time of our Grandparents and their ancestors were illiterate. This created
problems in verification or validation of information at the time it was recorded.
Communication was entirely verbal. The families of the outer regions knew that
any time a birth, death, or marriage occurred it was to be reported to the
municipal authority in Acri. The reporting requirement was not done in all cases
as evidenced, at least in part, by a lack of records. When it was done there were
occasions when the names were not entirely understood by those recording the
information and so derivatives of the family names emerged. Being illiterate,
there was no way our ancestors could confirm a spelling. Keep in mind also that

85
the actual birth and death dates may have been days, weeks, or in some cases
perhaps months before documented dates. People from the outer regions had to
traverse to Acri proper to make the required government notification. The sojourn
to the main town was treacherous in the best of times and could take days on
foot. During winter the journey was even more perilous, easily increasing the
travel time. To remain in compliance with local law, those reporting births and
death often contrived dates that fell within the statutory requirements.

As you read about marriages keep in mind that in Italy at this period of
time, a couple needed to get married twice (usually on the same day, but not
always) - once in church to fulfill their religious obligations and once at the town
hall to fulfill their civil obligations. If they did not marry at the town hall, their
children were legally considered illegitimate and could not inherit.

The Italian Homestead

Grandpa’s family lived in a three room stone and stucco house. During
the winter months, part of the living quarters served as a make shift barn,

E XTERIOR OF C OFONE HOMESTEAD IN A CRI I NTERIOR OF C OFONE HOMESTEAD . HEARTH USED FOR
COUNTRYSIDE AS IT APPEARED IN 2002 COOKING AND HEAT .

86
housing goats, sheep and chickens. Cooking was done in a hearth, which also
supplied heat in the winter.

As of 2002 the structure was still standing and was being used for storage.
As you can see from the photos, the building has more or less fallen into
disrepair. Standing inside the house gave me a strange and rather emotional
feeling as I thought about Grandpa, his parents and siblings and ancestors living
in these small quarters. I realized that this structure represented the cradle of our
family’s beginning. I felt lucky to have been there seeing it first-hand. There was
no way to date the premises. I asked my cousin George and his brother who
estimated that the home had been here hundreds of years.

I was lead to believe that the house where Grandma was born and grew
up in was similar in design. I was told that it had been destroyed long ago and
none of the structure remained. Should I ever return to this area again I would
like to at least visit the place where it once stood.

Ancestral Lines

We begin our journey back in time with Grandpa’s family. This is the
portion of our family’s history where we trace our origins as far back as records
will allow. At the outset I must confess that there is more information that we do
not know than what is presented below, in large part due to the unavailability of
records. Having said this, the quantity of information that appears below is
dramatically and considerably greater than what was known and presented in the
first edition. Where documentation does not exist, connections were deduced or
reasoned. In some cases an element of speculation was employed to suggest
possible connections. I tried to make it clear where such license was taken.
87
 Added at the end of each section of our Grandparents respective family
lines is a Pedigree Chart. It will probably be helpful to print it out and/or refer to it
when reading about our ancestral lines beginning with our Great Grandparents.
As the old adage goes, “you can’t tell a player without a score card” and believe
me, if there is one lesson I learned doing this aspect of the research is that things
can easily become convoluted and confusing when trying to make the connection
between generations.

NATALE COFONE
Immediate Family
Father – Vincenzo Cofone b. February 24, 1856, d. After 1924

Mother – Teresa Fabbricatore b. September 1, 1856, d. January 11, 1904

Step Mother – Maria Cristina Gabriele b. around 1882, d. After 1924

We know from Grandpa’s birth record that his father was Vincenzo Cofone
born February 24, 1856 at 2 a.m. at contrada di la Morrone [la Morrone street],
Acri. He was baptized on the 26th of February 1856 at the church of Santa Maria
in Acri. A death record for Vincenzo could not be located however based on the
birth of his last child, from a second marriage discussed below, we can conclude
he died sometime after 1924 indicating that he was at least 68 years old at the
time of his death.

Grandpa’s mother’s name was Teresa Fabbricatore and she was born on
September 1, 1856. An Acri death record indicates that she died on January 11,
1904. She was 47 at the time of her death. She was Vincenzo’s first wife.

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 Thus far a marriage record for Vincenzo and Teresa could not be located.
The birth records of four of Vincenzo's children (Angelo, Maria Rosa, Natale, and
Grazia) indicate Vincenzo and Teresa were married. The birth record of the
middle child, Maria Giuseppa, indicates an illegitimate birth, which is a bit
perplexing. To be considered a legitimate birth the parents must have been
married civilly. If they did not marry at the town hall, their children were legally
considered illegitimate and could not inherit.

Teresa gave birth to at least five children;

Angelo

Angelo was born on February 19, 1880. As of yet we are not quite sure of
when Angelo died. According to information provided by Aunt Rosie, it was said
that Angelo met his demise relative to an altercation over a woman.

Maria Rosa

Maria Rosa, known in the U.S. as “Za Rosa”, meaning Aunt Rose, was
born on August 11, 1882. She was probably named for her grandmother Maria
Celico and one or both of her great grandmothers either Rosa Coschignano or
Rosa Sammara. The birth record of Maria Rosa Cofone had a margin notation
referencing her Acri marriage to Giovanni Giuseppe Coschignano on the 13th of
June 1901. It appears that Giovanni Giuseppe Coschignano and Maria Rosa
Cofone had two daughters. The eldest was Nunziata Coschignano and she was
born on March 19, 1902 and the youngest Cristina probably born in 1905.
Cristina immigrated to the U.S. around 1920 where she married. She has
previously been identified as Cristina Sapporito. It is also believed that Rosa

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married a second time after coming to the United States possibly to someone by
the last name Solitto.

It appears that Rosa immigrated to the U.S. on July 16, 1908 aboard the
SS Venezia. She is listed in the manifest as Rosa Cafone. She is also listed as
being 26 years of age, which corresponds with her known and documented date
of birth. The record indicates that her father’s name was Vincenzo. Her marital
status is listed as widowed. On page 1 of her passenger record it indicates that
he final destination was NY, NY. It is not clear if this entry only refers to the port
of arrival. According to the manifest, Rosa was going to visit her brother-in-law
Fedele Coschignano at an address in NY. The number of the residence is 29 but
the name of the street is not clearly discernible. It appears to begin with a C and
possible ends in a d. An “X” in the left margin next to Rosa’s name indicates that
she may have been detained by Ellis Island officials and indeed she was until her
brother-in-law came to retrieve her later in the day.

Rosa’s daughter, Nunziata Coschignano, who was 6 years old when Rosa
came to the U.S., did not arrive in America until nearly twelve years after her
mother immigrated. On June 9, 1920 she arrived on board the SS Duca Degli
Abruzzi. The manifest spells her first name as Nunzia. She was 18 years old at
the time. Her passenger record also indicates that her grandfather was Vincenzo
and that she was heading to Nutley. It also stated that her mother was Rosa and
that Rosa paid her daughter’s passage. Typed in the box that indicated that she
was going to see her mother was an address of 16th Street, Jersey (sic) NJ.
Perhaps the notation is referring to Jersey City. However a hand written notation
shows an address of 204 Paul Street, Lyndhurst, NJ. Nunziata’s record also
indicates that she may have been detained and then later admitted, however no
detention record for Nunziata could be located.

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 Nunziata was not traveling alone. Her sister Cristina, who was 15 years
old at the time, was also traveling with her. As previously indicated, Cristina was
none other than Cristina Sapporito, Grandpa’s niece, who had provided me with
an interview in 1992. Cristina was also detained but like her sister, no detention
record could be located.

Nunizata and Cristina occupied lines 22 and 23, respectively in the

passenger record. A bracket was hand written in the first name space in the
manifest that connected lines 22 to 25 indicating that Nunizata and Cristina may
also have been traveling with Santa Morrone, 35 years of age, and her daughter
Filomena Sporato (sic) 10 years of age also from Acri. There is no indication that
Santa and Filomena were related to Nunziata and Cristina. Both Santa and her
daughter were heading to Westerly RI. In the box for “Race and People” a written
notation for Santa indicates “US Cit” (sic), implying that she is a U.S. citizen.
Column 8 on page 1 of the ship’s manifest indicates that Santa cannot read or
write. It also indicates any exemption for which the word “husband’ appears. For
Filomena the exemption listed is father. It is my belief that this exemption
indicates that Santa’s husband, Vincenzo Sposato, was probably a U.S. citizen
living at 75 Pleasant Street, Westerly RI. The record indicates that everyone in
this traveling party intended to remain permanently in the U.S. and hoped to
become citizens.

Interestingly just beneath Filomena’s entry on line 26, the name

Francesco Morrone appears. Francesco was 40 years of age and also from Acri
and was also heading to Westerly, RI to visit a brother Angelo who lived at
Stillman Avenue. Francesco had a wife named Maria. There is no indication
whether or not he was related to Santa. The interesting aspect about Santa and

91
Francesco is that their last name and their intended destination of Westerly
coincide with a notation in Grandpa’s passenger list entry that he was going to
Niantic (later to become part of Westerly) to see an Uncle Salvatore Morrone. It
remains to be seen if Salvatore, Santa, and Francesco are related to each other
and to Grandpa’s family.

Maria Giuseppa

Maria Giuseppa known as Pepina was born on June 11, 1885. She too
was named at least in part after her grandmother Maria Celico. Pepina is
believed to have married to Genio Cirallo; Strangely as indicated earlier, Maria
Guiseppa’s birth record indicates an illegitimate birth. It is anyone’s guess why
this is the case.

Natale

Our grandfather Natale was born on December 11, 1888 and died on
December 22, 1966 at the age of 78 in Fair Lawn Memorial hospital, which no
longer exists, from stomach cancer.

Grazia

Grazia was born July 8, 1892. It is believed that she arrived in the U.S. on
April 1, 1913 aboard the SS Stampalia. She was 20 years of age at the time of
her arrival. Her passenger record indicates that her parents and brothers were
still in Italy. We know that this information is partially incorrect. Grazia had only
two brothers. Natale was already in the U.S. We are not sure when Angelo was
killed, so it may be that he was still alive at the time, as were her parents. Page
one of Grazia’s passenger record indicates that her final destination was
Brooklyn, NY. Page 2 of the record indicates she was going to see her sister

92
Rosa who lived at 131 Hudson Street. No town or city is provided so we consider
the more common destination for Italian immigrants. Recall her sister Rosa’s
destination was NY, NY. There is also a Hudson Street in Manhattan, so we next
direct our attention to Brooklyn. As can be best determined there was and is no
Hudson Street in Brooklyn. There is however a Hudson Avenue which is located
near the Manhattan Bridge. Another speculated possibility is that Grazia’s final
destination may have been Humbert Street in the Avondale section of Nutley,
which is the area where her sister Rosa eventually settled. It may be that
somehow Humbert got translated to mean Hudson by Ellis Island officials.

Grazia eventually married Pasquale Festa. From the 1927 Nutley directory
we know they lived at 12 Humbert Street. It is said that Pasquale committed
suicide by hanging. Some speculate that Grazia’s promiscuous conduct lead
Pasquale’s demise. Specifically a rumored liaison with an Avondale man known
as Mici (pronounced Meech), who real name is believed to have been Frank
Fabbricatore, may have been the impetus for Pasquale’s desperate act.

Grazia and Pasquale had four children, Tessie, Carmela, Luigi and
Antonio. Carmela’s marriage name is Garofalo. She had a son Hank and three
daughters Patty, Barbara and Camile. She lived on Copeland Avenue in Lyndhurst
next to the Mt Carmel church until her death in the fall of 2012. Her late brother
Lou lived directly across the street from the church also on Copeland Avenue.
Lou and his brother Tony, who is also deceased, were milkmen.

Grazia died in March of 1978 at the age of 85. According to the Social
Security Death Index her place of death is indicated as Belleville, NJ. This
suggests that she probably died in Clara Maas Hospital, which is located in
Belleville.
93
 Other Children

There were also rumors of other children for Vincenzo and Teresa.
Michele and perhaps Maria may also have been born to Vincenzo and Teresa,
however no birth record could be found. All of Grandpa’s full blooded siblings
have died and the death years of some of them have yet to be determined.

Vincenzo Cofone and Cristina Gabriele

Vincenzo married a second time to Maria Cristina Gabriele. My great-aunt,

Marietta Cofone, said that her mother’s first name was Cristina and was probably
not aware of her full birth name. Maria Cristina was also known by the nickname
“la balleretta”. Vincenzo's marriage to Christina Gabriele produced at least six or
seven children.

In order of birth the children are: Annunziata in 1903 who later married Giuseppe
Cofone who was also born in 1903 and is the brother
of my Great-Uncle Nunziato Cofone. She is believed
to have died around 1983; She is believed to have
been the product of Cristina’s first marriage. The next
child was Rosaria in 1907, who married Salvatore
Liguori, and is believed to have died circa 1950;

The next child was Angelo who was born in 1909. He

G RANDPA ’S S TEPMOTHER – C RISTINA
“L A B ALLERETTA ”, (PHOTO COURTESY later married Anina Ferraro, and is believed to have
OF Z IA M ARIETTA C OFONE )

died in 1975. Angelo’s birth record contained some

interesting and perhaps revealing information regarding the relationship of
Vincenzo and Cristina. Firstly his surname is indicated as Gabriele and not
94
Cofone. Additionally, a father for Angelo is not given and the informant of the
birth is his mother Cristina. In virtually all the birth records I have observed the
usual informant has typically been the father. Angelo’s birth record goes on to list
Cristina’s age as 27 making her birth year around 1882. Her occupation is listed
as Contadina and we also learn she is the daughter of Pietro Gabriele.

The fact that no father is listed makes this an illegitimate birth.

Interestingly there is a margin notation on the document that indicates that on
May 13, 1920 parents Vincenzo Cofone & M. Cristina Gabriele were married in
Acri. The findings here suggest that although living together and parenting
several children, Vincenzo and Cristina did not marry civilly at least for a number
of years.

I believe the marriage date indicated on Angelo’s birth record is correct as

it also appears as a margin entry on the birth record of his sister Rosaria in 1907.
One interpretation of this fact would suggest that 5 of these births were
illegitimate. I am assuming that Vincenzo sired all children from Rosaria forward.

I am confident, but not certain, that Vincenzo’s relationship with Cristina

did not begin until after the death of his first wife Teresa Fabbricatore, who based
on her death record died in 1904. This would lead me to conclude that
Annunziata born in 1903 is likely the product of Cristina’s other marriage which
pre-dated her marriage to Vincenzo.

It however may be that Vincenzo and Cristina initially had a church

wedding and not a civil ceremony in which case, at least morally speaking, their
children were not illegitimate. Such evidence has yet to be determined.

95
 Following Angelo was another son Michele born in 1914, who married
Rosaria Gabriele, and is believed to have died around 1972; He was followed by
Anina in 1917, who later married Pasquale Cofone, and died around 2009.

The next child was Marietta who was born in 1919 and who in 1941
married Annunziato Cofone, whom we have been referring to as Nunziato
Cofone. Uncle Annunziato was the brother of Giuseppe Cofone, Annunziata’s
husband.

We also
learned that
Annunziato and
Marietta were
cousins.
Annunziato’s father,
Giuseppe, and
Marietta’s
grandfather, Luigi,
G RANDPA ’S SISTER Z IA M ARIETTA AND Z IA A NNUNZIATO AND FAMILY
were brothers. CIRCA EARLY 1960 S . S EATED L TO R - Z IA M ARIETTA , F ILOMENA ,
R OSARIA , DOMINIC . S TANDING L TO R - A NGELINA , P EPE , R OSETTA AND
Z IO A NNUNZIATO . A NOTHER DAUGHTER LISA WAS BORN LATER .

Annunziato and Marietta migrated to the U.S. in on January 12, 1961 with
their six children. They first lived in on Roma Street in Nutley. Later they lived on
Passaic Avenue in Nutley but moved to Florida for several years only to return to
Passaic Avenue. The family endured much hardship over the years. Of the seven
children Annunziato and Marietta produced only three Angela, Rosaria and Lisa
remain, the others having succumbed to untimely deaths. Zio Annunziato died in
October of 2012.
96
 Following Marietta, Bomina was born in 1924. She was known as
“Cerchiara” and later married Eugenio Cofone, and is believed to have died in
2007.

As you can see from viewing the names of spouses, there appears to be
several inter-family marriages in this line. At this point some of the actual lines
establishing such connections are not entirely clear. Based on what uncle
Annunziato told me, not all of the spouses with the Cofone surname were related
to Grandpa’s family.

There may also have been additional children however records have yet
to be found regarding Vincenzo’s second marriage and the children he sired. The
family endured with much tragedy as is conveyed in some of the following
accounts.

The first-born son was Angelo who later married a woman named Anina
Ferraro. Angelo met an untimely end. He was murdered at the hands of fellow
Shepard. After falling asleep out in a field, Angelo was struck in the head with a
hatchet by another Shepard known as Vincenzo “di la Lupo” (of the wolf). The
other Shepard had stolen a bell from one of Angelo’s sheep and replaced it with
a different bell.

One night while Angelo and Vincenzo where out in the fields tended to the
sheep they began removing corn silk from corn as was their custom. Angelo
recognized his bell on one of the sheep in the Vincenzo’ herd and reclaimed the
bell. This evidently enraged Vincenzo who waited for Angelo to fall asleep and
97
then stuck Angelo in the head with a hatchet. Upon being struck Angelo awoke.
He realized what happened. He wrapped his arm around his head and walked
home profusely bleeding. When he got near his sister Rosa’s home he was
crawling and he called out to her and fell dead.

The Italians of that time had

a strange custom of naming
children after deceased siblings and
so a second Angelo was born.
Angelo 2 died when a tractor he
was driving rolled over and came to
rest on him. He was probably in his
twenties at the time.

Another brother, Michele was

about 2 years old when he either fell
or was pushed into boiling water
O NE OF G RANDPA ' S STEPBROTHERS , A NGELO
and subsequently died. While (#2) WAS KILLED AFTER A TRACTOR FELL ON
HIM . T HE ACTUAL LOCATION OR DATE OF THE
Grandpa’s stepmother was making PHOTO IS UNKNOWN . C IRCA IS THE EARLY
1900 S. (P HOTO COURTESY OF Z IA M ARIETTA
C OFONE )
bread she set a hanging cauldron of
water in the fireplace. It is believed that several hungry dogs may have been
trying to lick up flour that spilled onto the floor near the cauldron and somehow in
the process caused the child to fall into the cauldron. Grandpa’s stepmother must
have heard the child screaming and somehow managed to get him out of the
cauldron. She laid him on the bed and placed lard on his blisters and his hanging
skin. An attempt was made to get him into Acri proper for some medical help but
he died en route.

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 Another brother also named Michele died in World War 1 of Cholera.

A third Michele came along and is listed above. As indicated he was

married a woman named Rosaria Gabriele. There is a conflicting year of death
of 2002 which at some juncture will need to be resolved.

At some point following the birth of their last child, Vincenzo was believed
to have either died or abandoned the family.

Natale Cofone’s Ancestors

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Grandparents

Luigi Cofone - b. March 30, 1825, d. August 6, 1889

Maria Celico - b. October 20, 1833, d. June 7, 1874

Grandpa’s father Vincenzo’s parents were Luigi Cofone, who was

baptized on March 30, 1825, and reportedly Maria Coschignano who was born
October 30, 1833. Luigi is reported to be thirty and Maria is reported to be
twenty-four at the time of Vincenzo's birth in 1856. Luigi’s occupation is indicated
as “contadino” [peasant farmer] and Maria’s occupation is indicated as “filatrice”
[textile spinner].

A search for the marriage of Luigi Cofone and Maria Coschignano had
initially been unsuccessful. A preliminary thought was that perhaps Luigi Cofone
and Maria Coschignano married and had children in another town, then moved to
Acri where their last child, Vincenzo, was born. While this seemed a possibility,
99
the ages of Luigi and Maria seem too young for this to have occurred. Another
idea was that no marriage took place. And finally, another view was that it could
be that some of the information on the Vincenzo’s birth record was not accurate,
thereby precluding a successful attempt to document the marriage. As will be
demonstrated below, this later reason had the most merit for explaining the lack
of the marriage record between Luigi and Maria. However it was in researching
Luigi’s parents that his birth, death and marriage information was revealed.

While checking for siblings of Vincenzo, several births in that time period
with a father Luigi Cofone and mother Maria Celico were located. One
speculation is that there might be an error on Vincenzo's birth record regarding
his mother's surname. While searching for Luigi Cofone's marriage to Maria
Coschignano, a record was found for the marriage of Luigi Cofone and Maria
Celico.

The data from that marriage indicates that Luigi and Maria were wed on
August 27, 1848 at the church of Santa Maria in Acri. Luigi was 21 at the time
and Maria was 14. The record allowed us to infer that Luigi was born around
1827 and Maria around 1834. Both estimations are close to what is believed to
be the actual birth years. As indicated earlier Luigi was born on March 30, 1825.

A birth record for Maria Celico indicates that she was born on October 20,
1833 in Vallonecupo a frazione of Acri located approximately four miles north of
the main town. She was apparently the second Maria born to her parents Angelo
Celico and Rosa Coschignano. It appears she also had a sister born on May 19,
1811. The death record for the first Maria indicates she died on September 15,
1832 at the age of 26 which can be interpreted as the mid-twenties. If her birth
year is correct, then her actual age at death was 21. Her occupation was listed

100
as filatrice. The record also indicates that her parents Angelo and Rosa are still
alive.

On his marriage record Luigi’s occupation was listed as a “bovaro” which

translates to herdsman. This occupation differs from that on Vincenzo's birth
record (contadino). The two records are ten years apart and his occupation might
have changed.

We also learn from the marriage record that Luigi’s parents were Nunziato
Cofone and Anna Cozzolino

As stated above, Maria Celico's father is Angelo and her mother is Rosa
Coschignano. The hypothesis is that when Luigi Cofone went to the town hall to
record the birth of his son, Vincenzo, the clerk asked him the name of his wife.
Luigi answered Maria. The clerk asks what the mother's family name is. Luigi,
thinking he is referring to his wife's mother, Rosa, answers Coschignano. Thus
Vincenzo's mother is recorded as Maria Coschignano instead of Maria Celico.
Since most Italians were illiterate at this time, Luigi probably had no idea what
was written on this birth record.

Though plausible, this theory was only a speculation that could not be
proven until a conversation I had with my great-uncle Nunziato Cofone. Uncle
Nunziato was nephew of Vincenzo and he told me that Vincenzo had at least two
or possibly three brothers. Uncle Nunziato’s grandfather, and his namesake, was
Vincenzo’s brother along with Santo and Pasquale. In checking Acri Cofone
births between 1845 and 1865 where the parents are listed as Luigi Cofone and
Maria Celico we find six births; Pasquale who was born on October 21, 1850,
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Santo born on November 13, 1852, my great grandfather Vincenzo born on
February 24, 1856, another Pasquale born on April 29, 1859, Giuseppe born on
April 5, 1862 and Nunziato born on June 9, 1865. The second Pasquale is likely
a rename of the first Pasquale who probably died at a young age. In fact,
citations for two possibilities for the first Pasquale’s death were found, one in
1851 and another in 1854. Renaming a subsequent sibling for a pre-deceased
sibling seems to be a common practice of the time.

The information provided by Great-Uncle Nunziato helped prove that the

birth record of my great-grandfather, Vincenzo Cofone, had a clerical error
regarding the mother's name. The marriage record of my great-uncle's
Grandparents, Nunziato Cofone and Marianna Mancuso was located and it
showed that they married on May 10, 1891. The record lists Nunziato's parents
as Luigi Cofone and Maria Celico. This, along with great-uncle Nunziato’s
testimony that Nunziato and Vincenzo were brothers proves the clerical
error. The fact that Luigi Cofone and Maria Celico had children before and after
the birth of Vincenzo all but eliminates the possibility that Vincenzo was a half-
brother to Nunziato.

It is believed that Luigi Cofone died on August 6, 1889 evidently at his

home located on Contrada Crista. It is estimated that Luigi died at approximately
the age of 64. He was predeceased by his wife Maria Celico who died on June 7,
1874 at the age of 41.

Another observation from the Luigi and Maria marriage record is that their
respective parents were probably born shortly after the turn of the 19th century.

102
Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Grandparents

Annunziato Cofone – b. March 7, 1796, d. After 1847

Anna Elenora Cozzolino – b. Circa 1803, d. After 1847

From Grandpa’s grandparents Luigi Cofone and Maria Celico marriage

record we learn that Grandpa’s paternal great grandparents were Annunziato
Cofone and Anna Elenora Cozzolino. They are Grandpa’s father’s, father’s
parents.

Nunziato, as he was known, was baptized on March 7, 1796 in the Chiesa

di San Nicola di Sales, Acri. His actual birth date was probably within a few days
preceding his baptism.

Anna Cozzolino’s allegati record indicates that she was christened in 1803
which likely corresponds to the year of her birth. This record also contained the
names of her parents Saverino Cozzolino and Rafaela Cofone. A citation for the
possible death record of Anna indicates that she died on June 14, 1852 at the
age of about 50 years. This estimated death year agrees with her believed birth
year. It also follows the birth of their last child in 1847.

Annunziato and Anna had bans of matrimony dated September 21 and 28,
1818 and their marriage took place on October 19, 1818. Annunziato was 23
and Anna was 15 years of age when they wed.

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 Annunziato and Anna produced eleven children who are identified as
follows: Mariangela, born August 20, 1820; Maria Francesca, christened
November 17, 1822; Luigi, christened March 30, 1825. As you will find further on
it was from both Luigi and Maria Francesca Cofone that we are also descended;
Rosa who was christened November 11, 1827; Domenica, christened September
12, 1830;

Up to this point all the children had been baptized in the Chiesa di San
Nicola di Belvedere, which is the same church where their parents had been
married as evidenced by a notation on the bottom of second page of the
marriage record. The remaining six children were baptized in Chiesa di Santa
Chiara which was founded in 1724 and is still exists. Why a different church was
selected is not presently known. It may be that the family relocated to different
area of Acri or perhaps some calamity befell the Chiesa di San Nicola di
Belvedere leaving the family no choice but to move to another church.

Following Domenica was Maria Rafaela, christened March 12, 1833;

Giuseppe, baptized September 20, 1835; Nicola, baptized May 25, 1837; Angela,
christened April 29, 1840; Another Giuseppe, baptized May 7, 1844, which
typically indicates that the first Giuseppe was already dead; and finally
Francesco, who was born on March 1, 1847 and baptized two days later.

At the time of his wife’s presumed date of death Annunziato would have
been 58 years old. Francesco, the youngest child, would have been three. We do
not know if Annunziato ever remarried, but likely one or some of his older
children helped raise their younger siblings.

104
 There are a few additional items regarding Annunziato that may require
further inquiry in the future. Firstly, in viewing birth documents of his presumed
first child in 1820 and his last child in 1847, it is learned that his occupation was
indicated as a “bovaro” or a herdsman. In the region of Acri where our ancestors
originated, being a bovaro meant that Nunziato likely tended sheep. The listing of
bovaro is in contrast to Nunziato’s marriage record and the birth records of the
remaining children where his occupation is listed as “Bracciale” (laborer). One
possibility is that we may be looking at two different men by the name of
Nunziato who sired children with two different women, both of whom were named
Anna Cozzolino. Another possibility is that he could have switched occupations
or somehow his occupation was misconstrued at the time he registered the birth
of his children. Nunziato’s father’s occupation is listed as a contadino on
Nunziato’s marriage record, indicating that Nunziato did not follow in his father’s
occupation.

The second interesting item pertaining to Nunziato is a possible December

12, 1848 death citation wherein his occupation is given as a bracciale. The age
of death reflected in the record is 46 years of age which can be taken to mean
the mid-forties. Using Nunziato’s birth or marriage record as a starting point and
realizing that the earlier records probably are more accurate with respect to age
representation, we would expect Nunziato to be 52 at the time of his last child’s
birth. This record also suggests that Nunziato predeceased his wife by about four
years. Currently the actual record is not available for viewing so any
determination of a direct connection to our ancestor is not possible.

Nunziato and Anna also appear in Grandma’s lineage and connect our
grandparents as cousins. They are the parents of one of Grandma’s paternal
grandmothers, Maria Francesca Cofone. Nunziato and Anna are also the parents
of Grandpa’s paternal grandfather Luigi. As we can see Grandma and Grandpa
105
shared a set of great grandparents. This connection makes Grandpa and
Grandma second cousins. As you will see below, there is yet another connection
that establishes our grandparents were indeed cousins.

Angelo Celico – b. about 1786, d. November 29, 1863

Rosa Coschignano – b. about 1794, d. After 1848

Grandpa’s other paternal great Grandparents were Angelo Celico and

Rosa Coschignano. They are Grandpa’s father’s mother’s parents.

Angelo’s occupation is listed as a (“bovaro”) herdsman in his daughter

Maria’s marriage record. The record also indicates that the family lived on Strada
Muccone, which we believe is located in the Acri frazione of Vallonecupo.
Angelo died on November 29, 1863 in a home on contrada Cuta. From his
approximate age of death as indicated in his death record, we estimate that he
was likely born around 1786. In examining the birth records of his children a
range of possible birth years for Angelo is indicated as 1778 to 1793 or a median
year of 1786, with the largest distribution being in the late 1780s. It is therefore
reasonable to conclude that Angelo was probably in his late seventies at the time
of his death.

The range of Rosa’s possible birth years has also been estimated from
her children’s birth records and indicates she was likely born sometime between
1788 and 1800 or a median year of 1794, with the largest distribution being in the
mid to late 1790s.

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 Thus far no death record for Rosa has been located. All that can be
concluded is that she must have died sometime after the marriage of her
daughter Maria’s in 1848 as she was not listed as deceased in the record of the
event.

Angelo and Rosa also provide a link that connects Grandpa and Grandma
as cousins. In brief, in addition to being Grandpa’s great grandparents, it was
possible to establish that Angelo and Rosa were also Grandma’s great-great
grandparents. In the vernacular of genealogy, this connection makes Grandpa
and Grandma second cousins once removed.

Angelo and Rosa gave birth to two daughters named Maria. The first was
born in 1811 and it is she who is Grandma’s great grandmother. The 1811 Maria
is tied into Grandma’s mother Teresa Crocco’s line, by virtue of the fact that she
was Teresa Crocco’s maternal grandmother. The 1811 Maria married Pier
Angelo Chimento on May 25, 1823. She died on September 15, 1832 at the
approximate age of 21. A little more than a year later, on October 20, 1833,
Grandpa’s grandmother Maria was born. Angelo and Rosa evidently followed the
common southern Italian tradition of naming a subsequent child after a deceased
child.

In addition to the two Marias, we have been able to locate birth records for
six more children. Antonio Michele was born June 9, 1818; Nunziata born May
27, 1821; Pasquale born May 16, 1824; Santa born November 1, 1827; Antonio
born November 14, 1830; and Michele born on November 20, 1836.

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 Future research of Rosa Coschignano may help to further extend her
lineage. Presently no additional records regarding her can be located.

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Great Grandparents

Giuseppe Cofone – b. about 1765 to 1779, d. After 1813

Angela Fusaro - b. about 1768, d. October 23, 1836

Grandpa’s paternal great-great grandparents were Giuseppe Cofone, born

between 1765 and 1779 with a median year of about 1772 and Angela Fusaro
who was also born about 1768.

In addition to Annunziato, mentioned previously, who was born on March

7, 1796, citations for two other sons have been located; Daniele Luigi Cofone
born on September 11, 1810 and Pasquale Antonio Cofone born on April 19,
1813. Giuseppe’s occupation is listed as bracciale on Daniele’s birth citation and
as a coltivatore, which is another term for farmer, on Pasquale’s birth citation. It
is presently unknown if records for other children exist. Given the span between
births it would seem plausible that there were other children as well, especially
between Annunziato and Daniele, however to date no further records have been
located.

Giuseppe’s birth years were extrapolated from several sources. We find

his reported age firstly on his son Daniele Luigi’s birth record, next on the
marriage record of son Annunziato Cofone stated above, and finally his death
record which will be discussed below. The only estimation we presently have for
Angela’s birth year is from her son Annunziato’s marriage record. Giuseppe and

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Angela’s occupations are indicated in the marriage record as contadino which
means they were farmers.

A possible death record for Giuseppe indicates that he died on July 30,
1839 at the estimated age of 60. This would make his estimated birth year 1779.
His occupation is listed in the death record as Bracciale which means he was a
laborer. The difference in occupations (contadino, bracciale, coltivatore) may
infer that this particular Giuseppe was not our ancestor, however two of the
occupations, contadino and coltivatore, are closely related. It was also not too
uncommon to find that someone had changed occupations, although typically
during this period of time family occupations generally succeeded to the next
generation. Usually, if the father was a contadino so too was the son. Having
said this, no information exists to confirm or deny this Giuseppe has a direct
connection to our family line. If he is our ancestor his parents were Antonio
Cofone and Mariantonia Morrone. What is interesting about this potential
connection is that it may lend some credence to the fact, as indicated on
Grandpa’s Ellis Island Ship’s Manifest Record, that Grandpa was on his way to
visit an uncle, Salvatore Morrone. While nothing within one or two generations
previous to Grandpa indicates a Morrone relation, it may have been know across
generations that such a relation existed.

Several death records for an Angela Fusaro have been located on the
Portale di Storia website. Of these, two records bring us closest to our estimated
birth year for Angela. The first is a citation as follows: SIAS Code IT-ASCS-
F680699, Municipality of ACRI, Volume number 20, document number 18 which
indicates the decedent as Angela Fusaro, with the occupation of filatrice, and
who was pronounced dead on January 17, 1829 at the age of 60 years. If this is
our Angela her estimated birth year would be around 1769. Since we do not have

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the actual document we cannot tell who her parents were or any other clue that
might connect her to our family.

The second closest estimate may be the strongest. It is a record from

October 23, 1836 which indicated that Angela Fusaro of the occupation of
filatrice, died at about age 60. Extrapolation brings to a possible birth year of
1776. What makes this record intriguing is that one of the informants is Nunziato
Cofone, a bracciale by profession, who was about 38 years of age. Recall that
our Angela had a son named Annunziato who was born in 1796 and who’s
indicated profession on his marriage certificate is a bracciale. In 1836
Annunziato Cofone would be forty years old.

If this Angela is our ancestor, which seems likely from the evidence thus
far, her mother was the late Santa Turano. Her father’s name appears to be
Daniele, which is not a commonly found name in many of the Acri records I have
viewed. Interestingly as indicated earlier, Angela named one of her sons Daniele.
This lends further credibility that this death record is indeed that of our Great-
Great-Great-Great Grandmother. Her parents were likely born in the mid-1700s.

Giuseppe and Angela are Grandpa’s father’s, father’s, father’s parents.

Saverino Cozzolino – b. about 1772, d. Before October 19, 1818

Rafaela Cofone – b. about 1772, d. After October 19, 1818

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 Grandpa’s other paternal great-great grandparents were Saverino
Cozzolino and Rafaela Cofone. They are Grandpa’s father’s father’s mother’s
parents.

Rafaela’s is believed to have been born about 1772. Her age was
extrapolated from the marriage record of their daughter Anna Elenora, indicated
above, to Annunziato Cofone in 1818 which states that at the time of wedding
Rafaela was about 46 years old. Rafaela is listed first in the marriage record
ahead of any mention of Saverino. As a matter of fact the record seems to
indicate that Saverino may have been dead at the time of his daughter’s wedding
in October of 1818, however no age or date of death is mentioned in the record.
We can only guess that he was born around the same year as his wife.

A possible death record for Rafaela was located that indicates a date of
death of September 11, 1838 at age 56. Extrapolating using the estimated age at
date renders a birth year estimate of about 1782 which is somewhat in
agreement with our earlier estimation of her year of birth. If Rafaela is our
ancestor then her parents were Antonio Cofone and Orsola Rocco.

Except for Anna Elenora no other records for children of Saverino and
Rafaela have been located or identified.

Giuseppe Celico – b. About 1776, d. after 1786

Maria Capalbo – b. About 1776, d. after 1786

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 The third pair of Grandpa’s paternal great-great grandparents were
Giuseppe Celico and Maria Capalbo. They are Grandpa’s father’s, mother’s,
father’s parents. To date no records are available for them. We can reasonable
surmise that they were born in the mid-1700s and died sometime after the birth
of the only child we know they produced, Angelo.

A possible death record for Giuseppe was located indicating a date of

death of September 1, 1826 at the age of about 50 and making his estimated
birth year about 1776. One of the informants on the death record was Angelo
Celico, a Bracciale, who was about 38 year old at the time. This informant Angelo
was likely born around 1788. Recall that the birth year range for our ancestor
Angelo Celico was 1778 to 1793 or a median of 1786 with most of the distribution
for his year of birth being in the late 1780 and early 1790s. The estimated birth
year of our ancestor Angelo (about 1786) and the informant Angelo (about 1788)
seem to be in agreement.

One initial problem in establishing that our ancestor Angelo and the
informant Angelo are the same person and as a son of Giuseppe is that
Giuseppe, who was presumably born around 1776 would have been about 12
years old in 1788, likely too young to have been married and had a child. He
would however have been 17 years old in 1793, the upper range birth year
boundary for our ancestor Angelo, and certainly could have sired a child at that
age.

Keeping in mind that the ages listed in the Italian death records of the time
were notoriously imprecise and only loose estimates, it therefore may be possible
that the Angelo Celico listed in this death record may have been Giuseppe’s son
and may have been our ancestor. There is however another discrepancy in this
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death record. The occupation of the Angelo in this death record is listed as
Bracciale and does not agree with a previous indication of Bovaro listed for our
ancestor Angelo Celico in the marriage record of his daughter Maria. It may be
that Angelo changed professions by the time his daughter married 22 years
following the death of the Giuseppe indicated here.

As alluded to earlier, the last pair of Grandpa’s paternal Great-Great-

Grandparents has yet to be determined. Specifically I am referring to the parents
of Rosa Coschignano, Grandpa’s father’s, mother’s, mother’s parents. Hopefully
sometime in the future we will be able to discover who they were.

Grandpa Natale’s Paternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents

The potential relatives listed below are seven generations back from my
own second American-born generation. The connection to this generation is
more or less based on a best guess given what limited information was available
and therefore should not be considered highly accurate. Without actual records
the connections cannot be corroborated. Unfortunately, the likelihood of
uncovering the required information is slim at best, if not entirely improbable and
impossible. Leads on three of Grandpa’s possible eight sets of paternal Great-
Great-Great Grandparents were located.

