October 5th This Day in History

October 5, 1889 Cherubino Sgriccia was born in the town of Preci, Perugia, Italy. He was the second child of Ascanio Sgriccia, age 34, and Venanza Arcangeli, age 27. We do not much about his early years, but at 17 he left Italy and sailed to the USA following his Uncles to work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. He arrived in New York in May of 1906.

He only stayed in the USA a couple of years and returned to Italy to serve two years in the Italian Army. During this timeframe he married Augusta Cordella. In November 1911 he returned alone to the USA and the coal mines. He therefore missed the birth of his daughter Anna on July 26, 1914. Before he could return to Italy war broke out and Cherubino was drafted into the US Army. This allowed him achieve his US Citizenship before he sailed to France as a musician in an Army Band in October 1918.

The war ended and rather than travel back to the USA, he went to Italy to rejoin his family. A trip to Rome in the summer of 1919 allowed Augusta to secure her passport to the USA. The three traveled to Clymer, PA arriving in October 1919 and lived with his brothers Mariano and Antonio.

Cherubino and Augusta had three sons: Vincenzo 14 Dec 1919, Mario 4 April 1921 and Salvatore 12 July 1924. Cherubino lived the rest of his life in Clymer. He and his brothers ran a grocery store for many years and later in life Cherubino planted and sold Christmas trees through the grocery store.

**Richard, Mark, David, Rosie, Michael, Cherubino, Thomas, Paul. Joseph and ?**

Cherubino died on 19 February 1964.

Alfredo Amici – A 1900s Girl Dad

(NOTE: This is Part 2 of a 3-part story)

Part 1 of this saga discussed the tragic death of Francesco Corsaro. We learned of his widow, Maria, who was now alone to raise 6 children. Maria Corsaro and her children had just moved back to Clymer to be near family. At the time of his death Francesco had three brothers who lived in and around Clymer – Dominic (a grocer), James and Joe (coal miners). These three households consisted of over 22 people to lend support to Maria.

On to Part 2….

Alfredo “Alfred” Amici was born in Roccanolfi, Italy on January 16, 1884. Yes – we have talked about Roccanolfi in previous posts – it is a tiny hilltop village next to and part of the commune (or municipality) of Preci in the Province of Perugia. The population of Roccanolfi today is about 17 people. In 1884 it was probably about 50 people.

Still single at 21 Alfredo followed his older brother, Lorenzo, to Pittsburgh in 1905 and joined the multitude of Italian men in the coal mines of western Pennsylvania. At some point he returned to Italy and married. In 1912 he permanently moved to the USA with his new wife: Teodora “Theodora” Montani – she was born in Roccanolfi in 1889. They headed to Connellsville, PA. In the early 1900s this tiny town was the king of coal in the USA. Connellsville had at one time more millionaires per capita than any other place in the country and possibly the world. The first members of the Sgriccia-clan all came through Connellsville (i.e. Enrico Arcangeli, Giusto, Cherubino, Mariano and Antonio Sgriccia.

In 1913 Alfredo and Teodora moved to Clymer, PA where they had three girls. Their first daughter, Duesalina ”Sue” was born in 1913. Elisena “Elizabeth was born in 1915 and Geraldine “Gerry” was born in 1917.

Alfredo’s working conditions had improved by early 1918 when he was promoted to a truck driver and Teamster for the coal company. This allowed him to buy a house on Franklin Street in Clymer.

Excitement filled the household in June of 1918 when their first son was born – Alfanoro Amici. The joy was short lived as the 1918 Pandemic Influenza travelled across the country and hit Clymer in October of 1918. Both Alfanoro and his mother took ill. Alfanoro died on October 25^th at 6:20 am and Teodora died at 1:40 pm – yes – the same day.

They are buried together at the Saint Bernard’s cemetery in Indiana, PA.

*BTW – I will pay $20 to the first person to visit this cemetery and get me better pictures* of this gravestone.

Have you guessed where this story is heading….??

Sometime before January 1920, the widower Alfredo Amici met the widow Maria Joseffia Rocco-Corsaro. They married and formed a “Brady Bunch” family in Clymer. He with 3 girls and she with 4 boys and 2 girls. They lived on Franklin Street almost next door to the Perri families and Dominic Bonarrigo. The other Corsaro families lived on the other side of them. The Sgriccia brothers and the Foresi brothers were less than a block away.

