Great Uncle
Alphonso Famoso – Fine Family
Man
Alphonso was the youngest boy of Giovanni and Anna
Famoso. He was born on February 9, 1896
in San Severo (Savario), Bari, Italy. He
was only about 5 when he came to the United States with Anna and his
siblings. I don’t know much about his
early life. I have been told that he didn't have an Italian
accent which makes sense because he came to the United States when he was so young. I know he was
a handsome young man because I have several photos of him. I imagine he went to
school and played with his friends. He
probably got a job when he was young to help support his family. His mother
Anna died when he was about 12 years old. There is a story that his father
tried to teach him how to play the drums but every time he got something wrong,
his dad would hit him in the head. Needless to say, he stopped playing the drums. He was the only boy in the family who didn't
play a musical instrument.
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| Alphonso and his niece Anna Famoso circa 1912 |
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| Uncle Al ~ Coney Island photo |
Alphonso was drafted into the army in April of 1918 which was right near the end of WWI. He became a Corporal but his son says his nickname was "Sarge" and he was the head of the cooks in his division. His
military record says he was in the 152nd and 153rd Brigades. He was never sent overseas. I have to wonder if that may have been
because his brother was killed in France.
Alphonso obtained his U.S. citizenship in July of 1918 while serving in
the army. At the time he was inducted into
the army he was a Machinist for a company called Bangider or Baugider in
Manhattan, NY. I haven’t found any
record of that company yet.
Alphonso married Antonetta (Nettie) Monaco around November
of 1928. I am not sure when Antonetta
was born. I have found birth records for
several girls with that name. She may
have been born on February 25, 1905. The
date on their marriage record is November 26, 1928 but that was probably not
the actual date of their wedding. At the
time of their marriage, Alphonso was around 29 years old and Antonetta was
around 23 years old according to the marriage record. The two witnesses to their marriage were Santino Cali and Anna Famosa.
Santino Cali was a good friend of the groom (related by marriage) and
Anna Famoso was Aunt Katie’s daughter.
Their wedding photos are gorgeous.
Antonetta was an only child and her parents evidently went all out for
the wedding! Her parents were Giuseppe
Monaco and Carmela Morella. I have heard
that her father was a junk man or ash collector. I don’t know how or where they met but
probably through family or friends. They
both grew up in the same neighborhood in Harlem. After they married, they moved to the Bronx to raise their family.
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| Guiseppe Monaco, Antonetta, Alphonso and Carmela Monaco |
Alphonso and Nettie had four children, two boys named John and Joseph and two girls named Anna and Emily. They appear to be the perfect American family of that time. Alphonso came home every night for dinner. He made a good living as a butcher after he left the army. Nettie was a stay-at-home mother who made her kids lunch and walked them to school. If it started to rain during the day, she would bring her kids their raincoats. All of the kids were adorable. We have many family photos to prove that. It seems like they lived a happy family life. The kids all grew up and got married. Each one of Alphonso and Nettie’s kids had children of their own. Uncle Al and Aunt Nettie have a great legacy with grandchildren and great grandchildren and they would be very proud.
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| Joseph, Anna, Emily, John Famoso Cousin Christina Famoso |
My father says his Uncle Al was always nice – no one he knew
ever disliked his uncle Alphonso.
Because he was a butcher, he would give meat to my father’s family for
the holidays so they could have a good meal.
Nettie used to work at the post office during the Christmas
holiday rush. Uncle Al would drop her
off there at work each day. She probably
did this because she enjoyed it.
Alphonso was a very good dancer. I have been told about his dancing ability
from several of his family members. My father also tells me that he liked to
entertain and that he was very funny. Even
though Uncle Al was outgoing, he was a little bit on the quiet side.
One of the things my dad remembers most about his Uncle Al,
is that he used to put salt or sand on the linoleum floors, take off his shoes
and in only his socks he would “pretend” skate all over the house with his hands behind his back. My dad says it looked like he was really
skating.
I have also been told that Uncle Al loved to play pinochle
with his brothers. According to Emily and Joseph, every week the family would
go to their Uncle Louie’s house (my grandfather) so the brothers could play
pinochle. The wives must have cooked and
talked while the kids played games together.
Another story that I heard from Joseph, is that Uncle Al
(being a butcher) took a goat to his brother Louie’s house. They killed it in the basement, he butchered
it and they ate it for lunch. I know
that sounds really strange to us now but back in the day, it probably wasn't that unusual.
Uncle Al collected WWI military memorabilia. According to my father, Uncle Al had a good
collection of guns and other military items. I wonder if he had his brother Brasso’s dog tags.
Alphonso’s granddaughter Annette told me that he was a nice,
kind man. He used to babysit for her and
her sister when they were young. He
smoked Italian black cigars (called Guinea
Stinkers). He made Annette and her
sister go to the store to buy them for him when he ran out. He lived with
Annette’s family for a while. He was very handy and also helped fix things
around her house. He liked to go fishing.
His daughter Emily told me that he helped her husband build
a deck on their house when they first got married. Emily also said that her dad worked really
hard all his life and they didn't have much time to take vacations but she does
remember one time when the family went up to Boston to visit their Aunt
Loretta. They had a great time.
I found out what a true family man my Great Uncle Alphonso really was when I called Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens and found out
that he had purchased and owned all of the family burial plots. It may have
affected him when his mother was buried in a pauper’s grave and he couldn't
have her moved into her own plot. I am
not sure about that but it seems possible.
Great Aunt Nettie died in 1955. She was only about 50 years old at the
time. She had breast cancer and at that
time it was pretty much considered a death sentence.
Great Uncle Alphonso died on May 9, 1965. At the time of his death, he lived in Glen
Cove, NY. My mother tells me that she and my dad took me to his wake. I don’t remember being there because I was so
young.
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| Alphonso and his brother Sam in the 1950's |
