Alfonso Frank Famoso - Father Was The Best

World War II Veteran and local artisan, Alfonso "Fonzy" Famoso, of Westminster, MD, lost his first and only battle on January 2, 2015 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland - just six short weeks shy of his 95th birthday.  

This Erasmus Hall Campus High School of Brooklyn graduate was born on February 21, 1920 in Harlem, and was the sixth of ten children. He met his wife, Gaetana "Ida" Mangione, in Brooklyn's Prospect Park in May of 1946, when she approached him under the pretense of him photographing her and her sister, Connie. The attraction was immediate, and the love enduring; they were engaged October 19, 1946, married January 25, 1947, and will remain united in their love in perpetuity.

Most people who knew Alfonso presumed his nickname was derived from his legal name, but those who were close (and brave) enough to ask knew this was only partially true. Though bald since his twenties, Alfonso was blessed with a thick mop of curls at birth. Upon entering kindergarten, Alfonso eventually began being called "Funny Head" by his classmates. "Fonzy" was actually an Italian slang version of this original and slightly unconventional name.

Even when the hair began disappearing, "Fonzy" lived up to his colorful nickname. He led an equally colorful and thoroughly complete life, having fathered three children after having served our country as a Medical Technician in World War II. Initially housed in Mobile General Hospital in Washington state in 1943, Alfonso ultimately defended our liberties while stationed in Mormelon le Petite in France, and later still from Luxembourg and England. Shortly after his return to the states in 1945, he began working as a Color Timer for the Motion Picture Industry in Manhattan, New York. He worked on such pictures as "War and Peace", “Cleopatra” with Elizabeth Taylor, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” with Sophia Loren, "The Runaway Train" with Jon Voight and Lucille Ball’s last film, “The Stone Pillow”. His movie career included a long running schedule on the night shift, and family fondly recall him sleeping the day away in between his shifts. When awake, he thoroughly enjoyed regaling close friends and family with behind-the-scenes stories involving well known actors that he'd personally encountered. He always grew animated during these discussions, especially when the topic of Linda Lovelace's alleged coercion to perform was broached. Anyone who was privy to one of these exchanges know how adamant Alfonso was about this topic, and would argue fervently about the actresses willing (and apparently eager) involvement.

After having spent 47 years in the film industry, Alfonso officially retired, although rest he did not. This eternally strong American Hero continued working with his hands, and ultimately chose to become a construction worker - doing the work of men 40 years his junior. He never lost his interest in art following his introduction to painting in the '50's, though, and ultimately perfected his personal style of artistic expression over the years. He carved gorgeous wood furniture, rocking horses, planes, boats, and gavels,  handcrafted glass, and created countless sculptures using a wide variety of materials. Informally known as "Fonzie's", these (sometime quite intricate) pieces were often gifted to unsuspecting recipients, though he gladly accepted specific requests from practically anyone. Though he spent countless hours and dollars on his artwork, Alfonso was adamant in his refusal to accept any form of compensation for it.

Despite the fact that his name became known for quality craftsmanship among family, friends, and a growing number of fortunate "Fonzy" recipients in Arizona, Alfonso was exceptionally talented in many other fields. Another skill that he became well known for was his incredible abilities as an escape artist. Though this likely conjures images of Houdini, Alfonso's special skill focused entirely on one thing in particular: escaping from the steely grip of the grim reaper. In fact, he'd become quite a pro at this after nearly 23 years of practice!

Not including the time he spent on the battlefield, Alfonso first cheated death in 1991 when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and given only six months to live. Alfonso passed the six month mark like a champ, and went on further to not only beat cancer, but to tap dance on its grave! His next date with destiny occurred in 2009, and involved his tired ol' heart. Alfonso passed out while doing his yard work, but was swiftly located by family and raced to the hospital in the dark, early morning hours. After being rushed inside the ER Alfonso's heart was checked, but produced dismal numbers. By all accounts, he should have been dead. The ER specialists initially believed this to be the case - that is, until he tilted his head towards staff from atop his gurney and began directly speaking with them. These physicians were astonished, because this was the lowest blood pressure they'd ever witnessed. When he checked out of the hospital a few short days later, hospital staff had awarded him the title of "Dead Man Walking" for this amazing feat!

Not only did Alfonso brazenly laugh in the face of death during both instances, but he was actually disturbed by the audacity of death to come a-knocking on his door. While he was enroute to the ER in 2009, he actually "seen the light" during the dark trip. His reaction? Matter-of-factly pulling his hat over his eyes to dim the overly "bright light", and complaining about it the whole ride in.

Mr. Famoso participated in South Carroll High Schools’ Veterans Day recognition of War Veterans for the last several years, up to and including this past November. He was featured on the cover of The Frederick News Post's "Senior" insert this past April 1st, and has two compilations of his wartime achievements and honors going the rounds on YouTube. These public accolades can be found online at:

http://m.fredericknewspost.com/arts_and_entertainment/arts_and_entertainment_topics/visual_arts/i-just-like-creating-something/article_d133e5a8-78db-5ab0-8ab8-55e493314ac0.html?mode=jqm 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYIPEJUT9Uw 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M3hSseGe-s 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRrFBdNLa34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBIF_4lGWE0&feature=youtu.be

He was predeceased by his parents, 7 brothers, and 2 sisters, and is currently expected to be celebrating the reunion over a typically festive (and loud) Italian feast.

