FamilySearch.org recently added State Civil records for Bari, meaning online access to Alberobello and Locorotondo records! Unfortunately, the records are only available on-site or if you are a qualified member (which I'm not) so I have to go to the Family History Center nearby to look through them. Even so, it will be saving me a ton of money by not having to rent microfilms. Plus, I can download the records, so I don't have to rely on my shoddy photography skills and an irritating microfilm reader to get a copy. Thus, for the last couple of weeks I've been going through the Alberobello and Locorotondo records to find and save my ancestors' birth, marriage, and death records.
**Quick piece of advice -- don't use a flash drive as your primary memory source! I broke mine the other day, which contained not only many of my own files, but also the files of research I'd done for a friend. With some luck, I'll be able to fix it and get my data back. *Fingers crossed*
But anyway, I was having some trouble finding the death record of one of my 4th-great grandmothers, Cosma Laneve. Based on the marriage and death records I'd found for some of her children, I narrowed her death date down to between 1861 and 1867. I searched the indexes of each of these years, plus 1860 and 1868, but couldn't find her. I did find a Cosma Laneve who died in 1863, but it gave her parents' names as Angelo Laneve and Marta Tauro, while I had her parents' names as Evangelista and Paola Livinia Panaro. After searching through the records twice and even checking death records in Monopoli, I figured I would look at the Cosma who died in 1863, just in case. Sure enough, it listed her husband's name as Pietro Bino - my 4th-great grandfather. Her age and year of death seemed to further confirm I had the right person. The part that didn't make sense was the names of her parents.
She was born before civil records became available in 1809, so I didn't have the ability to check her birth record, but her two marriage banns and marriage record named Evangelista Laneve and Paola Livinia Panaro as her parents. What is even more interesting is that Pietro's mother's name was Marta Tauro. My first assumption was that whoever reported her death gave the wrong information. They got Cosma's mother confused with Pietro's...and who knows where Angelo came from. But when I went back to look at the names of Cosma and Pietro's children, I realized for the first time that they had no children named Evangelista or Paola or even Livinia. Their first daughter was named Marta and their first son was named Giuseppe, the names of Pietro's parents - following Italian naming traditions. Their second son, however, was named Angelo and their second daughter was named Antonia. If Cosma's parents were really named Angelo and Marta, this would make perfect sense. Because Pietro's mother was Marta they would only have one daughter named Marta. But then why would their marriage record name Evangelista and Paola? And if they are her true parents, why didn't Cosma and Pietro name any of their children after them?
I enlisted the help of the genealogists and researchers on on ItalianGenealogy.com. My two responders seemed to think Evanglista and Paola would be her true parents. As one person pointed out, a birth record would have had to be presented at the time of marriage, naming her parents. Thus, a marriage record would probably be more reliable than a death record. But even so, we can only speculate.
So who are Cosma Laneve's parents? I really don't know now. These unsolvable mysteries drive me nuts! Maybe I'll get around to sending a letter to the church in Alberobello, requesting her birth/baptism record in order to hopefully put an end to this mystery. Or maybe I will get to go there in person someday and find out myself!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Great Uncle Phil
I saw my great uncle Philip, older brother (he's 91!) of my grandfather and named after Filippo Giacovelli, today for the first time in several years and he gave me some new information on the Bini family! My mom and I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions, and he was aware of Cosmo having a brother Giuseppe and a sister Maria, but didn't know about his brother Francesco. He thinks Giuseppe went to either Brazil or Argentina. He also said that Maria died during child birth. This would explain why I haven't found her in the 1930 census or found a SSDI for her. She most likely died sometime in the mid-1920s. He said Maria was living/died in Endicott or Binghamton. He also said that Cosmo started his first restaurant in Endicott. I still don't have an Ancestry subscription so I can't do any decent searches and will have to head to the library or FHS soon. I'm hoping I can meet with him again soon or have someone ask him to elaborate more.
While in Utica, I drove past two of Cosmo's old residences. One is now a funeral home and the other has purple trim on the outside and a matching purple fence...EEK! And they no longer appear to be in an Italian neighborhood, but a Spanish one. I didn't have the addresses for his restaurants, but from what I can tell on Google Maps, they've been torn down and are now parking lots (the restaurant in Johnstown was also torn down, back before I even knew it existed). :(
I also met the granddaughter of Angelo Antonio (Tony) Giacovelli (Angelina's brother) and Maria Annese (Cosmo's cousin). Her aunt has done a fairly extensive family history for the Anneses and Giacovellis (from what I hear) and she volunteered to mail me a copy of all that her aunt has. This is perfect because I've been trying to find Tony and Maria's marriage record to get her parents' names so that I can confirm her relationship to Cosmo (didn't have a chance to look at the county clerk's while I was there).
