Hi all,
So many questions!
Here are the facts as I know them...
My great grandparents were from Angoli, IT and found a new life in Warren, PA.
One question I have is whether anyone knows much about the settlement of Warren by so many Scalises! My grandfather emigrated in ~1883. I believe that puts him at the early end of the wave, right?
How does one research ship manifests prior to Ellis Island?
I have the following dates to share, but I don't feel confident of their accuracy:
Francesco Scalise b. Jan 13, 1850. His parents were Giuseppe Scalise and Maria Mazzei. This week, I researched Angoli's birth records on LDS film # 1798204 from 1844-1854 and found only one set of parents matching those names. They had a boy, Francesco, as being born on Jan 23, 1849.
Close enough?? They also had a daughter, Maria, b. Nov 18, 1854. My family has no knowledge of Francesco's siblings.
While searching for Francesco's birth, I also searched for his wife, Rosa Mascaro. I have her birthdate as Apr 12, 1853. I didn't find her at all. Her death certificate lists her father's name as Filippo. Family lore says that her parents died when she was young and she and her brother went to live with the Scalise family (above). Her brother reportedly became a priest (I find that hard to believe since they were not literate, but who knows).
Does anyone know much about the Mascaros in the Angoli area at that time?
If it's relevant, Francesco and Rosa married in Angoli on Jun 29, 1872.
So, Francesco came to America in 1883 and then sent for his wife, Rose and their only surviving child, Giuseppe b. Sep 4, 1873 in Angoli (they had a son, Anthony in Angoli in 1875, but he died along with three other girls whose names I don't know).
So far, the LDS records I've seen end in 1860 for the area. Is there a reason for that? Again, family lore says that Rosa's brother accompanied her on the voyage, but noone knows anything about him, which I find odd.
I know this is a lot to post all at once, but I figured it would be better to just get it all out than to go back and forth!
I have received Francesco's naturalization record from Warren, PA.
How does one go about finding the Italian document that shows him renouncing his Italian citizenship? Does that exist?
OK, one last question and I'll leave you all alone!
If I were to travel to Angoli, how would I gain access to the records in the area? Is one able to just walk in off the street, or is there some process there? I am relatively fluent in Italian, so that part doesn't intimidate me, I would just hate to travel all that way to discover I didn't have the right document.
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Theresa
p.s. I have scans of ~175 documents from LDS film #178945 and would happily make more if they are of interest to any of you.