Zampella ~ Di Costanzo Family Documents

I received the marriage record and documents for Domenico Antonio Zampella and Maria Grazia di Costanzo from Caserta Archives earlier this week. Antonio (as he called himself) and Maria Grazia were married on December 12, 1831. His father was Domenico Zampella who died on September 20, 1802 at the age of 24 when his son was only 2 years old. But that means Domenico was born around 1778! I can now prove that I have gotten back through the barrier of the 1800's. Another interesting thing that came to light after reading a translation of Domenico Zampella's death record was that he was mortally wounded somehow and confessed his sins to a priest. He wasn't in his own town when he died but in a nearby town. Did he die in a battle, was his death a tragic accident, was it a self-inflicted wound? We will never know because the death record doesn't tell us.

For the marriage record itself: Domenico Antonio Zampella, born in Caserta, 30 years old, adult, blacksmith who makes horseshoes, domiciled in Caserta in San't Antonio Street, son of the deceased Domenico Zampella, and the living Maddalena Izzo, spinner. Maria Grazia Di Costanzo, born in Caserta, 21, adult, spinner, domiciled in Caserta in San't Antonio Street, daughter of the deceased Felice Di Costanzo and the living Orsola Ignarra, spinner, domiciled in Caserta.

When the marriage took place, Maria Grazia's father Felice di Costanzo was also deceased. His death certificate says that he had died on March 20, 1823 in the hospital of Caserta, husband to Orsola Ignarra, born in a town called Nola in Naples but living in Caserta and had one daughter named Maria Grazia. Felice di Costanzo was a barber by profession.

I also found out that Maria Grazia's full name was Maria Grazia Carmela Vincenza Sebastiana DiCostanzo Zampella! What a mouthful that name is. She was born on July 21, 1809. Here are the marriage records and death records that I received from Caserta.

Sam and Katie Famoso ~ A Perfect Match

KATIE AND SAM (SOSIO) FAMOSO

Hi, I am Sam Famoso.  I have been asked by Ann to write a guest blog on my recollections of my grandparents Katie and Sam Famoso.  I am the son of Frances and John Famoso and the oldest of Katie and Sam’s three grandchildren.  My father John was Katie and Sam’s youngest child.  My grandfather came to this country from Cardito, Italy on the Nord America which departed Palermo, Sicily in 1901.  He came with his mother Anna Pirolli, sister Rose (Columba) and brothers Biagio and Alfonso.  They docked in New York City on October 28, 1901.  His father Giovanni and brother Luigi had previously come to the United States.  They settled on 109^th Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenue, a section of upper Manhattan known as Harlem.  My grandmother was born in America and was proud of being an American of Italian descent.

At first, my Grandfather was a tailor.  He then became a barber which ultimately allowed him to purchase the barber shop concession in the Harvard Club in Manhattan.  My Grandparents were married on October 16, 1910.  My wife Palma and I chose October 16^th as our wedding day 61 years later.  This made my Grandmother very happy and proud.  My early recollections of Grandpa were our Sunday walks from 109^th to 125^th Street.  By the time we got to 125^th Street, I was too tired (as I was only about 3 years old) to walk back.  Grandpa would always hail a cab but I would only ride in a new cab never an old one.  Thus, started my lifelong fascination with the automobile.  Grandpa would tell my father that at 3 years old I knew every car on the street by name.

When we moved to Astoria in 1948, my Grandfather would pick my sister and me up from school every Friday afternoon.  As soon as we got home, I would have to get a haircut whether I needed one or not.  When I was about 8 years old, I finally pleaded with him to give me one every 2 weeks.  He reluctantly agreed.  After dinner there was always a card game which lasted into early morning.  After the game, my Dad would drive Grandpa home to Harlem as my Grandma was alone.

My Grandma was the best.  She didn't come with Grandpa on Fridays as she really didn't care to go out unless she had to and only with someone else.  I remember my mother telling me about one time after I had come home from the hospital after emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and colitis.  The doorbell rang and who was at the door but Grandma.  My mother couldn’t believe it and asked who had come with her.  Grandma told her that I was sick and she had come on the subway by herself because she had to see me.  When I was about 12 years old, Grandpa was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia and also suffered some small strokes.  He passed away in March of 1959.

My Grandma had moved to the Bronx to live with her daughter, my aunt Anna Famoso Squitieri.  I have vivid memories of Grandma making her homemade cavatelli and sending my aunt on the subway from the Bronx to Astoria to bring me the most delicious cavatelli ever.   This became a regular thing and boy do I miss them! 

I was lucky to have my Grandma until I was 31.  She was able to see me get married and have our first child Christina (her first great grandchild).  My grandmother was a very special person to me and to all who had the privilege of knowing and loving her.  In February of 1976, Grandma passed away and sadly we also lost my Dad just six weeks later.  I always said that I never really got a chance to mourn her.