Antonio Cofone and Angelantonia Morrone

From the death record for Grandpa’s great-great grandfather Giuseppe

Cofone we find the names of his parents. Antonio was Grandpa’s father’s,
father’s, father’s, father’s, father. As you would expect Angelantonia was
113
Grandpa’s father’s, father’s, father’s, father’s, mother. All we can say thus far is
that both Antonio and Angelantonia were born in the mid-1700s and died
sometime after the birth of their son Giuseppe in about 1768.

Daniele Fusaro and Santa Turano

From the death record for Grandpa’s great-great grandmother Angela

Fusaro we find the names of her parents. We believe that Daniele was
Grandpa’s father’s, father’s, father’s ,mother’s, father. As you would expect Santa
was Grandpa’s father’s, father’s, father’s, mother’s, mother. Again, all we can say
thus far is that both Daniele and Santa were born in the mid-1700s and died
sometime after the birth of their daughter Angela in about 1768.

Antonio Cofone and Orsola Rocco

From the death record of Grandpa’s great-great grandmother Rafaela

Cofone we learn that the name of her parents were Antonio Cofone and Orsola
Rocco. Orsola’s name is especially difficult to read. It is likely that Antonio and
Orsola were born in the mid-1700s. Antonio and Orsola were Grandpa’s father’s,
father’s, mother’s, mother’s, parents. As stated previously, the best we can
conclude is that both Antonio and Orsola were born in the mid-1700s and died
sometime after the birth of their daughter Rafaela in about 1772.

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Grandparents

Angelo Filippo Fabbricatore – b. October 29, 1829, d. January 13, 1873

Carmela (Luisa) Intrieri – b. October 20, 1831, d. after 1904

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 Grandpa’s Grandparents on his mother Teresa Fabbricatore’s side were
Angelo Filippo Fabbricatore, who we initially believed was born circa 1826 and
died on January 13, 1873, and Luisa Intrieri who was believed to have been born
circa 1837. Some records have indicated Angelo as Filippo. Below we shall see
how his full first name was uncovered. There is also a belief that Luisa may not
have been the actual name of Grandpa’s maternal grandmother. This too will be
discussed below.

Filippo and Luisa were married on October 8, 1848, one year before the
birth of their first child, Caterina Santa. Filippo, a bovaro by occupation, was 18
years old and Luisa was 17 years old at the time of their marriage. This marriage
records lists Filippo's parents as Raffaele Fabbricatore, also a bovaro, and
Caterina Cofone, matching the information on Filippo's death certificate and gives
Filippo's full name as Angelo Filippo Fabbricatore. It is not at all unusual for an
Italian to go by his or her middle name (half the women in Acri are named Maria).
Interestingly however is that the marriage record indicates Angelo’s wife's name
as Carmela Intrieri, not Luisa Intrieri which was a bit perplexing. On Filippo's
death record, his wife is Luisa. This is also true on the birth records of all their
children that have been checked thus far. One thought was that the full name of
Filippo's wife was Carmela Luisa Intrieri or Luisa Carmela Intrieri. However, this
does not seem to be the case. The marriage record goes on to indicate that
Carmela’s parents were Pasquale Intrieri, a bracciale, and Rosa Sammaro (sic).
There appears to be a question as to the correct spelling of Rosa’s last name
which will be explored further below.

Associated with Italian marriage records are "Allegati" records. Before

marrying, the bride and groom were required to bring their birth or baptismal
records to the town hall as well as the death records of any deceased parents
and have those records entered into the town records along with their marriage
115
record and marriage banns. These records have been microfilmed for the time
period of Filippo's marriage and were consulted. Carmela Intrieri's birth record
listed her name simply as Carmela - no Luisa anywhere. Since these allegati
records are hand copies and sometimes have errors, the microfilmed copies of
the original birth record for Carmela was checked. (Carmela was baptized on
October 30, 1831 at the church of Santa Maria, Acri - birth record # 272). It also
listed her name as simply Carmela Intrieri, daughter of Pasquale Intrieri and
Rosa Sammara. A search was conducted for any Intrieri birth record in the
1820s and 1830s with Luisa as a first or middle name and none was found.

One possibility is that Luisa was Carmela's nick name. Another is that
Luisa Intrieri did not have a birth record in Acri for some reason and the clerk at
the time of her marriage simply linked her to this Carmela to avoid a paperwork
problem and nobody in the family noticed ( as stated earlier, most people in Acri
could not read or write at this time).

All the information seems to suggest that Grandpa’s grandmother’s name

was indeed Carmela Intrieri. Looking back in time to the extent possible, no
ancestor of Carmela had the name Luisa or for that matter Carmela. Since the
identities of Carmela’s husband Angelo Filippo’s parents are considered solid
information, I believe we must defer to the marriage record which indicates
Carmela as Angelo Filippo’s wife’s name. How she came to be called Luisa will
perhaps always remain a mystery.

In addition to Teresa, Filippo and Luisa (Carmela) had at least six other
children. Caterina Santa Fabbricatore (spelled with only one "b") was born on
October 29, 1849; Angela Rosaria Fabbricatore born on September 30, 1853 and
baptized October 2, 1853 at Santa Maria. The informant was Raffaele

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Fabbricatore, father of Filippo who was absent for some unspecified reason;
Raffaele Michele Fabbricatore - born February 11, 1859 at contrada Fravitti
[Fravitti Street], Acri and was baptized on February 13, 1859 at the church of
Santa Maria, Acri; Benedetto Fabbricatore - born October 16, 1862 at contrada
Fravitti, Acri. He was baptized on October 19, 1862 at the church of Santa Maria,
Acri. Benedetto died at the house of his father (contrada di la Morrone) less than
a year later in August of 1863 at the age of 10 months; Benedetto Carmine
Fabbricatore - born July 30,1864 at contrada Fravilli [Fravilli Street], Acri. He was
baptized on July 31, 1864 at the church of Santa Maria, Acri and died on May 20,
1880; and finally, Carmine Fabbricatore - born September 24, 1870.

We know that Angelo Filippo Fabbricatore was baptized on October 24,

1829 at the church of Santa Maria, Acri. His father Raffaele was living on
contrada Padia (Padia Street) at the time.

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Grandparents

Raffaele Fabbricatore – b. about 1805, d. June 20, 1858

Caterina Fortunata Cofone – b. about December 7, 1809, d. November

23, 1846

Grandpa Natale’s maternal Great Grandparents were Raffaele

Fabbricatore and Caterina Cofone. They are Grandpa’s mother’s, father’s,
parents.

Raffaele Fabbricatore, a bracciale by occupation, and Caterina Cofone

were married on December 30, 1827 at Santa Maria Church. Both had been
living with their parents on Strada Morrone. The best estimate of their birth year
is derived from their marriage record which indicates that Raffaele was 22 and
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Caterina was 27 at the time of their marriage. From the associated allegati
records, copies of the baptismal records for Raffaele and Caterina were also
located. As mentioned earlier, these records were copied into the town records at
the time of their marriage. Since their births predate the start of vital records in
Acri, there were no birth records for Raffaele or Caterina. The baptismal records
are in Latin. Caterina’s baptismal record appears to indicate a date of December
7, 1809. Raffaele’s baptismal record is not legible enough to discern possible
dates therefore we can estimate from the marriage record that Raffaele was born
in about 1805.

Caterina Cofone died November 23, 1846 at about the age of 37. Eight
years later Raffaele died on June 20, 1858 at an approximate age of 50 making
his birth year circa 1808 however we generally lend greater weight to age related
data in early records, such as marriage records.

The marriage record indicates that Raffaele's parents were Saverino

Fabbricatore and Teresa Gencarelli.

We also learn from the marriage record that Caterina Cofone's full name
was Caterina Fortunata Cofone. Her parents as indicated in the marriage record
were Fedele Cofone and Angela Chimento.

Besides Angelo Filippo, records for six other children of Raffaele and
Caterina were found. The family is summarized below:

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 The first born was Maria Fabbricatore who was baptized on August 2,
1828 (birth # 153) at Santa Maria, Acri. The second born was Angelo Filippo
Fabbricatore, from whom we are descended. He was baptized October 24, 1829
(birth # 245) at Santa Maria, Acri and died on January 13, 1873 (death # 18) at
the approximate age of 44. The third child was Francesco Saverio Fabbricatore
who was baptized on May 28, 1831 (birth # 144) at the church of San Giorgio,
Acri. Francesco, who was 25 years of age, married 16 year old Concetta Ferraro
on August 24, 1856. Francesco died on September 21, 1873.

The fourth child was Domenico Rosario Fabbricatore. He was baptized on

October 6, 1833 (birth # 243) at Santa Maria, Acri. Domenico (age 23) married
Tommasina Ferraro (age 14, born on January 9, 1843) on May 16, 1857
(marriage # 30, it was recorded the following day) at Santa Maria, Acri. This
marriage produced several children: a daughter, Maria Giuseppa Fabbricatore,
who was born March 17, 1859 and baptized March 19, 1859 at Santa Maria;
another daughter, Giuseppa Fabbricatore, who was born on August 11, 1860 and
baptized on August 12, 1860 at Santa Maria church; and a son Pasquale
Fabbricatore, who was born February 14, 1864 and baptized on February 16,
1864 also at Santa Maria. Finally there was Nunziato Fabbricatore - born about
1869 and died July 24, 1873.

The fifth child of Raffaela and Caterina was Carmine Fedele Fabbricatore
[sic] - baptized October 9, 1836 at Santa Maria, Acri. The sixth child was Santa
Filomena Fabbricatore who was baptized on March 3, 1841. A witness on this
record is the grandfather, Saverino Fabbricatore. Santa (age 15) married
Francesco Mancuso (age 28) on February 21,1857 (marriage # 17) at Santa
Maria, Acri. The seventh and last child was Mariangela Giuseppa Fabbricatore -
baptized on October 15, 1843 at Santa Maria, Acri.

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 Pasquale Intrieri – b. About 1796, d. before 1824

Rosa Sammarro – b. About 1793, d. After 1831

Grandpa’s other maternal Great Grandparents were Pasquale Intrieri and

Rosa Sammarro. They are Grandpa’s mother’s, mother’s, parents.

Rosa’s marriage to Pasquale was her second. She was first married on
September 5, 1824 to Angelo Antonio Lupinazzo. It is her marriage to Pasquale
that accounts for her relationship to our family.

According to what is believed to be their marriage record, Pasquale and

Rosa were wed on March 14, 1830 in Santa Nicola Belvedere Church. The
record indicates that when they wed, Pasquale was 24 and Rosa was 27. This
would make their estimated birth years at 1796 and 1793, respectively. Pasquale
is listed as having the occupation of “Bracciale”, or laborer. Rosa was reportedly
living with her parents on Strada Caralicchio. Other than Carmela (aka Luisa) no
other children could be found for Pasquale and Rosa.

Pasquale’s parents are listed as Michele Intrieri and Rosa Laudone.

Rosa’s parents were Leonardo Sammarro and Fortunata Lupo.

Note the difference in the spelling of Rosa’s last name Sammarro, which is
how it appears on her marriage certificate, and Sammara, which is how it
appears on her daughter Carmela’s birth certificate. On other documents for
children of Rosa’s parents we see the name spelled Sammarra.
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 A possible citation for a death record of a Rosa Sammarro it indicates that
Rosa died on January 31, 1853 at the approximate age of 30. If this is our Rosa’s
death record then either the year of death or age of death is wrong. If the year is
correct her age at the time of her death would be 60 not 30. If the age is correct
then the year of death would be 1823 which of course would prove this is not a
citation for our Rosa. This issue remains to be resolved. Perhaps viewing the
actual document could help address our concerns on the legitimacy of this
record. The point here is that the further back we go the more difficult it is to
locate and verify the information.

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Great-Grandparents

Saverino Fabbricatore – b. about 1775, d. after 1810

Teresa Gencarelli – b about 1775, d. after 1810

From examining the marriage record of Raffaele Fabbricatore and

Caterina Cofone we learn the identities of what are believed to be Grandpa’s
maternal Great-Great Grandparents. Saverino Fabbricatore, a Bracciale by
profession, and Teresa Gencarelli were Grandpa’s mother’s, father’s, father’s,
parents.

A search through the Cosenza archive site reveals that besides Raffaele,
Saverino and Teresa may have also given birth to Santo on May 3, 1810.

Fedele Cofone – b. about 1781, d. December 29, 1834

Angela Chimento – b. about 1786, d. January 30, 1857

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 Fedele Cofone, a bracciale, and Angela Chimento were Grandpa’s
mother’s father’s mother’s parents.

In addition to Caterina who was born in about 1806, Fedele and Angela
had at least five other children. They were: Carmela born on October 23, 1811;
Lionardo born February 27, 1814; Domenica born on April 13, 1817; Santa born
on January 3, 1820 and Nunziato on July 11, 1822.

The birth record for Carmela Cofone (b. 1811) is interesting. It is reported
on October 26, 1811 and occurred on October 23. In it Fedele Cofone seems to
have a compound surname, "Cofone Vasonte", which is passed to
Carmela. Such a compound name has not been seen anywhere else in our
Cofone lines.

The year listed on the birth record of Leonardo Cofone is probably

wrong. Ed Bronejko, who is an authority on Acri records, indicates that the 1813
and 1814 Acri records are intermixed. There are "extra" 1813 births and
"missing" 1814 births. Although Leonardo's birth record states 1813, from the
way the record volumes are laid out, it is believed that it is actually an 1814
record. Also, Leonardo Cofone's given name is spelled "Lionardo".

At the time of Carmela’s birth Fedele and Angela were reported to be 30

and 25 years of age respectively. This infers a birth year of 1781 for Fedele and
1786 for Angela. We know that at the time of Caterina’s death in 1846 her father
is dead and her mother still alive. Through the Cosenza Archive site a death
record for who we believe is Fedele is located. It indicates that he died on
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December 29, 1834, which is consistent with the above information contained on
Caterina’s death record. In a similar fashion a death record for Angela was
located that indicates she died on January 30, 1857.

It is from Fedele’s and Angela’s death records that we learn the identity of
their parents. Michele Cofone and Santa Basile were the parents of Fedele and
Annunziato Chimento and Catarina Baritano were Angela’s parents.

Michele Intrieri – b. about 1774, d. April 26, 1836

Rosa Laudone – b. about 1779, d. November 12, 1862

Grandpa’s third set of great-great-grandparents were Michele Intrieri and

Rosa Laudone. They are Grandpa’s mother’s, mother’s, father’s, parents.

It is believed that Michele died on April 26, 1836. From his death record
which indicates an estimated age of seventy, we can estimate a birth year of
around 1766. The death record also indicates that Michele was a Bracciale and
that his parents were Tommaso Intrieri and Rosa Piro.

A citation for the possible death record for Rosa indicates that she died on
November 12, 1862 at the age of 92. If this citation is indeed her death record it
suggests she was born around 1750. It also indicates that she was a filatrice, or
spinner. Presently no further records exist for Rosa Laudone.

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 In addition to son Pasquale who is believed to have been born around
1796, additional records for possibly five other children were located. Nunziata
born June 12, 1809; Angela Concetta born on December 12, 1810; Vincenzo
Pier Angelo born on April 1, 1814; Antonio Nunziato born June 21, 1818; and
Francesco Antonio born on June 29, 1819.

The range of possible birth years for Michele based on information

contained in the birth records of the children cited directly above runs from 1769
to 1779, or median year of about 1774. No age was given for Rosa in the birth
records for Nunziata and Angela Concetta however based on information
contained in the remaining birth records we find that the range of Rosa’s
estimated birth years runs from 1774 to 1785 or a median year of about 1779.
Since the children’s birth records are more recent to the birth of Michele and
Rosa than the death records, it will be assumed that the median year represents
the estimated birth year. The median year estimate is also more in agreement
with the estimated range of birth years for other ancestors in their generation.

There are a few interesting items regarding information contained in the

birth records. For all the births the family is indicated as living on Strada Padia.
Three different occupations have been indicated for Michele. In 1809 he is listed
as a Forerse, an occupation I have never heard of before but which I believe may
mean he was a forester and planted trees. In 1810 and 1819 he is listed as a
bracciale. And finally in 1814 and 1818 he is listed as a bovaro. One of the
possible ramifications of having different occupations listed may be that we are
talking about three sets of couples who all had the same names. Of course
another possibility is that Michele may have changed his occupation several
times.

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 Leonardo Sammarro – b. about 1769, d. after 1830

Fortunata Lupo – b. about 1769, d. about 1830

From the marriage record for Pasquale Intrieri and Rosa Sammarro in
1830 we can identify Grandpa’s fourth set of great-great-grandparents as
Leonardo Sammarro and Fortunata Lupo. They are Grandpa’s mother’s,
mother’s, mother’s, parents. One of the things that have made this line difficult to
research has been the spelling of the last name which will be outlined below.

In an attempt to find additional children for Leonardo and Fortunata a

search based on the last name spelled Sammarro was conducted on the
Cosenza Archive website. While no birth records emerged for the last name of
Sammarro that contained parents Leonardo and Fortunata Lupo, only one
marriage record that contained their names as parents was located. Under the
spelling Sammarro a June 13, 1819 marriage record, presumably of daughter
Angela Sammarra, a contadina, to Andrea Natale Godino was found. Notice that
Angela’s last name is spelled Sammarra. Her father’s last name is also spelled
the same way in the marriage record.

Researching the last name spelled Sammarra revealed two additional

marriage records where the parents are indicated as Leonardo Sammarra and
Fortunata Lupo. Maria Francesca Sammara, a contadina, married Vincenzo
Francesco Salvino, a bracciale on January 24, 1819 and Domenica Sammarra
married Angelo Servino, a bracciale, on February 10, 1833. We know that both
Leonardo and Fortunata were alive at the marriage of daughter Domenica in
1833.

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 It is interesting to note that in each of the records discovered thus far
Leonardo is listed as a bracciale and the family is indicated as residing on Strada
Caralicchio. In both 1819 marriage records Leonardo and Fortunata are listed as
being about fifty years old which would make their birth year about 1769. The
other marriage records do not indicate the age of the parents.

It may be that typographical errors can account for the discrepancy in the
spelling of the last name but there is no way to know for sure. Nor do we really
know if all of the persons indicated directly above are of the same family.
Examining the year of marriage and age at marriage an estimated birth year for
each of the known children may be developed. Chronologically speaking Maria
Francesca would have been born around 1797, Angela 1800, Rosa 1803 and
Domenica in 1809. Given the likelihood that there were other children as well, the
spacing and range of birth years does not seem too broad to completely discount
the possibility that these four women may be directly related. This raises the
possibility that the last name is spelled Sammarra. However since the direct link
to our family is through Rosa Sammarro, the spelling of the last name will
continue to be shown as presented in her marriage record.

As of this time no person by the name of Leonardo Sammarro is contained

within the Cosenza Archive web site and only a single 1829 birth record for a
Leonardo Sammarra exists, clearly not our ancestor or a son as the parents’
names for this child are shown in the record. Similarly, no record can be located
for a Fortunata Lupo. The data in this web site is limited and so in the future an
examination of the LDS records may be made to see if any further evidence
exists.

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 We have not been able to find a death record for Leonardo and can only
surmise that he died after the marriage of his daughter Domenica in February of
1833.

The Cosenza Archive site has thus far provided only one Acri death record
listing for a Fortunata Lupo. It indicates a Fortunata Lupo died on April 11, 1844
at age 70. Extrapolating the year of birth from the age at death indicates that this
Fortunata would have been born around 1744 which is perhaps a little early
when compared to the range of birth year estimates of others in this generation.
It is also much earlier than our previous estimate of her birth year indicated
above. Unfortunately the record does not provide any data pertaining to spouse
or children. If this Fortunata is our great-great-great-great grandmother, then
her parents were Giovanni Lupo and Angela Sammarro.

Grandpa Natale’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents

Of the eight sets of Grandpa’s Maternal Great-Great-Great-Grandparents,

we are only presently aware of possibly four. Other than their names we have no
further substantive information regarding their connection to our family although
their possible connection to our lineage has been described earlier. We can
reasonably surmise that they were likely born around the mid-1700s and died
sometime after the birth of last child of record. This group represents the seventh
generation back from my second US born generation.

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 Michele Cofone and Santa Basile

Michele and Santa were Grandpa’s mother’s, father’s, mother’s, father’s,

parents. It is from their son Fedele’s a’s death record that we learn the identity of
his parents Michele Cofone and Santa Basile.

Annunziato Chimento and Catarina Baritano

Annunziato and Catarina were Grandpa’s mother’s, father’s, mother’s,

mother’s, parents. It is from their daughter Angela’s death record that we learn
the identity of her parents, Annunziato Chimento and Catarina Baritano.

Tommaso Intrieri and Rosa Piro

Tommaso and Rosa were Grandpa’s mother’s, mother’s, father’s, father’s,

parents. It is from the death record of their son Michele Intrieri that we learned of
their identity.

Giovanni Lupo and Angela Sammarro

If Giovanni and Angela are our ancestors they would be Grandpa’s

mother’s, mother’s, mother’s, mother’s, parents. Their identities were determined
from the death record of their daughter Fortunata Lupo.

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 Natale Cofone Pedigree Chart
Below is Grandpa’s basic pedigree chart which, including Grandpa, spans
five and in some cases six generations.

129
Natale Cofone

130
ANGELA GABRIELE

Immediate Family
Father – Raffaele Gabriele: b. August 20, 1858, d. after 1921

Mother – Teresa Crocco: b. September 11, 1862, d. after 1921

Grandma’s parents were

Raffaele Gabriele and Teresa
Crocco. From the data we presently
have, it seems that Raffaele was
born on August 20, 1858. A birth
record for Teresa indicates a birth
date of September 11, 1862.

A search for a marriage

record for Raffaele Gabriele and
Teresa Crocco between 1889 (when
Angela is listed as illegitimate) and
1892 (when Peppina was listed as
legitimate) was conducted but
F ROM L TO R: GRANDMA ’S MOTHER T ERESA
C ROCCO , GRANDMA , T OMMASINA , A NNUNZIATA , nothing was found. It is possible that
AND SEATED , HER FATHER , R AFFAELE G ABRIELE .
Raffaele and Teresa were married in
church and not at the town hall which may explain why a civil record has not
been located. As best as can be determined it is believed that Raffaele and
Teresa were still alive in 1921 when Grandma, Aunt Tessie returned to the US
with Za Carminella.

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 Great grandfather was believed to have gone blind at some point in his
adult life. It would not surprise me if his blindness was attributed to cataracts
which, in looking at the photo above, seems to indicate that he possesses the
telltale grayish white pupils which are a classic symptom of the condition. As we
know, cataracts are a clouding of the lens of your eye that can impair your sight
and are due mostly to age. It would also not surprise me if he also had macular
degeneration, which is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and
results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of
damage to the retina. This infliction may be a hereditary condition as it has
plagued Grandma, my father, and Aunt Jean. In either case, there was no
treatment for either condition at the time.

Teresa gave birth to eight children. In order of age the children were:

Santa

Santa was born April 5, 1887 on Cuta Street in the frazione known as
Sericella. She is the first of Grandma’s family to come to the United States
arriving at Ellis Island on February 22, 1907 aboard the SS Brasile. She was 20
years of age at the time of her arrival although the manifest indicates her age as
19.

Santa later married Santo Chimento. The 1927 Nutley Directory indicates
that they lived at 14 Humbert Street in the Avondale section of Nutley, NJ. It is
also known that previously in January of 1920 she was living in Nashwauk,
Minnesota. Her mailing box number was 547. Likely Santa and her husband
relocated to the area in search of work in the Iron ore mines that existed in the
area at the time. Their arrival in Minnesota may have been as early as 1911 or
1912. This fact lends merit to the earlier expressed theory that it was likely Santa
132
who beckoned Grandma and Grandpa to go to Minnesota. Recall that Grandpa
and Grandma went to Nashwauk after the birth of Aunt Tessie in January of
1911.

A 1940 Census Record indicates that Santo, who was also known as
Sam, and Santa, were still living at 14 Humbert Street in Nutley, and had at least
five children, Joe, Frank, Mary, Rose and Carmen. The eldest was Joe who at
the time of the 1940 Census was listed as the head of the family. His indicated
age was 29 years old, making his birth year 1911. Frank’s age is indicated as 26
in the Census making his birth year 1914. Mary was 24 years old at the time of
the 1940 Census, making her birth year 1916. Rose was 15 years old and
Carmen was 11 making their birth years 1925 and 1929, respectively. Joe,
Frank, and possibly Mary were probably born in Minnesota, while Rose and
Carmen were likely born in NJ.

Santa died in June of 1966 at the age of 79. Her last known address was
in Nutley, NJ.

Angela

Santa was followed by Grandma Angela who was born on September 4,

1889. Grandma died in Clara Maas Hospital in Belleville, NJ on December 1979
at the age of 90 and is interred with Grandpa in St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Ridge
Rd in Lyndhurst. Grandma is the only one of her siblings listed as illegitimate,
likely an error but as indicated earlier, one reason could be that her parents’
marriage was registered in the church but not with the town of Acri. As indicated
earlier Grandma came to the United States in 1909.

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 Pepina

Pepina, whose real name is Giuseppina, was born on June 11, 1892.
Pepina was the last of Grandma’s sisters that immigrated to the U.S. It is
believed that she arrived in the 1950s.

Interestingly Pepina’s birth is listed as legitimate. Peppina Gabriele's birth

record had a margin note referencing her August 12, 1911 Acri marriage to
Carmine Algieri. Carmine Algieri was born on January 20, 1888 to Salvatore
Algieri (age 29) and Teresa Coschignano. Carmine's birth record had a similar
margin notation about his marriage to "Giuseppina" Gabriele. Carmine and
Pepina lived on East Center Street in Nutley right behind Uncle Jimmy and Aunt
Rosie until their deaths.

Pepina died in August of 1975 at the age of 83 with her last known
address being on East Center Street in Nutley.

Tommasina

Tommasina, who was born on January 11, 1895, later married Luigi
Gabriele. Again this appears to possibly be a marriage of cousins although there
is nothing at this time to document this prospect. They never immigrated to the
U.S.

Nunziata

Nunziata, who was born on February 24 1898 never married and was
believed to have been born with a mental impairment of some sort.
134
 Francesca

Francesca was born on October 5

1900. She came to the U.S. on December 1,
1919 at the age of 19 traveling aboard the
SS America. According to the ship’s
manifest, she was going to visit her sister
Santa who was living in Nashwauk
Minnesota.

She later married Franco Rizzuto and

lived on Spurr Place in Nutley until their
deaths. Uncle Franco was born on January G RANDMA ' S SISTERS C ARMELA
LEFT AND F RANCESCA RIGHT IN
26, 1890 and died in October of 1978 at the 1947

age of 88. Za Francesca died in November of 1989 at the age of 89. They had
four children, Tony, Joe, Frank, and Ralph.

Carmela

Known in the family as Zia Carminella, she came to U.S. with Grandma
and Aunt Tessie on January 25, 1921 aboard the SS Duca Del Abruzzi. She was
17 years of age at the time, making her birth year circa 1904. She later married
Carmine Alessio and lived on East Center Street in Nutley next door to Aunt
Tessie and Uncle Nat. Their house is currently occupied by grandson Carmine
and his family. Uncle Carmine was born on September 14, 1894 and died on
November 19, 1987 at the age of 93. He was a veteran. They had several
children, Louie, Jenny, and Carmine.

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 Rosaria

The final child was Rosaria who was born on October 7, 1905. The birth
data is the only information we have thus far.

Angela Gabriele’s Ancestors

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Grand Parents

Michele Gabriele – b. April 8, 1827, d. July 7, 1868

Maria Francesca Cofone – b. November 17, 1822, d. after 1865

Grandma’s paternal grandparents were Michele Gabriele who was born

on April 8, 1827 and Maria Francesca Cofone who was born on November 17,
1822. They were married on March 26, 1852 in Acri. The marriage was the
second for Maria Francesca who was previously married to Pasquale Celico,
who died in 1848.

We know that Maria Francesca had at least two children with Pasquale
Celico, Nunziata Celico born July 13, 1845 and Maria Giuseppa Celico born May
8, 1847. It is believed she had five children with Michele. The eldest child was
Salvatore Giuseppe, who was born on March 18, 1853. Next is Annunziato, who
was born on January 26, 1856. Third is succession is Raffaele, our Great
Grandfather, who was born on August 20, 1858. He is followed by another
brother, Benedetto, born on September 27, 1861, and finally the only female,
Maria, born on May 24, 1865.

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 The information regarding Maria Francesca Cofone tells us that she is
related to us in three different ways: First, as the sister of our Great Great
Grandfather, Luigi Cofone, she is our Great, Great, Grandaunt. Secondly, as the
spouse of Pasquale Celico, she is the wife of our Great, Great, Granduncle. And
thirdly, as the wife of Michele Gabriele and mother of Raffaele Gabriele, she is
our Great, Great Grandmother.

Michele died on July 7, 1868 at about the age of 40. His occupation is
listed as “bracciale” or laborer. From his death record we discover his parents
were Santo Gabriele and Anna Coschignano. Also indicated on the death record
is the name of his spouse, Maria Francesca Cofone, which is information not
typically seen on death records of the time.

The marriage record for Maria and Michele also provided the names of
their parents. Michele’s parents have been previously identified. Maria
Francesca’s parents were Nunziato Cofone and Anna Cozzolino.

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great Grand Parents

Santo Gabriele – b. about 1794, d. before July 1868

Angela Coschignano – b. about 1801, d. before July 1868

Santo Gabriele and Angela Coschignano were Grandma’s father’s,

father’s, parents. Santo and Angela were married on November 1, 1818. Santo’s

137
year of birth is extrapolated from his age at marriage of 24, making his estimated
birth year 1794. Similarly, Angela, who was 17 at the time of their marriage, has
an estimated birth year of 1801.

Santo and Angela produced seven children whose birth records have
been located in the Cosenza Archive site. They are: Domenica Rosa born March
23, 1820; Vincenzo born March 9, 1823; Michele, from whom we are descended,
born April 8 1827; Giuseppe born March 18, 1832; Nunziata born January 21,
1835; Pier Angiolo (sic) born November 5, 1837; and Carmine Nunziato born
August 2, 1840. Death records have been located which suggest that Giuseppe
died at the age of 2 years and Nunziata at age 4 years.

Both Santo and Angela died prior to July 1868, as they are listed as
deceased on the death record of their son Michele. No other marriage or death
records have been located for their children that might help to better refine the
respective death years for Santo and Angela.

The marriage record of Santo and Angela also indicates the parents of
Santo to be Vincenzo Gabriele and Saveria DeCicco and for Angela, Francesco
Coschignano and Isabella Algieri.

Nunziato Cofone and Anna Cozzolino

Nunziato and Anna were Grandma’s father’s, mother’s parents. Detailed

information has been previously been provided under Grandpa’s lineage as they
were his paternal great grandparents. Recall that this is one of the common links
between Grandma and Grandpa’s family.

138
Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great-Great Grand Parents

Vincenzo Gabriele – b. about 1758, d. after November 1818

Saveria DeCicco – b. about 1758, d. after November 1818

Vincenzo and Saveria were Grandma’s father’s, father’s, father’s parents.

An estimate of the ages for Vincenzo and Saveria is found in the 1818 marriage
record of their son Santo Gabriele to Angela Coschignano, which indicates both
to be about 60 years old. Therefore their estimated year of birth becomes about
1758. Vincenzo’s occupation is indicated as contadino in Santo’s marriage
record. Four years earlier, when son Lionardo is born Vincenzo’s occupation is
indicated as a bracciale. In the marriage record of son Santo, Saveria is indicated
to be a contadina however in a birth record for son Lionardo her occupation is
indicated as filatrice. At the time of Santo’s marriage they lived on via Padia. Four
years prior they lived in a quarter of Acri known as Picitti.

At the present it is known that Vincenzo and Saveria produced three sons,
Santo circa 1794 and Lionardo on November 9, 1812 and a second Lionardo on
June 5, 1814. Likely the first Lionardo died at a young age and as was the
practice at the time a subsequent son was named for the deceased brother.
Records for other children have yet to be located.

Since both Vincenzo and Saveria are indicated as being alive at their son
Santo’s wedding in November of 1818, they obviously died sometime afterwards.
A possible death record for Vincenzo dated January 22, 1830 was located. It is
not entirely clear if this is our Vincenzo. The record indicates an age at death of

139
approximately 60. Our Vincenzo would have been about 72 in 1830, however
recalling the practice of using rounded numbers to designate age it may not be
too much of a stretch to imply that this is our ancestor. More challenging is the
listed occupation of “muratore” which translates to stone mason. We have at
least two different occupations listed for Vincenzo previously, laborer and then
farmer. Future research into this record may reveal if this is indeed our ancestor.
The parents listed for this Vincenzo are Domenico Gabriele and Rosa Alice.

Thus far records for Saveria De Cicco have not been located.

Francesco Coschignano – b. about 1768, d. after 1822 and before 1840

Isabella Algieri – b. about 1768, d. after 1822 and before 1840

Francesco and Isabella were Grandma’s father’s, father’s, mother’s

parents. From the marriage record of their daughter Angela Coschignano to
Santo Gabriele in 1818 we find that their ages are given as being about 50 years
old. This would make 1768 as their estimated birth year. The occupation for both
is given as contadino. It appears they may have lived on Strada Picitti.

Besides Angela, we have a record for a son Annunciato a 19 year old

bracciale, who was married to 23 year old Maria Giuseppa Gencarelli on June 9,
1822 at Santa Nicola di Belvedere in Acri. Annunciato’s age is used to
extrapolate his year of birth of 1803. Annunciato was living with his parents on
Strada Padia at the time he was wed. Francesco’s occupation on his son’s
marriage record is indicated as bracciale as well. Also located were two other
possible children.

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 The marriage record of another potential son was located on the Cosenza
Archive site. Giuseppe Coschignano, 21 years of age, from Strada Padia, also a
bracciale married 20 year old Maria Teresa Ritacco, a filatrice, on November 2,
1817. Giuseppe’s parents are indicated as Francesco Coschignano and
Elisabetta Algieri, both 50 years of age. The approximate age of Francesco and
Elisabetta relates to an estimated year of birth of around 1767, which falls within
the expected range of birth years for them. The intriguing thing with this finding is
that Giuseppe’s mother’s name is indicated as Elisabetta and not Isabella. At one
extreme is the possibility that these Coschignano’s are not related to our family.
At the other extreme is the possibility that Luigi Sorivieri, who was the official
recording the data, may have misunderstood the pronunciation of Isabella name.
To date I have been unable to find any other Coschignano children with a mother
by the name of Elisabetta.

A few more intriguing leads were discovered regarding Francesco and

Isabella. A death record citation for a Francesco Coschignano indicates a date
of death of January 2, 1852 at about 80 years old. Extrapolating backward
renders an estimated year of birth of around 1772 which is generally in
agreement with an earlier estimation of Francesco’s birth year of around 1768.
Knowing that the reported ages in documents are general estimates, we can
easily speculate that this is our four times great grandfather. Nonetheless, a
review of the actual document, which is not yet possible, is required to render a
better opinion. An added twist is that a death record for what is potentially
another son tends to refute the possibility that the Francesco Coschignano in this
death record is our ancestor. This is discussed further below.

As a preface to the last point made in the above paragraph, Acri authority
Ed Bronejko provided one questionable death record for an Isabella Algieri dated
February 20, 1840. There is not enough data in it to positively say it is our
141
great(x4) grandmother. The Algieri surname is very common in Acri but Isabella
is an unusual given name. The record spells the surname Rigieri, which is a
variant spelling for Algieri. The record also indicates Isabella’s parents were the
late Fedele and the late Nicola Brindisi. In doing a check on the Cosenza Archive
site I could not locate any record for an Isabella Algieri.

A death record was located for a Nicola Coschignano, a bracciale, who

may possibly another son of Francesco and Isabella. In the record Nicola was
reported to have died on September 25, 1840 at the age of 30 years. This would
make his estimated birth year 1810. Nicola died in the frazione Cuta, which is in
the same vicinity as Serricella and Policaretto. Nicola’s parents are listed as the
late Francesco Coschignano and the late Isabella Rigieri indicating that if Nicola
is indeed our ancestor, his parents died before 1840. Note that the mother’s last
name is indicated as Rigieri, which, as indicated above, is a variant of Algieri.
Giuseppe and Fedele Coschignano who reported Nicola’s death may have very
well been relatives. They were younger than Nicola and may not have known
Isabella’s correct surname. Recall that accepting the premise that Nicola is
indeed our relative would discount the 1852 year of death for Francesco that has
been discussed above. Perhaps at some future time additional birth records for
children might be found to either confirm or refute that Isabella Rigieri is our
ancestor.

Giuseppe Cofone and Angela Fusaro

Giuseppe and Angela were Grandma’s father’s, mother’s, father’s parents.

Their identities were made known in the marriage record of their son Nunziato to
Anna Cozzolino. Once again you are referred back to Grandpa’s paternal great-
great grandparents for further information on Giuseppe and Angela.

142
 Saverino Cozzolino – b. about 1772, d. before 1818

Raffaela Cofone – b. about 1772, d. after 1818

Grandma’s other paternal great-great grandparents were Saverino

Cozzolino and Rafaela Cofone. Both are believed to have been born about 1772.
Their identities were made known in the marriage record of their daughter Anna
Cozzolino to Annunziato Cofone. They are Grandma’s father’s, mother’s,
mother’s parents. Saverino and Rafaela are common relatives to both Grandma
and Grandpa, just as Giuseppe Cofone and Angela Fusaro directly above. Once
again you are referred back to Grandpa’s paternal great-great grandparents for
further information.

From the marriage record of their daughter Anna Cozzolino we learn that
in 1818 Saverino, whose occupation was contadino is already dead. A death
record for Saverino could not be located. Raffaela, a contadina, is reportedly
about 46 years old thereby making her birth year around 1772.

A death record for a Rafaela (sic) Cofone was located which indicated a
year of death of 1838 at age 56. This record has been discounted because if this
were the same Raffaela stated above her age in 1838 would have been 66
reflecting an estimated birth year of 1782 instead of 1772 which thus far is our
best estimate. If this was our 1772 Raffaela her age would likely have been
reported as about 60 or 70.