In July 1923 Alfredo and Maria had another girl – Lucy Teresa Amici.

Then much of the Corsaro-Amici clan packed up and moved to Niagara Falls, NY. We assume for better employment. Alfredo’s household consisted of 11 people – they bought a house on 17^th Street. Maria’s brother-in-law (Francesco Corsaro’s brother), Giuseppe “Joe” Corsaro, bought a house on Ashland Ave at 15^th Street.

Alfredo succeeded in the trucking industry. He eventually owned a small fleet and delivered freight all over New York and the surrounding states.

Alfredo died in 1952 and Maria died on the 1^st day of 1954. They are both buried at the St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Niagara Falls, NY. Many of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren still live in the Niagara Falls area.

Alfredo Amici was a “girl dad”. His four girls pictured here in 2006 – L to R: Sue, Liz, Gerry, Lucy.

By now you are probably thinking that this story is a megillah – long and boring. So, at this point we will start to explain…some of us are related to Gerry Amici’s children…yes, about a fourth cousin. Which means we have the same great-great-great-grandfather in Italy. But, how? We shall explain in Part 3.

The “Black Hand” – In Clymer?

Francesco “Frank” Corsaro was born in 1879 in Catanzaro, Italy – near the “toe” of the “boot” – the region called Calabria. His parents, Vincenzo and Giovanna, had nine children, all but the youngest emigrated to the USA over a number of years and settled in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Frank arrived in the USA in 1896. He and his brother Giuseppe “Joe” ventured into Indiana County PA as miners.

Frank married Maria Rocco in 1902 and moved to Clymer. Between 1904 and 1910 the couple had 5 children all born in Clymer on Franklin Street. It was about 1912 that Frank left the mines and opened his own barber shop in Clymer.

Pasquale and Antonio Perri also lived on Franklin street and probably knew the Corsaro families. The Sgriccia brothers did not move to Clymer until 1917 – the brothers never met Frank Corsaro but they would know many people in the Corsaro family in later years.

Our story begins on Thursday night November 13, 1913 in the Clymer police station. At about 10:30 pm the Chief of Police, Matthew F. Leonard, received a telephone call that there was trouble at the “lower end of Clymer, one of the darkest and disagreeable sections of town” (according to The Indiana Gazette). The newspaper story continues: “Leonard made haste to the alleged scene of trouble. As he was passing a dark alley two foreigners rushed out of a house and threw their arms about the police officer, forcing him to the ground, and were punishing him cruelly…”. The unnamed reporter stated: “The foreigners have rather unpronounceable names so they will be known as Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C.

Frank Corsaro heard the brawl and ran to offer assistance to the policeman. Meanwhile Leonard was able to reach down and withdraw his revolver – which he fired twice. One bullet hit one of the assailants but the second hit Frank in the abdomen. At this point confusion reigned and Leonard was able to clamp handcuffs on A and B. He called for a doctor to help the innocent bystander Mr. C – Frank.

Corsaro was taken to the Dixonville Hospital where it was discovered that his injuries had permanently disabled him from the waist down. After a few weeks he was able to return home. Frank was awarded a gold medal and a monthly pension of $75 from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. (Note: Read more here.)

Unfortunately, Frank died from his injuries on March 4, 1914. He was buried in St. Bernard’s cemetery in Indiana, PA. He left behind his wife and five children, but to make matters more difficult she delivered their 6^th child on April 19. 1914.

Even though Maria Rocco-Corsaro had many in-laws in the Clymer area, she decided to move her fatherless family to New York City where she had one brother. Unfortunately, her brother was a busy Catholic priest. He could not offer her much support because of his other duties. Maria with her children in-tow returned to Clymer.

Meanwhile, closely following the death of Frank Corsaro, Policeman Matthew Leonard received a “Black Hand” letter threatening his life. According to the newspaper: “It is said that Mr. Leonard, terrified by the contents of the last letter and by similar letters that he has received since the time of the shooting, has left town. His present whereabouts are unknown”.

(Note: This is Part One of a 3-part story. To the best of our knowledge, we are not related to any of Frank Corsaro’s descendants though we are related to some others within the Corsaro clan. More on that later. As for “The Black Hand” – Google it.)