Sam and Katie at the Beach

Sam Famoso, Ann and Neal Squitieri and Katie Famoso

Loretta Famoso Galeota Esposito - Lovely Lady

Uncle Alphonso, Aunt Loretta and Loretta's son John.

Loretta Famoso Galeota Esposito

Loretta was born In Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 10, 1903. She was the youngest of Giovanni and Anna’s children. The name on her birth certificate is Leberata Tosca Famoso. That is such a cool name! I like to imagine that Giovanni was playing an instrument or conducting an orchestra that was performing Tosca by Puccini. It was a brand new opera at that time having been performed for the first time on January 14,1900 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. He loved that opera so much that he gave his baby daughter the middle name "Tosca." Doesn't that sound good? ~  It is totally made up but it could be true.  It is very interesting that Tosca is set in 1800 Italy around the time that Napoleon invaded Italy and the control of Rome by the Kingdom of Naples was threatened. Tosca is not a sweet, romantic opera. Not even a little bit. Tosca depicts murder, suicide and torture.  I'm not sure that is really an appropriate name, even a middle name for a baby. It could even be that Giovanni was friendly with Giacomo Puccini who was a contemporary and a fellow Italian musician.

As I have already mentioned, Loretta lost her mother when she was only 5 years old.  She grew up without a mother figure. I imagine that she became close to her sisters-in-law and her slightly older sister Rose.  

I found it odd that both Rose and Loretta got their marriage licenses on the same day. That day was July 28, 1921. 

Loretta was married at age of 18 on September 18, 1921 to Charles Michael Galeota listed as a Barber and elsewhere as a Musician. His father was Vito and his mother was Rosa Gallo. They had two children, John and Vito both of whom died in 1999.

Her husband Charles used the stage name Charlie Hamilton when he played a banjo that had lights inside of it that he made swirl around. An interesting concept for the 1920’s and early 1930’s.

Loretta and Charles Galeota were divorced in 1931. Charles married Helen Powlowitz on March 20, 1933. Charles died on September 16, 1936 and he is buried at St. John’s Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.  

Loretta married Salvatore Esposito in Boston, Massachusetts in 1934. Salvatore was a salesman until 1940 then he owned a business called New York Sample Fur Shoppe from 1941 on. He had a son named Jerry from a previous marriage. I have been told that Salvatore had only one arm. Sal died on September 14, 1961. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Boston.

I have no personal impressions of Loretta because I never met her. It seems to me from what I have heard that she was a kind and honest person. She spoke about her true feelings regarding her brother Luigi at his funeral. Loretta was the person that my grandmother Christina used to go to when she needed someone to get money from her husband. Loretta did not have any kind feelings towards her brother (my grandfather). I can't say that I blame her. Her reputation was very good. Everyone that met her liked her very much. I also found out that she was the last known person to have possession of her brother Brasso's WWI army photo.  

My parents visited Loretta and Sal in Boston in the mid-1950’s. Sal must have had some mafia connections because there was a mafia-type guy in attendance at Loretta’s house during the visit.  The most memorable thing was that the mafia guy gave my brother, who was very young, a $5.00 bill.  That was a lot of money at the time. The story went down in family history.

After Sal died, Loretta worked at Bonwit Tellers as a “stitcher.”  Bonwit Tellers was a fancy department store so she probably did tailoring for off-the-rack clothing. She died on August 15, 1985.  She was living at the Jamaica Towers Nursing Home at the time of her death.  Her death certificate says she died of Terminal Arrhythmia along with Chronic Ischemic and Hypertensive Cardiac Disease which sounds like a heart attack brought on by high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.

Services for Loretta were held at Marashio Funeral Home.  She was cremated and her remains are at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

I found out more about my great aunt Loretta while researching her for this blog post than I ever knew before.  She seems to have been a lovely lady.  I wish that I had met her.

Wedding Wednesday - Colomba Rosa Famoso and Pasquale Puzzuto

Colomba Rosa Famoso and Pasquale Puzzuto Wedding

My great aunt Rose was born in Sansevero, Italy on April 11, 1898 according to her birth record. She was the daughter of Giovanni Famoso and Anna Pirolli Famoso. Rose wasn't their first born daughter but she was their first daughter to live past childhood. Rose grew up and came across the Atlantic with her mother and brothers on the Citta di Torino in 1901. She was just a little girl when she took the trip to the United States. She even had an Italian accent. She wasn't a United States citizen but she missed by just a few short years. I don't know anything about her years in Italy or even her first few years in the United States. I only know that her mother died when she was about 9 years old. That had to be difficult to deal with. She had a younger sister that must have been dependent on her for some mothering. 

The next event in Rose's life that I have learned about is her marriage to Pasquale Puzzuto. I have her marriage license from New York City that is dated July 28, 1921. It doesn't appear that she rushed into marriage because the record I have from St. Ann's Church is dated January 29, 1922. It says that her maid of honor was her sister-in-law Kate Famoso and the best man was Angelo Ippolito who was perhaps a friend or relative of the groom. According to the marriage license, Pasquale was a chauffeur, he was born in Salerno, Italy and his parents were Antonio Puzzuto and Antonette Cavallo Puzzuto. Pasquale was 30 years old and Rose was 23 years old when they got married.  That can't be right because his WWII registration says his birth date was August 16, 1890 but the marriage records say his birth date was August 16, 1889 neither dates make him 30 years old when he got married. It also looks like Rose was using the birth year of 1899 for some reason on her marriage records. Maybe it looked better to be only 23 rather than 24 years old when a girl got married at that time or maybe she thought that was her correct birth year.  I wonder if this was an arranged marriage or a love match?