I've ordered microfilm for Locorotondo births so I can find Filippo Giacovelli and his siblings. It's currently back-ordered, but I'll probably update again when it's in or I have some new information.
While in Utica, I drove past two of Cosmo's old residences. One is now a funeral home and the other has purple trim on the outside and a matching purple fence...EEK! And they no longer appear to be in an Italian neighborhood, but a Spanish one. I didn't have the addresses for his restaurants, but from what I can tell on Google Maps, they've been torn down and are now parking lots (the restaurant in Johnstown was also torn down, back before I even knew it existed). :(
I also met the granddaughter of Angelo Antonio (Tony) Giacovelli (Angelina's brother) and Maria Annese (Cosmo's cousin). Her aunt has done a fairly extensive family history for the Anneses and Giacovellis (from what I hear) and she volunteered to mail me a copy of all that her aunt has. This is perfect because I've been trying to find Tony and Maria's marriage record to get her parents' names so that I can confirm her relationship to Cosmo (didn't have a chance to look at the county clerk's while I was there).
I've ordered microfilm for Locorotondo births so I can find Filippo Giacovelli and his siblings. It's currently back-ordered, but I'll probably update again when it's in or I have some new information.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Bini Line - Beginning in Early 1700s
Giuseppe Bino (?-bef. 1809) & Margerita Vona (?-bef. 1809)
|
Pietro Bino (~1743-1813) & Livia Sgobba (~1747-1827)
|
Giuseppe Bino (~1769-1813) & Marta Tauro (~1779-1824)
|
Pietro Bini (~1798-1882) & Cosma Laneve (~1799-1865)
|
Giuseppe Bini (1822-1882) & Cosma Lippolis (1832-1858)
|
Pietro Bini (1849-?) & Antonia Annese (1855-?)
|
Cosmo Damiano Bini (1889-1975)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Bini Family Update
Soooo! It's been a few months, and I've learned a lot more about my Bini and Annese ancestors in that time. Of course, I'm now faced with several more unanswered questions.
First of all, I found Cosmo's birth record in the Coreggia microfilm.
-Cosmo Damiano Bini was born January 7(?), 1889 at 4:05 AM in Coreggia, a township of Monopoli, to Pietro Bini (age 39, contadino) and Antonia Annese. ---His draft and death records give his birth date as Jan. 6th, so I'm not sure which date is correct. Their address is listed as "Contrada Pantanelli al numero cossato"...but obviously cossato isn't a number. In fact, I don't know what cossato even means. Anyone?
**Also, based on the name given on his birth record, I will now refer to him as Cosmo instead of Cosimo.
Second, I found his brother Giuseppe's birth record.
It turns out that Pietro and Antonia had 3 children before Cosmo was born, with the first two dying in infancy.
-Their first child was named Giuseppe, born Feb 19, 1880 in Coreggia. He must have died before 1882, as their second son Giuseppe was born June 1, 1882 in Coreggia. The third Giuseppe was born June 9, 1885 in Coreggia. At the time of all three births they lived on Contrada Coreggia, no number listed.
-I found no birth records for children of Pietro and Antonia between 1885 and 1889, so, as far as I know, Cosmo was the next born.
Third, I have documented almost all Binis and Anneses born and married in Alberobello between 1809 and 1900. Coreggia birth records are on microfilm from 1878-1895 (1895 is when Coreggia became part of Alberobello) and I have documented all Binis and Anneses born there between 1878 and 1894. This has helped me identify virtually every Bini I have found that immigrated to the U.S. from Alberobello. There weren't many Binis in Alberobello, so I have managed to trace most of them back to only a few families in the 1700s using birth, marriage, and death records. However, because the Anneses had a much larger presence in Alberobello, I haven't been able to link them all together. In fact, going back to the 1740s, I could still not link my Annese line to most of the other hundreds of Anneses in Alberobello.
Fourth, I am fairly certain that Cosmo immigrated to Utica, NY in 1906.