Grandma Angela’s Paternal Great-Great-Great Grand Parents

143
 Two out of a possible eight sets of Grandma’s paternal Great-Great-Great
Grandparents have been located. Having said this, these connections can only
be described as tenuous at best, primarily due to the lack of sufficient
documentation. They are listed here mainly to alert future researchers that there
may be a connection to them.

Domenico Gabriele and Rosa Alice

Domenico and Rosa’s names were located in the possible death record
for Vincenzo Gabriele Grandma’s Great-Great Grandfather. We can only
speculate that they were born in the early 1700s and died before the reported
death of Vincenzo in 1830 as they were both indicated deceased in the record. It
is probably more likely they died before the turn of the century or shortly
thereafter. No occupation was provided for Domenico. Rosa’s occupation was
indicated as filatrice.

Fedele Rigieri (Algieri) and Nicola Brindisi

Fedele and Nicola’s names were discovered in the death record of their
daughter Isabella Rigieri in 1840. Recall from the earlier discussion of Isabella
Algieri and her husband Francesco Coschignano that Rigieri is a derivative of
Algieri. Isabella’s death record indicates at the time of her death that both Fedele
and Nicola are dead. No occupation is listed for either parent.

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Grand Parents

Gennaro Crocco – b. September 7, 1825, d. after 1865

Serafina Chimento – b. January 25, 1829, d. after 1865

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 From the birth record of her mother Teresa, we discover that Grandma’s
maternal grandparents were Gennaro Crocco and Serafina Chimento. Gennaro
was born on September 7, 1825 to Carmino Crocco and Nunziata Di Cicco who
at the time of his birth lived on Contrada Padia in Sila Muccone. From Gennaro’s
marriage record it is discovered that his occupation was that of a contadino.

Serafina was born to Pier Angelo Chimento and Maria Celico on January
25, 1829. Her occupation is indicated on daughter Teresa’s birth record as
filatrice.

According to a citation on the Cosenza Archive website Gennaro and

Serafina were married on December 26, 1846. We know of seven children they
produced together. The birth citations from the Cosenza Archive site indicates
that Angelo was born on October 29, 1848; Maria was born on March 21, 1851;
Domenica on August 15, 1854; Marianna on March 9, 1857; Leonardo on
November 11, 1859; Teresa our great grandmother on September 11, 1862 and
Carmella on November 17, 1865. We also learn that Maria, Domenica and
Marianna were born in a frazione of Acri known as Cuta which is located about a
half mile south west of Sericella, the small hamlet where Grandma was born.

From the birth citations we also learn that during the birth of the first two
children Gennaro’s occupation is listed as Bracciale or laborer. With the birth of
Domenica his occupation changes to farmer (contadino). Serafina’s occupation
is listed as a filatrice (spinner).

A death record for Gennaro and Serafina could not be located. Nor could
we locate marriage or death records of any of their children that might help in

145
narrowing down the range of death years. We can only logically conclude that
they died sometime after the birth of their last child in 1865.

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great Grand Parents

Carmelo Crocco – b. about 1804, d. after 1846

Nunziata DiCicco – b. about 1806, d. after 1846

Grandma’s great grandparents were Carmelo Crocco and Nunziato

DiCicco. They are Grandma’s mother’s, father’s, parents.

Some references list Carmelo as Carmino and Carmine. Nunziata’s last

name has been found in the records as spelled De Cicco.

From a marriage record dated October 28, 1821 we learn that Carmelo
was 17 when he wed Nunziata. His occupation was listed as farmer and he
resided with his family on Strada Padia. His parents were Gaetano Crocco and
Aurelia Acri. From the same document we learn that Nunziata was 15 when they
wed. She too lived on Strada Padia with her family. Her father, Domenico Di
Cicco, was a farmer and her mother is identified as Marianna Bonvenuto. From
the ages indicated in the marriage record we can estimate a year of birth for
Carmelo and Nunziata of 1804 and 1806, respectively.

Carmelo and Nunziato produced 8 children for which we have been able
to locate records. The first born was a son Gennaro who was born on February
6, 1823. He died in infancy and a death record indicates a date of death of

146
August 26, 1824. Keeping the Italian tradition of the time of naming a subsequent
child for a previously deceased sibling, about a year later on September 7, 1825
our direct ancestor Gennaro was born. Following Gennaro was Raffaele on
August 27, 1829; Nicola on July 15, 1832; Luigi on October 19, 1834; Natale on
December 29, 1836,Vincenzo on February 9, 1845 and another Natale born on
October 25, 1846 who died on December 4, 1846. Generally when the family
listing has two children that share the same name it is because the elder one is
deceased and the younger is named for the first. A death citation for a Natale
Crocco dated December 26, 1837 has been located however the document is not
available to view. It is likely the record pertains to the first Natale, however only
by viewing the record can we sure who his parents were. As you might notice
there is a nine year gap between Natale and Vincenzo. Given the rate at which
Nunziata was giving birth it seems likely that more children might be located in
this period at some future time.

The birth records of the children also indicate, that from the birth of the
first Gennaro up to and including Nicola, the family resided on Strada Padia
which is located in Acri proper. Carmelo’s occupation is listed as a Bracciale. By
the time Luigi is born in 1834 the family has moved to Contrada Cuta, which is
located in the Frazione of Cuta in the Acri countryside. As far as we know the
family remained there. By the time Vincenzo is born in 1845 Carmelo’s
occupation changes to Contadino. An interesting notation was also contained in
the birth citation for Vincenzo indicating that he was born in the town of Santa
Sofia D’Epito which is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Acri. What
little is known of the town is that it had a sizable Albanian population. Why
Carmelo and Nunziata went to Santa Sofia is not known.

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 Death records for Carmelo and Nunziata could not be located therefore
the only logical conclusion is that they died sometime following the birth year of
their last child in 1846.

Pier Angelo Chimento– b. about 1804, d. after 1856

Maria Celico – b. about 1811, d. September 15, 1832

Aurelia Gencarelli (second wife) – b. October 8, 1817, d. after 1856

Grandma’s other Great Grandparents were Pier Angelo Chimento and

Maria Celico. They are Grandma’s mother’s, mother’s, parents.

Angelo and Maria were married on May 25, 1823. Recall that Maria is the
sister of Grandpa’s grandmother Maria Celico who married Luigi Cofone. This is
another connection making our grandparents cousins.

From their marriage record we discover that Angelo was 19 and Maria
was 12 when they married. This would make their estimated years of birth 1804
for Pier Angelo and 1811 for Maria. Both were living on Strada Padia at the time
of their marriage. Pier Angelo’s occupation is indicated as Contadino (farmer).
From the marriage record we also learn the names of their parents. Francesco
Chimento and Angela Perri were the parents of Pier Angelo and Angelo Celico
and Rosa Coschignano were the parents of Maria and as you may recall they are
also Grandpa’s paternal Great Grandparents.

From available records we learn that Pier Angelo and Maria produced at
least two children. The first child is believed to be Serafina born on January 25,
148
1829. As you will recall it was from she whom we are descended. The second
child Giuseppe was born on March 18, 1832.

Maria died on September 15, 1832 at the age of 21. At the time of her
death her daughter Serafina is three years and nearly nine months old and her
son Giuseppe was only six months old. Given the age of her son at the time it
may be her death was the result complications following his birth, although we
will never really know. The death record incorrectly states her age as 26.

We know that Pier Angelo married less than a month later on October 12,
1832 to Aurelia Gencarelli. We can speculate that the immediate needs of his
children we at least part of his motivation for the somewhat contemporaneous
second marriage. Pier Angelo and Aurelia produced eight children for which
records exist. Leonardo was born on January 30, 1838; Pasquale Santo on April
26, 1840, Carmela Tommasina on October 2, 1842; Antonio on April 13, 1845;
Rosa on June 13, 1847; Gennaro on January 5, 1850, who was born at the Sila
Muccone, a forest region across from Acri on the westerly banks of the Muccone
River; Santo Salvatore born on April 4. 1852 whose birth citation lists he was
born in La Muccone (sic); and finally Mariangela on June 21, 1856 in Cuta, a
small settlement and frazione of Acri west of the Muccone River.

A birth record for Aurelia Gencarelli was found that indicates a birth date
of October 8, 1817. This would make her 15 years old when she married Pier
Angelo in 1832 who was 29 at the time. Her parents were Gennaro Gencarelli
and Angela Mancuso.

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 A death record could not be located for Pier Angelo or Aurelia Gencarelli.
At this point all we can logically conclude is that they died sometime after the
birth of their last child in 1856.

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great-Great Grand Parents

Francesco Chimento – b. about 1771, d. September 29, 1851

Angela Perri – b. about mid-1770s, d. after 1811 before 1823

Grandma’s maternal Great Great Grandparents were Francesco Chimento

and Angela Perri. Francesco and Angela were Grandma’s mother’s, mother’s,
father’s parents.

In addition to Pier Angelo who was born around 1804 and from whom we
are descended, a birth record was found for another son, Giuseppe, who was
born on February 21, 1811. Giuseppe’s birth record indicates that Francesco
was about 40 years old at the time of the birth. This would make his estimated
birth year about 1771. His occupation is listed as Bracciale or laborer. While the
record identifies Angela Perri as the mother no other information regarding her
age or occupation is indicated in the document.

The marriage record of Pier Angelo indicates that at the time of his first
marriage in 1823 Angela Perri is dead. A further search for information regarding
Angela could not be located. It may be that she was not originally from Acri and
therefore the lack of records. Records for any other children other than those
indicated herein could also not be located. Therefore the best that we surmise is

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that Angele died after the birth of son Giuseppe but before the marriage of son
Pier Angelo in 1823.

A death citation for Francesco was found on the Cosenza Archive site
which indicates a date of death of September 29, 1851 at the estimated age of
80. Using Francesco’s death year to extrapolate his birth year renders 1771 and
is in agreement with the information contained in his son’s Giuseppe’s birth
record suggesting that this may possibly be our ancestor.

Angelo Celico – b. about 1786, d. November 17, 1863

Rosa Coschignano – b. about 1788, d. November 20, 1844

Angelo and Rosa were Grandma’s mother’s, mother’s, mother’s parents.

They are a common ancestral connection between Grandma and Grandpa. For
more information on them revisit the section on Grandpa’s maternal Great
Grandparents.

Gaetano Crocco – b. about 1752, d. April 5, 1842

Aurelia Acri – b. mid 1700s, d. after 1804

Gaetano and Aurelia were Grandma’s mother’s, father’s, father’s parents.

Their identities were discovered in the 1821 marriage record of their son Carmelo
Crocco to Nunziata De Cicco. The marriage record only tells us that Gaetano is a
farmer and that the family lived on Strada Padia. No age information is provided.
Not much is known about Gaetano Crocco and Aurelia Acri. One reason may be

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that Gaetano and Aurelia were not originally from Acri. Possible leads that have
been discovered thus far and are discussed below seem to support this opinion.

A town of Acri death record dated April 5, 1842 was located for Gaetano
Crocco whose age at death was indicated to be 90. This would calculate to an
estimated year of birth of about 1752, which may be somewhat earlier than the
expected range of when we our ancestor was believed to have been born. The
record indicates that this Gaetano was born in Luzzi, a town in Cosenza, which is
located approximately 6 miles southwest of Acri. It is not a frazione of Acri.
Gaetano evidently relocated to Acri and was living there at the time of his death.
When he relocated to Acri is not known. We do know that our Gaetano was in
Acri in 1804 when his son Carmelo was born. The death record also indicates
that the parents of this Gaetano were Michele Crocco and Rosa Cofone.

I think it is reasonable to consider that Gaetano’s age as reported in the

death record may have been over stated. Since he was originally from Luzzi
there was no birth record on file in Acri. An estimate of his age was likely
provided by the witnesses who reported the death to authorities. Francesco
Rigieri and Giuseppe Luzzi were purportedly fifty and sixty years old, respectively
when they reported Gaetano’s death to the municipal authorities. They obviously
knew Gaetano was older than they were but probably did not know by how much.
The Cosenza Archive website was queried for a Gaetano Crocco from Luzzi and
no record was located.

The Cosenza Archive web site contained no listing for an Aurelia Acri
associated with the town of Acri. However the Archive site provided two records
for an Aurelia Acri outside of the town of Acri. One was an 1811 birth record in
the town of Rossano which clearly would not have been our Aurelia since the
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birth occurred decades after the period when we would expect our Aurelia to
have been born. The second finding was a death citation and record dated May
5, 1843 that documented the death of an Aurelia Acri, 60 years old, in the town of
Rogliano which is located in Cosenza and is situated about 22 miles south of
Acri. The record indicates that Aurelia was born in Luzzi. Extrapolating the age at
death to obtain a birth year rendered 1783, certainly within the realm of when we
might expect our ancestor to have been born, however not conclusive. The
Cosenza Archive website was queried for an Aurelia Acri from Luzzi but no
record was located.

Unfortunately there is insufficient evidence supporting the notion that both

persons identified above, who share the same names as our ancestors, were
both from Luzzi, and may have been born around the same time in the mid to
late 1700s, are in fact our ancestors. We can only hope that at some point in the
future more information may become available to make or entirely refute the
connection.

Domenico DeCicco – b. before 1806, d. after 1821

Marianna Benvenuto – b. before 1806, d. after 1821

Domenico and Marianna were Grandma’s mother’s, father’s, mother’s

parents. Not surprisingly, we know very little about Domenico and Marianna.
Their identities were discovered in the 1821 marriage record of their daughter
Nunizata to Carmelo Crocco. The record only tells us that Domenico is a farmer
and that the family lived on Strada Padia. Except with respect to the bride and
groom, no other age information is provided in the document for any of the
parents.

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 Apart from the marriage record of Nunziata De Cicco, an attempt was
made to locate any additional records where Domenico and Marianna appeared
as the parents. Since it is believed that their daughter Nunziata was born around
or before 1806, it was hoped to find some record involving their children in about
a 25 year period beginning around 1809, which is when the Napoleonic code
required that record keeping in the area begin. Among the 1500 records
reviewed on the Cosenza Archive site in search of children with parents with the
surnames of De Cicco or Di Cicco no others were found to have Domenico and
Marianna Benvenuto as parents.

Death records for Domenico and Marianna could not be located. The best
that can be estimated is that they died sometime after the marriage of their
daughter Nunziata to Carmino Crocco in October of 1821. Perhaps for some
future edition of our family’s history the Latter Day Saints database, a more
comprehensive and expansive source than the Cosenza Archive site, can be
researched to explore this and other dangling connections represented herein.

Grandma Angela’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grand Parents

Of the eight sets of Grandma’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents,

we have possibly located three. Keep in mind that it is difficult to conclude that
the following persons are indeed our ancestors. The information was derived
from documents believed to represent known ancestors, but lacks sufficient
corroboration to drawn definite conclusions as to their authenticity.

Michele Crocco and Rosa Cofone

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 We learned of Michele and Rosa from the death record of their son
Gaetano Crocco who is believed to have died in 1842. Gaetano’s death record
indicates that his parents were dead prior to the time of his death. We know they
were alive at the time Gaetano was born, which is estimated to be around 1752.
It is estimated that Michele and Rosa were probably born sometime around the
mid -1730s.

Giuseppe Celico and Maria Capalbo

While Giuseppe and Maria were Grandma’s Maternal Great-Great-Great

Grandparents they were Grandpa’s Paternal Great-Great Grandparents. In the
vernacular of genealogy this connection would make Grandma and Grandpa 3rd
Cousins one removed. For further information regarding Giuseppe and Maria
revisit Grandpa’s Paternal Great-Great Grandparents section above.

Carmino Coschignano and Maria Guidi

Carmino and Maria are the other set of Grandparents shared by Grandma
and Grandpa through their common Celico line. Just as above, they are
Grandma’s Maternal Great-Great-Great Grandparents and Grandpa’s Paternal
Great-Great Grandparents. Revisit Grandpa’s Great-Great Grandparents section
above to view information regarding Carmino and Maria

Angela Gabriele Pedigree Chart

What follows on the next page is Grandma’s basic pedigree chart which,
including, Grandma spans five and in some cases six generations.

155
Angela Gabriele

156
 Chapter 8 - The Family Nicknames

As you know by now, the Cofone family evolved mostly from farmers,
herdsman, laborers and spinners. During the nineteenth century and well into the
early 20th century, our ancestors worked and lived off the land. They received no
formal education, and as such, many if not most, like Grandma and Grandpa,
could not read or write. As children became old enough to work the land or tend
sheep they contributed to the family’s general wellbeing by performing whatever
manual labor helped the family survive. Pursuit of education and literacy was not
stressed, particularly in the outer frazione of Acri, where schools were scarce and
due to the nature of life, the need for manual labor was plentiful. Overall our
ancestors can perhaps be best described as poor, hard-working people, who did
whatever they could to provide for their families. I can only imagine that they
would be extremely proud to learn that their descendants became educated and
generally successful in life.

Our ancestors were too poor to have a family crest or any such image or
symbol that represents a family's presumed characteristics. Like most families
who evolved in the region of southern Italy where our family began, in lieu of a
symbol, families bore nicknames, known in the vernacular as “supranome”.
Nicknames helped to distinguish families with similar names from each other.
Sometime a nickname had significance to a particular person or family. It might
denote for example, a physical characteristic or perhaps a specific sub-region
where a family dwelled. In other cases the family nickname had no particular
significance. Such seems to be the case with our family.

The Cofone family nickname is Scaramuzzo. It is pronounced Sca’-rah-

mootz-o, with emphasis on the first syllable. The letter “a” in the Italian language

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is pronounced “ah” and such is the case here. The letter “r” is pronounced in
such a way that it is softly rolled. Sometimes Scaramuzzo is pronounced with the
o cut off. As a kid growing up I remember some of the older Italians in the
neighborhood referring to me as Joey Scaramuzz or just Scaramuzz. Uncle
Jimmy had the nickname Scotty when he was young, which was nothing more
than a truncated derivative of Scaramuzzo. All of Grandma and Grandpa’s
children grew up with the nickname attached to their first names. For example,
Aunt Mary was Maria e’ Scaramuzzo, Aunt Tessie was Terazina e’ Scaramuzzo,
so on and so forth for the others. As a matter of fact Grandma and Grandpa
would always tell me in sort of a proud way that we came from “I razzi degli
Scaramuzzi”, meaning generations of the Scaramuzzos. All this mention of
Scaramuzzo lead me to believe that perhaps the Cofone family emanated from
an original Scaramuzzo clan.

I have tried without success to trace the genesis of the Scaramuzzo

nickname. In Acri there are families with the last name of Scaramuzzo, however
no direct link between our Cofone line and the Scaramuzzo line could be
established, at least as far back as around 1768, which is the estimated birth
year of Grandpa’s great-great-great grandfather Giuseppe Cofone. The origin
may reside even prior to this time; however, the likelihood of uncovering its
earliest source is remote at best, if not impossible. It may also be that the
Scaramuzzo surname was somehow derived from the Cofone surname.

I also checked Italian dictionaries in hopes of finding a root word from

which the name evolved. As far as can be determined the separate words scara
and muzzo do not exist in the Italian lexicon. The closest word I have discovered
that sounds like Scaramuzzo is the Italian word scaramuccia. In pronunciation it
sounds almost exactly the same. The cc sound in scaramuccia is slightly softer
than the harder sounding zz in Scaramuzzo. The other slight exception pertains
158
to the very last syllable. Because scaramuccia ends in the letter “a” the emphasis
is on the “ah” sound as opposed to the “oh” sound reflecting the last letter “o” in
Scaramuzzo. The Italian word scaramuccia means a quick and short conflict,
encounter, or a fight, between small groups; in other words a skirmish. I have
been unable to find any on-line reference source to establish if the name
Scaramuzzo is a Calabrian dialect derivative of the word scaramuccia. If there is
some connection between these words it makes one wonder if there could have
been a personality trait or characteristic of one or a group of our ancestor’s that
reflected a tendency to clash with others. While interesting to ponder, there is no
way presently to confirm any of this.

So we come full circle. My father’s uncle, Nunziato Cofone, Grandpa’s

brother-in-law, told me that Scaramuzzo was merely a nickname. It has no direct
translation and no connotation. Although this may be the case, the name
Scaramuzzo meant something to our ancestors. Perhaps it was nothing more
than a symbol of uniqueness. Like Grandma and Grandpa, perhaps they too felt
some sort of pride with being identified as a Scaramuzzo. This meaningless
sounding nickname has proven to be the only family legacy that our ancestors,
uncomplicated salt of the earth people that they were, could afford to bestow
upon us. It may be the only enduring symbol that carries through to the
successive generations of the Cofone family.

Grandma’s family also had a nickname. The Gabriele clan from the
Serricella frazione of Acri was known as “I Cuorecelli”, which loosely translated
means “little hearts”. The genesis of this nickname, like that of Scaramuzzo, will
probably never be known.

159
 As a child I recall being occasionally mocked by some other Italian-
American kids because of my last name, or more appropriately, how it sounded
in typical pronunciation. Evidently it had some sort of a negative connotation of
which I was unaware. I began inquiring about what our name meant and
somehow learned that our family name was presumably a synonym for the word
peasant. By all accounts, and to be totally frank, our ancestors were indeed
peasants. By no fault of their own they were certainly uneducated, agricultural
laborers that lived in the rural countryside. I recently checked an Italian
dictionary under various derivative spellings of our family name in an attempt to
locate a more precise definition. The search revealed the results presented
below.

DEFINITION OF THE WORD CAFONE AS IT APPEARED IN THE O XFORD PARAVIA ITALIAN

DICTIONARY

I do not know the actual genesis of our family name or how it evolved over
the centuries. All we do know is that long ago the name was bestowed upon our
early ancestors. Perhaps it reflected their most basic characteristic and nature
those hundreds of years ago. While our ancestors may have lacked formal
education and were illiterate, it does not mean they were unintelligent. To the
contrary, they learned how to adapt and survive under very harsh conditions that
so called sophisticated people could never hope to endure. They may have been
160
uncultured and unrefined by certain social standards of the time, but they created
their own culture, that for the most part, revolved around a close-knit, loving,
family unit and good friends and which continues to endure to this day.

Over the ensuing generations our ancestors were smart enough and
intrepid enough to overcome the connotations of the offensive terms one
derivative spelling of our family’s name seems to symbolize or represent. Those
in the present and future generations that may face some ridicule because of the
grammatical meaning of our family name should feel a sense of pride in what we
have been able to collectively accomplish over the centuries. Those
achievements speak volumes about the actual quality and integrity of the family
known as Cofone, Cafone, or whatever derivative you care to use.

161
 Chapter 9 – Two Uncles We Never Knew

If you asked most of the second American born generation members of

the family how many aunts and uncles we had, the reply from most would likely
be seven. If asked to name them starting with the eldest the answer would be
Tessie, Jimmy, Josie, Mary, Florie, Louie and Jean.

The fact is Grandma and Grandpa produced a total of nine and perhaps
ten children that survived and for which there is an actual record of their
existence or at least some sort of mention in family lore. Grandma had openly
admitted to having had as many as 14 children in all. It is believed that four or
possibly five of the fourteen children may have been miscarriages.

This chapter is primarily about two additional surviving sons born to

Grandma and Grandpa. Their names were Alfonso and Angelo. There had been
speculation that they were born between Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Josie, and died
in their infancy. I went in search of our two uncles and tried to determine
precisely when they were born and when they died.

First I tried to formulate an idea of when the births took place. If we look at
the family time line we see three significant gaps. The first is found between the
births of Aunt Tessie on January 18, 1911 and Uncle Jimmy in December 5,
1921. The duration of this gap is almost 10 years and 11 months. The next gap is
between the births of Uncle Jimmy, on December 5, 1921 and Aunt Josie on
March 16, 1923. This gap is approximately a little more than one year and four
months in duration. The final gap is located between my father, Uncle Louie, born
on November 29, 1926, and Aunt Jean, whose birthday is April 9, 1932. This

162
gap represents a period of about 5 years 5 months. An interesting pattern worth
noting is that in between the birth of Aunt Josie and my father, Grandma and
Grandpa managed to have almost one child a year.

We know that for approximately 9 or 10 years beginning in what was

believed to be 1911 or 1912; Grandma and Aunt Tessie were living in Italy. We
know they returned to the US from Italy in January of 1921. The prolonged
absence of approximately nine years accounts for the large gap between Aunt
Tessie and Uncle Jimmy and therefore eliminates that period of time to search
for any additional births.

The gap between Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Josie of nearly sixteen months
seems like a good possibility until you realize the fact that Grandma probably
became pregnant with Aunt Josie sometime in June of 1922. This now
represents a gap of about 6 months from the birth of Uncle Jimmy. It may be
possible that Grandma miscarried sometime during this interval, but obviously
another birth was out of the question. Even a premature birth would seem highly
unlikely. This leaves us with the gap
between Louie and Jean which is
precisely where we find our uncles.

As a child, I visited St.

Joseph’s Cemetery, located on
Ridge Road in Lyndhurst, many
times with Grandma. Visiting the

T HE G RAVESITES OF A NGELO COFONE AND WHAT WAS
PRESUMED TO BE A LFONSO C OFONE ( RED CIRCLE ) IN S T .
J OSEPH ' S C EMETERY , LYNDHURST
163
cemetery back then was like visiting
the old neighborhood. It seemed
that we made stops at everyone’s
grave that Grandma knew to say hello and offer a short prayer. And of course we
would visit the eventual gravesite of Grandma and Grandpa. I guess they wanted
to make sure that I’d know where to find them.

On our many trips to the cemetery Grandma would take me to the graves
of what were presumably two of her children. The gravesites are located in the
northwest corner of the cemetery, known as the “baby field”, which is an area of
the cemetery that consists mainly of children’s graves. A small concrete cross,
with the initials “AC” etched into the intersection of the cross, marks the location
of one of our unknown uncle’s grave. A small arch shaped, non-descript head
stone to the left of the concrete cross shaped headstone was thought to be the
grave marker for a second child. Exactly when the stones were set in place has
not been determined.

Our Grandparents could not

afford a proper headstone but
arrangements were made
ensure that our uncle’s grave
would be marked. It was long
thought that Uncle Nat
fabricated the cross-shaped
headstone. What I came to
learn from Aunt Rosie is that the
headstone was actually made
by a friend of Grandpa’s, who
A CLOSE - UP OF HEADSTONES OF A NGELO C OFONE AND was a mason, named Frank “ oo
PERHAPS ANOTHER CHILD . T HE CROSS - SHAPED HEADSTONE
Vizuoco” (which loosely
WAS MADE BY F RANK “ OO V IZUOCO ” DIG IACOMO .
translated means one who
never got married) DiGiacomo. Going back to when she first immigrated to
164
America, Vizuoco wanted to marry Grandma, but she would not have him. From
what I have heard, Frank was a rather disheveled and uncouth fellow. He
eventually did marry and lived on East Center Street across from Aunt Tessie
and Uncle Nat’s house.

I reasoned that burial records, if they still existed, would allow a

determination as to who was buried in the grave and when they were interred. In
my search for the burial records I learned that at the turn of the century the
original records for St. Joseph’s Cemetery were maintained by Diffley’s Funeral
Home in Rutherford. The records were subsequently turned over to St. Joseph’s
R.C. Church in East Rutherford years ago. The church later cataloged many of
those records.

What I ultimately came to learn from the data obtained from the church is
that the grave marked by the concrete cross was occupied by only one child.
Based on information presented below we now know that the arched shaped
headstone actually marks the grave of another child who was not one of our
uncles.

An inquiry with St. Joseph’s Church revealed records of four children, with
the Cofone surname, buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Of these, three were
buried in the baby field. The fourth infant was interred in another area of the
cemetery. I also came to learn that only one of the three infants buried in the
baby field was actually a child of Grandma and Grandpa. Of the remaining two in
the baby field who were not related, one was named Louis Cofone, who was
seven months old when he died in April of 1911, and the other was Salvatore
who was 4 days old when he died in Nutley in 1917. Both are buried in grave 2,
section I, in an area of baby field which in now located beneath a cemetery
165
roadway adjacent to section M of the baby field where our uncle is buried. These
children do not appear to be children of Grandma and Grandpa by virtue of the
fact that our grandparents were likely in Pennsylvania, or perhaps in Minnesota,
at the time the child known as Louis was born and Grandma was not in the U.S.
during the death of the latter child, Salvatore. The fact that both occupy the same
grave may be indicative of the fact they were likely related, possibly being
brothers.

The burial record for Grandpa and Grandma’s child, whose name was
indicated as Angelo, did not specify a grave or section designation. The church
secretary who retrieved the record told me it was found in a file that contained all
internments in what was known as the “baby field”. It was only from direct
knowledge passed down by our grandparents that we can identify the location of
the grave which, as indicated above, has been marked with the “AC” inscribed
cement, cross shaped, headstone. We now know that the child buried in that
grave was Angelo. However, Angelo was not the first of our grandparent’s
children to be buried in the cemetery. He was predeceased about 14 months
prior by his brother Alfonso who we will discuss shortly.

Angelo Cofone
b. August 9, 1929, d. October 11, 1929

According to the cemetery burial record, Angelo was presumably 2

months and 6 days old when he died, although no date of death is indicated on
the record. The cause of death is listed as “Congenital Malformation of the
Cranium”. The record also indicates that he was interred on October 13, 1929. If
the two months and six days age indicated in the record is applied to his burial

166
date the implication would be a birthday of August 7th which differs slightly from
the date of birth on the death certificate.

B URIAL RECORD FOR A NGELO COFONE

Angelo’s death certificate, which was obtain afterwards, shows that he

was born on August 9, 1929, which ironically is the month and day of my birth.
He lived just two months and two days. He died on October 11, 1929 in the
Lyndhurst house and was pronounced dead by Howard M Cooper, M.D. of
Rutherford, New Jersey. The cause of death is the same as listed on the
cemetery record but also indicates that infection was a contributory cause. He
was interred on October 13, 1929 in St Joseph’s Cemetery. The Collins Funeral
Home in Rutherford, New Jersey handled the funeral arrangements.

167
 D EATH CERTIFICATE OF A NGELO C OFONE

I recall Grandma saying that something kept oozing from the head of one
of her babies and that he ultimately died when the top of his head just burst
open. Aunt Tessie also told a similar story. Aunt Mary adds more detail to the
story. She recalled that they tried to keep Angelo calm but that he began to cry
and while doing so the malformation ruptured. The release of pressure was
evidently forceful enough to cause blood to splatter up onto the ceiling. According
to Aunt Mary, Angelo was immediately taken to the doctor where he died.

Grandma speculated in later years that Angelo was probably born with the
defect because during her pregnancy he must have been resting with his head
on a fibroid tumor in her uterus, which had been later diagnosed and surgically
removed. The thought was that the contact with the tumor made the middle of his
head very soft.

168
 Angelo was waked at the Lyndhurst house in the front room that years
later became Grandpa’s bedroom. Aunt Mary remembers a dark wreath hanging
on the front door.

There are two other interesting observations with regard to Angelo’s death
records. Firstly, Angelo’s last name is spelled CAfone on the death certificate and
COfone on the burial record, the former which is likely the result of the phonetic
sounding of the name. Secondly, the death certificate lists Grandma’s maiden
name incorrectly as Garavola.

A check of the baptismal records on file with Sacred Heart Church in

Lyndhurst reveals that Angelo was born on August 9, 1929 and was baptized on
August 25, 1929. His godfather was Samuel Del Core, who lived on Paul Street
in Lyndhurst with his wife Rosina and their children. Their house was situated
somewhat directly behind the Lyndhurst house. The southwest corner rear yard
of their house abutted the northeast corner of the rear yard of the Lyndhurst
house. Angelo’s godmother was Grace Polita. Nothing further is known about
her. Father Kennedy of Sacred Heart Church baptized Angelo. Interestingly Aunt
Jean had the very same godparents.

I can only speculate that Angelo was named after Angelo Celico who was
Grandpa’s Great Grandfather and also Grandma’s Great-Great Grandfather. As
indicated in an earlier chapter, it is through Angelo Celico that Grandpa and
Grandma are related.

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 Alfonso Cofone
b. August 29, 1928, d. August 30, 1928

Angelo’s brother was not interred in the baby field, as had been thought
for quite some time. The burial record indicates the child’s name as Alfonse, the
Americanized version of Alfonso, which appears on the death certificate.

B URIAL R ECORD OF A LFONSE COFONE

Alfonse’s burial records show a date of death of August 30, 1928 and also
indicated that he lived one day. The cause of death is indicated as “Premature
Birth”. The record also indicates that he was buried on September 4, 1928, five
days following his death. The record also reveals that he is not buried with his
brother Angelo, but rather in an unmarked grave he presumably shares with an
infant female, Caroline Murphy. She was buried in the plot about a year earlier,
on August 2, 1927.

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 Alfonso’s gravesite is unmarked and is located in Plot 28 of Range 5W.
The gravesite is situated just to the east of the baby field on the other side of the
narrow, west side, roadway of the cemetery. More specifically it is located just
south and next to a headstone bearing the surname Franki. Generally, the grave
is located in a space between
the headstones that bear the
last name Franki, which
occupies Plot 29 and Krammer,
which occupies plots 25 through
27. The Franki head stone is
heart shaped and is topped with
a statue of a small angel. The
Kramer headstone is dark gray
T HE ARROW POINTS TO UNMARKED GRAVE OF A LFONSO
and contains an etching of a
branch. Immediately to its left is another headstone bearing the name Kiefer.
These gravesites are located about 10 or 12 rows back from the roadway and
slightly south of Angelo’s gravesite.

As with Angelo who died later, money was not available to procure a
headstone. One must also wonder if they knew precisely where Alfonso was
buried. Had they known I am confident that as an adequate marker of sorts
would have been fabricated and set in place. It is also likely both markers would
have been fabricated and installed at the same time.

A further search of the Lyndhurst Death Records revealed that Alfonso

New York Ave
Cofone was born prematurely on August 29, 1928. He died on the next day,
August 30, 1928 at the Lyndhurst house. He was pronounced dead by Harry
Cherashore, M.D. of Nutley, New Jersey who listed the official cause of death as
premature birth. The death record indicates that Alfonso was buried in St.
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Joseph’s Cemetery in Lyndhurst on September 4, 1928, which sadly was
Grandma’s 39th birthday. The Collins Funeral Home of Rutherford, New Jersey
handled the arrangements. Alfonso’s death certificate had his last name spelled
CAfone. It also incorrectly had Grandma’s maiden name as Grabola.

D EATH R ECORD OF A LFONSO COFONE 1928

We can speculate why it took nearly five days to bury the infant and why
he was buried with an unrelated child in section W. Perhaps the family needed
time to come up with the funds to cover all or part of the burial expenses. Another
thought on the common grave with the Murphy child is perhaps it was a gesture
of charity on the part of the church or funeral director. Another possibility is that
our grandparents left the burial arrangements to the funeral director and might

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not have known where the child was actually buried, believing he was buried in
the same grave that Angelo would occupy about a year later.

Angelo’s
Gravesite

Alfonso’s
Gravesite

R ELATIVE POSITION OF A NGELO AND A LFONSO ' S GRAVESITES

Of all the trips I made to the cemetery with Grandma I never recall visiting
the area where Alfonso was buried. Nor do I ever recall hearing Grandma speak
of a child named Alfonso. For some reason, I thought that perhaps one of the
children was buried along a west side fence adjacent to the baby field section of
the cemetery as I recall visiting that area with Grandma several times. These
many years later I am not entirely sure whether or not we were visiting a grave in
the area along the fence or if we were searching for a grave of another one of her
children, perhaps Alfonso. Nor can I clearly recall if Grandma ever mentioned the
name of whom it was we were visiting and/or looking for as she always did during
our visits to other graves.
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 In viewing the baptismal records for Alfonso we find two interesting and
important discrepancies. Firstly, Alfonso is listed in the record as Santo Cofone. It
may be that Santo was truly his given name and that it somehow got changed to
Alfonso for the civil birth and death record, but was retained for the rite of
baptism. A second possibility is a clerical error by whomever it was that
documented the name. A third possibility that would not surprise me, is that a
doctor or nurse bestowed the name Alfonso on the child during the filing of the
death record, thinking that it was a popular Italian name at the time. In viewing
our family’s genealogy there is no record of anyone named Alfonso. Grandma did
however have a Great Grandfather named Santo Gabriele. Also, you may recall
from a previous chapter that her eldest sister was named Santa. So it may be the
child was named in honor of one of them.

The second discrepancy deals with records that indicate that Santo was
baptized on August 28, 1928, which is probably the day he was born. Fr. Joseph
Monestero, a priest from Holy Family Church in Nutley, apparently baptized him.
This of course conflicts with the information contained in the Lyndhurst Board of
Health Death Record. The record does not actually indicate Santo’s (Alfonso’s)
date of birth but rather shows a death date of August 30, 1928 and indicates that
he was one day old at the time of his death, implying he was born on August
29th. It may also be that Santo lived two days instead of the one day indicated in
the records. Knowing his frail and tenuous condition at the time of birth, Grandma
probably had Santo baptized immediately. At the time religious beliefs in the
Catholic Church, which dated back to the 4th Century, maintained that
unbaptized babies were not full members of the church. As a result, they could
not enter heaven, but rather would permanently reside in a place called Limbo.

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 Santo’s godparents were listed as Samuel and Rosa Del Core. Grandma
always referred to Rose DelCore, Samuel’s wife, as Cumara Rosina and this
explains why. The Calabrese word Cumara, means godmother.

Other Children

Grandma is also rumored to have had other “named” children who

miscarried or died prematurely. It is unknown if it was custom to name
miscarriages. One thought is that naming a miscarried child was dependent on
how long the child was carried. We don’t really know how far along Grandma was
in her pregnancy at the time she miscarried Alfonso.