Their first child was born on November 19, 1922 and his name was Anthony Puzzuto.  I assume that he was named after his paternal grandfather. Their second child Mary Ann Puzzuto was born on August 31, 1930.  

The rest of the story will be brief.  Pasquale and Rose lived in Manhattan and in the Bronx in New York. He sometimes used the name Patrick.  The 1925 New York Census shows that Rose's brother Alphonso was living with them. I recently found a directory from 1933 showing Rose as being a Shirtmaker living at 417 East 106th Street with Pasquale's family. Pasquale died in 1957. Rose died in April of 1974.  

There may have been some sort of disagreement or personality conflict between the family members which is probably why my side of the family never knew anything about Rose, her husband and her children.  

Columba Rosa Famoso Birth Record

Birth record number 373 - Translation:

Famoso Colomba Rosa

In the year 1898, today 11th of April, at time 12.30 in the afternoon, in the Town Hall

Before me Francesco Trotta, secretary deputy of the mayor with authorization

dated 22nd April 1887, duly approved, Registrar of Sansevero municipality, it appeared in my office Vincenza Melissa age 45 years old, occupation midwife, born in Lucera, domiciled in San Severo,

she declared that at time 7am of the day 9th of this month, in the house located at address

Via Carlo Alberto number-----, from Anna Pirolli, housewife, wife of Giovanni Famoso, occupation

musician, both domiciled in Sansevero, a baby girl was born, she shows her to me, and she gave

her the names of Colomba Rosa. The witnesses of this record are Cosimo Di Pierro, 48 years old, occupation shoemaker, and Giuseppe Palumbo, 58 years old, occupation servant, both resident in this municipality.

The declarant stated that she came to declare the birth of the baby because she was the one who helped the birth, and she declared the baby on behalf of the husband of the Pirolli,

because he is away from town.

Missing Baby Monday Mystery

I'm sure that my family is not the only one that was unaware of several babies born to our great grandparents but did not survive to adulthood. The way I found out about our missing babies involved quite a bit of a luck.  I had been searching for my great aunt Loretta's birth record. I knew she was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1903 from her death record and several census records. I was fortunate to have the help of a New Jersey research expert. When she found Loretta's birth record, we were surprised by the fact that it said Anna Pirolli had given birth to twelve children! We only knew about 7 kids including our grandfather Luigi. No one had any idea there were more. It makes sense though. In those days, women had lots of babies. Especially if they were Italian. I think most families had lots of kids to help out with the work around the house and to go out and earn money for the family. I know that Giovanni and Anna did not have a farming family so they weren't having lots of babies to help out on a farm. There wasn't any reliable birth control at that time either. The Catholic Church encouraged having large families. Probably the main reason for having so many children was the fact that they knew at least a few of the babies would die in infancy or as toddlers. So, if they wanted to keep their family going, they had to have lots of kids.

After I found out that I had 5 missing babies to locate, I started digging. The first place I looked was in Marcianise. Marcianise is the commune in Caserta, Italy where I found Giovanni and Anna's marriage record.  It is also the place where Anna gave birth to her two oldest children. It seemed like a good idea to check there for missing babies. I was rewarded with a birth record for Elisabetta Famoso who was born on March 10, 1884. I haven't figured out when she died but it was definitely before 1902 when they traveled to the United States. I have been told that she didn't die while living in the commune of Marcianise because if she had, there would be a notation on her birth record. That means she probably died in Frattamaggiore which is the commune where the next oldest child was born. I have written to the commune of Frattamaggiore but haven't heard back from them yet so that question is still open.

The next bit of luck came because I have found the records of the commune Trani, Bari online at the Antenati. The Antenati is a website create by the Italian Government (I think).  It holds a treasure trove of information. I love searching through that site.  I was again rewarded for my efforts with a death certificate for Carmela Famoso. She died on June 23, 1891 in Trani, Bari.  See #400 below.

So, think about this: Anna Pirolli Famoso gave birth to a baby boy named Biagio Nicola Famoso on October 1, 1891 after her three year old daughter had died on June 23, 1891. That is so tragic to me.  I don't know if it was a sudden or unexpected death or if she died after a long illness. The death records I have seen from Italy do not contain a cause of death.

I hope that I will be able to add a few more records to this post at some point in the near future but so far this is all I have on the missing babies.