The Name Game

Years ago I had read that Italian families name their first born son after one of his grandfathers. In our family, in my generation, I can only think of two girls that were named after one of their grandparents. In the younger generations I see numerous examples of children (not always the first-born) named after grandparents.

My parents did not follow this practice. If they had then I would be named Cherubino Sgriccia or Only A. Sgriccia. No – Only is not pronounced On-Lee. Only is only pronounced one way. Either name would have been ample ammunition for school yard pranks. My Army Basic Training drill sergeant would have endless remarks about either name, too.

If a father calls his first born son after the child’s grandfather – let’s say Domenico – and the father’s brother calls his first born son after the same grandfather then we have two boys (cousins) named Domenico. Could be confusing at times – especially 125 years later. Our family has lots of duplicate names: Tom, Joe, Mike, Mark and plenty of variations on Mary or Maria.

Back to the cousins named Domenico. They are real people and share the following.

Last name: Bonarrigo
Birth date: Jan 27, 1893 and Jan 21, 1894
Born in tiny village of Gualtieri Sicamino in Sicily
Both emigrated to the USA
Both lived in Pennsylvania as coal miners

This is what drives amateur genealogists to drink – or at least to stay up way too late reading and re-reading documents trying to distinguish which documents belongs to which person.

So I ask my Detroit cousins: which coal company did your grandfather work for? The Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Co. or the Russell Coal Co.? Did your grandfather become a shoemaker by 1929? Did your grandfather have siblings? If yes, please name them.

The Foresi Cousins

Ermenegilda “Emma” Arcangeli is our 2nd great aunt – the older sister of our great grandmother. Emma was born in 1871 in Preci, Italy and died in 1942. She married Ottavio Foresi in about 1890. Ottavio was born in 1868 in Preci and died in 1949. They are both buried at the cemetery in Preci. The pictures below are from their gravestones.

emma ottavio pix

Ottavio

The couple had four children: Giuseppe “Joe” (1893), Romolo “Romeo” (1899), Antonio (1908) and Matilde. We do not know when Matilde was born, but she died in 1926. We wrote about Matilde in a previous posting. You can read it here.

The youngest son, Antonio Foresi, married Amelia and had at least one son. In about 1953 Antonio bought a bulk wine business in Orvieto, Italy. This business included a store front – Cantina Foresi – on the main Piazza Duomo in Orvieto. If you have visited Orvieto you will recognize the picture below and you have walked right past your cousin’s wine shop.

cantina

Today the Cantina is run by Antonio’s grandson -Alessandro Foresi. We had the unique opportunity to meet him during our 2015 trip to Italy. You can read about that encounter here. Allessandro was instrumental in helping me clarify the connection between Family Foresi and Family Sgriccia.

The two oldest sons of Ottavio and Emma – Giuseppe (Joe) and Romolo (Romeo) – ventured to the USA. Can you guess where they headed? In 1912 Joe at 18 years old sailed to New York with two others from Preci. Joe was headed to Clymer to visit a friend named Michele Bidolli. Romeo followed Joe to Clymer in 1914. Both became miners at the Russel Coal mines. In 1919 Joe was drafted into the US Army along with his cousin Cherubino Sgriccia. We found a newspaper article that implied that Joe tried to join the US Army Band that Cherubino was in, but later we learn that Joe shipped out to France with an infantry unit. He safely returned to Clymer.

In 1920 we find the Foresi brothers living in a very crowded household on Franklin Street in Clymer.

1920 census

Shortly after the census Joe married Ludovina “Jennie” Bidolli. Jennie arrived in Clymer in 1920 with her sister and mother. We assume that Joe & Jennie were childhood sweethearts because, you will recall, when Joe arrived in the USA he was on his way to visit his friend Michele Bidolli. Between 1922 and 1926, Joe & Jennie had 4 children though their daughter, Velia, died when 8 months old from Influenza.

ro ad

Not to be outdone, Romeo married Jennie’s sister Adeline Bidolli. Romeo and Adeline also had four children between 1922 and 1929.

(I just realized that Joe and Romeo’s children are first cousins TWICE – once on the paternal side of the family and once on the maternal. Their grandchildren are second cousins twice).