Speculation by various family members, based on conversations with

Grandma, suggest the possibility of a son named Salvatore or Sammy. It was
long believed by some that it was he who was buried alongside Angelo in St
Joseph’s Cemetery. Grandma was known to have mentioned visiting a child with
the name Salvatore, on her trips to the cemetery. In a 1992 interview with Aunt
Tessie she mentioned Angelo and Sammy as the names of the infants. In 2008
Aunt Mary stated that the names of the children were Angelo and Carmine. If
they did exist, perhaps it was Sammy or Carmine we were looking for along the
fence in the baby field in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Another theory is that Alfonso or more appropriately, Santo and Salvatore

or Santo and Sammy may be one in the same person. As mentioned above,
Alfonso’s godfather was Samuel Del Core. In the Calabrese dialect the name
Samuel is often pronounced as Salvatore. Actually the Calabrese pronunciation
phonetically sounds more like Saab’-a-do-rah. The emphasis is on the first
syllable. It is possible that Grandma thought of Angelo as Salvatore, with the
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reference and respect to Angelo’s godfather. This may have been a custom of
sorts for the time. This theory is given some credibility by the fact that church
records from Holy Family Church in Nutley, Sacred Heart Church in Lyndhurst
and St Joseph’s Church in East Rutherford which contains the burial records for
St Joseph’s Cemetery in Lyndhurst, as well as a check of death certificates in
Lyndhurst and Nutley fail to disclose an infant or premature birth with the name
Salvatore Cofone or Cafone born to our Grandparents.

Let’s now try to estimate the range of time when any possible premature
births and miscarriages could have occurred. We can of course rule out the
period of time between Aunt Tessie and Uncle Jimmy. We now know that this is
not possible because Grandma and Aunt Tessie were in Italy during that time.
But what about the period of time before the birth of Aunt Tessie?

We know that Grandma and Grandpa were married in November of 1909

and Aunt Tessie was born in January of 1911. Aunt Rosie emphatically states
that Grandma mentioned she miscarried before giving birth to Aunt Tessie and
lost the child after about 3 months. Aunt Tessie was likely conceived in late April
or early May of 1910. Artificial birth control as we know it today was non-existent
at the time, not to mention religious morays against its use even if it were. As
such, it is possible that Grandma, who we know was extremely fertile, could have
become pregnant in her first few months of marriage. Therefore it is also possible
that she may have miscarried once before the conception of Aunt Tessie. It was
often said that Aunt Tessie was the first child and there was no recollection by
anyone I spoke to, other than Aunt Rosie, of a miscarriage prior to Aunt Tessie’s
birth. I trust Aunt Rosie’s memory and recollection regarding the matter. As
indicated, time wise, it may have been possible that there was another
pregnancy prior to Aunt Tessie.

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 It is also possible the Grandma conceived again within a few months of
Aunt Tessie’s birth but lost the child prior to the return to Italy. According to an
account by Aunt Tessie, another daughter, Maria, was born and died in
Nashwauk, Minnesota. An inquiry with the Catholic churches in the area of
Nashwauk has thus far failed to provide any written documentation of Maria’s
birth. A more in depth investigation in the further may provide more conclusive
evidence. Such an investigation would probably require a physical visit to the
area.

As indicated earlier, another possible miscarriage could have occurred

between Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Josie.

Then there is of course the period of time between the births of Louie in
November of 1926 and Alfonso in August of 1928. We know that Alfonso was a
premature birth, but we don’t know how long Grandma carried him. If we
assume that she carried Alfonso for 8 months this would mean there would have
been at least a year between the birth of my father and the conception of
Alfonso. Grandma and Grandpa were producing children nearly at the rate of
one per year beginning in 1921. It seems highly probable that there would have
been some activity in 1927. Grandma could have conceivably gotten pregnant
again about a month or two after the birth of Louie and had a child in 1927 and
then could have repeated the cycle in 1928 in plenty of time to give birth to
Alfonso. I can only speculate that Salvatore, if he truly did exist, may have been
an infant who was born and died in 1927. It is worth repeating that there was also
no death certificate on file in Lyndhurst for a Salvatore during the late 1920s
period of time. While it may be possible that she could have given birth in a town
other than Lyndhurst during the same time period, it seems highly unlikely.

177
 Finally there is the period between the birth and death of Angelo in 1929
and Aunt Jean in 1932. Angelo died in October of 1929 and Jean was born in
April of 1932. She was likely conceived in August of 1931 or approximately 21
months after Angelo’s death. It is possible that Grandma could have had at least
one and possible two miscarriages in that interval of time. It is interesting to note
that Grandma underwent some sort of surgical procedure sometime prior to the
birth of Aunt Jean. The surgery was related to some kind of gynecological
condition, likely the fibroid tumors mentioned earlier. From what I gather, it was
thought that Grandma might not have been able to have any more children
following the procedure, whatever it was, and so Aunt Jean was thought of as
some sort of a miracle baby. Grandma was 42 years old when she gave birth to
Aunt Jean.

If we consider the various time intervals for possible miscarriages or

premature births, we find that we can easily account for the possibility of 14
children. This is the same number of pregnancies Grandma claims to have had in
her life.

So there you have it. Two uncles our second American generation never
knew and unfortunately neither did most of their siblings. Aunt Rosie has told me
that Uncle Jimmy, who would have been seven years old at the time, recalled
Angelo. Aunt Tessie, who was 17 and 19 years old at Alfonso and Angelo’s birth
respectively, would have very likely recalled both infants and perhaps some of
the miscarriages. Unfortunately, neither one of them is around for us to make
further inquiries into this interesting facet of our family’s history.

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 Chapter 10 – Insight into Family Life

This chapter offers a hodge-podge of brief glimpses into family life via
stories that have been handed down over the years by our aunts and uncles as
well as some personal observations I have made. The material contained in this
chapter offers some insight into the personality traits of our Grandparents and the
first generation aunts and uncles as well as some members of our extended
family. This is one part of the manuscript which I hope will be expanded during
the course of years to come by contributed stories from other members of the
family. This chapter renders a general sketch of our family’s character, nature
and persona.

I had often wondered what it was like for our first generation American
born aunts and uncles to grow up in Grandpa and Grandma’s household. It is
said that the environments we live in shape and define us as people.
Undoubtedly the way we were raised certainly contributes to the type of people
we become. What became patently clear listening to varied accounts over the
years was that at times during the early periods of their lives, even day to day
existence became very difficult for the family of Natale Cofone.

I have come to recognize and truly believe that Grandma and Grandpa
loved their children very much, although it is understandable in reading some of
the stories and accounts to follow, that someone might question the validity of
such an observation. From some of the stories it would appear that our
Grandparents were capable of administering severely harsh disciplinary action.
The method by which our aunts and uncles were raised might be described by
some as a tough love, but nevertheless the end result were children who grew up
to be good, decent and respected adults who respected and loved their parents

179
and demonstrated as much to their own children. Human nature being what it is,
for some inexplicable reason we tend to recall the difficult episodes in life more
so than the mundane occasions where, notwithstanding what may be happening
around us, we are generally happy and content. Interwoven in the text to follow
are stories of difficult times and difficult people as well as accounts of touching,
moving and in some cases, emotional events. There are also versions of
amusing and laughable episodes.

As a backdrop to the stories that follow let’s try to establish a context for
what is to follow. Grandma was 32 years old when she gave birth to Uncle Jimmy
on December 5, 1921. A short sidebar is that Uncle Jimmy’s actual birth name
was Vincenzo, being named after Grandpa’s father. In later years he legally
changed his name to James. At the time of Uncle Jimmy’s birth Grandma had
been back from Italy less than a year following a nine year absence during which
she raised Aunt Tessie single handedly. Fourteen months later on March 16,
1923 she had Aunt Josie. Sixteen months later on July 27, 1924 Aunt Mary was
born. Sixteen months after Aunt Mary’s birth, on November 15, 1925, Aunt Florie
was born followed barely more than a year later, November 29, 1926 by Uncle
Louie. Twenty two months later, on August 29, 1928 she had Alfonso, the first of
two sons to die in infancy, followed less than a year later, August 9, 1929, by
Angelo who lived only a few months. Somewhere in the mix there were likely four
or five more miscarriages. Lastly, two and one half years after the birth of Angelo,
on April 9, 1932, at the age of 43, Grandma gave birth to Aunt Jean whose full
name is Jean Carmela. Aunt Jean claims that she was named after Carmela
Costa a friend and neighbor of Grandma who asked that if Grandma had another
girl to name it after her. No one is sure how they came up with the name Jean.

It must have been an enormous challenge to raise all these children, even
with the help of Aunt Tessie, who was nearly eleven years old, a mere child
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herself, when Grandma and Grandpa began having the rest of the family. It is
also understandable that managing the household must have become nearly
impossible at times given their socio-economic status and the social and
economic condition of the country and the world at the time. Grandpa worked
when he could. For a time the family was on government relief. And there were
periods when there was virtually nothing at all to live on. One paramount concern
was to keep a roof over their heads. How they managed to accomplish that was
in itself an extraordinary feat. As indicated in other parts of this history, the
Lyndhurst homestead was nearly lost three times due to looming foreclosures
that our Grandparents somehow managed to evade. Sacrifices were made by
everyone in the family. Life for our Grandparents could be described as nothing
less than a long and arduous struggle.

As the children aged so did our grandparents and controlling the children
became even more challenging. Out of this environment came harsh disciplinary
action, which was the only methodology our grandparents understood to keep
their children from getting into trouble. One could argue that this was a learned
behavior on their part, having been subjected to a similar rebuke from their
parents when they were children. For example, there is one story where
Grandma was thrown down a small embankment by her father for not tending the
sheep properly. The action resulted in the breaking of her nose.

Our grandparents could not understand nor relate to the times into which
their children grew up. There was no child psychology, how-to advice, or the
open minded thinking that exists today. Life was lived and experience was
gained in the moment. No doubt our Grandparents were made callous by the
mental and physical fatigue of trying to keep the family together through one of
the most trying times in history. With time the children learned how to
occasionally circumvent some of the disciplinary action to which they had been
181
subjected. On occasion they did things surreptitiously, like sneaking out at night,
playing hooky, or remaining silent about people they were with and things that
they did. In time, some left the strict environment of the household by getting
married. Controlling the children as they aged became a challenge for Grandma.
It is said that when she came to her wits end it was not unusual for her to speak
to a local priest to see if a troublesome child could be committed to the custody
of a home for some temporary period of time in hopes of disciplining the
particular culprit. To the best of our knowledge the priest never complied with
such a request.

Unfortunately Grandma and Grandpa were illiterate and being uneducated

they did not know how to instill the value of continued education to their children.
It is believed that they understood that education was important but were
powerless in keeping their children from missing school. As evidenced by school
records, the children seemed to attend school only about half the time. It has
been said that the truant officer was no stranger to 209 Thomas Avenue. The
absenteeism however was not always their fault. For instance Aunt Jean missed
out on an entire year of school because she was sick and in hospital. None of the
children graduated from high school and some dropped out before high school.
Still, to their credit, with the exception of my father, all learned to read and write.
Fortunately all our aunts and uncles recognized the importance and value of
education and instilled that in our second American born generation.

There is no rhyme or reason regarding the order of the snippets below.

The stories were provided by those who had first-hand knowledge of the
episodes you will read about. Some may be difficult to read and others may
make you chuckle, but what follows is a portrait of life in the Cofone household of
the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

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 For a period of time during the Great Depression Grandpa worked for the
Works Project Administration. The WPA, as it was known, was the largest and
most ambitious federal agency formed under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects.
Grandma never went to work and remained at home to raise the family. Early on
she was assisted in the rearing of the children by Aunt Tessie who was much
older than her siblings. Later the older female siblings helped raise the younger
children. The family ate dinner when Grandpa got home.

Make no mistake about it. In his younger years Grandpa could be a

difficult person to live with. Grandma told Aunt Rosie that when Grandpa was
young he would come home after work, hang his coat on the fence and go out to
drink and play cards with his friends. He enjoyed drinking home-made wine,
especially his own. In later years his routine changed somewhat. Grandpa
always went to work early. His day typically started before 5 a.m. He would arise,
have a hearty breakfast and then off to work. Depending on where he was
employed, he would walk to take a bus, or just walk directly to his job. He worked
at manual labor and it is said he could do the work of two men. He would come
home from work at days end, have dinner and go to sleep being tired from
working all day. When the kids were young, sometimes post dinner resulted in
the meting out of discipline. Grandma’s MO was to wait till everyone ate before
she told Grandpa about any indiscretions or disobedience during the day. As has
been recounted earlier, Grandpa’s disciplinary action could be severe.

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 Extended Family

The family would visit relatives and were visited by friends and relatives.
Aunt Mary recalls the family visiting Carmela Gencarelli, Aunt Florie’s
Godmother. She also recalls going to see Grandma’s sister, Zia Francesca
Rizzuto who lived on Spurr Place in Nutley. She was married to Uncle Frank
whom she evidently despised. Zia Francesca was very disparaging toward her
husband, always swearing at him. She would say to him things like “mallano ti
voglio venire!” (Great harm should come to you) or “chi voglio questo giotto
frigatto” (Who would want this dumb bastard). Everyone I interviewed who
recalled Uncle Frank said he was cordial and generally a very nice and gentle
man and not worthy of Za Francesca’s harsh criticism and invective. By one
account it is believed she stayed with Uncle Frank merely to remain in the
country.

Za Francesca could be harsh. An example is found in a story conveyed to

me by Aunt Jean. After the fire that engulfed the Nutley house in 1926, Grandpa
established a sizable vegetable garden on the vacant property. I still have a
vague recollection of the foundation of the house being surrounded by vegetable
plants. The house was located directly across from Za Francesca’s home on
Spurr Place. Evidently Grandpa was permitted the use of Za Francesca’s water
to care for the plants. I am certain he must have shared some of the produce
grown on the land with her. Evidently one day she suddenly became enraged
over something and denied Grandpa any further access to her water. We will
never know what precipitated the change of heart of Za Francesca’s part or
weather Grandpa was ever able to obtain water in the future. We do know that as
a result of this event Grandpa and his sister-in-law did not speak to one another
for quite some time.

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 Sometimes what goes around comes around. One time Za Francesca was
eating chicken and began choking on a bone. Her son Ralph, not realizing that
she was choking, began singing a song entitled ‘Goody Goody For You’.
Somehow Za Francesca was able to dislodge the bone after which she became
enraged. The story goes that she began cursing at Ralph for singing while she
was choking. She evidently thought his singing was celebratory. It is said she
vehemently disliked her son Ralph because he had a birth defect. Ralph had
been born with a cleft pallet. It was rumored that due to his defect Za Francesca
tried to throw Ralph from a window when he was either an infant or young child.
Ironically Ralph, who never married, lived with his mother and cared for her in her
later years and up to her death. A sad commentary is that after her death Za
Francesca left all her assets to her son Frank and essentially disowned Ralph.
But it appears that Ralph would have the last word. When Uncle Frank died in
1978 he was buried in East Ridgelawn Cemetery in Clifton. Za Francesca, who
died in 1989, was entombed in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.
Following her death Ralph had his father moved to an adjacent tomb in North
Arlington. Perhaps Ralph felt having his parents united in death would result in
some form of eternal grief for Za Francesca.

Za Francesca was Aunt Mary’s sponsor for confirmation but not by Aunt
Mary’s desire. Aunt Mary wanted Mary Durando but Grandma, probably to
appease her sister’s badgering, convinced or coerced Aunt Mary to take Zia
Francesca instead. Aunt Mary told me that Za Francesca gave Aunt Mary
nothing for a gift but had the audacity to tell everyone she had presented Aunt
Mary with a ring.

One could tell from listening to various accounts about Za Francesca that
she was not very well liked or respected by many. The response was due in large
part to her personality and general demeanor. In Grandma’s later years I would
185
take her to or pick her up at Za Francesca’s home where she would frequently
visit. Perhaps she had been mellowed by age but I cannot seem to recall
witnessing any of Za Francesca’s tirades during those very brief periods I was at
her home. I also recall Uncle Frank being just as everyone had described him.

It is said that Grandma’s sister Santa Chimento may have shared a

common demeanor with her younger sister. One story indicates that as her
husband Santo lie dying in his bed from cancer he asked her for a glass of water.
It is said that Santa flatly refused telling her husband that he was no good. In all
fairness we do not know anything about Santo’s character. What little is known
suggests that like Uncle Frank Rizzuto, he was a kind man. It is claimed that
Uncle Jimmy would say that his Uncle Santo would have been better off had he
been in jail than married to his Aunt Santa all those years.

Once in a great while Grandpa’s full sister Zia Rosa, would come to visit. It
has been said that Grandpa’s sister did not approve of Grandma and so Grandpa
and his sisters were not very close. Grandpa did not particularly like his full
blooded sisters. He thought them to be promiscuous, even while married, and
seemed to make a conscious effort to avoid them.

Grandpa had an Uncle Pasquale who lived at 61 Ellen Avenue in Nutley.

During some of the years that the Nutley Velodrome was in operation my father
would park patron’s cars on Uncle Pasquale’s property. My father also told me
that Uncle Pasquale had a horse, which I presume he kept at this home.
Pasquale’s house was also frequented by Grandpa who from time to time would
meet there with friends to play cards.

186
 Grandpa Was A Strict Man

One common characteristic about Grandpa’s personality which has been

repeated by all of his children that I have interviewed was that he was extremely
strict, especially with his daughters. Grandpa did not like the idea of his
daughters going out in the evening and wandering from home. Early on he was
apprehensive about potential dangers that threatened their physical being. Later
as the children grew older he became concerned with the perception others
outside the family might have, especially of the girls. Aunt Mary provides some
interesting insight into this aspect of Grandpa’s character. As children they
remained mostly in the yard of the Lyndhurst house. Grandpa would get upset
when things were not in order, so the children had to be sure that the yard was
cleaned of any papers or debris prior to him returning home from work. He
inspected the yard daily. If he deemed that conditions were not as he expected
he would dole out disciplinary action. Sometimes all he had to do was give them
a look. Other times he would flick them on the head. If the infraction was really
severe he hit the girls with a piece of hedge which had the quality of a whip. It is
said that Grandma never hit the girls bare handed.

Grandpa’s Gentle Heart

Although Grandpa was mostly remembered as a stern disciplinarian,

occasionally his soft side would emerge. There is no doubt he loved his family.
Sometime Grandpa would bring home a small candy or a lollipop for the children.
Being as poor as they were, this small treat was regarded as a precious gift.

Another example of Grandpa’s love for his children is exemplified in a

story Aunt Jean tells about the day my dad left for the Navy. Upon realizing my
father was on the bus and was leaving to report for induction into the service,

187
Grandpa chased after the departing bus that was proceeding up Thomas Avenue
with tears streaming down his face. He did not want my father to leave.

I believe that Grandpa and Grandma respected and loved their children’s
spouses, especially in later years. I also know that the feeling was mutual. One
poignant story involves Grandpa and my mom on the day before he died.
Grandpa had been sick for several months suffering from the effects of stomach
cancer. By virtue of the fact we lived in the same house, my mother acted as one
of Grandpa’s principal caregivers.
Shortly before being taken to the
hospital, for what would have been
the last time he departed his home,
Grandpa called my mother over to his
bedside. He asked her to give him his
pants which hung on a nearby chair.
Upon handing him the pants Grandpa
G RANDPA ' S DOLLAR BILL went into his pocket and emerged
with a one dollar bill. He said it was
all he had and began tearing it in half. He told my mother, half was hers and the
other half his. This act was Grandpa’s way of saying a final thank you for all the
things my mom had done for him, not just in his last days, but for all the years
she was there to help him. If you knew Grandpa you understood that this simple
gesture was his way of demonstrating deep gratitude, love and respect. My
mother has, to this day, retained her half of the torn dollar bill out of respect and
as a remembrance.

188
 The Carnival

Another family classic tale deals with the time my dad along with friends
Johnny Satolla, Angelo “Squeaky” Jiosi and Jerry Joaquin ran away with the
carnival. During the 1930s it seems that carnivals were annually hosted by
various civic organizations in the town. According to newspaper accounts the
Elks club hosted an eleven day event around mid-April of each year in the area
of Riverside and Tontine Avenues. The American Legion hosted a carnival and
bazaar in May in the area of Orient Way and Rutherford Avenue. The Italian
Circle Club held their week-long carnival in early June at what is now known as
Marin Oval. In addition to the carnival, occasionally the circus would come to
town for a day.

It is believed that my dad and his friends were possibly in their teens at the
time of they took off with the carnival. The story goes that a 48 state alarm was
issued and they were eventually found in Baltimore. A kid running away with the
circus or carnival was not an unusual event during the time the first generation
members of the family were youngsters. If the event took on the proportion of a
national search, as we have been lead to believe, one would expect to see a
front page story in the local newspaper or at least a small headline on page 2,
however nothing in the years of 1935 to 1942 shows up in the Commercial
Leader, the Lyndhurst town newspaper. What was found however is that
carnivals were banned in Lyndhurst in July of 1940 after citizens living in the area
where the carnivals were staged complained of the unsanitary conditions that
was a consequence of hosting the events. Newspaper accounts also indicated
that citizens complained of the noise generated by the carnivals and that
supposedly few people from Lyndhurst attended the event. They also claimed
that the events were attended by mostly children, whom were thought to be
better off staying at home.

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 The carnival ban would indicate that the boys would have had to run away
prior to the summer of 1940 if the carnival they ran away with was held in
Lyndhurst. My father could only tell me he was a kid when this event occurred.
From conversations with my mom and aunts I surmised he was a teenager or
was just about to become one. This would narrow the search to a range of years
beginning in 1938, at which time he would have been 12, to 1939 when he would
have been 13. Unfortunately, as indicated above, a newspaper search during this
interval has failed to disclose any information.

It is not entirely clear how long my dad and his friends had been away with
the carnival. Estimates ran from a few days to several weeks. My dad once told
me that he worked the candy apple stand. He said that he and his friends
survived in part by him expropriating some of the apples, which the boys later
consumed. How the authorities were alerted and by whom is a mystery. I can
imagine that members of one or all of the boys’ families made the initial report to
the police. Either the family members provided the lead that the boys left town
with the carnival or the police obtained the information through investigative
methods. I am also speculating that the police learned of the carnival’s scheduled
stops and were able to forward a description to authorities along the way.
Eventually Baltimore PD learned of the alarm and located the boys and held
them in custody for several days until such time as next of kin came to retrieve
them. It was Grandpa and Uncle Nat who went to Baltimore to get my father.

I had once heard from a source outside the family that a party was given
for my father upon his safe return. Conversely, Squeaky Jiosi’s family did not
immediately respond to pick him up and apparently he was severely beaten by
his father for running away. I hope to search the Lyndhurst Police records

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sometime in the future to see if I can locate a more accurate accounting of this
event.

There is another unsubstantiated brief carnival story that indicates that

some of our Aunts may have run away with the carnival for just a day or so. This
presumably occurred around one Easter, however the year and which of our
aunts were involved is unknown.

Aunt Mary Stories

There was an occasion when Grandpa somehow discovered that Aunt

Mary applied clear nail polish to her fingernails. This evidently annoyed him to
the point that he forbade her to have dinner until the polish was removed. It was
Aunt Josie who provided a pen knife that Aunt Mary used to scrape the polish
from her fingers. Satisfied that the polish was removed Grandpa allowed her to
dine with the family.

By her own admission Aunt Mary was sort of Tomboy. She often helped
Grandpa with chores such as sawing wood that was used in the stove. The
kitchen stove was used not only to prepare meals but it was also a major source
of heat for at least part of the home and so this task was important. Aunt Mary
realized the necessity of the chore which she completed without protest.

Aunt Mary recalled that one of the first tenants who lived on the second
floor in the Lyndhurst house were the Bucceroni’s. there came an occasion when
Mrs. Bucceroni was delivering a baby upstairs. Aunt Mary desperately wanted to
see the event and so went up the stairs to look. Evidently Grandpa had also

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made his way up the stairs as well. He did not want Aunt Mary to see the baby
being delivered and so he pushed her away. As a result she fell down the stairs
and broke her collarbone.

Aunt Josie had friends named Martha and Jassie (Josephine) Sanfillipo
and Mary and Dottie Bernardi. They used to go roller skating and never took Aunt
Mary. One day Aunt Mary asked why she was never invited to come along. Aunt
Josie told her that she and her friends smoked and she was afraid Aunt Mary
would squeal on her. Aunt Mary said she didn’t care if they smoked and that she
too would learn to smoke. They all went to Riviera’s skating rink in Belleville but
Aunt Mary couldn’t skate and continually fell. As she put it, “I kept polishing the
floor”. So she turned her efforts to learning to smoke and as she took puffs from
a cigarette she started choking. Aunt Mary never went roller skating again. She
and Aunt Josie eventually became regular smokers. However even as adults,
they never told Grandpa or Grandma that they smoked. Aunt Mary quit smoking
many years later.

Aunt Mary’s first job was sewing doll clothes at a small sewing shop
behind Sal Durando’s house. Later, when she was about 12 years old Aunt Mary
worked at a sewing shop for Mangini on Copeland Avenue. My sister Marie now
owns and lives in Mangini’s house. Aunt Josie also worked for Mangini. Aunt
Mary later worked for Servideo in Roosevelt Hall next to Roosevelt School. The
building later became a catering hall known as The Royal Hawaiian Palms. It is
presently a child learning center.

Not unlike some of her siblings, Aunt Mary could be mischievous and a
tough little kid when she wanted to be. Her good friend Frances Jiosi tells a story
that occurred when Aunt Mary was in grammar school. Evidently she was called
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upon in class to read from a book but Aunt Mary said she could not because she
left her glasses home. It seems the teacher questioned the validity of Aunt Mary’s
claim however Aunt Mary told the teacher she would go home and get them and
gladly return to read the passage. She evidently left the classroom a short while
later, probably during recess or lunch. Frances said that Aunt Mary came upon a
kid wearing spectacles either in the hallway or somewhere near the school and
without asking merely took the glasses. Later that day she was called on to read
but could not see due to the lenses prescription. Grandma and Grandpa were
contacted and from we were told Aunt Mary was disciplined.

Grandpa’s wagons

Being very poor Grandpa often had to improvise. Grandpa would visit the
Nutley garden almost daily. He walked from the Lyndhurst house to the property,
a distance of just under a mile, pulling a wooden wagon in tow that he had
fabricated. The wagon was used primarily to carry the fresh produce from the
garden to home. It is said that he was extremely proud of his wagon.

Over the years he probably constructed more than one wagon. Once he
made a wagon that was pushed like a baby carriage and was often used to cart
coal pieces. Sometime around 1936 or 1937 during the Great Depression it
seems that Grandpa and Aunt Mary would often walk to the quarry in Nutley,
which was located along lower Park Avenue across from the Nutley Velodrome,
to collect discarded coal ashes. The ashes were sifted for useable pieces of coal,
which were placed in the wagon and wheeled back home. Aunt Mary who was 12
or 13 years old at the time recalls how ashamed she felt on some of these trips.
But she realized that they needed the coal and so she helped her father. It
seems that it was only either Aunt Mary or Aunt Josie that would make these coal

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harvesting trips with Grandpa. He never asked Uncle Jimmy or anyone else to
go with him.

Louie’s Bike

A story I often heard as a child and conveyed to me by not only my father

but Aunt Mary as well, is known as the bike story. It seems that somehow
Grandpa had gotten Louie a small tricycle, probably from a junkyard somewhere
nearby, and expressly told my father that he was not to ride in the street or the
bike would be destroyed. Louie was only a few years old at the time. As you
might imagine, Louie did not obey the command of his father and road in the
street. It was Aunt Mary who saw him riding in the street and pulled him out of
the way of an approaching car. She admonished Louie for riding in the street and
so she reported the incident to Grandpa. She asked Grandpa to chop up the bike
for fear that Louie would do it again and might get struck by a car. Grandpa
complied and took an axe to the bike in the presence of my father. My father had
the bike one day.

Louie’s Motorcycle

On another occasion it was said that Grandpa chopped up a motorcycle

that Louie had in the yard. Louie used to go with a gang that hung out at a burger
place called Babs and Bunnies that was located on Riverside Avenue nearly
across from the Lyndhurst pool, which used to be situated just north of what is
now a present day Little League field. What provoked this reaction from Grandpa
was that someone mentioned seeing Louie dragging his leg after falling off the
motorcycle. A major argument ensued and the motorcycle was destroyed.
Ultimately Louie bought another motorcycle, that unbeknownst to Grandpa, was
kept for a while at Aunt Tessie’s house on East Center Street in Nutley.

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 Animal Stories

Grandpa came home one day with 3 or 4 chickens for later consumption.
He tried to recruit some of the kids to help him kill the chickens. Aunt Josie flatly
refused. Uncle Jimmy was not around and Louie was too young and so that left
Aunt Mary to help. Aunt Mary recalled holding each chicken and not being able to
look as Grandpa slit the bird’s throat. Later Grandma cooked the chickens and
served them for supper. Aunt Florie absolutely refused to partake in the meal,
declaring that the chickens were pets. Ironically, she then proceeded to make
herself 2 eggs and refused to help clean up afterwards. It seems that a very
young Aunt Florie hated to help out with things around the house, and by at least
one account, she seldom did.

There is a somewhat amusing story about rabbits. The Italians often

recognized family friends and close neighbors with titles of respect. Often adults
were referred to as Aunt and Uncle. Such is the case with Zio Nunziato
Franchina, who lived next door at 205 Thomas Avenue in Lyndhurst. Zio
Nunziato had rabbits that he kept in a cage in the rear yard. Sammy Rosa, the
brother of Aunt Mary’s friend Annie Papalini, lived upstairs in the Lyndhurst
house. One day Sammy suggested to Aunt Mary and some of the other kids that
they release the rabbits and maybe Zio Nunziato would offer the kids money to
retrieve them. Aunt Mary went along with idea and so she went to tell Zio
Nunziato that his rabbits had escaped. He pled with the kids to try to help catch
the fleeing animals. To the Italians of the time, rabbit was a food source. So the
kids went out and captured the rabbits for which they were paid 50 cents.

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 I was surprised to learn that Grandpa loved a pet cat that the family
evidently adopted. Cats were useful in controlling any rodent problems that might
arise from time to time. According to Aunt Mary, it seems this one particular cat
would go by Grandpa’s bedroom window daily at 5 a.m. and wake him up. The
reason why I find this incredulous is because years later when my sisters and I
were very young my father brought home a small black puppy we had aptly
named Smokey. We were thrilled to have our own pet. Upon seeing the dog
Grandpa took it in hand and threw it forcefully down onto the floor and demanded
the animal be promptly removed. Needless to say the dog did not last a day in
our household.

Uncle Jimmy Stories

Uncle Jimmy was known to have a mischievous streak and had the
reputation of being a tough little kid. According to Aunt Tessie who helped raise
him, Uncle Jimmy also had a temper. When he became angry he often
expressed his anger by throwing things. Aunt Tessie told a story that occurred
when Uncle Jimmy was probably 8 or 9 years old. It seems there was an episode
where Grandma had become ill and the family doctor, Dr. Daladay, who was
from either Newark or Bloomfield, was summoned. Evidently Uncle Jimmy did
not like the idea of the doctor touching his mother or seeing her in any state of
disrobement so he threw stones at the doctor’s car and evidently broke its
windows. In another version of the story he threw stones at the Lyndhurst house
and broke a window. What she told me next made me think there may have been
more than one event involving the doctor. It seems that whenever the doctor
came to treat a sick member of the family Dr. Daladay invariably would ask,
“Where is that kid?” Grandpa being the stern disciplinarian reportedly took Uncle
Jimmy down the cellar of the Lyndhurst house following one of these episodes
where he was severely beaten. From what I gathered such beatings were not

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uncommon. On one occasion it is said that Grandpa tied Uncle Jimmy to a
column in the cellar and punched him in the jaw.

There was another occasion when as a young boy Uncle Jimmy asked his
mother for money to go to the movies. Grandma would not give him the dime he
needed for admission. Uncle Jimmy’s response was to kick the front hall door
which resulted in the breaking of the door’s glass pane. It was either when
Grandpa came home from work or later around the dinner table that evening that
Grandma told Grandpa of the incident. Grandpa allowed Uncle Jimmy to eat
dinner after which at some point he punched Uncle Jimmy so hard that it is
believed he might have broken a few ribs. One had to question if it would not
have been wiser to occasionally have given Uncle Jimmy the dime as it was
surely less than the cost to repair the broken window or Uncle Jimmy’s broken
ribs.

Uncle Jimmy spent several months in a juvenile home in Hackensack. The

facts and circumstances of the event that resulted in his confinement are not
entirely clear. One version that has been around for a number of years was that
he was accused of pushing a teacher down the stairs while he was a student in
grammar school however this has never been fully substantiated. As a result of
his egregious conduct, Uncle Jimmy presumably was confined at the facility in
Hackensack for a period of about three months. He often said that he spent his
15th birthday in the home, which implies that he was sent there sometime in the
later part of 1936. From what he told others, Uncle Jimmy enjoyed being there
and claims it was one of the best times in his life. There was a female teacher at
the facility that Uncle Jimmy admired. From the accounts I have been told, this
teacher made sure that Uncle Jimmy ate regularly and evidently treated him with
respect, something he was not accustomed to at home. Why he felt the
experience was so positive might be attributed to the inspiration and caring of
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this teacher and also perhaps the stability and regimentation that such an
institution provided to him. In any event one gets the sense that he was trying to
convey that the experience of being there changed the direction of his life in a
positive way. The actual name of the home was not passed down in the stories I
heard, however I believe it was possibly the Edna B. Conklin Home, located on
Essex Street just west of the Bergen County Court House. The facility, which is
now called the Conklin Youth Center, remains a residential crisis shelter for
adolescent males and females between the ages of 11 and 17 years old. Today
it is a short term facility with a desired maximum stay of 30 days, however back
in Uncle Jimmy’s day the duration could be longer. I recall a brief story that
Grandma told me regarding a visit to see Uncle Jimmy at the home. When the
family arrived they found him on his knees cleaning a floor. He looked at them
and motioned not to say a word as apparently speaking during work was not
permitted. Uncle Jimmy completed the 8th grade and was promoted the 9th
grade. In viewing his school record the overall opinion one would garner is that
he was an average student but did achieve some high marks. Some of the best
grades he achieved were in drawing and writing.

Uncle Jimmy was perhaps the only one among his siblings that was
musically inclined. It is said he used to sit in front of the house playing the
harmonica. I once had the occasion to hear my uncle play the harmonica, which I
seem to recall he kept in a small case, and I was very impressed. I never learned
how it was he came to play the harmonica or who taught him. I got the
impression he was self-taught. Uncle Jimmy’s innate musical talents may have
come from Grandpa believe it or not. As a child I recall Grandpa having what
appeared to be a crudely made flute and I heard him play it once or twice. The
instrument appeared to be made of a dull silver colored metal. It was short,
perhaps nine inches long and had a mouthpiece protruding from the side near
one end. The mouth piece looked something like the mouth piece of a police
whistle. There were several holes on top. Grandpa kept his flute in a small cold
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cellar which was located in the basement of the Lyndhurst house that was used
primarily as a wine cellar and cold space to store homemade canned goods,
such as fruits and tomatoes.

As a young man Uncle Jimmy worked for a short time as a milkman.

Nicknames

The boys had nicknames. Uncle Jimmy’s friends used to call him Scotty
which was a truncated version of the family’s Italian nickname Scaramuzzo.
Louie acquired the nickname Louie Down when he would play with friends in
Nutley who referred to him as Louie from down Lyndhurst. You could tell that
they both liked their nicknames. As far as anyone knows none of the girls had
nicknames.

Grandma’s “Medical” Skills

Grandma, surprisingly, was from time to time, a sort of a medical

assistant. Dr. Liberta, whose medical office was located at the corner of Fern and
Stuyvesant Avenues in Lyndhurst, would often call Grandma to assist with the
removal of tonsils in his office. I think part of Grandma’s role was to act as an
interpreter. I imagine Dr. Liberta treated many of the immigrant Italian families
living in Lyndhurst at the time. Though she could speak almost none of the
language, she seemed to generally be able to comprehend certain words spoken
to her in English. On one occasion a woman named Grace Cofone (no relation)
was having her tonsils removed. Grace had a reputation for always speaking. In
advance of the procedure the doctor numbed Grace’s throat. Grace kept
attempting to talk even as the procedure was underway. Grandma instructed her
to be quiet or else she would risk swallowing her tonsils. Grace neglected to take
Grandma’s advice and kept trying to speak. The end of the story is predictable in

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that Grace’s reluctance to follow Grandma’s instruction resulted in the swallowing
of her tonsils.

Grandma was known to be able to heal a sprain by applying what she

called “a picatta” to the affected area. She placed egg whites into a bowl into
which she dipped cotton. As she waited for the cotton to absorb the egg whites,
she massaged some of the egg white into the injured area. Following the
massage she wrapped the injured area with the egg-soaked cotton. Some sort of
cloth bandage was then applied over the cotton. After a short while the egg white
dried and the cotton stiffened creating a cast. The affected area was immobilized
for a few days and allowed to rest and heal. After the “cast” was removed the
injured party usually felt better.

Grandma also believed she could cure warts. On the full moon she would
take the person inflicted with warts by a window and recite three times the
following phrase; “La luna e tun, dice me tu, e si pore mi mune”. It loses its
rhythmic flow in English but literally translated from the Calabrian dialect it
means, “The moon is full, you say to me, and these warts I will peel off”. With
each recitation of the phrase she would pass her hand over the area containing
the warts in a fashion that depicted a wiping away of the warts. She would claim
that by the next day the warts would be gone.

Grandpa Goes To Jail

You would think that during difficult times such as the Great Depression
people would come together and try to help each other to the extent possible.
One would like to believe that certain emotions, such as jealousy, would be set
aside as people struggled to survive those difficult times. For the most part this

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was probably true, but it would seem that our Grandfather may have been the
subject of a neighbor’s envy and resentment.

During the Great Depression the family received governmental relief from
the Emergency Relief Administration (ERA) which in NJ began in 1931.
Government Relief was essentially a form of welfare. During the years 1932 to
1936 there were as few as 873 and as many as 2388 Lyndhurst families
receiving relief. Our family was among those numbers. There were local, county,
and state relief programs which were mostly funded by the federal government.
We are not entirely sure where the source of relief for our family came from, but
from information revealed below it would seem it was locally based. We also do
not know when the family began to receive the aid nor the duration of time the
family was on relief. There were several different elements of the relief program
such as food, clothing, fuel, shelter and health services. Typically someone in the
family, usually the head of household, was required to work on various public
works projects as a condition of receiving relief. To be eligible for relief an
applicant, which meant the head of household, lacked the means to provide the
necessities of life for himself and his family. A family became ineligible if the head
of the family had a full-time job. In some cases however, relief was given to
families where the head of household worked part time or did not work at all. The
latter situation may have been the case for our family for at least part of the
Depression. After relief was initiated home monthly visits were usually made by
government personnel to maintain current information of each family receiving
relief and to determine if any change in the family’s situation had taken place.
This information acts as a backdrop to an event that occurred in 1934.