Christina Prinzo Famoso - A Wonderful Mother

Christina Prinzo as a young lady around 1906

Christina and her brother Charles 1905

Christina Prinzo Famoso and her son John 1911

Christina Prinzo Famoso

On her birth certificate, her name is listed as Crestina Maria Giuseppa Luisa Prinzo.  Christina was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York on June 16, 1892.  She was my grandmother.  I never knew her but by all accounts she was a wonderful mother and grandmother.  Sadly, she only got to know one of her grandchildren.  She died on April 24, 1943.  Her life was short and heartbreaking.  She was a beautiful young girl who met her husband to be at a funeral before she was even 16 years old. Luigi and Christina were married on April 23, 1908 when she was not quite 16 years old.  Her parents were from “the other side” but she was a ‘Merican.  Grandma Christine only went to school up to the 4^th grade.  That was probably quite a bit more schooling than either of her parents had. Francesco Prinzo and Maria Giuseppa Luisi were farmers back in Italy. Her father Frank became a laborer to support his family in the United States. When she met and married her husband Luigi she actually gave up her citizenship for him. For a very short period of time, that is what happened when an American woman would marry a foreign-born man. Christina must have thought he was so handsome and well-educated. I’m sure she must have admired him, at least at first. I don’t believe that her love could have lasted too long because he turned out to be a selfish husband. She gave birth to ten children but only 9 survived to become adults. That was pretty good for the times they lived in. Her 4^th child, Joseph, died of enteritis at the age of 7 months. 

I know that Christina could sew and cook. I also know that she worked hard and was a very good mother. She did not have much extra time to tell her children stories or play games with them. She simply had to make sure they would survive in the world. 

According to a story my mother heard at Christina's husband Luigi's funeral, Christina had to go to her sister-in-law Loretta and beg her to get money from Luigi for food. This story was told by Luigi's sister Loretta.

My father told me that he helped his mother wash clothes on a washboard. I can’t even imagine how difficult and time-consuming that must have been. Especially, when you were washing clothes for 9 children and two adults!

Dad also told me that his mother always said that she could put sauce on rocks and her 9 kids would eat them! Her boys were always hungry.

Grandma Christina fought for my father to stay in school so he could get his high school diploma because his father Luigi wanted him to quit school to get a job.

She worked in a factory making snowsuits for a few years to make money so she could support her family. 

She saved pennies in a cup for insurance for each one of her boys. When they grew up she was able to give each of them $500 which was a whole lot of money in those days.

Her sons liked to think they protected her from their father. I asked my dad if Luigi was a violent person and he said they didn’t know because he would not have taken on any of his sons who were all bigger than him.

Christina taught my father how to sew and use a sewing machine to turn a collar. That was a good way to save money on clothing at the time. When your shirt collar wore out, then you could turn it and get several more years of wear out of it without looking like a hobo.

In her later years, when her kids were all grown up she would sometimes sit outside on their front stoop (porch) to watch the neighborhood kids play. My dad says that she knew all their names and would try to make sure they did not get hurt. I guess that proves she was a mother at heart and was taking on the village approach to raising kids.

Her death was probably not sudden or unexpected.  She had gotten hit by a trolley car and sustained injuries from that accident.  The actual cause of her death was congestive heart failure.  She was only 51 years old but looked at least a decade older than that due to her hard life.  I know she would be happy to know that all her kids got married and most of them had children of their own. 

Christina Prinzo Famoso, Luigi Famoso, Sam Famoso and Catherine Prinzo
Wedding 1908

Christina and her mother Josephine Prinzo - 1940

Christine Prinzo Famoso - 1940

Christine Famoso Prinzo 1940

Anna Vincenza Sebastiana Pirolli - A Tragically Short Life

This post is about my great grandmother Anna Vincenza Sebastiana Pirolli.  She was born in the City of Caserta in the Province of Caserta in Italy on December 24, 1857 according to her birth record.  I have her birth, marriage and death records.  That is essentially all I have for her.  I know, I know...  another mystery... big surprise.  No, not really.  This poor lady worked really hard all her short life to bring up children and what do we know about her, virtually nothing.  No stories have been passed down about Anna.  The only thing that has been passed down is her name.  I have plenty of cousins named Anna and Ann.  I also knew her last name was Pirolli but, of course, that could have been a misspelling.  No matter.  Here is where I start to get fanciful in my interpretations of Anna and her life.  I can't say much about her birth except that her parents were Giovanni Francesco (according to her birth record) Pirolli(o) age 33 and Elisabetta Zampella (sp) age 26.  As far as I can tell, from Anna's birth record, her father Giovanni Francesco was a day laborer or giornature.  The most interesting and amazing thing about Anna that I have found out is that she could read and write.  I think that was a major thing back in the mid-1800's for a woman to read and write.  Especially in Italy.  I have read that there was no emphasis or interest in having a woman educated at that time.  Her only job was as a wife and mother.  Even on Anna's marriage record, it states that she is a dona di casa or housewife.  I keep thinking that she was probably a "spinster" at the time she was married because she was already around 22 years old.  Her marriage record does not say that she or Giovanni were ever married before.  Perhaps her parents knew Giovanni or I should say her mother knew Giovanni because her father had already died by the time Anna and Giovanni were married.  Unfortunately, I have never found Anna and Giovanni's Allegatti.  That would have given me a ton more information but it is lost somewhere. The marriage record also says that their Marriage Banns were posted in Caserta on February 23 of 1879 and on 2^nd of March 1879.  I haven't found those either. This seems to be another dead end unless I find the Banns and even if I do find them there is certainly no guarantee they will tell me anything.