I have found only two Cos(i)mo Binis born in Alberobello/Coreggia and both were born in 1889 (one being my great grandfather). One of the problems I originally faced with finding Cosmo's immigration record was that I found 3 ship records with Cos(i)mo Binis from Alberobello, but had no way of knowing who they were. I managed to eliminate one, based on the information provided in the ship manifest, as well as U.S. information I found on the other Cosimo (his name included an i), but the other 2 I was less certain about. The name on the 1905 manifest had been crossed out, indicating he hadn't sailed, but it gave the birth year as 1889, his home as Alberobello, and a brother named Giuseppe Bini living in Utica, NY. In 1906 there was another Cosmo Bini, born in 1889, from Alberobello, and going to a brother Giuseppe in Utica, as well. While it appeared to be the same person as in 1905, I had no way of knowing whether this was my great grandfather or not.
However, based on my new information (there were only 2 Cos(i)mo Binis in Alberobello, the other Cosimo didn't have a brother Giuseppe, my great grandfather did have a brother Giuseppe, and my great grandfather settled in Utica), I feel pretty confident that these ship records belonged to my great grandfather.
Fifth, I have no idea what happened to Giuseppe or Maria.
At this point, it is evident that Cosmo had three siblings: an older brother Giuseppe (1885), a younger brother Francesco (1891), and a younger sister Maria (1895). Giuseppe came here before May 23, 1905 and Maria arrived on April 21, 1921.
-I have scoured the census records and directories for Giuseppe but have found no trace of him. I was also unable to find him in the ship records. I never expected him to be even more of a challenge than Cosmo! -Now, Cosmo arrived in 1906 and the story goes that he worked on a railroad at some point after arriving. I have found him working in a grocery store in 1916 via a Utica directory (the first time I can find him in Utica), and he appears in most future directories, but between 1906 and 1916, I have found nothing. It is my assumption that at some point during these 10 years he worked on the railroad (as for what railroad, no one seems to know). So, I'm wondering whether Giuseppe worked on the railroad, as well.
-There is also a story that one of Cosmo's brothers moved to Brazil. Was this Francesco? Or was this Giuseppe? Did Giuseppe come to the U.S. for a few years and then move to Brazil? Or could Giuseppe have even gone back to Italy?
-As for Maria, I know she married Antonio Palmisano, also from Alberobello, in Utica in 1921. Aside from her ship record and brief marriage announcement, I have found no trace of her. Unfortunately, Antonio/Anthony Palmisano is an incredibly common name, and Maria/Mary is even more common. I know Antonio was living in Pennsylvania when they got married, but I have no idea whether they stayed in Utica after getting married, went to PA, or moved somewhere else entirely. The story goes that Cosmo had a sister who moved to California, and Maria is the only sister I could find, but I haven't found any Antonio and Maria Palmisanos who fit their descriptions there. Unfortunately, I don't know Antonio's birth date, so I can't search for his SSDI. I've tried searching for her SSDI, but have had no luck. I'm hoping to visit Utica soon, so I can find their marriage certificate and get his date of birth. Maybe that will get me some answers (fingers crossed).
I would also like to write for the 3 brothers' military records, as this might tell me whether Francesco stayed in Italy or if Giuseppe went back to fight in WWI. It should also say whether any of them evaded the draft and where they may have gone, such as the U.S. or Brazil.
Well, that's about all for now on the Bini Family. I've learned some new information recently on Angelina Giacovelli's family, so maybe I will discuss this in my next post.
First of all, I found Cosmo's birth record in the Coreggia microfilm.
-Cosmo Damiano Bini was born January 7(?), 1889 at 4:05 AM in Coreggia, a township of Monopoli, to Pietro Bini (age 39, contadino) and Antonia Annese. ---His draft and death records give his birth date as Jan. 6th, so I'm not sure which date is correct. Their address is listed as "Contrada Pantanelli al numero cossato"...but obviously cossato isn't a number. In fact, I don't know what cossato even means. Anyone?
**Also, based on the name given on his birth record, I will now refer to him as Cosmo instead of Cosimo.
Second, I found his brother Giuseppe's birth record.
It turns out that Pietro and Antonia had 3 children before Cosmo was born, with the first two dying in infancy.
-Their first child was named Giuseppe, born Feb 19, 1880 in Coreggia. He must have died before 1882, as their second son Giuseppe was born June 1, 1882 in Coreggia. The third Giuseppe was born June 9, 1885 in Coreggia. At the time of all three births they lived on Contrada Coreggia, no number listed.