During the 1930s both families moved from Clymer to Detroit to work in the auto plants. By 1940 Romeo was working at Ford Motor Company in River Rouge. He and the family were living in Detroit. Meanwhile, Joe was working at Chevrolet Gear & Axle and living in Hamtramck.

All the children married and settled in different parts of the Detroit Metro area. The grandchildren have been spreading out even further and like our family many are retired.

Having lived in the Detroit area my entire life I have never met one of the Foresi cousins, primarily due to the fact that we did not know we were related. Around 2004 my wife was playing in a ladies’ golf league in the evening. I happened to see a list of the players and I immediately recognized the name Foresi. I called the lady and asked want she knew of the Foresi lineage. She said that she knew her husband’s family was originally from PA but that was about all.

Kind of funny…I meet a 3rd cousin Foresi in Italy, but the ones that had lived within a few miles I have never met.

The Foresi’s Who are Not Our Cousins

I have promised, more than once, in previous posts to tell you more about our relationship with the Foresi Families. Today is your lucky day. We will begin with the Foresi family members that are not our cousins.

Our great grandmother, Venanza Arcangeli, was from a large family. We are not sure exactly how may siblings that she had, but they (and their descendants) are cousins to la famiglia Sgriccia…that means your 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins.

arcangeli

Venanza’s sister Ermenegilda (Emma) was 9 years younger. She married Ottavio Foresi. It is their children that are our cousins – but first – let us talk about the “other” Foresi’s that are not related to us.

Foresi father

(Remember: the charts are jpegs. You can right-click on them to save them and enlarge them for easier reading.)

The Foresi Family in Preci/Roccanolfi consisted of at least three brothers: Ottavio, Renaldo and Enrico. All three have connections to families in the USA.

Enrico Foresi was the youngest, he never came to the USA, but three of his children did. His daughter Felicitta (Phyllis) was born in Roccanolfi in 1901. In 1921 she traveled to Clymer, PA with her husband – Pietro (Peter) Falcucci. They did not live in Clymer very long – by the 1935 they were living in New Jersey.

enrico

Gravestone in Preci Cemetery

Enrico’s oldest child, Teodoro (Theodore) was born in 1895. He traveled to Clymer in 1913. He traveled with 8 other men from Preci – some heading to PA coal mines and the rest to other destinations. One was his cousin Domenico Arcangeli. Their contact in Clymer was their cousin Giuseppe Foresi (our cousin). Theodore lived on Harrison Street in 1920 as a boarder with the Galli or Galls family. By 1926 he had married Anita Landi. They had three children: Elaine, Henry and Gloria. Unfortunately, Theodore was killed by a reckless driver in 1933 while he and 19 other miners were walking home from the mine in Mentcle PA.

Enrico’s middle child, Remo (Raymond) was born in 1897. He traveled to Clymer in 1923 following his brother to the coal mines. By 1930 Remo had married Margaret and they had at least one son named Antonio. They moved to Lackawanna, PA. Remo died in Lake Ariel, PA in 1989.

Bottom line: The Enrico Foresi family branched out in the USA with family names of Mears, Falucci, Conti, Davis, Ruffner, Short and Santini. These are NOT our cousins though – close – they are cousins of our cousins.

Ottavio & Enrico had a brother named Renaldo Foresi. His story and that of his descendants is the most confusing. Since they are not actually related to us, I have not spent a great deal of time researching this family. Renaldo was born in about 1871. He married Maddalena Amici. They had three children. The oldest (Vincenzo) was the only one to travel to the USA.

In December 1920, Vincenzo (Vince or sometimes James) sailed to the US and guess where he was headed…Yep… Clymer… to see his cousin Giuseppe Foresi. By 1930 James was married to Rose Malengo and they had 3 children – Renaldo (John), Madeline and James. They lived in Pine Twp., PA – a few miles from Clymer. He died in Indiana County in 1988.

The descendants of Renaldo have branched out into many families of Foresi, Bellando, Platko and Tonelli – to name a few. Many are still in Indiana county, others have moved to Ohio and New York state.

This part of the story may have seemed a waste of time or perhaps needless, but it is important to understand that the Foresi descendants have intertwined and it has been very difficult to untangle the web. If you ever meet any of the people mentioned above you will know that they are descendants from Preci, Italy and cousins of our cousins.