Next we have Anna giving birth to 12 children.  Yes, I said 12 children.  Sadly, only 7 of them survived to adulthood.  I only found out that Anna and Giovanni had 12 children recently when I found their youngest daughter Loretta's birth record.  Loretta was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey so it was very helpful that the document was written in English!  But wait, I'm jumping ahead here.  Anna came to the United States to meet up with her husband in 1901.  I found her traveling on the Citta di Torino with 4 of her children.  The manifest shows that she had Sossio (Sam), Biagio (Brasso), Alphonso and Columba Rosa with her on that journey.  I have a mental image of them and it looks like some of the photos I've seen of foreign ladies and their kids disembarking ships back in the early 1900's with sad looking faces wrapped in dark blanket-like clothing. They all look dirty and hungry.  I'm hoping that wasn't true for them but it probably was.

I catch up with them next in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The entire family seems to be together again at least for a short time.  My father always said that his father and uncles loved to go to Atlantic City.  We did not know that they had ever lived there until recently.  Now all that makes sense.  The biggest event for Anna that took place in Atlantic City was the birth of her youngest child Loretta.  Anna was already about 45 years old when she gave birth to Loretta.  Another amazing thing for that time was having a baby at that advanced age and surviving the birth.  Baby Loretta also survived.

Jumping ahead to 1905 we have Giovanni, Anna and kids living in Harlem, New York City.  I also have my grandfather Luigi on a census from New Jersey that shows him still living in Atlantic City at age 22. Go figure?  I can't say which is correct but I know many of the censuses that I have seen are wrong.

The last event I have recorded for Anna is her death at age 50 in New York City on September 13, 1908.  It seems like she was under a doctors care when she died after reading the death certificate closely.  The death certificate says she died of a cerebral hemorrhage.  I think we should take that diagnosis with a grain of salt considering it was given in 1908.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that the doctor probably put down death caused by cerebral hemorrhage when he didn't know why the patient died.  I'm just guessing here but it seems to me that he wouldn't know unless he did an autopsy (doubtful).  Poor Anna was buried in a pauper's grave at Calvary Cemetery.  The reason she was buried in a pauper's grave is open to interpretation.  I wonder if Giovanni was away at the time of her death or if he just didn't want to spend the money to buy a plot for her.  I just don't know. What I do know is that when she died, she left two small children with Giovanni.  He had a 4 year old and a 9 year old to care for.  I can't even imagine what that was like.  I have decided that there is only one good thing that came out of her having died so young and with young children.  At least, she did not have to see her son Brasso die in the war.  I'm sure she would have been crushed to hear of his death.

UPDATE:  Pirollo, very rare, has a small Venetian strain, one of Frosinone, Iserniese and Caserta and one in Salerno, has a Venetian strain especially in the Padua and Venice, and one in the southern Naples, Avellino, Salerno, a small strain in Potenza and one in Bari, should all be derived from nicknames linked to the late Latin word" pirolus "( pear tree ).

Giovanni Famoso - International Man of Mystery

Now that you have met Brasso, it is time to meet his father Giovanni Famoso. If Brasso is a mystery to me, well then Giovanni is a complete enigma. He was my great grandfather and a musician. That is almost all I know about him. I have no photos of him. I have no idea what instrument he played [I recently found out that he played the cornet] and I don't know where he may have worked while living in Italy or the United States [I have a photo and some information that indicates he may have been in Giuseppe Creatore's Italian Marching Band but this has not been confirmed]. Wait, I do also know that Giovanni was an orphan who was abandoned at the Santissima Annunziata Maggiore in Naples. The Annuziata was famous for their ruota or wheel where unwed mothers would leave their babies. I found Giovanni's original birth record.  It is written in Italian, of course. I think it says he was 8 pounds and 12 ounces at birth. Certainly, that would have been a good weight for a healthy baby.  His birth date was in July of 1853. The document say that he was sent to live with a couple named Carmela Vaccaro and Luigi Cimino in Cardito, Italy. It also says that Luigi was a painter.  It is interesting to note that the Annunziata had a very high rate of child deaths. Giovanni was very lucky because he was sent to live with a couple right away. It doesn't seem like he spent any time at all living at the Annuziata.  The address of this couple is even on the document but I can't make out the street name. All I can read is that it was at No. 613. Even more interesting to me is that Giovanni became a musician. I imagine that Carmela and Luigi must have taken good care of Giovanni and sent him to a music school. I found an orphanage in Naples that also taught orphan children a trade but my inquiry into that orphanage came to a dead end. I would love to know where Giovanni studied music. I would also love to know who Giovanni's birth parents were.  It is interesting to note that on Giovanni's death certificate, his parents are listed as Luigi Famoso and Concetta Armando. Who were these people? I want to believe that they are his birth parents but I have no way of knowing if that is true. These names could be made up or they could be real people.  Here is his official birth record that I obtained from the Naples Archive after then sent me the wrong one which was for a boy with the same name and abandoned at the same place but died shortly after his birth. This second official birth record says something about a church called St. Francis and Matthew in Naples. I don't know if he was baptised there but somehow this church is involved.