During the Depression years Grandpa would occasionally help clean up

and perhaps do small chores in a small grocery store that Cumara Maria Petrone
and her husband, whose name is believed to be either Giuseppe or Alfonso
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Alfano, owned in Newark. The Alfanos were close family friends, in fact Maria
was Louie’s (my father) godmother. Out of gratitude Grandpa was “paid” with
food. Carlo (Charlie) Montalto, the very person from whom Grandpa purchased
the Lyndhurst house, lived next door at 203 Thomas Avenue. It was told to me
from several of our aunts that it was largely believed that Montalto, seeing
Grandpa with an occasional bag of food evidently provided to him by Cumara
Maria, contacted authorities indicating that Grandpa must have been working, but
was still collecting relief. If this were true it would constitute a violation of the law.

A short article appeared on the front

page of the Thursday July 18, 1935 issue of
the Commercial Leader, the weekly town
newspaper at the time, which indicated
Grandpa was found guilty of obtaining relief
from the Lyndhurst E.R.A by false statement.
Evidently Michael Dougherty, the Lyndhurst
E.R.A manager, filed a complaint in the
Second Criminal Court in Hackensack claiming
that the infraction had occurred “last October
16”, implying October 16, 1934. The matter
J ULY 18, 1935 COMMERCIAL L EADER
was heard before Judge Abram A. Lebson who ARTICLE DETAILING G RANDPA ' S
CONVICTION ON W ELFARE F RAUD
found Grandpa guilty of continuing to collect CHARGES

relief despite the fact he was working.

The body of the story indicates that Grandpa was to be sentenced on

August 6th contradicting the story’s headline that indicated he was to be
sentenced on October 16, implying 1935. Archived microfilm of The Commercial
Leader for both the August and October editions as well as the balance of 1935
was examined and found no article reporting the actual sentence hearing.
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Similarly microfilm for the Bergen Evening Record was examined. On page 2 of
the Wednesday, July 17, 1935 edition the story of Grandpa’s trial was found. The
Bergen Evening Record story, which provided a little more detail, indicated that
Grandpa lied on an application for relief and was drawing relief despite the fact
that he was working. The trial was held on the prior day, Tuesday July 16, during
which time Grandpa was found guilty. The story in the record, corroborated
information contained in the body of the Commercial Leader article that indicated
he was to be sentenced on August 6, 1935. A check of the August 6, 7 and 8th
editions of The Bergen Evening Record failed to disclose any story about
Grandpa’s sentencing.

Grandpa was the only person in the range of years examined for The
Commercial Leader (1930 to 1937), whose name was prominently listed in a
front page article as a welfare violator. This leads me to think that perhaps he
was the first person in the township convicted of such an offense and was meant
to be an example to others who were engaged in, or were contemplating, the
same activity.

What has been passed down through the years is that as a result of his
conviction Grandpa was sentenced to a work farm which was believed to have
been in Oradell and where he was apparently confined for several weeks. A
search was commenced with the purpose of locating any records regarding such
a facility. As a result of checking with the Oradell town historian it was
determined that no such farm existed in Oradell, but rather in Paramus. The
county Alms House, which was built on more than 100 acres of county-owned
property, was located on what is now the corner of Farview Avenue and E.
Ridgewood Avenue, opposite Bergen Pines County Hospital. The current official
address is 327 E. Ridgewood Avenue. In the 1930s the name of the facility was
changed to the County Old Folks Home. The facility was a self-supporting farm
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which contained cows and
produce. For a period of time
the facility was a county
prison home of sorts where
prisoners were used as
laborers on the farm. I am
confident that this is the
T HE B ERGEN C OUNTY O LD F OLKS HOME AS IT APPEARS IN 2012. T HE
EXTERIOR OF THE STRUCTURE IS MORE OR LESS AS IT WAS IN THE 1930 S .
facility to which Grandpa was C URRENTLY IT IS HOME TO VARIOUS COUNTY AGENCIES . G RANDPA WAS
SENTENCED TO SERVE TIME HERE IN 1935 AS A RESULT OF A CONVICTION
incarcerated sometime in OF WELFARE FRAUD .

summer or fall of 1935. Yet

to be uncovered however, is the actual record of Grandpa’s incarceration. During
the course of further inquiry persons in authority indicated that any such records
of the facility have long been long destroyed. Finally an inquiry with The Office of
Bergen County Criminal Court Records indicated that no record could be located
detailing Grandpa’s trial, conviction and sentencing.

Trying To Survive The Depression

Another depression story recounts how Grandma and Aunt Mary went to
the Lyndhurst town hall to receive some food that was being distributed to needy
families in town. Evidently a program was in place wherein people would redeem
coupons in exchange for food. On one particular day Grandma had just been
given some grapefruit when suddenly a woman in a fur coat entered the area
where the distribution was taking place. The person handling the distribution was
named William J Connolly, who around 1937 was the township Director of
Welfare. In the prior year Connolly had been the Deputy Director. Connolly was
in charge of the Lyndhurst Work Relief Program and it was learned that one of
his chief undertakings was to try to decrease the number of families receiving
relief, thereby reducing the cost of the program that was shouldered largely by
the township. Mr. Connolly proceeded to take the grapefruit from Grandma and
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Aunt Mary’s hands and gave the fruit to the woman in the fur coat. Grandma
pleaded with Connolly saying that she had nothing with which to feed her
children. It was to no avail. They received no distribution that day.

My father once told me about a time during the Depression when there
was no food. The family survived for two days on Dandelion leaves which
Grandma made into a salad.

Family Friend Mallarielo Chimento

One of Grandpa’s closest friend’s was a man known by his nickname

Mallarielo, or as he was sometimes referred to, Mallara, a nickname that loosely
means “to make a mess”. The name is a little tricky to pronounce due to the
diphthong “ie” in the middle of the name. Phonetically it sounds something like
MAL-AH-EEL with emphasis on the first syllable and is pronounced quickly. As
indicated earlier Mallarielo’s real name was Carmine Chimento and he was a
genuine character. As a matter of fact it may be that Mallarielo was possibly a
cousin of Grandma, recalling that her grandmother was Serafina Chimento. This
potential connection has still to be explored.

Mallarielo was the type of person everyone liked and respected for his
generosity in helping others and his ingenuity. He could be described as a sort of
Rube Goldberg, jack-of-all-trades, type of character with a big heart. One
humorous story tells of a time Mallarielo attempted to fix a broken pipe in the
toilet at Cousin Ben’s Diner that used to be located on Washington Avenue in
Nutley. The Diner was situated very near to Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie’s home
on East Center Street. Evidently no pipe was to be found to affect the repair and
so improvising, Mallarielo used a bicycle inner tube and a couple of clamps

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instead. Upon completion of the repair he declared the problem resolved.
Needless to say this attempted miracle in plumbing lasted only one flush by an
unsuspecting and understanding patron.

Mallarielo had a small pickup truck and evidently was known for not
having the best driving skills, although he taught others to drive, like my mother
for instance. Aunt Mary said that when the kids saw him coming they would get
off the road. There is a classic story about Grandpa and Mallarielo driving down
the street when the car they occupied rolled over onto its side. After exiting the
overturned car, Mallarielo and Grandpa lifted the car back onto its wheels and
then just drove away to the astonishment of bystanders.

Keeping with his kind nature, Mallarielo took Grandma and some of the
kids to visit Grandpa who was in the previously mentioned work camp, Aunt Mary
recalls the visit being a very emotional occasion where everyone was crying.

Aunt Jean Stories

Aunt Jean tells a story that happened when she was 15 years old. She
and two of her friends, twin sisters Rosalie and Lucille Rosa, cut school and went
to go see singer Tony Martin who was appearing in at the Paramount Theater in
New York City. Well it seems that Louie got wind of it and like any self-
disrespecting brother, thought he would use that information to blackmail his
sister. He ordered her to go get him cigarettes and when Aunt Jean stood her
ground, Louie revealed what she had done to Grandpa and Grandma. Somehow
Mr. Morlang, the school truant officer, got involved and the matter was brought
before a county court. Aunt Jean’s penalty was a 2-day detention at the Conklin
Juvenile Home in Hackensack.

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 When Aunt Jean was about 8 years old she became very ill and the family
did not know what to do. Neighbor Louie Durando, who was well respected as
being a caring person who helped everyone, pleaded with Grandpa to take Aunt
Jean to the hospital. For some reason Grandpa was hesitant to do so but in short
course acquiesced. I suspect it had to do with being able to afford medical
treatment. Aunt Jean was initially taken to Hackensack Hospital where she was
diagnosed with what was believed to be rheumatic fever. After several days she
was transferred to Bergen Pines County Hospital in Paramus where she
reportedly remained for about 9 months. As with most county hospitals, charity
cases were always accepted. Although the Great Depression was starting to
wind down, it would endure for about another year. As such, due to the general
economic conditions that existed in the country during this time, the family
probably qualified for medical aid. Aunt Jean’s school record shows that she was
not in attendance for the school year that ended in June of 1940. One of the
lasting memories she recalled about the ordeal were trips made by Grandpa who
would visit her in the hospital and bring ice cream.

Aunt Tessie

Much of what we know about Aunt Tessie’s early life has been discussed
in previous chapters. We know that she was called upon to play a major role in
helping to raise her siblings. Later we will discuss some of her life with Uncle Nat.

As you can imagine from reading other parts of our history, Aunt Tessie
had a difficult childhood. She was raised in Italy during her first ten years of life
living at the rural residence of her maternal grandparents. It was not until her
return to the US did she get to meet her father. She also had a very strict up-

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bringing. One hard fast rule was that she had to be home before grandpa came
home from work.

Aunt Tessie helped raise her brother Jimmy. She recalled having to wheel
him around in a carriage when he was just an infant. Aunt Tessie was about 11
or 12 and wanted to play with her friends in the neighborhood but she had to take
care of Jimmy. Aunt Tessie told me that as a child she enjoyed jumping rope
mostly with her best friend Louise Chimento. One day as she was doing just that
and while she was minding Jimmy, who was in his carriage, something happened
that nearly caused the carriage to tip over. Somehow word got back to either
Grandma or Grandpa. I got the impression she received a punishment however
she never did say what ensued.

Aunt Tessie also helped to raise her sister Josie whom she always used to
carried on her hip. Jimmy liked to hang on her leg. Aunt Tessie raised both of
them while Grandma cooked and took care of the house. Needless to say a great
deal of responsibility was placed on Aunt Tessie, who was merely a young
teenager. Aunt Tessie lived at home until she was married in 1931. As indicated
earlier she helped raise Aunt Florie, my father and also Aunt Jean. The skills she
learned raising her brothers and sisters must have proved useful when she
began her own family.

Aunt Florie

Of all the children probably the least is known about Aunt Florie’s early
childhood and teenage years. Aunt Tessie who helped raise all her siblings once
described Aunt Florie as being a very quiet child. What little information there is

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has been presented in previous portions of this chapter. Later we discuss some
aspects of her life with Uncle Red.

Aunt Josie

Like Aunt Florie, not much is known about the early childhood of Aunt
Josie. What little we do know has been previously presented. What has been
garnered about Aunt Josie’s early persona comes largely from rather sparse
information regarding her late teenage years and early adulthood. Generally
speaking, she seemed to have been the free spirit of the bunch, following her
own whims and desires, but did so surreptitiously without the knowledge of
Grandpa or Grandma. The inference that someone might draw was that she
possessed an uninhibited and unrestrained personality. In short, she liked having
a good time and being on her own. We know that Aunt Josie was one of the first
to leave the household.

Baptismal Records

What follows are baptismal information for our first American born
generation aunts and uncles.

Aunt Tessie, as indicated earlier, was born on January 18, 1911. It is

believed based upon information from our Aunts that her Godfather was
Vincenzo “Tindillo” Celico. As mentioned earlier, Vincenzo is believed to have
been living with his wife in Nashwauk Minnesota presumably working in the
mines. We do not know if Vincenzo had been in the Carnegie Pennsylvania area
previously, and if so, exactly when. This leads to two possibilities. Either Aunt

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Tessie was baptized in Pennsylvania, or our Grandparents waited until their
arrival in Minnesota.

Uncle Jimmy was born on December 5, 1921 at 35 Humbert Street in

Nutley. He was baptized with the name Vincenzo at Holy Family Church on
December 18, 1921 by Father Manastero. His Godparents were Antonio “Cara
Cara” Cofone, who is believed to be Grandpa’s cousin, and Carmela Siciliano.

Aunt Josie was born on March 16, 1923 at

80 Humbert Street in Nutley. The street name
may have been recorded incorrectly.
According to the 1927 Nutley Directory the
house numbers on Humbert Street ended at
44. The family at the time resided at 80 Ellen
Street. Aunt Josie was baptized with the name
Giuseppina at Holy Family Church on April 21,
1923 by Father Manastero. Her Godparents
F ATHER J OSEPH M ANASTERO WHO
were Francesco Rizzuto, her uncle, and SERVED AT H OLY FAMILY CHURCH IN
N UTLEY FROM 1919 TO 1929
BAPTIZED UNCLE JIMMY , A UNT JOSIE ,
Carmela Siciliano, who was also Uncle AUNT FLORIE AND UNCLE LOUIE

Jimmy’s Godmother.

Aunt Mary was born on July 27, 1924 at 80 Ellen Street in Nutley. She
was baptized with the name Maria at Holy Family Church on August 16, 1924 by
Father Diminichius. Her Godfather was Antonio Cofone, who as indicated above
is believed to be Grandpa’s cousin and who was Uncle Jimmy’s Godfather as
well. Her Godmother was Carmela Siciliano who was also the Godmother for
Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Josie.

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 Aunt Florie was born on November 15, 1925 at 80 Ellen Street in Nutley,
the homestead. She was baptized with the name Florence at Holy Family Church
on December 6, 1925 by Father Manastero. Her Godparents were Anna
Gencarelli and Angelo Ippolito. Anna was the Grandmother of actor Robert Blake
of the Little Rascals and Baretta fame.

Louie’s baptismal record contains several interesting discrepancies.

According to his baptismal record Luigi Cofone was born on November 28, 1926
to Natale Cofone and Angela Gabriele. The date of birth reflected here differs
from the date contained on Louie’s birth certificate which indicates November 29
as the birthday. Although the family had purchased the Lyndhurst house in
August of 1926, Louie was baptized by Father Manastero in Holy Family Church
on December 16, 1926. While Grandpa still held title to the Ellen Avenue Nutley
property, from what is known on the date of Louie’s baptism the family was living
in Lyndhurst. Louie’s baptismal record however indicates that the family resided
at 12 Humbert Street in Nutley.

The 1927 Nutley Directory indicates that Grandpa’s sister Grace Festa
lived at 12 Humbert Street. Also listed for the same address was a man named
Frank Siciliano. There is no way to know for certain if either Grandpa’s sister or
Frank Siciliano occupied the address the prior year. Recall that a Carmela
Siciliano was listed as Godmother for Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Josie and Aunt Mary.
Frank may have been her brother or cousin or not related at all. From the
baptismal record we know that Louie’s Godmother was Maria Petrone. Maria was
married to either Alfonso or perhaps Giuseppe Alfano, but as was common in the
Italian custom, wives maintained their maiden names. Also recall it was at their
store in Newark that Grandpa was believed to have been working that lead to his

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arrest for welfare fraud. To the best of our knowledge Louie had no Godfather.
The actual 1926 handwritten record was reviewed. It was written in Italian and
signed by Father Manastero and clearly shows no Godfather listed. Having a
single Godparent is not unique in the Italian culture.

Aunt Jean was born on April 9, 1932. She was baptized by Father Boyle
on May 1, 1932 at Sacred Heart Church. Her Godfather was Sam Del Core and
her Godmother was Grace Polito, both of whom were also Godparents to her
brother Angelo. Sam Del Core and his wife Rosa were the Godparents to Santo,
who like Angelo died in infancy.

As evidenced by being Godmother to three of her children, Carmela

Siciliano must have been a very close friend to Grandma. Carmela is believed to
have been the wife Vincenzo Terranova, one of Grandpa’s dearest friends.
Recall she was known as “la Pitelle”. Based upon information contained in the
1927 Nutley Directory Vincenzo Terranova lived at 35 Humbert Street.

Personal Recollections

This particular chapter of our family’s history has focused primarily on

stories involving members of our first American born generation. Included among
the details have been some of my personal recollections. What follows is a slight
digression in that the stories do not directly involve members of the first American
born generation, but rather, some of what I can still recall of Grandpa and
Grandma. I wanted to preserve more of my personal memories as I believe they
are certainly relevant to the overall portrait of Grandpa and Grandma’s character.
It is also hoped that this section will motivate and encourage those from my
generation to add their own remembrances in some future edition.

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 I always felt very fortunate to have grown up in the same house as my
Grandparents. I had Grandpa in my life for a little over twelve years and
Grandma for about 25 years. When I was born Grandpa was 65 and Grandma
64. By the time I probably realized who they were and began really knowing
them, Grandpa and Grandma both were approaching 70.

One of the main benefits of living in the same home as my Grandparents

was the ability, pretty much on a weekly basis, to see and play with my cousins
who were about the same age as me. On most Sundays and Holidays Grandpa
and Grandma were visited by their children. Grandpa and Grandma looked
forward to these visits and I know from hearing them talk that they enjoyed
watching their family expand and grow. These weekly visits with my cousins and
the time I spent with my Grandparents are among my fondest memories of
childhood.

Grandpa enjoyed time with his cronies. I recall from time to time standing
alongside Grandpa as he played cards under a large pear tree located in the
backyard of next door neighbor Jim and Rose Franchina’s house at 205 Thomas
Avenue. Grandpa would regularly play with Pete Ferrara, Rosie’s father, and her
Uncle Francesco, and other Italian friends whose names, with the exception of
Malarielo, I cannot seem to recall. Occasionally some of the much older boys
from the neighborhood were allowed to play if the old timers needed a fourth to
round out the group. The game of choice was Brisca, which was played with
teams of two. Nearby on the ground, at one of the legs of the table, was always a
gallon of home-made wine. And there they spent the afternoon under the shade
of the pear tree, playing and drinking a little wine. Of these card games I recall
laughter and a very animated style of play which included the passage of cards

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between partners, the not-so-indiscreet gestures on which card to play, and the
triumphant slamming of the trump card as victory was claimed.

Grandpa always wore a grey or brown colored fedora style hat. Each night
he placed his hat on a large, ceramic, apple cookie jar that rested on top of a
white, narrow, legged wooden cabinet located in the kitchen and adjacent to the
door of his bedroom. Irrespective of the season, his shirts were almost always
completely buttoned up, unless it was extremely hot at which point he opened the
top button only. I do not recall him ever walking around in just a tee shirt. In
cooler weather he wore a button down sweater that was usually unbuttoned.
Either in his shirt or sweater pocket was his pipe and a pouch of DiNobili tobacco
or box of Italian cigars. He wore either medium gray or black work pants over
long cotton underwear. Ankle high black work boots or in later years a brown
ankle high slip-on served as his footwear. When he prepared himself for bed he
would first remove his shoes and socks, rolling the socks up and placing them
inside the shoes. The shoes were then placed side by side beneath the narrow
cabinet mentioned previously. He usually retired early, around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m.
and likewise arose early around 4 or 5 in the morning. One of his evening rituals
was to listen to the radio which sat atop a refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen.
The radio was tuned to an Italian radio station where he listened to news, music
and entertainment. I recall that one show seems to feature the music of an Italian
singer known as Carlo Buti. Buti has been called the Bing Crosby and the "Frank
Sinatra of Italy", because of his preference for the popular songs of the day over
the more operatic-type songs.

Regarding music, Grandpa had a favorite song that whenever he heard it

brought him to tears. I never knew the name of the song but in my mind I can still

214
hear the melody. As I recall the song was about a
man named Giuseppe Musolino, whom I later
came to learn was a Calabrian outlaw and folk
hero. It was always a mystery as to why the song
about Musolino evoked such an emotional
response from Grandpa. I seem to recall that
someone in the family believed that Grandpa
stated that he had actually known or met
Musolino. I wondered about the likelihood that
they had indeed known each other and began
trying to locate clues that might support such a
hypothesis. Armed with just this limited GIUSEPPE MUSOLINO, CIRCA
1901.
information I went to the Internet to learn what I
could about Musolino and the song I recalled as a child.

Giuseppe Musolino was indeed from Calabria. According to Wikipedia

Musolino was born in Santo Stefano in Aspromonte, in the province of Reggio
Calabria in 1876. This province is located about 100 miles southwest of Acri,
very near to the toe of the Italian peninsula. Musolino, much like Robin Hood in
English folklore, was alleged to have turned outlaw when he was falsely accused
of attempted murder in 1897. Perjury was used to convict him and he was sent to
prison. Historical accounts indicate that in 1899, he escaped from jail, and for the
next three years conducted his own outlaw version of justice. It is said that his
good deeds consisted of assisting peasants and giving large sums of money
stolen from the rich to monasteries and churches. Musolino was eventually
captured far from home in 1901 in the town of Urbino located in the Italian state
of Marche. Marche is located in central Italy between the Apennine Mountains
and the Adriatic Sea about 350 miles north of Calabria. He was tried and sent to

215
prison for life, where he was declared insane twelve years later. He died in 1955
in Reggio Calabria's mental hospital at the age of 79.

Musolino became a legend throughout Italy and became the subject of

many Calabrian folk tales and popular songs. A 1950 film “Il Brigante Musolino”,
was based on his life. I do not know if Grandpa ever saw the movie. I also
discovered that actually there were several songs written and recorded about
Musolino by an Italian folk artist named Otello Profazio. The songs are featured
in an album that bore the same name as the movie. Profazio’s songs were first
released as a single 78 rpm recording in 1957. In later years the 1957 recording
was partitioned into several recordings used to form the album. Four songs on
this album contain the exact same melody and one or two phrases that I recall
hearing Profazio singing on the radio when I was about 5 or 6 years old.

While it is obvious Grandpa knew of Musolino, I cannot establish any

direct connection. Although Musolino’s actions were more or less contained
within the area of Aspromonte, as indicated above, in 1901 he was captured far
from home in the Italian state of Marche. It seems quite possible that he could
have passed through Policaretto or Acri enroute to the northeastern regions of
Italy. My mother has told me that legend has it that that Musolino did indeed pass
through region of Acri, however there are no specifics regarding when. Perhaps
Grandpa, who would have been 12 or 13 years old at the time, had an
opportunity to meet the legend brigand. Unfortunately we will probably never
know or be able to confirm if an encounter ever took place. I think it is safe to
assume that for Grandpa, as with many southern Italians during Grandpa’s time,
Musolino was a hero. Here in the United States, via the Italian radio stations,
Grandpa would have learned of Musolino’s death and later of the musical tribute
by Profazio. Evidently the words of the song that recounted Musolino’s life,
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adventures and struggles, struck a deep emotional chord within Grandpa. They
may have in some way reflected several similar hardships experienced by his
family. What emerges out of all of this is an image of Grandpa as a man capable
of poignant emotions.

On the north side of the Lyndhurst property Grandpa had constructed a

wooden fence. The slats for the fence consisted of various shaped scraps of half
inch wood that were nailed to a 2 x 4 frame. Occasionally we would pop out the
nails near the bottom of one of the slats and move the bottom to one side so we
could get to the next yard. Grandpa would re-nail the bottom of the slat which we
always denied moving.

Like most Italians in the area, Grandpa had a fig in the yard and later a
small peach tree.

The kitchen tabletop our Grandparents home was constructed of metal. I

recall a beige color with dark brown trim. Very often Grandpa, as a matter of
habit, would rhythmically tap his finger tips on the table. While seated at the
table, if one of the grandkids were present, Grandpa would engage in his version
of play by making sounds. One of his sounds resembled Donald Duck’s voice.
The other sound may have been an attempt to mimic a bird wherein he would
quickly utter in a high pitched tone something that phonetically sounded like “chi-
va-ree”, which he repeated at least twice in succession. The sound got repeated
several times. I also recall at other times he would playfully flick us with his
fingers.

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 One of my favorite Grandpa stories occurred when I was about 6 or 7. As I
indicated earlier Grandpa made his own wine. On this occasion he must have
been drinking a glass of his wine and I probably asked him how it tasted. He
gave me a very small glass filled about a third of the way and I imbibed. After a
short while I began to feel dizzy and told him so. He said he had just the thing to
clear my head and proceeded to tell Grandma to make me a hot pepper
sandwich. I consumed the sandwich which was made with homemade peppers
Grandma had canned and thick slices of recently baked homemade bread.
Miraculously and almost immediately my head cleared.

My sister Marie and I would occasionally tease Grandpa to see if we could

elicit a response and have him chase us as we ran away as fast as we could. We
never knew if Grandpa actually got upset with us or was just playing along. On
one occasion we were in the yard and did something to set him off. Marie seems
to recall we were calling him Scaramuzzo. I remember Marie and me running
down the driveway with Grandpa in pursuit not too far behind with something in
his hand. When we were about mid-way down the driveway Grandpa tossed the
object that we soon discovered was the head of a hammer. The hammerhead
landed on the driveway, slid a short distance, and struck Marie in the ankle,
breaking her foot. We were close enough to him that if he really wanted to hurt
us, he could have easily reached us with the hammer head. We learned a lesson
from this unfortunate accident.

Grandpa would check up on us if we played up to block in the area of

Meyer Avenue, which we often did as it was safer to play there due to less traffic.
He would take a walk up the block and seeing where we were and that we were
safe he would turn around and head home. On one occasion Marie was playing

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in the front of the house with her friends and for some reason Grandpa became
upset and chased them away. A short time after they left Grandpa went looking
for Marie and found her playing at a friend’s house on Sanford Avenue. He
immediately yelled at her and commanded her to return home.

I also remember a tradition that occurred during Christmas holiday

gatherings wherein all attending family members would kiss Grandpa’s hand as a
symbol of respect and appreciation for the sacrifices made through the years to
keep the family together.

It seems every family has a ghost tale of sorts. This last story about
Grandpa is a little eerie but I thought I would include it. This story is genuine and
can be corroborated by my life-long best friend Ed Opiela, who lived next door. I
was twelve years old and Ed was thirteen when this event occurred.

Shortly after Grandpa died, Ed and I were playing in the Bergen County
Park in an area we regularly frequented alongside the entrance/exit road located
on Riverside Avenue at the base of Wilson Avenue and just south of the
Lyndhurst house. We were there for just a brief time, playing catch with a football
as I recall, when we noticed an old man walking down the roadway from
Riverside Avenue wearing a dark fedora hat and dark top coat and dark pants.
Grandpa was buried in a dark suit and dark hat similar to what the man was
wearing. The man’s hands were in his pockets. What we observed next made us
stop in our tracks. As unbelievable as this may sound, when the man came
closer we both noticed that his face bore a very strong and striking resemblance
to Grandpa. He continued walking down the road and into the park in silence
without looking directly our way and with what appeared to be a slight grin on his
face. We continued to observe him as he continued down into the park and
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eventually lost sight of him. We both remarked about the uncanny resemblance
and quite frankly, were a little spooked. After a while we resumed playing. I
guess we were a little afraid to pursue the man to see where he was going. We
were in the same general area of the park for probably a few hours that day. We
waited and hoped for the man to return our way but he never did. Nor did we
ever catch sight of him again in the days, months and years to follow.

I always remember Grandma wearing an apron and kerchief, which in

dialect was called a “moccatura”. In the pocket of her apron, wrapped in a
handkerchief, were her false teeth. Occasionally in a small knotted handkerchief
would be some loose change. Grandma helped raise my sisters and me. My
mother worked in the home to help support the family and so for those times that
my mother was occupied with work, Grandma was always around to lend a hand.

One of the funniest stories Grandma told dealt with a woman named
“Giuseppina la Patota” which translates to Josephine the Patato. It seems as a
very young child she and her sisters would be playing in front of their home when
Josephine would come along and enter in between the girls. She would then spin
around and begin farting causing the girls to disperse in all directions. Grandma
would demonstrate Josephine’s movements as she made farting noises with her
mouth. Sometimes she did not use her mouth. You see Grandma had no
problem producing copious amounts of Methane, almost on command, which
was often vented with a thunderous resonance. Unfortunately for some in the
family, this same talent became an acquired genetic trait.

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 I recall that Grandma would annually can pears which were contained in
Mason Jars that she kept in the cold cellar and accessed as needed. Once
opened, the jar of pears was placed in the refrigerator. The refrigerator also
always contained a milk bottle filled with water which she called “aqua freddo”,
which appropriately means cold water. It was, more often than not, the drink of
choice especially in the summer.

I recall enjoying some salads that Grandma made. Cicodia, which was
made from dandelion leaves, was served with vinegar and a little salt. Cipollini,
which were small onions, were served in a similar type of dressing.

In my pre-teen years I would often attend 8:00 a.m. Sunday mass with
Grandma at Mount Carmel Church on Copeland Avenue. We took a short cut
route to get to the church. At the rear of our yard was a gate that led to a
pathway between homes of Cumare Rosina Del Core and Sabatiele Albanese.
Their homes fronted onto Paul Street. We made our way to Sanford Avenue via
Cedar Street or Weideman Place and then walked a short distance to the home
of another one of Grandma’s acquaintances. There we would we cut through
another yard and access another gate into the parking lot of the Italian Circle
Club, which was located on Copeland Avenue just up the block from the church.
We reversed the route to get home following mass.

Like most Italians of her generation, Grandma was religious. I remember

that in her bedroom she had an oval-shaped, concaved, ceramic plate that held
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an image of the head of Christ. The eyes of Christ seem to eerily follow you no
matter where you stood in the room. She said that Christ was always looking out
for us. In Grandpa’s bedroom she hung a portrait of the Pieta over his bed. When
we were very young Grandma would sit my sisters and me near the rear window
in her living room and tell us to look at the sky and that the Virgin Mary would
make gold stars appear. Through the power of suggestion and impressionable
young minds there were times when we actually believed we saw the stars
appear. Grandma loved watching any seemingly religious-based movie on TV
which, irrespective of the actual title, she always termed “La storia di Gesu
Cristo”.

I spent many afternoons and evenings watching TV with Grandma. One of

the things I recall is that she had funny names for some of the TV characters and
personalities we frequently watched. Among some of the ones I remember were
Ed Sullivan who was called “collo storto” which translates to crooked neck,
because he never seemed to be able to move his neck. Mr. Spock from Star Trek
was “orecchie dizi” or erect ears. Jackie Gleason was “Natale e Stefano”, which
was the name used to identify Uncle Nat. Gleason bore a slight resemblence to
Uncle Nat in stature and vocal tone. Newsman Walter Cronkite of CBS, who we
always seemed to watch, was merely “Cronkeye”, a truncated pronounciation of
his last name. Richard Nixon, whom she seemed to dislike, was termed “nasca
storto”, meaning crooked nose.

There were certain T.V. shows she would not watch, such as cartoons or
the infamous Winchell Mahoney Time, a show that featured the puppet Jerry
Mahoney. Grandma believed that you risked having your children turn out like
these T.V. characters if you watch them for too long. She told me that her sister

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Francesca watched the show regularly and that is why her son Ralph was born
with a defect. Ralph was inflicted with a cleft palate his entire life.

I have been told that Grandma suffered a painful and somewhat

embarrassing household accident. Situated along the back wall of the kitchen
between the sink and refrigerator was an electric washing machine that was
equipped with a top mounted wringer. I have been told that one day during the
course of doing the wash one of Grandma’s breasts got caught in the wringer. I
was also told that the accident resulted in substantial contusions and subsequent
bruising.

Grandma, like many Italians of her time, believed in the “mal occhio” or
evil eye. There are two types of mal occhio, intentional and unintentional. Here
we speak of the latter version which as legend has it, is the result of someone
being envious of the inflicted person. As I recall, if my sisters or I were not feeling
particularly well with a headache the thought was always raised that we might be
“faschinata”, which means we had been the subject of a spell that resulted in the
mal occhio. In such cases Grandma would take an article of clothing we were
wearing, such as a sock, and go visit Cumara Rosina Del Core who somehow
knew if a person was so inflicted. Cumara Rosina would perform “a faschina”
which is the act of breaking the spell, by saying a prayer over the article of
clothing which was re-worn once Grandma returned. I also remember from time
to time that if we were found to have “la faschina”, we were instructed to rinse our
faces in a bowl of cool salt water and with eyes tightly shut.

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 I recall the passing of Grandpa. In the weeks prior he had been receiving
a daily shot of what I now assume was morphine. A nurse, by the name of Mrs.
McNamara, who lived with her family on Meyer Avenue at the corner of Sanford
Avenue in what had formerly been the Jiosi house, would come on her own time
to administer the injection. A few days before he died ambulance came to bring
Grandpa to the hospital. As they were wheeling him out on he uttered the words
“sono fineschuta”, which in dialect means “I am finished”. Grandma and possibly
one of her sisters or Grandpa’s sister were at his bedroom door weeping
uncontrollably. As they wept they were singing, but not a song per se. It was as if
they were speaking to Grandpa but in a melodic way. I can to learn that this
custom is called “piangere il morto” or singing to the dead. It was also done at his
wake.

It was probably later in the early evening when the family was called to the
hospital. With Grandma and his children surrounding him Grandpa perished
peacefully and quietly. I recall when everyone returned to the house Aunt Josie
took me to the side and wept as she told me that Grandpa was gone. Calls were
made and people came to offer condolences. I remember, just as when Aunt
Florie died, the large coffee urn was set up and ran non-stop for the next several
days.

Grandpa was waked the next day, December 23, 1966 at the Nazare
Memorial Home on Ridge Rd in Lyndhurst. He was dressed in a black suit, new
shoes. A new dark colored fedora rested near his head along with a folded
American flag. Grandpa was laid to rest the following day, Christmas Eve.
Following the internment the custom was for people to return to the house where
the repast was hosted. It was one of the worst Christmas I had ever known.

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 Grandma was 90 when she passed. On the afternoon that she died I recall
being at the foot of her bed at Clara Maass Hospital on Franklin Avenue in
Belleville. To either side were Aunt Tessie, Aunt Mary and Aunt Jean. Grandma’s
bed was reclined upward. Her breathing appeared to be somewhat labored.
Indications were that she was failing. As I was standing there speaking with my
aunts, Grandma suddenly opened her eyes widely, sat up and looked directly at
me. She took one deep breath and then fell backward as her eyes closed. The
doctor was summoned and listened to her heart with the stethoscope. After a
minute or so he declared she was gone. Grandma was also waked at Nazare’s
and she was interred with Grandpa in Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in Lyndhurst.

I had always been very close with Grandma and Grandpa. I believe it was
largely due to the fact that, from the time I was born, we lived in the same house.
My sisters and I grew up before their very eyes. As I child, I spent many hours
watching TV with Grandma or just spending time downstairs playing. Later on
when I could drive I would take her places she needed to go. Between my
mother and Grandma and Grandpa I learned to speak Italian as a very young
child and so communication was easy. My fluency has since diminished as the
day to day occasion to speak the language has dwindled with time. Being a
grandparent myself, I can now understand the unconditional love for a
grandchild. I shall always cherish the time I spent with them.

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 F
G Bath

Living Room
A
Kitchen

D
B
C

Stairs
Hallway

to 2nd
Grandpa’s Grandma’s
Floor
Bedroom Bedroom

Foyer Porch

A = Table B = Cupboard C = Cabinet

D = Stove E = Refrigerator F = Sink

G = Washer Window =

Door =

F LOOR P LAN - FIRST FLOOR OF THE L YNDHURST HOUSE IN THE

1950 S TO MID - 1960 S

226
 Chapter 11 - How They Met

I thought it might be interesting and a little fun to share a short rendition of

the first meeting and early courtship of our Aunts and Uncles and a brief account
about some of them and of the places where they lived and little about their
character and what they did in life.

Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat

What little we know from their

A UNT T ESSIE AND U NCLE N AT ON J UNE 21, 1931
courtship comes from two interviews
with Aunt Tessie. The first took place
in 1981 and was conducted by our
cousin and Aunt Tessie’s
granddaughter, Gail (Adragna)
Maurillo. The second interview was
one I did with her in 1992.

During my interview with Aunt Tessie she told me that she first saw uncle
Nat in Nutley. Uncle Nat was born on July 8, 1909. In the late 1920s and until his
marriage to Aunt Tessie Uncle Nat lived on Roma Street in Nutley with his father
Joe, his brothers Joe Jr. and Jimmy and his sister Lucy. Uncle Nat’s mother had
died at a young age. The 1927 Nutley Directory shows no listing for Uncle Nat’s
family on Roma Street but does show his father, Giuseppe Simone, living at 120
Park Avenue, which is located between Humbert and Roma Streets. The 1940
Census finds Giuseppe, 69 years old, living with his 21 year old son Jimmy, at 13

227
Roma Street. The census record seems to indicate that house was located at the
corner of Park Avenue.

Aunt Tessie used to go to Grandpa’s lot on Ellen Avenue, which was

formerly the site of the Nutley homestead, to pick tomatoes. It was during one of
her occasions there that she first saw Uncle Nat. Aunt Tessie also saw Uncle Nat
in Lyndhurst. It seems Uncle Nat would often walk there from his home in Nutley
to go see his aunt, Zia Nunziata e “Stefano”, who lived on Sanford Avenue.
“Stefano” was a family nickname. It is a derivative of the Italian name for
Stephen. It may be that an ancestor of Uncle Nat was named Stefano. It may be
just as likely that there was another connotation or perhaps like our Scaramuzzo
nick name, it meant nothing. Whatever the case, when our Grandparents spoke
of him he was often referred to as “Natale e Stefano” or “Natale e Terazina”,
meaning Tessie’s Nat.

At first Aunt Tessie was not particularly attracted to Uncle Nat. I got the
impression it was due largely to the fact of her strict upbringing. The Cofone
daughters were not permitted to go out on a date. Aunt Tessie recalled that
Uncle Nat had once wanted to go for a walk but she was forbidden because
Grandpa, being so strict, would not allow it. As a result it was quite a while before
they began “keeping company” which was a phrase used to denote couples who
were going steady. We don’t really know the extent of the duration from the time
they first met to their first date and ultimately to becoming a committed couple.