Next time the Foresi’s that are related to us….

Family Tree Printouts

Confusing times we are experiencing…if you are staying at home, perhaps with children, and looking for something different to do, we may have a project for you to work on….

You can now print your own copy of the Family Tree which I have worked on for so many years. The chart is a 20 page PDF file. You can print the 20 pages and then tape them together.

Well there is one minor prep – you have to trim the right side of 19 out of 20 pages. I have printed this chart on three different HP printers and I cannot print to the edge of the paper. A gap is left on all sides. Refer to the pictures below to see that it is a very narrow gap to trim off. I use a paper-cutter – a ruler and razor knife would work. My shaking hands would never be able to cut a straight line with scissors only – though perhaps you have the talent. Below is before and after trimming.

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Once the edge is trimmed off, lay the trimmed sheet over the next page “to the right” and then I use tape to hold them together. After I have “connected” all the sheets, I turn the chart over and tape the back of each seam.

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There are two charts available. The first is the “Descendants of Antonio Sgriccia” the second one is the “Descendants of Antonio Arcangeli”. The paternal and the maternal lineages of our famiglia. If you are a “Sgriccia” then you will be in both charts (why would you read this blog if you were not…).

The “Sgriccia” chart also shows our great-great Uncle Giusto Sgriccia – brother to Ascanio and the first known person named Sgriccia to come to America. This chart also shows the cousins in the Messi family. Two sons (Agostino and Domenico) ventured to the USA in the early 1900s. When they went through the immigration process at Ellis Island they declared that they were going to Penna. to see the Uncle Giusto. They would be cousins to the “Sgriccia brothers”. How is the mystery. My guess is that their mother is sister to Ascanio Sgriccia and that she married a “Messi”. Someday I hope to prove this – just yesterday I wrote an email to Massimo Messi – he is the current sindaco (mayor) of Preci, Italy – searching for a connection.

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The “Arcangeli” chart, as I mentioned, contains the same central tree of the children and descendants of Ascanio Sgriccia and Venanza Arcangeli (you are one of those). The chart also has a small group from the Piccioni family Similar to the Messi family, two sons (Stefano and Petrangelo) ventured off to America to work in the coal mines of Penna. They claimed to be nephews of Giusto Sgriccia.

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Additionally, this chart shows the connection to our cousins in the Foresi family. (I need to write a blog on the Foresi family – the connection between us and the paths we have crossed with these third-cousins is remarkable. Plus the Foresi family is the connection to the Bidoli family also originally from Preci).

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The “Arcangeli” chart is a whopping 27 pages. The middle 17 pages are essentially a duplicate of “Sgriccia” chart. I did a “cut & paste” and did not use these pages. I then used plain paper to fill the gap. This gives you a manageable chart which is 10 pages long.

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Missing from both charts is the Amici-Corsaro-Guido family. We know these families are linked to us because of DNA data at ancestry.com. Exactly how is the question. The top of that family tree is Alfredo Amici and Teodora Montagni – both born in Preci. We do not know if the tie is to the Sgriccia or the Arcangeli family.

If you want your very own copy of the tree, send me an email and I will send back both charts. I am not posting my email address. If you do not know my email address I am confident you can ask someone near you for it.

I look forward to a barrage of corrections and additions to this information.

Say Hello to Antonio & Maria – newest members of the Sgriccia Family Tree

No – they are not newborns. Antonio & Maria are your great-great-grandparents.

Antonio Sgriccia and Maria Allevi, we have just discovered, are the parents of Ascanio and Giusto Sgriccia and probably a few more people.

family tree sept 2019

The above chart is a jpeg, so you can download and enlarge it for easier reading. This is how the oldest known levels of the SGRICCIA Family Tree look today. I am confident that all our readers can figure out your relationship to Antonio and Maria. If you cannot, please drop me a line.

We need to thank our second cousin Davide Petrini (he lives in Tarquinia, Italy) for uncovering this information. Davide is the grandson of Francesca the oldest child of Ascanio & Venanza. The graveyard in Preci suffered a lot of damage during the last earthquake and Venanza’s tombstone was damaged. He plans to have a new one built. Davide contacted me for all the info I had on Ascanio & Venanza. He was able to get more accurate information on dates and he discovered our great-great grandparents – Antonio & Maria.