-I found no birth records for children of Pietro and Antonia between 1885 and 1889, so, as far as I know, Cosmo was the next born.
Third, I have documented almost all Binis and Anneses born and married in Alberobello between 1809 and 1900. Coreggia birth records are on microfilm from 1878-1895 (1895 is when Coreggia became part of Alberobello) and I have documented all Binis and Anneses born there between 1878 and 1894. This has helped me identify virtually every Bini I have found that immigrated to the U.S. from Alberobello. There weren't many Binis in Alberobello, so I have managed to trace most of them back to only a few families in the 1700s using birth, marriage, and death records. However, because the Anneses had a much larger presence in Alberobello, I haven't been able to link them all together. In fact, going back to the 1740s, I could still not link my Annese line to most of the other hundreds of Anneses in Alberobello.
Fourth, I am fairly certain that Cosmo immigrated to Utica, NY in 1906.
I have found only two Cos(i)mo Binis born in Alberobello/Coreggia and both were born in 1889 (one being my great grandfather). One of the problems I originally faced with finding Cosmo's immigration record was that I found 3 ship records with Cos(i)mo Binis from Alberobello, but had no way of knowing who they were. I managed to eliminate one, based on the information provided in the ship manifest, as well as U.S. information I found on the other Cosimo (his name included an i), but the other 2 I was less certain about. The name on the 1905 manifest had been crossed out, indicating he hadn't sailed, but it gave the birth year as 1889, his home as Alberobello, and a brother named Giuseppe Bini living in Utica, NY. In 1906 there was another Cosmo Bini, born in 1889, from Alberobello, and going to a brother Giuseppe in Utica, as well. While it appeared to be the same person as in 1905, I had no way of knowing whether this was my great grandfather or not.
However, based on my new information (there were only 2 Cos(i)mo Binis in Alberobello, the other Cosimo didn't have a brother Giuseppe, my great grandfather did have a brother Giuseppe, and my great grandfather settled in Utica), I feel pretty confident that these ship records belonged to my great grandfather.
Fifth, I have no idea what happened to Giuseppe or Maria.
At this point, it is evident that Cosmo had three siblings: an older brother Giuseppe (1885), a younger brother Francesco (1891), and a younger sister Maria (1895). Giuseppe came here before May 23, 1905 and Maria arrived on April 21, 1921.
-I have scoured the census records and directories for Giuseppe but have found no trace of him. I was also unable to find him in the ship records. I never expected him to be even more of a challenge than Cosmo! -Now, Cosmo arrived in 1906 and the story goes that he worked on a railroad at some point after arriving. I have found him working in a grocery store in 1916 via a Utica directory (the first time I can find him in Utica), and he appears in most future directories, but between 1906 and 1916, I have found nothing. It is my assumption that at some point during these 10 years he worked on the railroad (as for what railroad, no one seems to know). So, I'm wondering whether Giuseppe worked on the railroad, as well.
-There is also a story that one of Cosmo's brothers moved to Brazil. Was this Francesco? Or was this Giuseppe? Did Giuseppe come to the U.S. for a few years and then move to Brazil? Or could Giuseppe have even gone back to Italy?
-As for Maria, I know she married Antonio Palmisano, also from Alberobello, in Utica in 1921. Aside from her ship record and brief marriage announcement, I have found no trace of her. Unfortunately, Antonio/Anthony Palmisano is an incredibly common name, and Maria/Mary is even more common. I know Antonio was living in Pennsylvania when they got married, but I have no idea whether they stayed in Utica after getting married, went to PA, or moved somewhere else entirely. The story goes that Cosmo had a sister who moved to California, and Maria is the only sister I could find, but I haven't found any Antonio and Maria Palmisanos who fit their descriptions there. Unfortunately, I don't know Antonio's birth date, so I can't search for his SSDI. I've tried searching for her SSDI, but have had no luck. I'm hoping to visit Utica soon, so I can find their marriage certificate and get his date of birth. Maybe that will get me some answers (fingers crossed).
I would also like to write for the 3 brothers' military records, as this might tell me whether Francesco stayed in Italy or if Giuseppe went back to fight in WWI. It should also say whether any of them evaded the draft and where they may have gone, such as the U.S. or Brazil.
Well, that's about all for now on the Bini Family. I've learned some new information recently on Angelina Giacovelli's family, so maybe I will discuss this in my next post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)