One gathers from the interview conducted by Cousin Gail that the first
date Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat had during the day and consisted of going to the
movies in Newark, New Jersey. They had to leave before the movie ended
because Aunt Tessie wanted to get home before Grandpa, as he might become
228
angry if he ever learned that she was out with a boy. Evidently Aunt Tessie and
Uncle Nat were not able to be alone in the early part of their courtship. Uncle
Jimmy and a girl who lived upstairs in the Lyndhurst house frequently escorted
her on dates.

Uncle Nat would always know when his visits with Aunt Tessie were
coming to an end. At the appointed time in a somewhat less than subtle fashion
Grandpa would remind Uncle Nat to “tac i scarpe” (phonetically; tock-e-scarpa”),
which literally meant “tie your shoes”. However Grandpa’s message was quite
clear, in other words, tie your shoes and start walking home.

Aunt Tessie indicated that since Grandpa was so strict, she didn’t think
she would ever get married. Grandpa’s demeanor made Aunt Tessie angry.
Uncle Nat evidently persisted and kept coming around fairly often. Grandpa could
see that Aunt Tessie was becoming quite enamored with Uncle Nat. Evidently
one day in May of 1931, about a month before their wedding, Uncle Nat told
Grandpa that he and Aunt Tessie would be married. Aunt Tessie said Grandpa
initially became angry at the news but then agreed to the marriage. I think that
Grandpa wanted to see his daughter happy. We also know that he came to
admire Uncle Nat.

What transpired next must have also happened in May of 1931. While in
Nutley, Grandpa met with Uncle Nat’s father and he indicated that he thought
perhaps Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat wanted to get married. It is said that
Giuseppe Simone became irate and his reaction approached the point of
violence. He evidently threatened to assault Grandpa with a rake. Grandpa must
have conveyed the encounter to Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat and suggested that

229
they go without haste to the church and make the arrangements for their
marriage.

Uncle Nat also had a strict upbringing. Uncle Nat’s mother had died at a
young age and it seemed that his father, Giuseppe, was left to raising Uncle Nat
and his siblings. It is said Giuseppe was a tough man to get along with. To give
you an idea of the character of Giuseppe Simone, he told Uncle Nat and Aunt
Tessie after they were married that he wanted the first male child named after
him. He said if they did not comply with his demand he would never come to see
them. Our cousin Joe, the first born male, was named after his grandfather.

Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie were married on June 21, 1931. He was 21
and she was 19. Aunt Tessie referred to her nuptials as a “house wedding”.
They were wed in the church, which we presume was Our Lady of Mount Carmel
in Lyndhurst. Following the ceremony, which was attended by about 30 people,
they returned home. There was no bridal party, only a best man and maid of
honor. They had no honeymoon because they could not afford one.

After their marriage they first lived

upstairs in the Lyndhurst house but then
moved to 733 Meyer Avenue in Lyndhurst,
known as the Benedict house, where they
paid a monthly rent of $15.00. The apartment
consisted of three small rooms. They next
moved to an apartment on Copeland Avenue
in Lyndhurst. Their daughter Rose and eldest A UNT T ESSIE AND R O RO ON THE FRONT
STOOP OF THE L YNDHURST HOUSE IN
son Joe were born at that house. It is not 1933

certain how long they remained on Copeland

230
Avenue. We know from the 1940 Census records that in April of that year they
lived on the second floor of Grandpa’s house with their three kids and Uncle
Nat’s sister Lucy. Later in 1940 they bought the house at 75 East Center Street
in Nutley, for which they paid $3000. The house was purchased from a woman
who could no longer afford to maintain it.

Uncle Nat worked for the Viola Company of Nutley, where he drove a
truck. My father told me that Uncle Nat was Viola’s first driver. In fact he said that
when Uncle Nat started working for Viola he manned a horse and wagon that
picked up garbage. Uncle Nat had also been a bartender, although I do not
know where and I am not certain if bartending was a second
job, with Viola Brothers being his primary employment.
It seems Uncle Nat had an argument with the
management at Viola’s and so left there to work for a
company named Tuscany Products. I do not know
what Tuscany Products did but I do not believe he
was employed there for long. After leaving Tuscany
Products, Uncle Nat went to work at ITT in Nutley.
Eventually he returned to work for Viola where he
ended his working career. In the late 1940s and early
U NCLE N AT STANDING NEXT TO A 1950s Uncle Nat had a small construction and
DUMP TRUCK FOR C AFONE AND
S IMONE C ONTRACTING , CIRCA LATE driveway paving business, which was probably a
1940 S
part time endeavor. His partner was Uncle Jimmy.
How long they remained in business is unknown.

According to an interview with her granddaughter Gail Adragna in 1981,

Aunt Tessie claimed she worked for a short time but could not recall where. She
spent a good deal of time helping to raise Aunt Jean who was born in 1932 and
continued doing so even after the birth of her first child Rose in 1933.
231
 Among his many attributes Uncle Nat had the reputation of being
generous with his time. For many years he along with Sal Dorando of Thomas
Avenue, Sam Del Core of Paul Street and host of others from the Mt Carmel
parish, he was actively involved in The Mutual Aid Society of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel in Lyndhurst. The Society had been a fixture in Lyndhurst since 1914.
Dorando became the president of the Society around 1924 and remained in that
capacity for at least 20 years or more. We are not sure when Uncle Nat became
actively involved although a good guess would be around the time he married
Aunt Tessie or perhaps shortly beforehand. Someone in the family estimated that
Uncle Nat may have been the president of the Society for 7 or 8 years, although
this has not been corroborated. His
involvement began well before WW
II and continued for many years
afterwards. I have found his name
listed in the 1936 Commercial
Leader as being an active member.
In 1940 he was listed as the
secretary for the Society’s
U NCLE N AT (ON THE LEFT ) MARCHING IN M T. C ARMEL arrangement committee which
FEAST PARADE ( CIRCA LATE 1940 S ).
planned and ran the annual feast.

The Society’s largest event of the year was the annual Our Lady of Mt
Carmel feast which was usually held around the second week of July. The
highlight of the week-long feast was the fireworks display which were held on the
last night, usually a Sunday. The physical location of the feast was a third of a
mile long section of Copeland Avenue between Stuyvesant and Riverside
Avenue in Lyndhurst, which was adorned with overhead colored lights strung
across the street, and a variety of concession booths along both sides. It was

232
considered one of the largest Italian feasts in the area for its time. It has been
reported in the local newspaper that during some years as many as 15,000
people came to see the fireworks. Considering that the population of Lyndhurst
was about 17,000 during this period, the crowd was considered massive by local
standards of the time, nearly doubling the town’s population.

I have been told that as part of the celebration the Society would march
the statue of the saint around parts of Lyndhurst and into Nutley. I have since
learned that the last time the saint was marched into Nutley was in 1954. The
feast ended shortly thereafter largely due to the complaints of, and
inconvenience to, Copeland Avenue residents. The feast was resumed sometime
during the 1990s but at a much smaller scale, with stands and entertainment
being restricted to church property and a small section of Copeland Avenue in
the immediate vicinity of the church. It
has since been transformed to a town-
wide event coupled with concessions,
rides and free entertainment. The
venue for the current day feast is the
Lyndhurst Town Hall Park on Delafield
Avenue.

Uncle Nat was also a member

of the Nutley Volunteer Fire
Department. He also served as a
member of the Nutley Police Reserves.
T HIS PHOTO DEPICTS THE WAY MANY OF US
I recall a plaque hanging in the living RECALL HOW A UNT T ESSIE AND U NCLE N AT
LOOKED . C IRCA LATE 1950 S EARLY 1960 S .
room of his home commemorating his
years of service. Around Christmas time Uncle Nat played Santa and rode on
one of the Nutley fire truck as is drove around areas of the town.
233
 In 1963 Uncle Nat suffered a stroke that left him more or less speechless
and paralyzed on one side of his body. On November 5, 1967 he was at the
home of his son Richie preparing to go to Clara Maass hospital in Belleville, New
Jersey in order to visit his daughter-in-law Dody who had just given birth to his
newest grandson, Darrin. While at the house Uncle Nat suffered a fatal heart
attack. He was 58 years old.

Nearly 30 years later, on July 10, 1996 Aunt Tessie died at the age of 85.

I shall always remember the image of Uncle Nat as a bigger than life sort
of man. As a child he seemed to me to have had a commanding voice but was
not gruff or ill spoken. For some reason people would say he reminded them of
Jackie Gleason the famous 20th Century comedian.

I have found that there was no one more universally respected and held in
the highest esteem by the other members of the family than Uncle Nat. This
obviously says a great deal about the quality of his character. I imagine people
outside the family held him in similar regard. He was the quintessential good
man.

Another fond memory I have of Uncle Nat is that he loved the song “Let
Me Call You Sweetheart” and somehow, at occasional family gatherings he
would join in the singing of the song. Although the stroke had deprived him of
much of his ability to form discernible words, he courageously did his best to sing
the song. I was never sure if it was for some sentimental reason or the fact that

234
his illness prevented him from singing it clearly, but on more than one occasion it
evoked an emotional, tearful response from him as well as for the others present.

I also recall being very young and often taking walks to Nutley with
Grandpa on Saturday mornings. Our ritual took us across the Nutley Bridge, and
up Park Avenue. We would then cut across an open field along the south side of
Park Avenue where recreational fields are now located and which was formerly a
quarry when Grandpa was a young man living in Avondale and later home to
Camp Nutley an Army Reserve base in the 1950s. Grandpa and I would follow a
path up a slight sloping embankment that took us up to East Center Street
opposite Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie’s light green, one story house. The trip to
Aunt Tessie’s house was just under a mile and maybe took us about 20 minutes
to walk, but as a young child seemed much greater in time and distance.

I vividly remember that Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie had a small concrete
cupola that Uncle Nat had built at the front of a side yard situated adjacent to
their driveway. The front of the cupola had a glass door. Contained within the
cupola were statues of various saints.

We always entered the house by the back door and exited by a side door,
which was located on the west side of the house and adjacent to Zia Carminella
Alessio’s house. Grandpa and I always first stopped at Aunt Tessie and Uncle
Nat’s house to pay a visit before walking further up the block to see Uncle Jimmy
and Aunt Rosie. It was there where Grandpa would do his weekly food shopping
and I got to play with my cousins. When we were done either Uncle Jimmy or
Natty would drive us home in a green, 1953 Chevy station wagon that had wood
trim. Grandpa was known to make the trip to Nutley several times a day. He
would often go to Uncle Jimmy’s house just to take out the garbage.
235
 Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie had 3 biological children and a foster child. In
addition to Rose (Ro Ro), Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie had two sons, Joe and
Richie, who were both younger than Ro Ro, and as foster daughter, Mary who
may have been older.

It is estimated that sometime in 1944 or 45 Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie

came to learn that there were children under the custody of Catholic Charities in
Newark that they could bring into their home in a foster capacity. Foster parents
were usually provided a stipend to cover expenses incurred in maintaining a child
into their home. In some the cases the stipend more than covered actual
expenses and so for some families, this presented an additional source of
income.

It is not known exactly when they applied to foster a child, but eventually
Mary Karpinski came to live with them. One impression was that Mary had been
adopted by Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie, but according to their son-in-law Frank
Adragna, that was not the case. Mary was clearly a foster child. It is also believed
that Mary may have originally been from Newark because she kept in touch with
a sister who presumably lived there. Ro Ro was in the 5th or 6th grade when
Mary, who was older than Ro Ro, came to live with them. Mary remained with
Uncle Nat and Aunt Tessie until she was married, possibly in 1952. Mary was
known in the family as “Mary the Polack”.

Aunt Tessie eventually married again to a man name Joe Riccio and they
continued to live in the East Centre Street house. Joe was a cordial guy and a
talented auto mechanic; however he apparently had a drinking problem. After
several years of marriage they permanently separated.

236
 Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie

Aunt Rosie whose real name is Rosina was born on July 28, 1923. She
came to the United States from Italy in 1939 at the age of 16. Her father Joe
Perrone, who had previously immigrated, had a small store at 122 East Centre
Street. Aunt Rosie worked in her father’s store. The store was free standing and
was located in what is now a driveway at 122 East Centre Street a house that
abuts the apartment house property that housed Jimmy’s Market store.

One day Uncle Jimmy

came into the store to buy
cigarettes with his cousin Tony
Rizzuto. Tony was attracted to
Aunt Rosie and wanted to go
out with her. It was said that he
actually might have wanted to
marry her. Tony had purchased
A UNT R OSIE AND U NCLE J IMMY ON DECEMBER 14, 1941 a new car and drove up and
down East Center Street to try to
impress Aunt Rosie. However she was not impressed or interested in Tony.

It seems Aunt Rosie was attracted to Uncle Jimmy. She thought to herself
that Uncle Jimmy was good looking and if he was interested, she would have
preferred to go out with him. Evidently Uncle Jimmy felt the same way and asked
Aunt Rosie for a date.

237
 Tony’s mother Francesca, who was Grandma’s sister, did not talk to
Grandma for years because she thought that Grandma had talked Aunt Rosie
into going out with Uncle Jimmy to the detriment of her son Tony.

Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie were married on December 14, 1941 one
week following the attack at Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War 2.
They lived on the second floor of the Lyndhurst house for 5 years. It was in
December of 1946 that they moved to Nutley and lived at 122 East Centre Street
house. They lived there for several years and in 1951 they moved to the familiar
three story brick building on what is now the corner of East Centre Street and
Washington Avenue.

The building’s original address was 810 Walnut Street. The building and
the house next door were the only buildings located on the short extension of
Walnut Street that was located east of Washington Avenue. Walnut Street runs
nominally north and south and is nearly parallel to Washington Avenue, which is
located just to the east. It is adjacent to the railroad tracks and is located directly
behind Washington School. Up until the early 1950s the west end of East Centre
Street began just after the very next building to the south of Uncle Jimmy’s
building. More precisely, the border for the roadway was located at the curve in
the road just after the present 136 East Centre Street. Because grocery suppliers
had a hard time finding the address, Uncle Jimmy petitioned the Nutley Board of
Commissioners sometime in 1951 or 1952 to include his building as part of East
Centre Street. Uncle Jimmy evidently made a compelling case and his petition
was granted wherein the address became 140 East Centre Street.

The building’s first floor had housed a sewing factory and previously had
possibly been a saloon. Uncle Jimmy, with the help of his father in law Joe
238
Perrone, redesigned and renovated the first floor area into living space with a
small grocery store at the front of the three story building. Upstairs apartments
provided rental income. It was in this building that Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie
raised their seven children. The grocery store was called Jimmy’s Market. Years
later the apartment component of the building was named the Rosalie
Apartments in honor of Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie’s only daughter.

During the 1930s Uncle Jimmy used to work with Grandpa at American
Chain and Cable in Newark. In the 1940s, after American Chain went out of
business, he worked for the Ronson Art Metal Works in Newark which produced
one of the world’s best cigarette lighters. During WW2, the production of Ronson
Lighters almost came to a halt due to the lack of materials. The factory was busy
producing ammunition and other articles for the allied forces. Uncle Jimmy
stayed at Ronson for about ten years. When the 140 East Centre Street home
was purchased he went into the grocery store business with his father-in-law.

To say that Uncle Jimmy was a memorable person was an

understatement. Once you met him you never forgot him. He had an interesting
perspective on life and the funniest things always seemed to happen to him. One
of the funniest stories he told me was about a time when he and Aunt Rosie had
just left a store and a man approached to ask the time of day. Uncle Jimmy
complied with the man’s request by looking at his wristwatch and telling the man
the time. Upon hearing this the man reached into his pocket and removed a large
railroad-type pocket watch and proclaimed that Uncle Jimmy’s watch was wrong,
and then provided him with the correct time. Uncle Jimmy looked at the man with
incredulous disbelieve and proceeded in not so many words to tell the man he
was out of his mind.

239
 On another occasion he conveyed another funny story of how he and Aunt
Rosie went to the
movies and sat in
the middle of a row
in a sparsely
attended movie.
Uncle Jimmy and
Aunt Rosie are short
people. Uncle Jimmy
U NCLE J IMMY AND A UNT R OSIE IN 1982
probably stood about
5 feet 6 or 7 inches or less and Aunt Rosie was shorter still. Just before the
movie began a group of very tall people entered the theater and of all the places
they could have chosen to sit, they elected the seats directly in front of Uncle
Jimmy and Aunt Rosie. With his view now obstructed Uncle Jimmy leaned
forward, tapped one of the persons on the shoulder and expressed his
displeasure. I seem to recall that he told me that he stated the following
unforgettable words that went something like this. “Are you people kidding me?
Of all the seats in this place you had to decide to sit here. We can just about see
over the seats with nobody there. Can’t you giants sit somewhere else?” The
request worked but there was an irony to follow. To make things even funnier,
Uncle Jimmy told me that Aunt Rosie fell asleep during the movie.

Then there was the time that Uncle Jimmy decided to go down the shore
for a cup of coffee with his nephews Joe and Rich Simone. Uncle Jimmy loved to
drive. He told me it relaxed him. Many times he listened to Italian music as he
traveled along. By the time he reached the Toms River exit on the Parkway, he
changed his mind and decided to proceed further to Wildwood, where he often
vacationed with the family. He never saw Wildwood either because not feeling

240
the need to stop he decided to continue down to Washington, DC. For whatever
reason, he decided not to make a stop in the nation’s capital and so he continued
on. When he finally arrived at Savannah, Georgia he decided to call it a day and
got a room for the night. Meanwhile back home Aunt Rosie was worried because
he evidently never told her where he was going. Concerned, she contacted my
father. It is not entirely clear if they contacted the police. The next day when
Uncle Jimmy returned he purportedly became irate when he learned that a
search effort had been launched to find him. As he conveyed this story to me, I
recall him saying in a rather joking fashion that he demanded Aunt Rosie not to
be concerned unless he was gone more than three days! That was Uncle Jimmy.

Like my father, volumes could probably be written about Uncle Jimmy’s

life. It was not always easy, especially when he was a young boy. I recall later in
his life I really came to enjoy seeing and looked forward speaking with him. He
was blessed with a wonderful way of telling a story.

Aunt Rosie worked in her father’s store as indicated above and then later
in Jimmy’s Market with Uncle Jimmy, while raising her family. Her talent in
making the best Italian sausage this side of the Atlantic Ocean is legendary and
is attested to by many people. As a matter of fact she had customers who have
come as far as Europe to purchase her second-to-none sausage. Aunt Rosie
kept the store open after Uncle Jimmy’s passing, finally closing the doors about
10 or 15 years ago. She is truly a remarkable woman who possesses a keen
mind and has been a wealth of information regarding much of the family’s
twentieth century history.

Uncle Jimmy died of coronary disease on September 18, 1988.

241
 Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosie had seven children, James Jr. known in the
family as Natty, Joe, Mike, John, Paul, Rosalie, and Tom.

Aunt Josie and husband 1

In 1941, at about the age of 18, Aunt Josie married a man named Mario
Giancarlo, a friend of Uncle Jimmy. Their marriage had a very brief duration of
perhaps a year or less. It was thought that Aunt Josie married solely to get out of
the severely strict household Grandpa and Grandma ran. In later years Mario
lived up the block from the Lyndhurst house on Thomas Avenue. Other than the
fact that he was a contractor, not much else is known about him or why they
divorced.

Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie

Aunt Josie lived for a while in

A UNT J OSIE AND U NCLE E DDIE CIRCA EARLY
1950 S
courtship and were married on March 19,
New York City. It is not known how long
she lived there or exactly where in the
city she resided or what she did to
support herself. About 5 years after her
first marriage she met Uncle Eddie, who
was in the navy at the time, in New
York City. From the information we
have it appears that they had a short

242
1946 in New York in what is believed to have been a civil ceremony.

After they wed and Uncle Eddie was discharged, they moved to Gary,
Indiana and probably resided in the same general area where Uncle Eddie grew
up. Uncle Eddie was from a suburb of Gary known as Calumet Township, which
is located in Lake County. According to the 1930 US Census he lived on 10th
Place with his father Walter Czerwens Dygus (sic), his mother Josephine, and
sisters Mary, Wanda and Lillian. Uncle Eddie and his sisters are listed as step-
children to Walter, whose last name may have actually been Czerwenski.

Following the war Uncle Eddie was a truck driver and is believed to have
had his own over-the-road trucking company, which was probably just a one
man/one truck operation. Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie lived in Indiana for about 7
years. The story goes that Aunt Josie would occasionally accompany Uncle
Eddie on over-the-road trips and at times, actually drove the truck as well.

Evidently there came a point when Aunt Josie no longer liked living in
Indiana. According to one account Aunt Josie suspected that Uncle Eddie may
have been with other women. It is unknown if any factual basis for this claim
exists. One can surmise it may have been related to the long hours spent by
Uncle Eddie driving over-the-road. In any event, Aunt Josie returned to Lyndhurst
probably in about 1952 or 1953. Prior to her departure Aunt Josie gave Uncle
Eddie an ultimatum. If Uncle Eddie really loved her he would sell his business
and come back to Jersey to live with her and they would try again to rebuild their
relationship. It is not clear how much time elapsed, but not too long after Aunt
Josie returned to Lyndhurst Uncle Eddie capitulated and made his way to New
Jersey.

243
 It is believed that Aunt Josie underwent a hysterectomy at about the age
of 29. Their adopted daughter and only child, Lynda, was actually Uncle Eddie’s
sister’s daughter. His half-sister Irene Czerwenski, who was evidently born after
1930, had an affair with a married Irish man in Gary Indiana and decided to give
the baby up for adoption. Since Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie could not have
children of their own they decided to adopt Lynda from Irene. Lynda was only 2
days old when she came to New Jersey. The family lived on Lake Avenue in
Lyndhurst for approximately a year before moving to 46 Frances Street in Clifton
which was located in the Lackawanna section of the city. They later moved to
another house on High Street in Clifton, a cul-de-sac, located not too far from
Frances Street and remained there until Aunt Josie’s death in 1979. Niece Rose
Adragna and her husband Frank and their family lived a few doors away.

Uncle Eddie worked for Frasse Steel Company in Lyndhurst and it is said
he helped Uncle Louie Meggiolaro obtain a job there. He also worked for
American Can and then in the printing industry helping to get jobs for some of his
nephews. Uncle Eddie was another nice guy you couldn’t help but like and
respect. I recall he was very mechanically inclined and would gladly offer a
helping hand to anyone in the family who may have been engaged in a home
improvement or automobile mechanical project. I recall he helped my father finish
the basement in the Lyndhurst house and constructed a weight lifting bench for
me when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. Cousin Lou Meggiolaro tells of
Uncle Eddie being a gifted Ping-Pong player and teaching some of our cousins
how to play.

Aunt Josie worked in the Mangini sewing shop on Copeland Avenue when
she was young along with Aunt Mary. Interestingly my sister Marie bought the

244
Mangini house and resides there to this day. After returning to New Jersey from
Indiana it is not entirely clear where she worked. Once Lynda was adopted she
spent her time childrearing.

A few years after Aunt Josie’s death Uncle Eddie married again to a
woman named Margaret and lived in either Cresskill or Haworth, New Jersey
until his death at age 69 on May 22, 1991.

Aunt Mary and husband 1

Aunt Mary was married 8 or 9 months to a man named Jimmy Gabriele.

Although he possessed the same surname as Grandma, we do not believe
Jimmy was a direct relative. Aunt Mary met Jimmy through his sister, a co-worker
of Aunt Mary’s at the Isolantite Manufacturing Company in Belleville. The
company produced Ceramic Insulators, concentric transmission lines and fittings
used in the war effort. Aunt Mary was about 18 or 19 at the time of her marriage.

Aunt Mary’s relatively young

marriage, like Aunt Josie’s, was
induced by the strict household in
which she lived. Aunt Mary felt that
she had to get out of the house
because conditions were such that
she couldn’t endure it any longer.
After marrying Jimmy she lived in T HIS RARE PHOTO IS BELIEVED TO BE OF AUNT
MARY AND HER FIRST HUSBAND JIMMY
Nutley in what was known as Nardo’s GABRIELE , CIRCA 1942-43

house, which was located on the corner of

245
Park Avenue and Roma Street. The apartment was small and they used to share
a bathroom with another couple that lived in the same house.

It seems before they were married Jimmy regularly went to the Veteran’s
hospital, but Aunt Mary did not know the reason why. It is not clear if she ever
asked Jimmy for an explanation or not. On one occasion Jimmy’s doctor told him
that he wanted to meet Aunt Mary, before they wed, to give her the details of
Jimmy’s condition. The meeting took place and apparently, without much of an
explanation or detail, the doctor told Aunt Mary to be careful when she was with
Jimmy. It wasn’t until after they were married however, that Jimmy’s doctor
asked Aunt Mary if she knew of his history. She replied that she did not and the
doctor informed Aunt Mary that Jimmy suffered from some form of mental illness.
Since Jimmy was being treated by VA doctors we assume he was a WW2
veteran. We can only speculate that his condition may have been related to his
time in service, perhaps a form of post traumatic syndrome, however we are not
sure. Jimmy’s sister never told Aunt Mary about her brother’s condition.

Aunt Mary remembered that Jimmy demonstrated some strange behavior

from time to time. One night in the Lyndhurst house for some unknown reason
Jimmy threw a cup at her. Afterwards Jimmy also began striking her for no
apparent reason. On one occasion Grandma interceded and began yelling at
him. Aunt Mary eventually called Jimmy’s doctor who advised her to leave him
and obtain an annulment, which she subsequently did sometime in late 1943 or
early 1944. She met Uncle Sonny about a year and a half later.

246
 Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny

Aunt Mary met Uncle Sonny on a

blind date through my father, Louie, in
1946. My father knew Uncle Sonny’s
brother Mikey, who told Uncle Sonny
that Louie had a nice sister who was
single, having left her husband. Mikey
suggested that Uncle Sonny should
take her out. At the time Uncle Sonny
A UNT M ARY AND U NCLE S ONNY O N THEIR
WEDDING DAY IN 1948 lived at 8 Rosedale Avenue in Montclair,
with his parents Joe and Josephine and his brothers Albert, Mike and his sister
Rose. Uncle Sonny’s given name was James. He was called Sonny, a nickname
bestowed upon him by his family, because he was the youngest sibling.

One night the doorbell rang and Aunt Florie answered the door but Aunt
Mary was in the house at the time. In walked Uncle Sonny. He apparently cut his
finger and asked if Aunt Mary would apply a bandage. My father who was also
present at the time made the formal introduction. According to Aunt Mary, my
father said, “Hey May, that’s Sonny”. Louie never told Mary that Sonny phoned
him earlier to say he was coming to see Mary. So their first meeting was actually
contrived.

The next night Uncle Sonny came over again and he, Aunt Mary, and my
father went to visit Aunt Jean in the hospital.

247
 Their first real date occurred shortly afterwards. It
is believed they went to the movies in New York. They
had to attend an afternoon show because Grandpa
being so stern required that Aunt Mary be home by 8:00
p.m. even though she was 22 years old at the time.
Many of their subsequent dates involved just staying at
the Lyndhurst house.
A UNT M AY AND U NCLE S ONNY
CIRCA LATE 1940 S EARLY 1950 S

Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny kept company for about 2 years before they
were married on April 17, 1948 at Saint Clare’s Church on Alwood Road in
Clifton. My father was best man and next door neighbor Sarah Viteritti was the
maid of honor.

Their honeymoon trip was to Indiana to visit Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie
who were living out there at the time. They stayed at Uncle Eddie’s mother’s
house. One of the most memorable things about the honeymoon trip was the ride
back home to New Jersey. It seems that Uncle Eddie’s mother sent home a
chicken for Grandma and gave one to Aunt Mary as well. At night from inside the
motel room they could hear the chickens clucking in car. The chickens laid 3
eggs on the return trip which took about 3 days.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny lived on the second floor of the Lyndhurst
house for four years. They moved at the end of 1951, which coincided with the
arrival of my mother, Angela, who was coming from Italy. They purchased the
house at 19 Evergreen Avenue in Nutley where they remained for 48 years until
the death of Uncle Sonny.

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 After Uncle Sonny died Aunt Mary lived for a short time in a small garden
apartment on Passaic Avenue in Nutley. Later she moved to 59 Eldorado Street
in Toms River, New Jersey, a senior community, where she was near to Aunt
Jean. She eventually returned to Nutley and lived at the senior housing on
William Street, which is adjacent to Booth Park and near the high school for
several years. She presently resides at a nursing home in Cedar Grove, NJ.

Uncle Sonny possessed extraordinary mechanical talents and aptitude.

There was nothing he could not build or repair. He worked as a maintenance
man for Federal Leather in Belleville for over twenty years and when the
company sold to Airco Products, he remained on board in the same capacity. He
later worked at Frasse Steel in Lyndhurst and Julius Blum in Carlstadt, again as
a maintenance man, repairing and maintaining machinery. Uncle Sonny also had
a small home remodeling business as a sideline. He did renovations and repairs
on the homes of many of us in the family.

Uncle Sonny liked having a good time. He enjoyed joking around, teasing
and laughing. I can still hear his unique and infectious laugh. From what I have
also come to learn is that at times he could also be difficult to get along with,
especially at the work place. When it came to work Uncle Sonny was all
business. Not unlike our other uncles, Uncle Sonny was a good man and had a
genuine love and affection for the family.

I recall how in the early 1960s my parents, sisters and I spent many
Sundays in the summer at the home of Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny. We’d
barbecue, often using a brick grill Uncle Sonny constructed in the yard. My
sisters and I learned to swim in their small three by twelve foot above ground
pool. I also recall parties in their basement. Who could forget the beautiful wet
249
bar Uncle Sonny had constructed. Over the years they hosted many parties at
their home.

Uncle Sonny and Aunt Mary had one adopted son, James. The adoption
occurred when Terry Negra, a friend of Aunt Mary’s, was having her income
taxes prepared by an attorney named Feinberg (sic) from Newark, who
coincidently also prepared Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny’s taxes. Terry learned
from Feinberg that a baby was available for adoption and contacted Aunt Mary.
Feinberg evidently also handled the adoption proceedings. Uncle Sonny and
Aunt Mary went to Saint Michael’s Hospital in Newark about four days after
James was born and took him home. James’ birth mother was from Newark. Her
last name was Blasi (sic).

After Uncle Sonny’s death Aunt Mary and James became estranged. They
reconciled once or twice over the ensuing years, however presently it is not
exactly known where the relationship stands.

Aunt Florie and Uncle Red

Aunt Florie and Uncle Red met

through my father who was a friend of
Uncle Red. In 1930 Uncle Red, his
father Angelo, his brothers Leo, Peter,
Joe and Vincent lived at 128 Verona
Ave in Newark, NJ, which was the
home of his sister Elizabeth and her
A UNT F LO AND U NCLE R ED ON THEIR WEDDING
husband Eugene Caliaro and their DAY IN O CTOBER OF 1949

250
daughters Enna and Irene. Evidently Uncle Red had been to the Lyndhurst
house a few times and met Aunt Flo. I once heard that they may have gone roller
skating as a first date, however I could not substantiate this account. Not much
else is known about their courtship. We do know however that they married on
October 29, 1949. Their honeymoon trip was to Niagara Falls, New York.

Their first apartment was at 731 Meyer Avenue in Lyndhurst. A year later
their first child Angela was born. They occupied the first floor apartment and
remained there until 1955. The house is located at the northwest corner of
Thomas and Meyer Avenues and was a short walk from the Lyndhurst
homestead. They next moved to Washington Ave, Belleville and lived behind a
butcher shop that, as of this writing, is now a laundry mat. They remained there
until sometime in 1957 at which time they moved
to an apartment building on Passaic Ave, Nutley.
Finally in 1960 they purchased the house at 19
Moore Place also in Nutley where they remained
until their deaths.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Sonny lent them the

money to purchase the Moore Place home. An
A UNT F LO AND U NCLE R ED CIRCA amusing story was told to me by Aunt Mary
LATE 1940 S EARLY 1950 S
regarding the purchase of the house. It seems the
house was infested with at least one bee hive. Aunt Flo was worried that the
bees would be troublesome and evidently was having second thoughts about the
purchase. It was Uncle Nat who told her, “Don’t worry about the bees. We’ll take
care of them”. And he did by destroying the hive. This evidently assuaged Aunt
Flo’s fears and the home was purchased. Their daughter Angela bought the
Moore Place house in later years and lived there for a while. She eventually sold
it in 1990.
251
 Uncle Red worked construction when they were first married. Eventually
he went to work for the Nutley DPW. It is unknown if Aunt Flo worked outside the
home.

Uncle Red and Aunt Florie had three children. In addition to Angela they
also had Tom and Richie.

Aunt Florie’s given name was Florence. Uncle Red was born Lucio. Both
died at a relatively young age. Of the first generation American children to reach
adulthood, Aunt Florie was the first to die. She suddenly passed at home on
September 3, 1966 at age 40 of a massive heart attack. It is said she arose from
bed during the night, called to Uncle Red and then collapsed. Evidently a valiant
attempt was made by first responders to revive her, but it was to no avail. I seem
to remember that there was some speculation that a recent surgery Aunt Flo had
undergone may have in some way contributed to the event, but I do not believe it
was ever established to have been directly related.

I remember Uncle Louie Meggiolaro and Uncle Sonny coming to our home
in the early morning hours to deliver the news to my father and mother and
eventually, Grandma and Grandpa. I also recall the extreme shock and profound
sadness that followed. One of the saddest aspects of Aunt Florie’s death was the
fact that her children were still young. Angela was about 16, Tommy 11, and
Richie was about 9 years old.

Approximately two and one half years after Aunt Florie’s death Uncle Red
remarried to Carmella (Millie) Gennaro, which he had met while working for the
252
Town of Nutley. Evidently she was living in the area of the Town Yard. They
continued to reside on Moore Place. The marriage put a strain on Uncle Red’s
family due to personality clashes between Millie and the kids. Some people felt
that Uncle Red remarried because he felt the kids needed a maternal presence
in their lives that he alone could not provide. Uncle Red loved his kids very much
and it would not surprise me if this was his primary motive. Others speculated
that Uncle Red married due to loneliness and the fact that he had found
someone who would also accept his children. As far as we know Millie never
had her own biological children. Millie died in February or 2009 at the age of 87.

Uncle Red died a hero. On July 14, 1975 at the age of 51 Uncle Red
suffered a fatal heart attack during a courageous attempt to rescue a local child
and one of his co-workers who was at risk of drowning. On the day he died heavy
rains had caused flash flooding and the brook that ran through Yanticaw Park,
known as the Third River, overflowed its banks. Uncle Red and co-worker John
Reiss were assigned to erect barricades in the area of the bridge at Brookfield
and Passaic Avenue to prevent traffic from entering the flooded area. A small
island which is located just south of the bridge formed between a small tributary
to the east and the main brook to the west. The island contained numerous trees
and it seems some young boys were trapped in one or some of the trees and
may have been calling for help. Evidently John Reiss and Uncle Red became
aware of the boys entrapment on the island and attempted to reach them by
entering the water. John Reiss was struck by a floating tree limb and was
consequently knocked down and carried away by the swift moving current of the
flooding water. Upon seeing this Uncle Red began running along the eastern
bank of the brook calling to Reiss that he was coming to help.

The waters swept Reiss under the small Brookfield Avenue Bridge. The
level of the water was nearly at the bottom of the bridge. Reiss emerged on the
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north side and from here the facts are not entirely clear. One report indicates that
Uncle Red was swept away by the water in an attempt to rescue Reiss. A second
account suggests that at a point located approximately 100 feet north of the
bridge Uncle Red suffered a heart attack and fell to the ground. Attempts to
revive him were unsuccessful. Ironically one of his own nephews, Joe Bolcato, a
member of the Nutley First Aid Squad was involved in the resuscitation effort. It
is believed that the heart attack was precipitated by his attempt to rescue Reiss.
A Nutley fireman eventually pulled Reiss from the waters. According to Cousin
Tom Bolcato, Reiss never really spoke about incident afterwards.

In tribute for his valiant effort a monument in honor of Uncle Red was
placed in Yanticaw Park at the base of a tree located near the easterly bank of
the brook approximately 100 feet north of the Brookfield Avenue Bridge. It was
dedicated on May 30, 1977. The monument is a flat granite plaque with Uncle
Red’s name etched into it. Funds and donations for the construction of the
monument were accepted from the American Legion, Am Vets, Veterans of
Foreign Wars, and Catholic War Veterans. Other donations came from local
associations in the community of Nutley such as UNICO, the Elks, the Rotary
Club, and Nutley Park Shop Rite.

M ONUMENT COMMEMORATING UNCLE

R ED ' S HEROISM PLACED IN YANTICAW
PARK IN NUTLEY NEAR THE PLACE
WHERE HE DIED .
A TRIBUTE TO UNCLE RED DRAWN BY
A GRADE SCHOOL CHILD

254
 A tribute on the Internet indicates that Uncle Red had worked with the
Nutley Department of Public Works for 15 years. It also stated that he was born
in Newark. He is described as “An unselfish human being who touched the
hearts of others. He always helped people with no concern for himself. He was a
great and honorable man who died trying to rescue others. In return, the town of
Nutley dedicated this memorial in his honor.”

I can still recall some of the details of his funeral. One of the things that
impressed me most was the line of Nutley employees who respectfully stood in
front of the town hall as the funeral cortege passed by. I can still see the firemen
and policemen saluting the hearse that contained Uncle Red’s flag draped
casket.

His amazing act was so inspiring that children drew pictures of him. For
those of us who were lucky enough to remember him, we recall an unselfish,
kind, happy-go-lucky man who was strong as an ox and was always willing to
lend a hand. Approximately 33
years later, one of the boys
who became stranded in a tree
on the small island previously
mentioned would remember
Uncle Red’s heroic efforts in a
very moving and emotional
tribute. Uncle Red’s actions
were publicly acknowledged C OUSIN RICH B OLCATO PINS THE C APTAIN ’S BADGE ON B ILL H ENN .

on January 24, 2008. Clifton

firefighter William Henn was promoted to the rank of Captain and during the
ceremony he publicly stated that his sense of public duty was inspired by the
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heroic actions of Uncle Red. Henn recalled a life changing event that occurred
when he was 9 years old. On that fateful day in 1975 he fell into the Yanticaw
Park Brook and was being swept away until he was able to get hold of a tree
branch. He recounted how without hesitation Uncle Red was one of the first to
enter the water in an attempt to save him and knew that Uncle Red died trying to
save him. Captain Henn declared Uncle Red a true hero. He also professed that
Uncle Red’s effort to save his life inspired Captain Henn to do something
significant with his own life and evidently lead to him becoming a firefighter. I am
told there was not a dry eye in the house as Captain Henn recounted his ordeal.
Cousin Richie Bolcato was present during the promotion ceremony and was
asked to pin the Captain’s badge onto Captain Henn. Articles recounting Captain
Henn’s experience appeared in both the January 25, 2008 editions of the Bergen
Record and Herald News.