We will discuss some of the names that may be strangers to you.

Giusto Sgriccia. He was Ascanio’s younger brother. He was also the first “Sgriccia” to leave Italy and venture to the coal mines of western Pennsylvania in 1903. He followed his brother-in-law Enrico Arcangeli – the brother to our great-grand mother Venanza Arcangeli. It is unclear if Giusto was ever married and we do not know if and when he returned to Italy. We firmly believe that he did return to Preci, although we have never located his grave.

Unknown Sgriccia Sister. This lady married a fellow named Messi. They had a daughter and two sons – Agostino and Domenico. Both sons traveled to the USA and the PA coal fields. On their immigration paperwork they stated that they were going to see their “uncle Giusto”. So, I figure the only way he can be their uncle is that his sister is their mother. I think both Messi boys returned to Preci in the 1900s before WWI.

Carlo & Luigi Sgriccia. I found the graves of these two fellows in Norcia – a town less that an hour from Preci. I have no proof – only a guess – that they are linked to our family tree. Someday, I may find more information to establish a true connection.

I am hoping to lean on Davide Petrini with a list of questions to take to the Preci records center and perhaps we can fill in a few more blanks in the Sgriccia Family Tree in the future.

The Helmet Story

During our 2011 trip in Italy I found this WWI helmet on the ground.

I have a feeling that the Helmet Story is different in the folklore of each of our individual families. This is the story as I knew it.

First the facts.

Cherubino was drafted into the US Army in August of 1918. He traveled to Camp Lee Virginia where he became a US Citizen and joined The US Army Bandmasters. On October 28, 1918 he shipped out on the S.S. Antigone for France. On April 11, 1919 he was discharged in France. He then traveled to Preci to be reunited with his wife and daughter.

The three headed to Rome in July 1919 to obtain a US Passport for Augusta and passage to the USA. They sailed from Napoli on September 18, 1919 on the S.S. Dante Alighieri and arrived in New York on October 2^nd. Soon thereafter they took up permanent residence in Clymer.

Now the story as I was told.

When Cherubino, still in uniform, arrived in Preci at his parent’s home he took off his helmet and placed it on a fence post and said: “I am finished. I will not wear that again”. (In Italian of course and probably with deleted expletives).

Uncle Maris Sgriccia traveled to Italy in 1938 after the death of his grandfather (Ascanio Sgriccia). Uncle Mar told me much later that when he visited the family home he saw the helmet – still on the fence post.

Years later, Uncle Henry and Uncle Vince traveled to Italy to visit family. Sometime after that trip, Uncle Vince told me that the helmet was still on the fence post. Why did no one bring it home?

Fast forward to 1999 when Brother Philip and I made our road trip to Preci (click here), we had hoped to find the helmet. Truth be told – we had no idea where to look. We did not know which house the family had lived in. I guess we just assumed a helmet on a fence post would just magically appear. Duh…

Jump to our 2011 trip when Uncle Piero showed us the house. As I walked around it and took these pictures. The rest is history. The helmet is proudly displayed in our family home in northern Michigan.

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The front of Sgriccia’s Preci house above, the rear of the house below.

And now you know “the rest of the story”. That’s how I heard it; that’s how I remember it and that is how I lived it. That’s my story and I’m sticken’ to it.

MEMORIAL DAY – Remembering Those Lost in War

In 1999 we made our second trip to Italy. Coincidentally, my brother Philip and his family were also visiting Italy. We crossed paths in Siena and spent a lovely dinner and evening together. The next day our commitments were minor. So, Phil & I decided to leave family and friends behind to venture off on a road-trip to Preci.

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I have no idea what it is that draws me to Preci. Yes, my grandfather and grandmother are from there. My father is not…neither is my mother. But, even to this day I am drawn back to visit.

(Of course, there is the WWI helmet story. But, we shall save that for a later blog.)

This adventure in 1999 was before GPS, cell phones and the Internet. We had nothing but a map. It was calculated as a 2-1/2 hour drive there and 2-1/2 hours back. The plan was to meet our travel companions on the outskirts of a tiny village south of Siena at 5:00 pm. Remarkably, we were only five minutes late.