The next thing I know about Giovanni is that somehow he grew up.  Against all odds for abandoned babies at that time. He made his way to a town called Marcianise.  Somehow, he met and married Anna Vincenza Sebastiana Pirolli in March of 1879.  How did they meet? Why did they get married? Did they fall in love or was it an arranged marriage?  Anna's story is for another day. I have so many questions about their union. Their marriage record tells me that Giovanni was a "bandista" which meant that he was a musician in a band. I would absolutely love to know what instrument he played but I probably will never know the answer to that question [cornet].  The marriage document also tells me that both Giovanni and Anna could read and write.  Their signatures appear at the bottom of the document. Pretty cool, I think.

I also know that Giovanni and Anna lived in Marcianise at least until 1882.  She gave birth to two sons in Marcianise that I know of.  Their oldest child Domenico and my grandfather Luigi Arturo were both born in Marcianise.  I have documented that with their birth records.  Giovanni and Anna's next oldest son Sossio was born in another town. According to Sam's WWI registration card, he was born in Frattamaggiore on March 24, 1886.  I can't prove it but it is probably true.  In all likelihood, the couple had another child in 1884 that died very young or at birth. I will go ahead and make the assumption that they also had a baby between 1888 and 1890 but the next baby that I have a record of is Biagio who was born on October 1, 1891 in Bari, Italy.  I really don't know why they moved around so much or if Biagio was born while they were visiting or at a temporary assignment in Bari.  It is definitely out of character for them to be living anywhere outside of Campania.  Biagio grew up to be Brasso our WWI hero.  The next baby they had was Alphonso who was born on February 9, 1896 in a town called San Savario in Bari according to his WWI registration card.  I can't find any town by that name in Bari but there are towns called Sanmichele di Bari, Sannicandro di Bari and Santeramo in Calle.  I have not found Alphonso's birth record yet.  Their next child, Colomba Rosa was born in Sansevero in April of 1898 according to her birth record.  Rose was their last child born in Italy (that we know of who lived ~ more on this later).

The story that we have heard from my father and he confirmed with Domenico (Giovanni's oldest son) was that Giovanni decided that Domenico (aka Mimi) would go to the United States to study and play music.  The story goes that Giovanni took Mimi's passport and papers and gave them to his next oldest son Luigi and told the boys that they were to change identities so that Mimi could go to the United States with Giovanni and Luigi would go into the military in Mimi's place.  My grandfather Luigi became Mimi and went into the Italian ski patrol.  The rest of Luigi's story is also for another day. So, Giovanni and Mimi traveled together to the USA.  They either landed in New York City or Philadelphia depending on whether you believe a story told to my cousin by Mimi or Mimi's naturalization papers that I found filed in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1903.  Mimi's naturalization states that he came to the USA through the port of New York on December 15, 1897 (could be 1887 ~ it is hard to read).    I have never found Giovanni or Mimi on any manifest in 1897 coming through either New York or Philadelphia.  I have to wonder if they used false names so that they could get into the United States without problems.  I don't know how easy that would have been but I imagine that they needed passports.  I have also never found any Italian passports for either of them or any of my other relatives for that matter.

The next time we see Giovanni is on a manifest for the ship The Aller in June 1899.  On that manifest, he says he is going to see his son Domenico in Philadephia and he has been in the United States once before. There is an "X" next to his name which I am told means that he was detained.  I can't find any record of why he was detained but he did eventually make it to the United States as we all know.  I don't know if he ever reached Philadelphia to visit his son or where he lived when he first arrived in the USA. The first evidence of him that I have found is on the 1903 birth record of his youngest daughter Liberata Tosca (Loretta) Famoso. But first, I have to mention that he left his oldest son in the United States by himself while he goes back to Italy and returns to the United States perhaps 2 or 3 years later! I can't find any record of what Mimi or Luigi or whoever is doing in the Philadelphia area during that time.  Is there a name change involved, probably.  When Giovanni returned to the USA, he left his wife and remaining children behind.  They did not come to the United States until late in 1901.  I can just imagine poor Anna traveling alone on a ship with her four young children.  It appears that they all met up again in 1903 and were living at 13 North Mississippi Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I found that address on Loretta's birth record as well as on Domenico's naturalization papers. Sadly, that building is long gone and the property is part of a parking lot for a large hotel and casino now.  I have a goal of somehow finding out where Giovanni was in 1900-1902. Was he traveling with a band?

By 1905, I find Giovanni and family living in Harlem, New York at 314 East 101st Street.  It looks like the family is all together John, Anna, Mimi, Louis, Sossio, Biagio, Alphonse, Rose and Lebi (Loretta) but I have also found my grandfather Luigi living in Atlantic City, NJ for this same census.  It is always possible that Giovanni did not understand the questions he was being asked or that a neighbor provided the information for this census.