There are several fond memories I shall always cherish about Uncle Red.
I recall that he used to make a wonderfully delicious red pepper and onion sauce
that was great on just about anything you put it on. I also recall that during the
period between Aunt Florie’s death and his marriage to Millie, he would
occasionally take Tommy, Richie, and I on trips to New York City. We would
spend hours walking around Times Square and other nearby areas of the city.
Uncle Red possessed mechanical skills as well. I recall he liked to work on cars. I
will always remember him with a smile on his face.

As we know Uncle Red worked for the town of Nutley as a machine

operator. Cousin Lou Meggiolaro recalls how Uncle Red would come down
Evergreen Avenue with the tractor which was equipped with a big bucket in the
front. He would load up Louie, Mike and some friends in the bucket and take
them for a ride down the street.

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 For a short while Uncle Red and Aunt Florie also occasionally took in
Foster children.

Uncle Louie and Aunt Angie

Sometime during the summer of 1948 Angela’s aunt, Lee Gaccione and
her husband Peppy, visited Peppy’s, relatives in Italy. This trip would ultimately
lead to the wedding of Louie and Angie. In addition to fond memories of the trip,
Lee returned with what would become a magical
charm that, in about a year, would cast its spell
on an unsuspecting 23-year-old man from
Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

It was either in the spring or summer of

1949 that Lee and Peppy were having their
driveway paved. They had a good friend who did
this type of work. His name was Nat Simone.
U NCLE L OUIE AND A UNT A NGIE ON
Helping Uncle Nat on this faithful day was his THEIR WEDDING DAY IN 1951

younger, then skinny, brother-in-law Louie Cofone.

Lee provided lunch that day and as they sat at the table and ate she told
Uncle Nat and Louie about her recent trip to Italy. It seemed her in-laws and
Uncle Nat’s in-laws came from the same town in Calabria, Italy, known as Acri.
She went so far as to show them pictures from her trip. Among the photos they
viewed was a picture of Lee’s niece, Angela. Lee could sense that Louie liked
what he saw when he viewed Angela’s picture. She jokingly asked if he wanted
to marry Angela. As a matter of fact, she even offered to pay his fare to go to
257
Italy and tie the knot. Louie declined the offer partly because he was engaged at
the time to a woman named either Marie or Geraldine. Any way, he asked for
the photo and told Aunt Lee that he would like one day to visit Italy and see
where his parents had come from.

Approximately 2 years later Louie decided it was time to “go to the other
side”. He remembered that Lee had relatives in the same Italian hometown as
his parents and so he asked his sister Tessie, Uncle Nat’s wife, to call Aunt Lee
to see if she could arrange to have someone meet him in Naples and escort him
to Acri. Aunt Lee wrote a letter to her brother-in-law, Angelo Gaccione, who was
Angela’s father, and asked him to do her a favor and meet Louie at the dock.

It was sometime in early May of 1951 that Louie boarded the SS Saturnia
and departed for Italy. He arrived in Naples on or about May 13th.

Waiting at the dock was Angelo Gaccione, hair and all, carrying a hand
written sign, which displayed Louie’s last name. Unbeknownst to Louie, his
mother Angela sent word to her sister Peppina, who lived in one of the most rural
parts of the paese known as “che la bana Muccone”, that Louie was coming to
visit. Peppina arranged for her son Raffaele and his wife Rosaria to meet Louie
in Naples. Possessing only a photo of Louie, they somehow managed to find
him as well but not before he was met by Angelo.

After greeting my father, Angelo helped him gather his things and he took
Louie, and Raffaele and Rosaria to dinner. After dinner they made their way to
the Naples train station and boarded the train for Cosenza, the provincial capital.
From there they boarded a bus for Acri. The entire journey from Naples to Acri

258
took about 13 hours. Louie and Angelo along with Raffaele and his wife arrived
in Acri in the early afternoon of May 14th.

The bus left them at a plaza in the town known as “ou ciazza” (which in
the dialect sounds like oo key’-ahtsa). Raffaele and Rosaria returned to
Muccone and Angelo and Louie began to traverse a rather steep hill, which
ultimately lead to Angelo’s 2-room, stone house.

Upon entering the home Louie found himself standing in what was the
bedroom of Angelo and his wife, Assunta. To the side of this room was the
combination kitchen and Angela’s bedroom. Louie first met Angelo’s wife and
shook her hand. His gaze was then drawn to the kitchen where for the first time
he saw Angela standing there. He was unaware that she had been home only a
few days from the hospital, having had her appendix removed.

The first thing my Louie noticed about Angela was her glowing, rosy red
cheeks. Angelina’s initial recollection of Louie was a “skinny”, (she’d take care of
that) good-looking man wearing a pale green jacket and pants with big pockets
(but no money). As he shook Angela’s hand her beauty struck him, and he
uttered what has become one of the most famous quotes in annuals of our
immediate family’s history. “Io piace ti, credo che tu ti piace a me?” loosely
translated, “I like you; do you think that you like me?” Her reply was concise and
definite, “Si”. Louie went on to explain that he was not a rich man. An then in a
style that can only be described as his own, he promptly asked my mother to tell
her father to go see the priest as he had only a month before he was to return to
America. Of course he also asked Angelo if he would allow Angela to marry him.
Angelo replied that it was up to my mother. She evidently agreed and by 3

259
o’clock on the afternoon my father arrived in Acri, my parents were engaged to
be married.

Courtship back then is not what it is now. On their first date they went to
the movies, escorted by my Angelo. They saw that Italian classic “Il Lupo Della
Silla”. They were married on June 13th and spent an 8-day honeymoon in
Cosenza.

On or about July 1, 1951 Louie departed alone for the U.S. aboard the
Italian liner Vulcania. Angela was soon to follow but Immigration doctors in
Naples had actually delayed her departure by several months due to a
misdiagnosed medical condition. On Christmas day, 1951 Angela left Naples
Italy for the America aboard the S.S Independence. On January 4, 1952 she
arrived at Pier 42 in New York City.

My parents lived in the Lyndhurst house, occupying the second floor from
1952 until 1967 at which time, following the death of Grandpa and a renovation of
the first floor, they moved downstairs.

Louie had many jobs over the years.

He worked construction for Napp-Greco
Company, which was a major construction
company specializing in pipelines. He also
worked for Alsco Aluminum Products in
Clifton and then Airco Products in Belleville.
He eventually went to work for the
A UNT A NGIE AND UNCLE LOUIE IN 1997
Lyndhurst DPW in 1965, where he remained

260
for 27 years, retiring in 1992. He was primarily a heavy equipment operator;
however he also worked in all the department’s divisions.

My mom worked as a seamstress shortly after her arrival in the US. Her
Aunt Mariangela Cozzolino helped her secure her first job. Angela developed
extraordinary sewing skills and cooking skills. For a short while she had a small
business making homemade ravioli. Later she had an alteration and sewing
business that she conducted out of our home, spending countless hours in the
evening fabricating dresses. She later went to work for Bernie’s in Rutherford a
clothing store and later for Andrew Mark in Secaucus, where she learned to work
on furs and leather garments. Her greatest achievements were the wedding
gowns she created for my wife and my sisters. Over the years she performed all
these jobs in addition to maintaining the household and raising my sisters and
me. She also learned English and how to drive. She was also the primary
caregiver for my father in his last years.

Louie and Angela had three children, Joe, Marie and Rose Ann.

Louie died on April 29, 2011 at the age of 84.after breaking his femur. He
suffered a 5 year illness that included Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, COPD, and CHF.

My father was a unique person. I have never met anyone who did not like
him or had an amusing story to tell about something he did or said. He
possessed a wonderful work ethic. Simply put, he believed the boss was right
and you did what you were told to do, no questions asked. He could also work at
a furious pace, but there was a method to his madness. As he would say, he
liked to hustle to get things done so that he could slide the rest of the day. He

261
was also fearless. I once learned that during the period of his life in which he
worked construction he saved a co-workers life after a trench collapsed at a job
site burying the man. My father performed the rescue by digging the co-worker
out with his bare hands.

Make no mistake about it my father could be a very strict disciplinarian

which is in agreement with his upbringing. If my sisters or I did something that
warranted a disciplinary response we often got hit. Corporal punishment was
accepted parental behavior at the time. Most times we were forewarned but on
occasion the reaction was swift and certain. Of all the infractions that might
invoke punishment, disrespect and lying were at the top of the list. Fortunately for
us my father never meted out the types of physical punishments that his father
had from time to time bestowed upon him and his brother.

On the lighter side my father also absolutely loved joking around and very
much enjoyed good times with family and friends. He often would refer to women
he knew or didn’t know as Mae West. For the guys it was either Lone Ranger,
which he pronounced “Long Ranger”, Kemo Sabe, Tanto and a host of others. I
also never heard him express a jealous thought or sentiment. As a matter of fact
when someone he knew made a noteworthy achievement he would proudly
proclaim it to all.

One of his best attributes emerged if you found yourself in need of his
help. He would never think twice of not lending a hand, however be forewarned.
If he told you he’d be there at 6:00 a.m. he meant it.

Finally, above all, he adored my mother.

262
 Aunt Jean and Uncle Louie

In 1946 Aunt Jean was

working for a printing company called
Henbors Company in North Newark.
One day Uncle Louie, who used to
work there also, came in to visit his
co–workers while on leave from the
army. He knew that Aunt Jean knew
his brother, Dan Meggiolaro, who she
A UNT J EAN AND UNCLE L OUIE ON T HEIR WEDDING DAY became acquainted with through
IN 1953

Uncle Red and Aunt Florie. Uncle Louie

also knew Uncle Red and Aunt Florie.

Despite the common acquaintances Aunt Jean was apparently introduced

to Uncle Louie by one of her co-workers. On the day they met she recalled
having pin curls in her hair. They talked for a while and eventually he asked if he
could take her home after work that day, which he did. Later that same evening
Uncle Louie came over to the Lyndhurst house for a visit and the courtship
began. Uncle Louie lived at 126 Vernon Ave Newark with this parents Giordano
and Marie and siblings Joe, Rita,
Elizeo and Dante.

Uncle Louie and Aunt Jean’s

first official date was to the Empire
State building. They continued to date
for about five years before getting UNCLE LOUIE AND AUNT JEAN - CIRCA
1990’S.
engaged. After an engagement of

263
about one and one half years and following Uncle Louie’s discharge from the
Army they were married on October 3, 1953. They went to Niagara Falls for their
honeymoon.

Uncle Louie and Aunt Jean first lived in an apartment on Wilson Avenue in
Lyndhurst, which was within close walking distance to the Grandma and
Grandpa’s house on Thomas Avenue. The house was the third on the left from
Riverside Avenue, which was known as River Road by the local inhabitants of
the area, and they remained there for 2 years. They then moved to an apartment
on Lake Ave in Lyndhurst that had been vacated by Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie
when they moved to Clifton. Aunt Jean recalls the house being the fourth house
down from Ridge on left side of the street. They lived there for approximately a
year and a half. From there they moved to an apartment at 750 Washington Ave,
Belleville and remained there for approximately 2 ½ years. Their first child Louis
was born while they lived there. They then bought the house at 73 Evergreen
Ave in Nutley. Their second child, Michael, was born after they moved there.
They remained in Nutley until about 1999 at which time they moved to 13
Montreal Court in Toms River, New Jersey.

In addition to their naturally born children Aunt Jean and Uncle Louie also
had two foster children named Barry and Glenn Constantine, who were brothers
and lived with them for several years.

Uncle Louie died shortly after their move down the shore from
complication incident to a stroke. He looked so forward to retiring to the Jersey
shore but unfortunately he never got to fully realize and enjoy his dream.

264
 Uncle Louie was a very good man. I have an early recollection of him
being actively involved with his sons Louis and Mike in Little League. Uncle Louie
was an affable and very likeable person. To know him was to like him. Like all
our uncles he was helpful to anyone and everyone in the family. He had a calm
and even-tempered demeanor and his opinion was respected in the family. I
recall one summer when he helped Cousin John Cafone and I secure summer
jobs at the Peter Frasse Company in Lyndhurst. He was a long time machinist for
the company.

Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s most of our Uncles got together
and formed an investment club. I got the impression that it was Uncle Louie who
may have spearheaded the endeavor. From what I can recall the club lasted
quite a number of years. I do not know was caused it to dissolve although I heard
that one possible impetus was that membership was expanded to include
persons outside the family. In the late 1970s Uncle Louie and Uncle Eddie
spearheaded a regeneration of the club, but this time it was composed mostly of
our second American born generation. Our attempt was called “The Family Club”
and it lasted for nearly 20 years. After about the first eight or nine years interest
began to wane. A general lack of interest permeated the group and so by
unanimous vote it was decided to dissolve the club. While at one point we were
worth nearly a quarter million dollars, by the time the club dissolved we broke just
about even.

The impression one got from Uncle Louie was that he was someone who
just thoroughly enjoyed life and family. In his later years he was fond of trips to
various locations and loved going to see shows and plays.

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 Chapter 12- In Service to Our Country

We have already learned about Grandpa’s military service. Out of a sense

of respect, I thought that I would add a short chapter on how some of our uncles
served our country. Admittedly, there presently is not much known about the
military service of most of our uncles beyond what has been passed down orally
or from a synopsis contained in what few military records were readily available
at the time of this edition. What little we know is presented below.

Due to a punctured ear drum Uncle Jimmy was exempt from service.
Because of his age and the fact he had a young family Uncle Nat was also
exempt.

For those not in the military it is sometimes difficult to understand the

hierarchy of the organizational command structure. Each of the services has their
own unique organization and is presented from the smallest contingent to the
largest. The Army is organized in Squads, Platoons, Companies, Battalions,
Brigades, Divisions, Corps and Numbered Armies. The Marine Corps is
organized in Teams, Squads, Platoons, Companies, Regiments, and Divisions.
Regarding the Navy, the organization is rather complex. A fleet is the basic
combatant group and it may be made up of different combinations of ships that
were originally designated as divisions based on a particular type of ship, for
example a Destroyer Division. Several Divisions made up squadrons (e.g. Battle
Squadron). Still the demands of World War 2 forced the creation of the task
force system where ships no longer fought solely as part of same-type divisions
or squadrons.

266
 For our Uncles that served in the Navy, generally we know of the ships on
which they served and sometimes the task force to which the ships were
assigned. We also know that Uncle Eddie and my dad were assigned to the
Pacific Fleet. Presently for Uncle Sonny, we know nothing below the Division
level, that is to say the company or platoon to which he was assigned during
battle. For Uncle Red we know nothing below the Battalion level and the only
level above Battalion we are aware of is that he was part of Patton’s Third Army.
For Uncle Louie Meggiolaro nothing below the Company level is known. We
know that he was part of the larger Army’s First Calvary Division. More specific
information about their service careers follows below.

Where possible and when available military Muster Rolls were referenced.
Four times per year at the end of every quarter, all ships, aviation squadrons, air
stations, bases, stations, training centers or schools, flag staffs, and Marine
Corps units compile a Muster Roll, or listing, of individuals who were attached to
that unit on the date of the muster. In addition, these ships and other units are
required to keep track of changes in personnel in each of the intervening months
prior to the next quarterly muster. Extraordinary circumstances might cause a
ship to compile an extra Muster Roll, for example, the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The importance of these records is that the Muster Rolls are the final
authority of who was present and where they were at a particular point in time.
Among other details, the Muster Rolls provide fuller and more accurate
representations of names and rates (or ranks) than is usually available in other
historical resources such as action reports and deck logs.

Thus far we have been able to locate Muster Rolls for Uncles Eddie, Louie
Cofone, and Sonny.
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 Uncle Sonny

Uncle Sonny, a WWII veteran and

member of the US Marine Corp Reserve,
was wounded in the war. According to
Aunt Mary, Uncle Sonny was part of the
4th Marine Division in WW II. At the
present time we also do not know the
actual dates of his enlistment although
according to US Marine Corp Muster Roll
records it appears he entered the service
PFC J AMES A RACE USMC CIRCA 1944
in October of 1944. This is corroborated by
his son, Cousin James Arace, who believes Uncle Sonny enlisted at age 18 and
served at least until the war’s end. Uncle Sonny turned 18 in 1944. James stated
that Uncle Sonny received his basic training at Camp Le June in Jacksonville
North Carolina. This latter fact is also reflected in the Muster Rolls which indicate
he became part of the Seventh Training Battalion for the time he was there. In
January of 1945, following training at Camp Le June, Uncle Sonny became part
of the 24th Marine Regiment which was one of three infantry regiments in the 4th
Marine Division and was sent to San Francisco and then shipped out to the south
Pacific.

Reference sources indicate that the 4th Marine Division shipped out from
Camp Pendleton in California on 13 January 1944, and in 13 months made four
major amphibious assaults, in the battles of Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo
Jima, suffering more than 17,000 casualties one of which was Uncle Sonny. At
the present time the best estimate of when Uncle Sonny joined the rest of the 4th
Marine Division in the South Pacific was sometime between the middle January
1945 to the middle of February of 1945. The exploits of the 4th Marine Division
were documented in a book published in 1945 entitled “The 4th Marine Division
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in World War II” by First Lieutenant John C. Chapin, USMCR. As of this writing it
can be found and downloaded free on line at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48198584/The-4th-Marine-Division-in-World-War-II

Cousin James had a first edition copy of this book that he received from his
father and which James donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps,
18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, VA. Jim believes the book is on
display somewhere in the museum.

Uncle Sonny was wounded in battle and there

are several accounts as to the circumstances of this
event. From what was conveyed to me from Aunt Mary
it seems that during battle Uncle Sonny occupied a
foxhole and a bullet grazed him under the chin. The
4 TH MARINE DIVISION PATCH
bullet then struck and killed one of his companions who
had been crouched right beside him.

Cousin James conveys a different story told to him by Uncle Sonny.

During the battle of Iwo Jima, before the famous raising of the flag atop Mount
Suribachi on February 23, 1945, Uncle Sonny, who was in the infantry, was
engaged in battle in the jungle when a bomb exploded nearby. Shrapnel from the
bomb became embedded in Uncle Sonny’s throat just under his chin and
resulted in a 5 or 6 inch gash. He was taken by hospital ship to Honolulu Hawaii
where he was treated for his wound. He remained in the hospital for about five
weeks and was given the option to return stateside to be discharged. Uncle
Sonny elected to return to his outfit instead. Uncle Sonny was awarded a purple
heart. He bore a scar from the incident for the rest of his life.

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 Further information regarding Uncle Sonny being awarded the Purple
Heart was found in The US Marine Muster Roll of the US Marine Corp for the 4th
Marine Division, which was obtained via Ancestory.com. Contained therein was a
citation in Uncle Sonny’s record that shows he was wounded on March 11, 1945
in the Asiatic-Pac Area of Iwo Jima. He was part of Volcano Group 14. Sometime
following being wounded the Muster Rolls reveal that Uncle Sonny was

C ITATION IN US M ARINE M USTER R OLLS REPORTING UNCLE SONNY BEING INJURED IN BATTLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY
BEING AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART

transported to the island of Oahu T.H. (reflecting Territory of Hawaii. Hawaii was
not a state at the time) aboard the USS Pickaway. This corroborates the
information conveyed by Cousin James, that Uncle Sonny was treated in a
hospital in Honolulu. As a result of his injury Uncle Sonny was awarded the
Purple Heart on June 24, 1945.

Other information contained within the Muster Rolls show that by October
of 1945 Uncle Sonny was assigned to the 9th Military Police Battalion in San
Francisco, California where is appears he became part of Company “A”. He
remained with this Unit through January of 1946. It is believed Uncle Sonny was
honorably discharged sometime in 1946.

270
 Uncle Eddie

Uncle Eddie Dygus had the longest military career of all our uncles. He
served in the US Navy during WWII. His enrollment period lasted six years from
June 6, 1940 to June 5, 1946. He entered the Navy from Chicago, Illinois and did
his basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station also in Illinois. As you
can see Uncle Eddie enlisted about a year and a half prior to the United States’
entry in the war.

Uncle Eddie served on two ships

both of which were assigned to the Pacific
theater of the war. On September 20,
1940 he was assigned to the destroyer
USS Gridley. From what we can gather,
Uncle Eddie appears to have been in
Pearl Harbor just before and just after the
USS GRIDLEY . U NCLE E DDIE SERVED ON THIS SHIP attack that lead to the US involvement in
DURING THE ATTACK ON P EARL H ARBOR .
World War II. According to Naval archival
records, the Gridley, cleared Pearl Harbor 28 November 1941 as part of the
antisubmarine screen for the famed air craft carrier Enterprise, flagship of
Admiral Halsey, and after a stop at Wake Island, reversed course for Pearl
Harbor. The Task Force, of which Uncle Eddie’s ship was a part, was
approaching Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7 when the astounding
message heralding the beginning of the war was received: "Air raid on Pearl
Harbor, this is no drill." The Gridley, with Uncle Eddie aboard, entered the harbor
the next day to help protect against a renewed attack, and during the next 5
months was occupied escorting transports and repair vessels to and from Pearl
Harbor and South Pacific ports. Naval records seem to indicate that Uncle Eddie
was trained in the use of a 20 mm Anti-Aircraft machine gun. While aboard the

271
Gridley Uncle Eddie attained the rank of Seaman 1st Class. His assignment on
the ship ended in April of 1942.

Uncle Eddie’s last assignment at sea was aboard the destroyer USS
Lardner, a newly constructed ship,
which began on May 19, 1942.
Uncle Eddie was aboard for the
shakedown cruise off the New
England coast that began on May
28th and lasted until July 1, 1942.
During this period, the ship
USS LARDNER . T HIS IS THE LAST SHIP UNCLE
investigated several reports of E DDIE SERVED ABOARD .

submarines near the coast of Maine and searched for a reported U-boat off
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The ship was subsequently assigned to the Pacific
where it arrived on September 3, 1942. There it acted as an escort and screen
for convoys and fleet units, making numerous passages to Nouméa and Espiritu
Santo, and screening transports landing troops on Guadalcanal, where the ship
bombarded enemy positions. During the course of his two year assignment on
the Lardner, the ship was involved in several bombardments and had been
attacked by dive bombers and sunk at least one cargo ship. In June and July of
1944, the Lardner participated in the occupation of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian;
escorted carriers on the first Bonin Islands raid, and joined in the Battle of the
Philippine Sea. With the end of hostilities and Japan’s unconditional surrender,
the Lardner sailed to Okinawa to join a group of battleships preparing to sail to
Japan for the Japanese surrender. With Uncle Eddie aboard, the ship entered
Tokyo Bay on August 29, 1945, escorting Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz’s flagship
the South Dakota. The Lardner next joined in evacuating several hundred
prisoners-of-war and operated with several task groups and units performing
varied occupation duties until October 15, 1945 when she departed for home.
She arrived in New York on December 7, 1945 where it remained until 9
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February 1946. It was probably during this lay over that Uncle Eddie and Aunt
Josie met. The ship then sailed to Charleston, South Carolina where it was
decommissioned on May 16 1946. The last record we have for Uncle Eddie’s
assignment on the ship is dated the day before, May 15, 1946. As indicated
earlier, he was discharged about three weeks later therefore ending his service
on this decorated vessel. The USS Lardner earned 11 battle stars in World War
II. She was also named in wording for a Navy Unit Commendation for Task Force
38.

While on the USS Lardner Uncle Eddie was promoted several times. He
was promoted to Coxswain on September 1, 1942; Boatswain’s Mate Second
Class on September 1, 1943; Ultimately he attained the rank of Boatswain’s Mate
First Class with a technical rating on November 1, 1944. Generally a Boatswain
mates trains, directs, and supervises personnel in various maintenance duties. A
Boatswain's mate responsibilities cover a large spectrum which are widely
depending on the capacity and mission of the vessel or shore installation to
which they are assigned. Since Uncle Eddie had a technical rating he likely
supervised ship’s personnel in some technical duties.

Uncle Red

Uncle Red was a WWII veteran and served in the Army from March 13,
1943 to December 1, 1945. He was under General Patton’s command which
meant that his battalion was part of the Third Army. Specifically he served with
the 206th Engineering Combat Battalion where he saw action in the Ardennes,
Central Europe, Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland. We do not know the
platoon or company to which he may have been assigned.

273
 Uncle Red’s obituary indicates that
among the awards he won were a Bronze Star
and Five Battle Stars. The criteria for a bronze
star is set forth in U.S. Army Regulation Army
Regulation 600-8-22 which states, "The
Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person
who, while serving in any capacity in or with the
Army of the United States after 6 December
1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic
or meritorious achievement or service, not
involving participation in aerial flight, in

PFC L UCIO B OLCATO , US A RMY

connection with military operations against an
C IRCA 1943.
armed enemy; or while engaged in military
operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United
States is not a belligerent party." The Battle Stars indicate that Uncle Red
participated in five specific battles, engagements or offensives during the war.

The act of bravery that brought him the Bronze

Star and other awards may never be known because
the records that document his actions may have been
destroyed in a disastrous fire at National Archives
National Personnel Records Center for Military
Personnel Records (NPRC). The fire destroyed I NSIGNIA OF THE THIRD ARMY

approximately 16–18 million Official Military Personnel Files, including the

records of approximately 80 percent of U.S. Army personnel discharged between
November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960. As you can see Uncle Red’s discharge
time falls within this category.

274
 His discharge certificate and any other military papers were retained by
his second wife and are presumed destroyed.

Uncle Louie Cofone

Uncle Louie Cofone was a WWII

veteran and served in the Navy from
March 2, 1945 until April 2, 1946. He
served in the Pacific theater where he
attained the rank of Seaman Second
Class.

S EAMAN 2 ND CLASS L OUIS C OFONE ,

CIRCA 1945.

According to his service record he spent time

in the Philippines. He was initially assigned to a non-
self-propelled floating work station known as the USS
YR-77. He was part of a forty man crew on what was
USS YR-77 THE FIRST VESSEL TO WHICH
essentially a barge. It is unknown what his specific U NCLE L OUIE WAS ASSIGNED .

duties were, however from a conversation I had with him once, he indicated that
he was part of ship’s general maintenance.

Later he was assigned to the USS PC

1133, a submarine chaser. These vessels
were equipped with detection and ranging gear
for locating submarines. The ship was
commissioned USS PC-1133, August 24,
1943. It was not a very large vessel as its

275
displacement was about 450 tons when fully loaded. It measured about 174 feet
long by approximately 23 feet wide. Twin diesel engines were capable of
propelling the ship to a top speed of about 20 knots. The ship was armed with
one 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, one 40mm gun mount; three 20mm guns,
two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectiles and two depth charge tracks.

Uncle Louie was one of a complement of 65 sailors assigned to the ship.

The nature of his specific assignment or duty on this ship is also unknown
although, like his previous assignment, I suspect it probably involved general
maintenance. This ship was damaged by grounding in the Philippines on March
26, 1945. I do not know if my father was assigned and aboard to the ship at the
time. After the war the ship was transferred to the Philippines Navy.

Uncle Louie was also assigned to the US Fleet Hospital #114 in Subic Bay
in the Philippines prior to his discharge. As far as I know he never saw combat. I
know my father enjoyed his brief stint in the Navy. Like most young sailors at the
time, he too acquired tattoos which were located on each bicep and forearm. He
once told me he regretted getting them.

Uncle Louie Meggiolaro

Uncle Louie Meggiolaro enlisted in the Army and served from January 8,
1951 to January 7, 1954. He fought in the Korean War. He achieved the rank of
Technical Sergeant which he attained on February 19, 1953.

276
 According to his discharge papers, his most
significant duty assignment was with the 596th
Quartermaster Petrol Depot Company out of Fort
Lee, Virginia, however this unit does not appear
among the list of Quartermaster Companies
deployed in Korea. Therefore two possibilities
emerge. Either Uncle Louie was assigned to
entirely different unit during his time in Korea or his
U NCLE L OUIE M EGG DURING
THE K OREAN W AR . A T THE
Company was reassigned to possibly another
TIME THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN
H E WAS A CORPORAL . HE Quartermaster Battalion. A clue to the answer is
LATER ATTAINED THE RANK
TO T ECH S ERGEANT . revealed by viewing the above photo of Uncle Louie in
uniform and noting the patch on his shoulder. The patch’s insignia represents the
US Army’s First Calvary Division thereby identifying the unit in which he served.

The First Calvary was deployed in Korea from

the summer of 1950 to sometime in January of 1952.
At that time the division was deployed to Japan until
1957 at which time it returned to Korea. Uncle Louie
however had been discharged about three years
FIRST CALVARY DIVISION
prior. INSIGNIA

On October 20, 1951 Uncle Louie was occupying a troop carrier when he
sustained a superficial flesh wound to his left hand as a result of a sniper’s bullet.
As a consequence he was awarded the Purple Heart. Additionally he received
four other awards: a Combat Infantryman Badge which was presented to an
Army infantry enlisted soldier who has satisfactorily performed duty while
assigned or attached as a member of an infantry and was engaged in active
ground combat. A recipient must be personally present and under hostile fire
while serving in an assigned infantry duty, or in a unit actively engaged in ground
277
combat with the enemy; A Korean Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars,
which is the primary United States medal for participation in the Korean War and
is awarded to any U.S. service member who performed duty in the Republic of
Korea between June 27, 1950 and June 27, 1954. The four Bronze Service Stars
attached to the medal indicate that Uncle Louie was involved in four of the
thirteen official campaigns of the Korean War; A United Nations Service Medal
which is awarded to any military service member of an Armed Force allied with
South Korea, who participated in the defense of South Korea from North Korea
between the dates of June 27, 1950 and July 27, 1954; And an Occupation
Medal with a Japan Clasp which was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal, a
service member was required to have performed at least thirty consecutive days
of military duty within a designated geographical area of military occupation.

278
 CHAPTER 13 – THE WAY THEY WERE

In this chapter I thought it would enjoyable to take a peek back in time to

see what the first and some of the first and second-generation American born
family members looked like when they were young and then in later years. An
attempt is made to identify who is in the photo, where it was taken and
approximately when it was taken.

Early years

F LO CIRCA EARLY
1950 S

J EAN AND L OUIE CIRCA T ESSIE 1928 POSSIBLY IN

1945 IN FRONT OF N UTLEY
L YNDHURST HOUSE

M ARY IN M T C ARMEL S OCIETY

U NIFORM ON FRONT STEPS OF
L YNDHURST HOUSE CIRCA LATE
1930 S. ABOUT AGE 16

L OUIE AT ABOUT L OUIE CIRCA

AGE TWO CIRCA
1934 AT F LORIE IN 1931 AT 6
1928. ABOUT AGE 6 L TO R: RED , S ONNY , E DDIE CIRCA 1950 S ON YEARS OF AGE
T HOMAS A VENUE IN FRONT OF LYNDHURST
HOUSE

279
 J OE, R OSIE , R ICHIE S IMONE
L TO R J OSIE , LOUIE , AND M ARY AT AN CIRCA 1940 S N AT, J IMMY AND T ESSIE CIRCA LATE 1940 S.
UNDISCLOSED BAR CIRCA MID -1940 S .

N AT AND J IMMY IN 1947

S TANDING L TO R: M ARY K ARPINSKI , R OR O, U NKNOWN WHO LIVED ACROSS

FROM A UNT T ESSIE , R OSIE , U NKNOWN , J EAN , J OSIE . S EATED L TO R: F LO ,
T ESSIE , M ARY C IRCA 1950 S

G RANDMA AND F LO CIRCA

LATE 1940 S .

C OUSIN A NNIE A LESSIO , J EAN , F LO OR RO R O, AND POSSIBLY

M ARY K ARPINSKI CIRCA EARLY TO MID -1940 S.

280
 I N FRONT OF L YNDHURST H OUSE L TO R: J ESSIE L ENZA , M ARY , T ESSIE ,
G RANDMA , U NKNOWN BOYS , T ESSIE D EL C ORE , CUMARA R OSINA D EL C ORE ,
U NKNOWN FACE , J OSIE DEL C ORE , CUMBARE S AM DEL C ORE CIRCA LATE 40 S
EARLY 50 S .

N AT AT OUR L ADY OF M T
C ARMEL L YNDHURST CIRCA
1940 S

L TO R T ESSIE , LUCY S IMONE , UNKNOWN , M ARY ON T HOMAS

A VE CIRCA LATE 1930S.

F RANCES J IOSI , R OSE M ONTALTO , A NNIE

N ASCO AND M ARY IN M T C ARMEL S OCIETY
UNIFORMS CIRCA MID 1930 S

L OUIE , G RANDPA , S ONNY AND E DDIE IN FRONT OF

L YNDHURST HOUSE CIRCA LATE 1940S.

281
 Later Years

T ESSIE , J EAN, J IMMY , J OSIE , M ARY , G RANDMA 1970 S

M ARY , J EAN , T ESSIE , J IMMY , L OUIE 1970 S

L OUIE M EGG, J EAN , R OSIE , T ESSIE , M ARY , S ONNY CIRCA LATE 1980 S

L OUIE AND RO R O GOING AT IT AS THEY

ALWAYS DID AT FAMILY WEDDINGS , CIRCA
1980 S

282
 R OSIE , S ONNY , M ARY, LOUIE M EGG , T ESSIE J EAN , LOUIE ,
A NGIE CIRCA EARLY 1990S
A NGIE , M ARY , L OUIE AND J EAN CIRCA 1990S

E DDIE , J OSIE , T ESSIE , J OE R ICCIO , G RANDMA , J IMMY , R OSIE , M ARY , S ONNY , J EAN ,
L OUIE M EGG CIRCA EARLY 1970S.

283
Grandma and Grandpa in later years

G RANDPA AND G RANDMA ON WALL

IN FRONT OF L YNDHURST HOUSE
ON S EPTEMBER 15, 1966. A UNT
F LO HAD JUST DIED A FEW WEEKS
BEFORE . G RANDPA WOULD BE
GONE IN A LITTLE MORE THAN 3
MONTHS
G RANDPA ALWAYS WORE A HAT . H IS SHIRTS WERE
COMPLETELY BUTTONED UP . I N COOLER WEATHER
HE WORE A BUTTON DOWN SWEATER . E ITHER IN
HIS SHIRT OR SWEATER POCKET WAS HIS PIPE AND
A POUCH OF D I N OBILI TOBACCO OR BOX OF I TALIAN
CIGARS . T HIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN CIRCA 1966.

I ALWAYS REMEMBER
G RANDMA WEARING AN APRON
AND KERCHIEF , WHICH IN
DIALECT WAS CALLED A
MOCCATURA . C IRCA 1976.

284
 Chapter 14 – Family Gravesites

I thought it would be appropriate to include information regarding the final

rest locations of our first US born generation family members should current and
future members wish to visit the sites. Where possible, cemetery range and plot
numbers are provided. The listing is in no particular order.

Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, Lyndhurst, NJ

Saint Joseph’s Cemetery is located on Ridge Road at the corner of New

York Avenue, which borders the cemetery to the north. The NJ Transit railroad
tracks, which pass beneath Kingsland Station, border the cemetery to the south.
Comparatively speaking, the cemetery is very small. It is owned by St. Joseph’s
RC Church in East Rutherford, NJ.

Grandpa and Grandma

Upon entering the cemetery

from the main gate on Ridge Road
drive in a short way to just prior
where the roadway begins to widen.
Grandma and Grandpa are located
in the southern area to the left
known as Section C. Specifically
they are located about two graves in T HE TOMBSTONE OF G RANDPA AND GRANDMA

from a dirt access path that runs nearly parallel to the railroad tracks. The grave
is also about 10 or so rows back from Ridge Road, with the headstone facing
Ridge Road. The tombstone is inscribed with the family name spelled CAFONE.

285
According to records of the De Paola Monument Company in Newark, Uncle
Jimmy handled the purchase of the headstone hence the spelling as it appears.

At the foot of the grave is a bronze plaque commemorating Grandpa’s

Army unit from WW1. Grandpa died on December 22, 1966 at the age of 78 and
Grandma died on December 3, 1979 at the age of 90.

Aunt Florie and Uncle Red

Aunt Florie and Uncle Red are also

located on the southerly side of the
cemetery. Immediately upon entering the
cemetery from the main entrance on Ridge
Road their graves are located to the left
about two thirds of the way to the dirt path
adjacent to the rail road tracks. Their grave T HE TOMBSTONE OF A UNT F LORIE AND
U NCLE R ED
is located about two or three rows back from
Ridge Road in what is known as Section B. Their headstone faces Ridge Road.
Aunt Florie died on September 3, 1966 at the age of 41 and Uncle Red died on
July 14, 1975 at the age of 51.

A granite footstone is located at the base of the grave commemorating

Uncle Red’s service in the army during WW 2.

Uncles Angelo and Alfonse

The location and photos of their respective graves has been provided in
an earlier chapter. Recall that Uncle Angelo is located in what is known as the
baby field which is situated in the northwest corner of the cemetery. His grave is
marked with a small concrete cross that contains engraved initials “AC”. Uncle
286
Alfonso is located in an unmarked grave in Plot 28 Range 5W which he shares
with another unrelated female infant.

East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton NJ

East Ridgelawn Cemetery is located at 255 Main Avenue in Clifton, NJ. It

is the final resting place for the majority of our Aunts and Uncles. Ironically this is
the same privately owned cemetery where Grandpa had been employed for
many years.

Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat, Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie, Uncle Sonny,
Uncle Louie Meggiolaro

They lived near each other in life and the same can be said in death. The
grave sites of Aunt Josie, Uncle Eddie, Uncle Sonny and Uncle Louie Meggiolaro
are located next to one another in the Laurel Hill section of the cemetery.
Specifically they are located in section 21 LH Lot 432, with Uncle Sonny

F ROM LEFT TO RIGHT T HE A RACE , M EGGIOLARO AND DYGUS GRAVESITES

287
occupying grave 1, Uncle Louie Megg grave 3, and Aunt Josie and Uncle Eddie
in graves 5 and 6, respectively. The headstones face the roadway.