What Philip and I were unaware of was the devastation caused by the earthquake of 1997. There were lost bridges; impassable roads, and villages that did not exist as shown on our map. One road led up to a dead-end on a hilltop. A friendly old timer emerged. Our Italian was limited to Buon Giorno, Ciao and Grazie. He knew even less in English. We finally convinced him we were headed to Preci and he pointed to another hilltop on the horizon. We thanked “Uncle Rocco Franco” and headed off to the distant hilltop.

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We finally made it. Mid-afternoon. Siesta time. Nothing to do. Nobody to see. The earthquake damage from a year earlier was everywhere. Support scaffolding…cables holding walls from collapsing.

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We took a few photos; proud we found the place. Not sure what we had hoped to find (other than the WWI helmet). Disappointed that no one recognized us as “Sgriccia brothers”.

Walking around the hilltop village, I saw a memorial on the side of the Church. I could not read it, but intuitively I knew it was a WWI memorial. WWI memorials are all over Western Europe and the USA – you probably have one in your town. Do you know where it is? (Sidebar: There are more than a dozen college football stadiums built or named as Memorial to WWI’s fallen soldiers? Plus the LA Memorial Coliseum and Chicago’s Soldier’s Field. Probably a bunch more.)

I scanned the names quickly hoping not to find the Sgriccia name. Snapped a quick photo and we were off to meet up with our travel partners about a 3 hour drive away.

wwi monument

Fast forward to about 2015…Cousin Rosemary sent me a package of family “stuff” that she was trying to disperse to family members. I have already shared a few of those artifacts with you. This past weekend I finally pulled out this one…

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mailing label

…and using Google Translate I learned that it was mailed 6 Aug 1920 from Preci, Italia to one or more of the Sgriccia Brothers in Clymer.

“Committee for Those Fallen in War

A Committee was set up in Preci to pay honor, and to engrave in marble, the glorious names of our children, who in the terrible world war, bravely fought and have sacrificed their lives and bold youth to our country.

All Precians must help with this dutiful act of veneration for the brave fellow citizens who died on the field of the war.

We are confident that all of you will want to make a large contribution because the honors of the tribute are worthy of the magnitude of the sacrifice they made.” (Kind of a robo-call via the mail).

Half of the address label is missing. We do not know which Sgriccia Brother it was addressed to. We will never know if they made a contribution.

Enlarging the photo of the memorial, I can now pay closer attention:

wwi names

There are 32 names listed under: “Dead or Missing in Combat” and 25 names of those who “Died from Illness”. No Sgriccia names, but now I recognize a Luigi Cordella, Vincenzo Piccioni and Augusto Viola – all cousins to us.

The lower portion of the marble monument reads: “Those Fallen and Missing in World War II”.

wwii names

Here we find Bruno Cordella, Alessandro Messi and Mario Viola – three more cousins.

Italy observes National Unity and Armed Forces Day on November 4, the date Austria-Hungary surrendered to the Italians in 1918. The day is accompanied by ceremonies commemorating members of the armed forces killed in action.

World War I Draft Registration

At the time of World War I, the US Army was small compared with the mobilized armies of the European powers. As late as 1914, the Regular Army had under 100,000 men. The National Defense Act of 1916 authorized the growth of the Army to 165,000, but by 1917 the Army had only expanded to around 121,000.

By 1916, it had become clear that any participation by the United States in the conflict in Europe would require a far larger army. While President Wilson at first wished to use only volunteer troops, it soon became clear that this would be impossible. When war was declared, Wilson asked for the Army to increase to a force of one million. But by six weeks after war was declared, only 73,000 men had volunteered for service. Wilson accepted the recommendation of Secretary of War for a draft.

On May 18, 1917, the Selective Service Act was passed authorizing the President to increase temporarily the military establishment of the United States. The Selective Service System, under the office of the Provost Marshal General, was responsible for the process of selecting men for induction into the military service, from the initial registration to the actual delivery of men to military training camps.

During World War I there were three registrations.

The first, on June 5, 1917, was for all men between the ages of 21 and 30.
The second, on June 5, 1918, registered those who attained age 21 after June 5, 1917.
A supplemental registration, included in the second registration, was held on August 24, 1918, for those becoming 21 years old after June 5, 1918.
The third registration was held on September 12, 1918, for men age 18 through 45.