Sadly, his wife Anna dies in 1908 and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, NY in the pauper (or cemetery owned) section at the very young age of 50 leaving a 4 year old daughter and a 9 year old daughter.  What does Giovanni do?  He promptly moves his family into the same building where his second oldest son Luigi and his wife and family are living.  They are all now living a 322 East 109th Street. Yes, we now have Giovanni the widower along with his young children living in the same apartment building as his two married sons (Luigi and Sam) along with his sons' in-laws!  This is probably a good time to mention that Luigi and Sam married two sisters thereby keeping it all in the family. I guess that wasn't very unusual at that time and in that place for Italian families to all live together in one apartment building. Giovanni probably got free or very inexpensive child care that way. To me, it sounds something like the plot of a 1980's situation comedy.

I have found Giovanni and his family on the 1910 census in New York City, the 1915 census, and the 1920 census. There are definitely mistakes on these census reports but I'm sure they are due to the language barrier. I have also recently found a Petition of Intent filed by Giovanni in 1918 when he was 65 years of age. On that Petition he states that he is 5 feet tall and 190 lbs. and that he is a music professor.  I am starting to think that Giovanni may have married another woman named Anna since  his Petition of Intent states his wife's name as Anna and "she lives with me."  Really?  His wife had been dead for over 10 years at this point. Maybe I should look for a marriage between Giovanni and another woman named Anna.  It is also worth mentioning that there seems to be some sort of rift between Giovanni and his older sons.  If not, then why didn't my grandfather ever talk about his parents?  No one in the family knows anything about Giovanni probably because they had a falling-out over something.  It saddens me that we don't know more about Giovanni's life but I will keep digging.

Giovanni died at the age of 70 on August 27, 1923 although his death record says he is 50!  He was living at 417 East 106th Street at the time of his death.  His final resting place is also at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, NY but he has a plot that he eventually shares with his daughter Rose Puzzuto, her husband Pasquale and his granddaughter Mary Ann.

UPDATE 12/18/2015 - I found out that Giovanni played the cornet. I found this information in the military files I received on his son Brasso.

UPDATE 05/25/2016 - I have a lead that Giovanni may have played in Giuseppe Creatore's Italian Marching Band which was a rival to John Phillip Sousa's Marching Band.

Here is a photo of my Dad
at age 6 for comparson.

Could this be Giovanni Famoso playing a
sousaphone in Creatore's Italian Band?

Great Uncle Brasso Famoso KIA WWI

My great uncle Biagio "Brasso" Famoso was born in Bari, Italy in 1891. I found his birth record and several census records with his name on them. I also found his name on a ship's manifest when he came to the USA on November 30, 1901 with his mother and siblings. The ship was Citta di Torino. He is listed on the NYC 1905 census as "at school". Wouldn't I just love to get hold of his school records. The closest schools to his home were P.S. 83 and P.S. 172. He is listed on a later census as being a telegraph delivery boy. I don't know if that means he was a bike messenger or a driver delivering the telegrams. He may even have been a walking delivery boy since they lived in Harlem, NY at 326 East 109th Street, NY, NY.

My problems begin with my uncle's service in WWI. He was inducted into the army in May of 1917. He was not drafted so there is no draft card in existence. Why would he sign up for the military during wartime, you ask? I may have some idea. He could have been caught up in the propaganda of the time or he thought he would get U.S. citizenship or he may have just needed a job. I have found his military record through the New York State Archives (SARA). Without their help and some assistance from Fold3.com and findagrave.com, I would not have found any information about Brasso. I know that he was a member of the Expeditionary Forces, he was an MP for a short time and he was in the 1st Infantry (The Big Red 1). He was only 25 and 9 months old when he was killed in action. He was a young man. It is the saddest thing to me that every trace of him (or almost) has disappeared. I found out that there had been a photograph of him when he was in his military uniform that was in his brother Alphonse's house for many years but Alphonse gave it to his youngest sister Loretta who lived in Boston at that time. Both Alphonse and Loretta have passed away many years ago. Alphonse has descendants but I have never found any of Loretta's grandchildren. Her married name was Loretta Famoso Galeota Esposito. Loretta died in 1986. Both of her sons have passed away in 1999. I am literally at a dead end with finding that photo. Brasso's military record seems to have disappeared in the fire of 1973 at the National Archives. That is such a huge loss to me. I feel that it is a disgrace to our WWI heroes to just ignore them. I want this to be my memorial to my great uncle.

Here is what I have found:

He is buried at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in France.
He was killed in the battle of Chateau Thierry.
His obituary
The original telegraph message reporting his death.
He was entitled to a Purple Heart and Silver Star plus a medal from France

What I am  hoping to find is someone who has experienced success in researching military records of American soldiers who died in WWI.  I am also selfishly hoping to find some photo, dog tags or some other record of Brasso from while he was alive. I can't imagine that he lived totally in a vacuum.  Someone must have known him.  For all I know, he may have  had a girlfriend or fiance.  I know he wasn't married at the time of his death but a girlfriend is not outside the realm of possibility. In fact, he might have had many.  He could even have had children that he did or did not know about. I am hoping the universe will send me something of his. A letter to a girlfriend or family member that is owned by a collector, finding anything like that would be a great success for me.

UPDATE:  I found two photos of Brasso thanks to my cousin Neil Squitieri who is the son of my grandmother's sister Katie.  He has a treasure trove of photos!  Brasso was photographed in uniform.  These photos were taken stateside according to my friend who is an expert on WWI and WWII.