Uncle Sonny died on August 4, 1998 at the age of 72. Uncle Louie
Meggiolaro died less than a year later on May 18, 1999 at the age of 68. Aunt
Josie and Uncle Eddie died on December 3, 1978 and May 22, 1991,
respectively. Aunt Josie was 55 when she died, Uncle Eddie was 69.

Aunt Tessie and Uncle Nat are located several rows further west in Lot
428, Graves 1 and 2. Their headstone is carved with an icon of our Lady of
Mount Carmel. The etching is undoubtedly the result of Uncle Nat’s devotion to
the saint and his many years of service with the Mt Carmel Society. Their grave
can be viewed from the Arace, Meggiolaro and Dygus gravesites. Uncle Nat died
on November 5, 1967 at age 58 and Aunt Tessie died on July 10, 1996 at age
85.

T HE GRAVESITE OF A UNT T ESSIE AND U NCLE NAT ( YELLOW

T HE TOMBSTONE OF A UNT T ESSIE AND UNCLE N AT
CIRCLE ) AS VIEWED FROM THE A RACE GRAVESITE .

288
Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Montclair NJ

Immaculate Conception Cemetery is located at the intersection of Mt

Hebron Road and Grove Street in Montclair. It is owned by the Church of the
Immaculate Conception in Montclair.

Uncle Jimmy Cafone

Uncle Jimmy died on

September 17, 1988 at the
age of 66. His grave is
located opposite the
northwest corner of the
Mausoleum, approximately
seven rows up from, and
facing, the roadway. It is
also opposite the tomb of T HE TOMBSTONE OF UNCLE J IMMY AND HIS FATHER- IN- LAW J OE
PERRONE .
his son Joe who is located
in an exterior crypt on the north side of the mausoleum. Etched numbers on the
side of Uncle Jimmy’s tombstone read 10-88-90-92 and identify the grave’s
location. He is interred with his father-in-law, Joe Perrone.

Hillside Cemetery, Lyndhurst, NJ

Hillside Cemetery is privately own and located at the intersection of Rutherford

Avenue and Orient Way in Lyndhurst.

289
Uncle Louie Cofone

Uncle Louie died on April 29,

2011 at the age of 84. The
name on the black granite
tombstone appears as
CAFONE. My father was using
that spelling of his last name
for reasons expressed earlier.
My mother, who handled the
purchase of the stone, decided
to employ the CA derivative. T HE TOMBSTONE OF UNCLE L OUIE COFONE

The grave is identified as being in Section T-S, Lot 3, and Grave 9, which is the
eastern lower-central section of the cemetery, with the headstone facing to the
east.

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 Chapter 15 - The Second Generation

Our second born American generation cousins have been previously

identified in an earlier chapter of this text where we discussed the marriage of our
aunts and uncles. This chapter is basically a brief acknowledgement of the
second American born generation whose scope spans 31 years commencing
with Rose (Ro Ro) Simone Adragna who was born in 1933 and culminating with
Thomas Cafone who was born in 1964. As this second edition is being written
Joe Simone, Rich Simone, Rosie Simone Adragna, Mary Karpinski DeCorso and
Joe Cafone are unfortunately no longer with us.

THE SECOND GENERATION – MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SECOND GENERATION APPEAR IN THE
ABOVE PHOTO TAKEN DURING ONE OF A COUPLE OF FAMILY REUNION PICNICS AT THE HOME OF FRANK
ADRAGNA JR. STANDING FROM L TO R: TOM CAFONE, YOUNGEST SECOND GENERATION MEMBER, JOE
COFONE, RICH SIMONE, MIKE CAFONE, MIKE MEGGIOLARO, JOE SIMONE, ROSE ANN COFONE STEWART,
LYNDA DYGUS, ANGELA BOLCATO, RICH BOLCATO, RORO SIMONE ADRAGNA THE MATRIARCH OF THE
SECOND GENERATION, MARY KARPINSKI DECORSO, KNEELING L TO R: NATTY CAFONE, PAUL CAFONE,
ROSALIE CAFONE CIAMPI, JOHN CAFONE, LOU MEGGIOLARO AND JOE CAFONE .

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 This second edition of our family’s history was not originally intended to
directly highlight the second American born generation. It is hoped that future
generations will continue with such a detailed documentation. What I wanted to
do, however, was to allow other second generation cousins the opportunity to
contribute to this endeavor. I have decided to include in this section any stories
and recollections, whether funny, poignant, or even mundane, regarding
members of the first American born generation, as well as Grandpa and
Grandma, recounted by the second American born generation Cofone cousins. I
will include what is sent to me in future editions. To begin this endeavor I have
submitted the two stories you will read below.

Jimmy and Louie Go to Washington

The next several paragraphs are intended to memorialize a few episodes

of an adventure which happened in the spring of 1966 that rose to the level of
family lore. The involved parties were Uncle Jimmy, my father, my cousins Mike,
John and Joe Cafone and I. Over the years these stories have be recounted
numerous times. The events that weave the fabric of this tale have become
legendary for many of the second born American generation family members. I
have decided to recount as much as I can recall because I feel the story needs to
be passed on for posterity and my recollection of the events grows dimmer with
each succeeding year. Admittedly, to fully appreciate the stories that follow you
needed to know Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Louie. Their character is what made this
adventure memorable and hilarious.

The year 1966 would prove to be a tragic year for the family. In September
we lost Aunt Florie. In December Grandpa followed. But in the spring of that year
all was well in the family. However, after a visit from members of the Cofone clan
the same could not be said for Washington D.C.
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 Cousin Joe Cafone, Uncle Jimmy’s second born,
was in the US Navy serving on board the destroyer USS
John King. The ship was in port in Norfolk Virginia and Joe
was coming up for a weekend pass. I am not entirely sure
how it came about, but Uncle Jimmy asked my father if he
and I wanted to go along with him and my cousins Mike
THE ADVENTURE and John to pay Joe a visit. Since Washington DC was
BEGAN WHEN WE
WENT TO SPEND SOME
SHORE LEAVE WITH
nearby the port we could undertake some sightseeing as
JOE CAFONE IN
NORFOLK VA IN THE well.
SPRING OF 1966

On the Friday night before we left I remember we were at Uncle Jimmy’s

house for a family visit. My dad and Uncle Jimmy discussed the plans and as we
were departing for home my father indicated that he’d wake up Uncle Jimmy at 5
a.m. so that we could get an early start. Knowing my father’s reputation for
punctuality and joking around, we all laughed it off. Sure enough around 5:30
a.m., after he wakened me, my father made the call. After numerous rings the
phone was answered. I heard my father say, “Jim, are you ready?” I could hear
Uncle Jimmy on the other end of the line using expletives and berating
commentary on why my father was calling so early. Needless to say we had to
wait about an hour or longer for Uncle Jimmy to pick us up. I recall it was still
dark out when we departed in Uncle Jimmy’s yellow, 1960 Olds station wagon.

The trip to Norfolk took about four hours. Uncle Jimmy drove. It seems he
became very uneasy if anyone else did the driving. I think the trip down was
rather uneventful. We stopped for gas and perhaps a cup of coffee. I don’t recall
when it was that we actually picked up Joe at the base and whether or not we

293
took a tour of his ship. I do recall that we had either lunch or dinner near the
base.

Unfortunately I no longer
recall the specific chain of events
but rather individual vignettes of the
places we visited which follows
below.

One of the stops we made

USS JOHN KING AT PORT IN NORFOLK was to the Capitol Building. During
the course of our time there, Mike and
Joe got separated from the rest of us. The decision was made that John and I
would stay with my father and Uncle Jimmy would try to find his other sons. After
Uncle Jimmy walked off and was gone for several minutes my father decided to
conduct his own search.

If we had bread crumbs we should have dropped them as we went along

because before too long we became lost as well. The only recollection I have of
the search it that we were walking down what appeared to be a corridor
somewhere in the basement of the Capitol building when my father spotted a
stairwell. At the base of the stairs was a barricade that read words to the effect of
“positively no admittance”. The sign on the barricade may just as well have said
“come on in”, because my father immediately proceeded to move the barricade
and he instructed John and me to follow. We ascended the stairs and I recall that
we entered what appeared to be a large dark meeting room of some sort. From
there we exited via a door to a corridor and I recall receiving a strange look from
a man who appeared to be part of the Capitol staff. We navigated down the
294
hallway and a short while later by some stroke of luck we managed to find Uncle
Jimmy, Mike and Joe near place where we had commenced our search.

Probably the best episode happened at Arlington National Cemetery at the

Tomb of the Unknowns. I recall that a crowd of about one hundred people or so
gathered to watch the changing of the guard, which is one of the most solemn
ceremonies one could ever witness. Somehow we got separated again. My
father and I had a good vantage point up near the front. I think Uncle Jimmy, Joe
and Mike were nearby. We did not know at the time that my cousin John had
acquired an even a better position. He was perched in a nearby tree and could
easily see over everyone’s head.

There comes a point in the ceremony when the Master Sergeant in charge
of the changing guards requests complete silence from the crowd. Almost
immediately after uttering the demand the crowd hushed and the area became
eerily still that you could hear a pin drop. Just as the sergeant was turning to
commence the actual change ceremony the silence was broken by my father’s
voice ringing out loud and clear, “Hey John come over here you can see better.”
People’s heads turned our way coupled with shushing sounds. We were all
incredulous and mortified, but at the same time struggled not to let our laughter
be heard. Had there been a rock large enough, we would probably have hidden
beneath it while we were laughing till our sides ached. My father thought nothing
of it. He was concerned that taller people might obscure John’s view of the event
and he just wanted to make sure his nephew got to view the ceremony.

That night we stayed at the Diplomat Motel in Washington. I did not recall
where it was located but by checking the Internet I learned it is long gone but had
been situated at the corner of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Rd., N.E. It
295
was located only minutes away from the Capitol, the Washington Monument,
Jefferson's Memorial and Lincoln Memorial. Joe and Mike had gone out for the
evening and now it was time to turn in. I shared a bed with my dad. Mike was to
sleep with Uncle Jimmy. A cot was brought in for Joe. John, being the youngest
and smallest, slept on two chairs that were set facing one another.

At some point I recall that a

party was going on in the room
above us. I think Uncle Jimmy may
have called the front desk to
complain and perhaps the ruckus
toned down for a while, but before
long it started up again. My father
became enraged at the indignation
of the upstairs guests and I can
recall him standing on the bed in his THE DIPLOMAT MOTEL AS IT WAS IN THE 1960 S

white jockey shorts and a broom in his

hand. Where he got the broom I do not known, but he began striking the ceiling
with the butt end of the broom handle while screaming at the top of his lungs for
the people upstairs to quiet down. I even think he threatened to go upstairs to
make sure the clamoring would cease. Uncle Jimmy convinced him not to go and
may have made a second call to the front desk. It must have been effective,
because a short while later eventually things got quiet and we slept.

The next morning we had breakfast in the motel restaurant. We all placed
our orders with the waitress. Uncle Jimmy ordered an egg sandwich explaining
very precisely how it wanted it cooked. A short while later breakfast arrived and
Uncle Jimmy erroneously received a hamburger. He immediately proceeded to

296
call the waitress over and laced into her about the mistake. I recall his last words
to her were “Don’t you people know what an egg sandwich is?”

After breakfast we went into the Washington suburbs looking for a cousin
of Aunt Rosie I believe, who was a nun. I don’t recall the specific address,
however I recall the name of the road we were searching for was Madison Street.
I also seem to recall that we spent quiet a period of time searching for the
address. I think we may have located one or two streets named Madison but the
address did not match. In pursuit of the address we found ourselves in a beautiful
neighborhood where we saw several people working on their manicured lawns
and flower beds. It was a quiet and beautiful Sunday morning. My father had the
window down and was smoking a cigar as Uncle Jimmy drove.

At one point we were approaching an intersection and my father saw a

police car stopped at the stop sign. He told Uncle Jimmy to immediately stop the
car. When the car stopped he opened the door stood up and proceeded to call to
the policeman in the following way as he waved his hand over his head. It may
have been due to the cigar in his mouth or his eagerness to get the policeman’s
attention, but it sounded like he yelled “Ossifer, Oh Ossifer.” The policeman
looked toward my father, waved back and proceeded to drive through the
intersection, unwittingly on his way. My father was stunned for a moment and
then in frustration yelled out quite loudly, “You son of a bitch!” Needless to say
my father’s vociferous proclamation caused people in the neighborhood to direct
their attention away from their yard work and toward us. My cousins and I could
not believe what had happened and we erupted almost spontaneously into
laughter once again.

297
 Aunt Josie, Aunt Jean and the Hill

Aunt Josie and Aunt Jean were on the way to visit cousin Natty Cafone
who was living it what was then called West Paterson, but is presently known as
Woodland Park. Aunt Josie was driving and she was apparently an anxious
driver. There came a point in the journey when they found themselves traveling
down a steep hill. Aunt Josie told Aunt Jean that she was very nervous almost to
the point of being frightened traveling down the hill. In response Aunt Jean
nonchalantly and a little sarcastically suggested she close her eyes, which Aunt
Josie apparently did. This left Aunt Jean incredulous and nervous herself.
Fortunately, after what was probably several seconds, Aunt Josie re-opened her
eyes and safely made it to Natty’s house.

298
 Epilogue

Well there you have it. The pages

you have just read were compiled over a
period of more than twenty years during
which I intermittingly gathered and have
written about factual data and surmised
and deduced accounts that represents
merely a snippet of time in the history of
the Cofone family. It has been a labor of
love driven by a need to tell our story and
a sense that Grandpa and Grandma would
have wanted someone to begin to undertake this endeavor. For some
inexplicable and perhaps mysterious reason I have felt that the “someone” to get
things going was supposed to be me.

It was nice spending some time remembering our departed grandparents,

aunts, uncles and cousins. This endeavor also made me more appreciative our
first and second generation relatives that are still with us. I am not ashamed to
admit that a tear or two came to my eye in recalling some of the stories and
viewing the old photos. I miss them all. It was very insightful and interesting to
learn about our many ancestors. I can only imagine how difficult life must have
been for them. Yet they endured and continued on despite what the times
brought. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

As enlightening and fulfilling as this exercise has been, there remains a

sense of frustration over the inability to uncover more of the written
documentation of the family’s history. There is much that remains to be done with

299
what I have started here. There are a multitude of questions that continue to
evade me. Among some of the many things I would love to be able to answer
one day is proof of Aunt Maria’s existence when the family lived for a short time
in Minnesota. I would like to know whom it was that Grandpa was hoping to see
upon his arrival in America. Was there really an Uncle Salvatore Morrone or was
it just a fabricated story he used to get into the country? Where was Grandpa
during much of the time between Grandma and Aunt Tessie’s return to Italy and
their return to the United States? We know he was in service and we have a
Census record of his whereabouts in 1920 but what about the rest of that time? I
would like to discover exactly where the family settled during their time in
Pennsylvania and Minnesota and how long they actually remained in each place.
I would also like to trace the family’s roots in Italy beyond what has been
presented here and to the degree possible more concretely establish the familial
lines. An avalanche of unanswered questions keeps coming.

I do not know if any of these questions, as well as others, will ever be

answered. I also do not know if I will be the one to fill in some of the remaining
blanks regarding the information that has appeared in the preceding pages. I
shall try to continue on when I can and perhaps some time in the future I will
have more information to share with you perhaps in a third edition.

It would be nice to see someone else from perhaps this second, or

subsequent generations pick up the story where it has been left off and continue
telling the history of our proud family. Whoever you are, I wish you good luck and
the only advice I can offer is to be tenacious, yet patient. The answers are out
there somewhere waiting to be discovered or reasoned. For whatever cosmic
reason, you were chosen to continue on with this endeavor. If I am still here, feel
free to call on me for help.

300
 It would also be wonderful if a family member skilled in the ways of the
Internet and the computer could create a web site that family members over the
course of time could visit and continue to contribute facts, information and
photos.

I would also challenge each member of each branch of the second U.S.
born generation, of which I am a part, and also ensuing generations of our family
to make this account a starting point from which you can document your
immediate family’s growth. Record your memories so that someone in some
future generation of our family will have the information you provide and can
connect it to other facets of our family. It would certainly be something nice to
pass along to your posterity.

Finally, I hope you have found this account interesting, informative, and
perhaps a little fun to read. Never forget where we came from and how wonderful
a family we have.

Cousin Joe Cofone

2012

301
 Appendices

Cofone Family Abbreviated Time Line

(From Parents of Natale and Angela and Up to their children, the first generation
US born)

February 24, 1856 Vincenzo Cofone born Acri, Italy (Natale’s father)

September 1, 1856 Teresa Fabbricatore born Acri, Italy (Natale’s mother)

August 20, 1858 Raffaele Gabriele born Acri, Italy (Angela’s father)

September 11, 1862 Teresa Crocco born Acri, Italy (Angela’s mother)

December 11, 1888 Natale Cofone born Acri, Italy

September 4, 1889 Angela Cofone (nee Gabriele) born Acri, Italy

January 11, 1904 Teresa Fabbricatore dies Acri, Italy (Natale’s mother)

April 12, 1906 Natale arrives at Ellis Island

August 3, 1909 Angelina arrives at Ellis Island

November 22, 1909 Natale and Angelina married.

January 18, 1911 Teresa born in Pittsburg, PA

Circa late192- early 1913 Grandma and Aunt Tessie go to Italy.

May 28, 1918 Natale inducted into US Army, Newark, New Jersey

July 5, 1918 Natale becomes naturalized US citizen

March 18, 1919 Natale honorably discharged from the Army, Long
Island, NY

302
January 25, 1921 Grandma and Aunt Tessie return to the US with Zia
Carminella.

September 6, 1921 Nutley Home at corner of Ellen Avenue & Spurr Place
purchased.

December 5, 1921 James (Vincenzo) born

After 1921 Grandma’s parents Raffaele Gabriele & Teresa

Crocco die.

March 16, 1923 Josephine born

July 27, 1924 Mary born

After 1924 Vincenzo Cofone born Acri, Italy (Natale’s father) dies

November 15, 1925 Florence born

March 17, 1926 Nutley home on 80 Ellen Street destroyed by fire.

August 16, 1926 Lyndhurst Home 209 Thomas Avenue purchased.

November 29, 1926 Louis born

August 29, 1928 Alfonso (Santo) born

August 30, 1928 Alfonso dies premature birth.

September 4, 1928 Alfonso buried in St Joseph’s Cemetery.

August 9, 1929 Angelo born

October 11, 1929 Angelo dies of congenital malformation of cranium &

infection

October 13, 1929 Angelo buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

June 21, 1931 Tessie marries Natale Simone (b.7/8/1909)

April 9, 1932 Jean born

303
December 14, 1941 James marries Rose Perrone (b. 7/28/1923)

March 19, 1946 Josie marries Edward Dygus (b. 12/17/1921)

April 17, 1948 Mary marries James “Sonny” Arace (b.1/28/1926)

October 29, 1949 Florence marries Lucio “Red” Bolcato (b.12/13/1923)

June 13, 1951 Louis marries Angela Gaccione (b.7/19/1932)

October 3, 1953 Jean marries Louis Meggiolaro (b.11/10/1930)

December 30, 1958 Nutley property on Ellen Street sold.

September 3, 1966 Florence dies

December 22, 1966 Natale Cofone dies pneumonia & stomach cancer

November 5, 1967 Nat Simone dies heart failure.

July 14, 1975 Red dies as a result of heart attack.

December 3, 1978 Josephine dies of cancer

December 3, 1979 Angelina Cofone dies of heart failure

September 17, 1988 James dies of heart failure

May 22, 1991 Ed Dygus dies.

July 10, 1996 Tessie dies

August 4, 1998 Sonny dies of liver cancer.

May 18, 1999 Lou Meggiolaro dies as a result of stroke.

April 29, 2011 Louie Cofone dies of COPD and CHF and pneumonia

304
Relationship Chart

This chart was used to figure out how Grandpa and Grandma were related
to each other. Use this chart to figure out how you may be related to some of the
people mentioned in this history.

305
Cofone Name Distribution in Italy

306
Gabriele Name Distribution in Italy

307
 INDEX
a picatta ...................................... 200
Acri. 7, 19, 24, 28, 45, 54, 79, 80, 81,
82, 83, 84, 85, 88, 89, 91, 95, 98,
99, 100, 101, 103, 105, 106, 110,
115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 122, 127,
133, 134, 136, 139, 140, 141, 145,
146, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 157,
158, 159, 257, 258, 260, 302, 303
Acri, Aurelia ........................ 152, 153
ages ..... 80, 100, 112, 139, 140, 141,
146, 198
Alessio, Carmine ......................... 135
Algieri, Isabella... 138, 140, 141, 142,
144
Alice, Rosa .......................... 140, 144
Allegati ........................................ 115
American Chain and Cable ... 37, 239
Angelo Filippo Fabbricatore ........ See
Filippo Fabbricatore
Army ....... 49, 51, 235, 273, 274, 302
Aunt Angie .................................. 257
Aunt Florie ..... 37, 66, 180, 184, 195,
208, 211, 247, 250, 252, 256, 257,
263, 286, 292
Aunt Jean . 9, 70, 162, 169, 178, 180,
182, 184, 187, 206, 207, 208, 212,
231, 247, 249, 263, 264
Aunt Josie .. 162, 163, 177, 180, 191,
192, 193, 195, 210, 242, 243, 244,
245, 264, 287
308
Aunt Mary . 9, 15, 36, 64, 66, 73, 158,
168, 169, 175, 180, 184, 185, 187,
191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 204,
206, 210, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248,
249, 250, 251, 268, 269
Aunt Rosie 9, 26, 38, 73, 81, 89, 134,
164, 176, 178, 183, 205, 235, 237,
238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 297
Aunt Tessie .... 16, 25, 29, 30, 34, 38,
39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 53, 54,
55, 56, 59, 61, 64, 70, 73, 83, 131,
135, 158, 162, 163, 165, 168, 175,
176, 177, 178, 180, 183, 194, 196,
207, 208, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231,
232, 234, 235, 236, 287, 288, 300,
302, 303
Avondale .. 25, 29, 31, 34, 38, 39, 45,
56, 67, 69, 74, 93, 235
baby field .... 164, 165, 166, 170, 171,
173, 175, 286
Baltimore ............................. 189, 190
Baritano, Catarina ............... 123, 128
Basile, Santa ....................... 123, 128
batteria .......................................... 17
Belleville Stone and Land Company
............................................. 57, 59
Benvenuto, Marianna .......... 153, 154
Bergen County Criminal Court
Records ................................... 204
Bergen Pines County Hospital ... 203,
207
Blake, Robert .............................. 211 Hillside Cemetery..................... 289

Bolcato, Lucio ..................... 252, 304 Immaculate Conception Cemetery

............................................. 289
Brindisi, Nicola .................... 142, 144
St. Joseph Cemetery ............... 285
Brisca .......................................... 213
Census .. 9, 37, 59, 74, 231, 243, 300
Bronejko, Edward 7, 11, 80, 122, 141
Chiesa di San Nicola di Sales ..... 103
Bronze Star ................................. 274
Chimento, Angela ........ 118, 121, 122
Cafone, Pasquale ......................... 66
Chimento, Annunziato ......... 123, 128
Calabrese ............................. 69, 175
Chimento, Carmine ..................... 205
Calabria ................................ 81, 257
Chimento, Pier Angelo 107, 145, 148
Capalbo, Maria............ 111, 112, 155
Chimento, Serafina...... 144, 145, 205
Cappuccina ................................... 60
Clara Maas Hospital .............. 93, 133
Carminella46, 47, 131, 135, 235, 303
coal patches .................................. 40
Carnegie ..................... 38, 40, 43, 55
Cofone, Alfonso ........................... 170
Carnegie Pennsylvania ................. 38
Cofone, Angelo ........................... 166
carnival ............................... 189, 190
Cofone, Annunziato ...... 96, 103, 108,
Celico, Angelo .... 100, 106, 112, 113,
110, 111, 143
148, 151, 169
Cofone, Antonio ..... 61, 62, 109, 111,
Celico, Giuseppe......... 111, 112, 155
113, 114, 210
Celico, Maria ...... 43, 89, 92, 99, 100,
Cofone, Antonio “Cara Cara” ....... 210
101, 102, 145, 148
Cofone, Caterina . 115, 117, 118, 121
Celico, Natale ............................... 44
Cofone, Caterina Fortunata . 117, 118
Celico, Pasquale ................. 136, 137
Cofone, Count Simone ............ 82, 83
Celico, Vincenzo ..................... 43, 44
Cofone, Fedele ............ 118, 121, 122
Celico, Vincenzo "Tindillo" ............ 43
Cofone, Giuseppe .. 94, 96, 108, 113,
Cemeteries
142, 143, 158
East Ridgelawn ......................... 37
Cofone, Louis .......................... 7, 165

309
Cofone, Luigi 99, 100, 101, 102, 137, Coschignano, Maria ...... 99, 100, 101
148
Coschignano, Nunziata ........... 89, 90
Cofone, Maria Francesca ... 104, 105,
Coschignano, Rosa ..................... 106
136, 137
Coschignano,Rosa ....... 89, 100, 101,
Cofone, Maria Rosa ...................... 89
113, 148, 151
Cofone, Michele .................. 123, 128
Cosenza ..... 28, 30, 79, 83, 121, 122,
Cofone, Natale 8, 18, 19, 20, 99, 129, 125, 126, 127, 138, 141, 142, 145,
302, 304 151, 152, 154, 258, 260

Cofone, Nunziato 7, 94, 96, 101, 102, Cosenza Archive website ............ 153
110, 137, 138, 159
County Old Folks Home .............. 203
Cofone, Rafaela . 103, 110, 111, 114,
Cozzolino, Anna . 101, 103, 105, 137,
143
138, 142, 143
Cofone, Raffaela ......................... 143
Cozzolino, Anna Elenora ............. 103
Cofone, Rosa ...................... 152, 154
Cozzolino, Saverino ... 103, 110, 111,
Cofone, Salvatore ....................... 176 143

Cofone, Santo ............................. 174 Crocco, Carmelo ......... 146, 151, 153

Cofone, Vincenzo..... 88, 94, 95, 102, Crocco, Gaetano . 146, 151, 152, 155
302, 303
Crocco, Gennaro ................. 144, 145
Commercial Leader.... 189, 202, 203,
Crocco, Michele .................. 152, 154
232
Crocco,Teresa ..... 107, 131, 302, 303
Connolly, William J...................... 204
Cumara ............................... 175, 201
Constantine, Glenn ..................... 264
Cuorecelli .................................... 159
Coschignano, Angela .. 137, 139, 140
Cuta..... 106, 132, 142, 145, 147, 149
Coschignano, Carmino ............... 155
DeCicco, Domenico..................... 153
Coschignano, Fedele ............ 90, 142
DeCicco, Saveria ................ 138, 139
Coschignano, Francesco ... 138, 140,
141, 142, 144 Del Core, Rosa ............................ 175
Coschignano, Giovanni Giuseppe. 89 Del Core, Samuel ................ 169, 175

310
DiCicco, Nunziata ....................... 146
DiNobili ....................................... 214
discharge certificate ...................... 51
Dr. Liberta ................................... 199
Durando, Louie ........................... 207
Durando, Sal ............................... 192
E.R.A .......................................... 202
East Centre Street 34, 236, 237, 238,
239
East Ridgelawn Cemetery .... 37, 287
Edna B. Conklin Home................ 198
Ellen Avenue ................... 56, 66, 303
Ellen Street .... 25, 36, 57, 62, 64, 66,
210, 211, 303, 304
Ellis Island 17, 18, 19, 28, 46, 47, 53,
90, 93, 109, 132, 302
Emergency Relief Administration 201
Evergreen Avenue ...................... 248
Fabbricatore, Filippo .... 16, 115, 117,
119
Fabbricatore, Raffaele 115, 117, 121
Fabbricatore, Saverino 118, 119, 121
Fabbricatore, Teresa...... 88, 95, 115,
302
Family Club ................................. 265
family doctor ............................... 196
fascinata ..................................... 223
311
Father A. DeSantolo ...................... 33
Father Monastero ................ 210, 211
Festa ........................................... 211
Festa, Pasquale ............................ 93
fire ...... 36, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69,
184, 233, 274, 303
flute ............................................. 198
Frances Street ............................. 244
Frasse Steel Company ................ 244
frazione 84, 100, 106, 132, 142, 145,
149, 152, 157, 159
Fusaro, Angela ... 108, 109, 110, 114,
142, 143
Fusaro, Daniele ........................... 114
Gabriele, Angela ....... 8, 28, 136, 155
Gabriele, Domenico............. 140, 144
Gabriele, Maria Cristina........... 88, 94
Gabriele, Michele ................ 136, 137
Gabriele, Peppina ....................... 134
Gabriele, Raffaele 131, 137, 302, 303
Gabriele, Santo ... 137, 139, 140, 174
Gabriele, Vincenzo ...... 138, 139, 144
Gaccione, Angelo ........................ 258
Gary, Indiana ............................... 243
Gencarelli, Anna .......................... 211
Gencarelli, Aurelia ....... 148, 149, 150
Gencarelli, Gennaro .................... 149
Gencarelli, Teresa............... 118, 121
Giuseppina la Patota................... 220
Grace Festa ...................... See Festa
grapefruit ..................................... 204
Grazia ......................... 45, 89, 92, 93
Great Depression ... 48, 71, 183, 193,
200, 201, 207
Guidi, Maria ................................ 155
Hackensack Hospital .................. 207
harmonica ................................... 198
High Street .................................. 244
Hillside Cemetery ........................ 289
Holy Family Church.... 14, 33, 35, 44,
66, 174, 176, 210, 211
honeymoon . 230, 248, 251, 260, 264
house wedding ............................ 230
Humbert Street..... 31, 47, 53, 56, 62,
69, 93, 132, 210, 212
Il Brigante Musolino .................... 216
Immaculate Conception Cemetery
................................................ 289
Indiana ................ 243, 244, 245, 248
Intrieri, Michele............ 120, 123, 128
Intrieri, Pasquale . 115, 116, 120, 125
Ippolito, Angelo ........................... 211
Itasca County ................................ 43
Jimmy’s Market ........... 237, 239, 241
312
Karpinski, Mary ................... 236, 291
La Gonga ...................................... 54
labor farm ...................................... 74
Laudone, Rosa .................... 120, 123
Law
Immigration and Nationality Act of
1952 ....................................... 17
Napoleonic Code ....................... 79
Travel Control Act of May 22, 1918
............................................... 16
Likely Public Charge...................... 22
List of Aliens Held.......................... 21
Louie Down ................................. 199
LPC ........... See Likely Public Charge
Lupo, Fortunata .. 120, 125, 126, 127,
128
Luzzi .............................. 75, 152, 153
Lyndhurst . 34, 36, 37, 48, 56, 64, 68,
69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 90,
93, 133, 163, 167, 169, 171, 174,
176, 177, 181, 187, 189, 190, 191,
193, 194, 195, 196, 199, 201, 202,
204, 228, 229, 230, 232, 238, 242,
243, 244, 246, 248, 249, 251, 257,
260, 263, 264, 265, 285, 289, 303
mal occhio ................................... 223
Mallarielo ................. 47, 64, 205, 206
Mancuso, Angela ........................ 149
manifest.... 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29,
30, 90, 91, 132
Marine ......................................... 268
Meyer Avenue ............... 76, 230, 251
Michele e Fosse ............................ 29
mines ........................ 39, 42, 44, 132
Minnesota 30, 43, 44, 132, 135, 166,
300
moccatura ................................... 220
Montalto, Carlo (Charlie) ............. 202
Montalto, Charles (Carlo) .............. 70
Montalto, Nunziata ........................ 70
Morrone, Angelantonia................ 113
Morrone, Mariantonia .................. 109
Morrone, Salvatore .... 20, 24, 25, 92,
109, 300
Morrone, Santa ............................. 91
motorcycle .................................. 194
Muccone River ............................ 149
Mucone ............................. 45, 83, 84
Musolino ............................. 215, 216
Nashwauk, Minnesota... 43, 132, 177
Naturalization .......................... 43, 53
Navy.................... 187, 271, 275, 293
neighbors ........................ 74, 75, 195
New York ..... 17, 20, 31, 47, 50, 206,
242, 248, 251, 256, 260, 285
Niantic RI .......................... 20, 24, 27
nick name ........................... 116, 228
313
Nicknames
Cara Cara .................................. 61
Cuorecelli................................. 157
la balleretta ................................ 94
Louie Down .............................. 199
Madaiela .................................... 65
Mary The Pollack ..................... 236
oo vizuoco ............................... 164
Pedarsa ..................................... 70
Pitelle ......................................... 61
Scaramuzzo ............................. 157
Scotty....................................... 199
Norfolk Virginia ............................ 293
Nutley . 25, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38,
39, 44, 47, 53, 56, 57, 59, 62, 63,
64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 74, 77, 90,
93, 96, 132, 133, 134, 135, 165,
171, 174, 176, 184, 193, 194, 199,
205, 210, 211, 212, 227, 228, 229,
231, 233, 235, 238, 245, 248, 249,
251, 252, 254, 255, 264, 303, 304
Nutley Sun................... 33, 65, 66, 68
Occupations
bovaro........................................ 85
bracciale .................................... 85
contadino ................................... 85
falegname .................................. 85
filatrice ....................................... 85
 sarto .......................................... 85
Oradell ........................................ 203
Our Lady of Mount Carmel .. 230, 232
Paramus ............................. 203, 207
Park Avenue .... 48, 56, 59, 193, 227,
235, 246
Passaic General Hospital .............. 77
patch towns ............................. 40, 41
Paul Street .............. 75, 90, 169, 232
Pennsylvania .......... 38, 39, 166, 300
Perri, Angela ....................... 148, 150
Perrone, Joe ............... 237, 239, 289
Petrone, Maria .................... 201, 211
Picitti ................................... 139, 140
Pitelle ............ 47, 61, 62, 63, 69, 212
Policaretto ....................... 54, 84, 142
Polita, Grace ............................... 169
Portale di Storia website ............. 109
Purple Heart ................................ 277
Record of Aliens Held for Special
Inquiry ....................................... 21
rescue ......................... 253, 254, 255
Rhode Island ................................. 27
Rigieri, Fedele ............................. 144
Rigieri, Isabella ................... 142, 144
Riverside Avenue ............ 71, 74, 232
314
Rizzuto, Franco ........................... 135
Rizzuto, Tony .............................. 237
Ro Ro .................................. 236, 291
Rocco, Orsola ..................... 111, 114
Roma Street . 38, 56, 60, 64, 96, 227,
246
Ronson Lighters .......................... 239
Roosevelt School ........................ 192
Sacred Heart Church........... 169, 176
Saint Joseph’s Cemetery ............ 285
Sammara, Rosa ............ 89, 115, 116
Sammarro, Leonardo .. 120, 125, 126
Sammarro, Rosa . 120, 121, 125, 126
Sanford Avenue .................... 70, 228
Santa Nicola Belvedere Church .. 120
Sapporito, Christina . 7, 31, 53, 61, 77
Sapporito, Cristina . 44, 63, 68, 89, 91
Scaramuzzo ..... 25, 31, 34, 157, 158,
159, 199, 228
Schiecca, Philomena ..................... 69
Scotty .................................. 158, 199
Sericella .................. 45, 84, 132, 145
Ships
SS Berlin.................................... 30
SS Brasile ................................ 132
SS Duca Degli Abruzzi ........ 46, 90
 SS Independence .................... 260
SS Indiana ..................... 18, 20, 21
SS Saturnia ............................. 258
USS John King ........................ 293
USS Lardner............................ 272
USS PC 1133 .......................... 275
USS YR-77 .............................. 275
Siciliano, Carmela ............... 210, 212
Simone, Francesca ....................... 33
Simone, Giul ................................. 46
Simone, Giuseppe ...... 227, 229, 230
Simone, Nat ........................ 257, 304
Spurr Place .... 47, 56, 57, 59, 65, 67,
135, 184, 228, 303
SS Death Index ............................. 93
St. Joseph’s Cemetery133, 163, 165,
172, 175, 303
St. Joseph’s R.C. Church ............ 165
St. Maria Maggiore........................ 82
Strada Caralicchio............... 120, 126
Strada Padia ...... 124, 140, 141, 146,
147, 148, 151, 153
Strada Picitti ...................... See Picitti
tac i scarpe ................................. 229
Teca Teca ..................................... 59
Terranova, Vincenzo .. 33, 47, 61, 62,
212
315
The Bergen Evening Record ....... 203
The Hook....................................... 74
Thomas Avenue ... 37, 70, 71, 73, 74,
75, 76, 188, 195, 202, 232, 242,
264, 303
Tomb of the Unknowns ............... 295
Toms River .......................... 249, 264
Turano, Santa ..................... 110, 114
Uncle Eddie 242, 243, 244, 245, 248,
264, 265, 271, 272, 287
Uncle Frank Rizzuto ............ 184, 186
Uncle Jimmy ... 14, 15, 53, 57, 61, 62,
73, 77, 134, 158, 162, 163, 176,
177, 178, 180, 194, 195, 196, 197,
198, 199, 205, 210, 229, 231, 235,
237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 266,
286, 289, 292, 293, 294, 296, 297
Uncle Louie 162, 180, 244, 252, 257,
263, 264, 265, 275, 276, 287, 290,
292
Uncle Nat . 29, 73, 83, 135, 164, 190,
227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233,
234, 235, 236, 251, 257, 258, 266,
287, 288
Uncle Red .. 250, 252, 253, 254, 255,
256, 257, 263, 273, 274, 286
Uncle Sonny . 73, 246, 247, 248, 249,
250, 251, 252, 268, 269, 287
Vallonecupo ........................ 100, 106
Velodrome ........................... 186, 193
Viola Company ............................ 231
Viola, Antonio ................................ 63 Westerly RI .................................... 91

Viola, Luigi .................................... 63 work farm .................................... 203

wagon ................. 193, 231, 235, 293 Yanticaw Park ............. 253, 254, 256

warts ........................................... 200 Za Francesca .............. 135, 184, 185

Washington ...... 56, 59, 67, 205, 238, Zia Francesca ............... 63, 184, 185
251, 264, 292, 293, 295, 297
Zia Grazia. ..................................... 45
Washington Ave ............ 59, 251, 264
Zia Rosa ................................ 45, 186
welfare .......................... 74, 201, 203

316