Copies of these registration cards can be found on many web sites on the internet. I personally find them one of the most interesting bits of information about our ancestors. They are a true “snap-shot” of personal information on a particular day in their lives. Most cards were filled out by the person not a stranger.

Ship Passenger information when an immigrant arrived at Ellis Island was written by a stranger who may not have understood the language of the person entering the country. Misspelled names, towns and other information ran rampant.

US Census forms were filled out by strangers relying on the information supplied by one person in the household. The informant may have been a 14 year old son or daughter who only guessed at information about their parents or other household members.

The registration cards contain detailed information about the person that can help genealogists determine correct birth dates, birth towns, occupations, etc.

Have you ever wondered what color eyes your grandfather had? How much he weighed? How tall he was….etc? Below I have printed the WWI Registration cards for many of our ancestors. If you do not see someone, please let me know and I will try to locate their card and add it to the list.

Remember, you can right-click on any image to download it to your computer and then you can enlarge, crop, print and store the image. There are two images for each person – front and back of their card.

In no particular order:

Wm Piccioni frt Wm Piccioni back

Tony Serrao frt Tony Serrao back

Romeo Foresi frt Romeo Foresi back

Mariano Sgriccia frt Mariano Sgriccia back

Joe foresi frt Joe Foresi back

Giuseppe Bianco frt Giuseppe Bianco back

Gaspare Zaffutto frt Gaspare Zaffutto back

Domenik Bonarrigo frt Domenik Bonarrigo back

Cherubino Sgriccia frt Cherubino Sgriccia bck

Antonio Sgriccia frt Antonio Sgriccia back

Andrew Seamn frt Andrew Seman back

WWII Draft Registration Card database also exist. We shall publish those in the future.

Ciao

The Ciamarra-Sgriccia Family

Our first Italian ancestors who came to America found jobs in the coal mines. Giusto, Cherubino, Mariano and Antonio all worked in the coal mines near Connellsville, Dubois and Clymer, PA. Other Italian immigrants found work in the coal mines of West Virginia and others in the copper mines in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Today in the upper peninsula of Michigan we find many families named SGRECCIA. We will save their story for another day. Today we will talk about Marianna Sgriccia (30) and her three sons – Carlo (13), Luigi (10) and Domenico (7). They arrived in the US on May 2, 1909. But the story begins earlier.

Enrico Ciamarra was born 15 May 1865 in Spoleto, Italy. North of Spoleto the village of Preci is only 25 miles and Norcia is 25 miles to the east. Both of these villages had Sgriccia families living in or nearby in the late 1800s. In about 1884 Enrico married Marianna Sgriccia (B-1879). Her father was Venanzio Sgriccia, he lived in Spoleto. The couple had three sons: Carlo in 1886, Luigi in 1889 and Domenico in 1902.

In late December 1902 Enrico traveled to the United States and then to the coal mines in Marion County West Virginia about 100 miles south of Pittsburgh. We do not know why Enrico went to Marion County, but we can assume he knew others who had traveled from Italy to West Virginia before him.

By 1909 he had saved enough money for his wife and three boys to travel to America. They sailed from Naples on April 19, 1909 on the S.S. Hamburg arriving at Ellis Island on May 2^nd. They were detained on Ellis Island for one day until arrangements could be made with an Italian assistance group at a New York city church to pick them up and care for them until they could travel. At some point Enrico retrieved his family and they all traveled to West Virginia.

A year later their first daughter – Julia – was born. The family lived near Morgantown, West Virginia until 1915 when they moved about 50 miles east to Masontown WV. Here three more children were born: Angelina (1916) and the twins: Riziero and Nazzareno (1918).

We lose track of the family from 1920 to 1930. It would appear that all but Domenico have moved back to Italy. Domenico had married; had a daughter and moved to Baltimore. He left the mines and is now a tailor.

The family is partially reunited when Rizerio and Nazzareno move back to the USA in 1935 and 36. Angelina moves back the USA in 1937. Each of them marries and has 3 or 4 children.

Today the Ciamarra family has spread throughout Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. As far as we can determine no one in the family has taken an ancestry.com DNA test. If they do, I think there is a high probability of a connection between our families. The DNA tests at ancestry.com have proven connections between our Sgriccia family and other families living in the U.S. whose family roots are in Italy – the Foresi family and the Amici family. We shall tell those stories in time.