denicola update again

Since my last post, where I updated my DeNicola to-do list, I discovered that the antenati.san.beniculturali.it website added church records for Rome, which is where the DeNicola's were from.  Looking through these records, I found some interesting information.

I had been having trouble finding Adolfo Denicola's (my 2nd great grandfather) death record in Rome.  I had assumed he died somewhere around 1880 as my 2nd great grandmother had another child with another man in 1882. (actually found out this child was born in 1886, not 1882)  As it turns out, I made a couple of incorrect assumptions with my great grandfather, Arnaldo DeNicola, and his parents, Adolfo DeNicola and Eugenia Farnetti.

1. I assumed Adolfo DeNicola and Eugenia Farnetti were married; however, I was not able to find a marriage record in Rome for Adolfo and Eugenia.  I assumed they were married as they are the parents listed on my great grandfather's (Arnaldo) death record in Quincy, MA.  As I mentioned in my last post, I did find Arnaldo's birth recording in Rome, from the FamilySearch microfilm.  His father Adolfo DeNicola is listed, but where his mother's name should be, something else is written (in Italian) that I am unable to translate.  I do not see Eugenia's name on the record.

Birth Record of Arnaldo DeNicola, Rome, 1879

2.  I had also assumed Adolfo DeNicola was deceased by the time Eugenia married Luigi Faiella (around 1885), who I thought was her second husband.  Turns out Luigi was probably her first husband, although I was not able to find this marriage record either.  However, on the marriage record of her supposed son, Arnaldo, to Louisa Terragnoli, Eugenia's name is again no-where to be found.  This record also states that Arnaldo's father, Adolfo DeNicola, is still living in 1904!  Adolfo is residing in Genova, Italy, profession is a painter.  Arnaldo's mother is listed as unknown.  Usually in records that I have seen, if a parent is listed as unknown, it is almost always the father.  How can they not know who the mother is, as she gave birth to him!  I find this very interesting.

Marriage Record of Arnaldo DeNicola and Louisa Terragnoli, Rome (took place in Prezza) 1904

Since Adolfo DeNicola is still alive in 1904, and Eugenia is not listed on her son's birth record or marriage record, it seems highly unlikely that Eugenia and Adolfo were ever married.  It is still very possible that Eugenia is Arnaldo's mother, as she is listed on his death record as such.  Also, Eugenia had many grandchildren from her marriage to Luigi Faiella -  and Arnaldo's children (possible grandchildren of Eugenia's) are included in pictures with these other grandchildren.  There is definitely some connection between the families.  Another possibility is that Eugenia sort of "adopted" Arnaldo and his family without a familial connection.  In Eugenia's obituary, it states she only had a certain number of children which was one less than she should have had if Arnaldo was her son; but, Arnaldo was deceased before Eugenia so he may not have been counted.

There is evidence that the later generations of the DeNicolas and the Farnetti/Faiellas were close, but what about Arnaldo and his possible mother Eugenia when Arnaldo was a child?  It looks like Eugenia was in Rome when her first daughter was born in 1886, then by 1888, when her second daughter was born, she was in Prezza, Italy.  By 1903, her family was in Chicago; then eventually by 1910 they were in Quincy.  So where did Arnaldo grow up?  Did he spend his childhood with his father Adolfo?  I do not have any records for Arnaldo between 1879 and 1901, so I am not sure where he spent the first 22 years of his life.  Arnaldo was born in Rome in 1879, so Eugenia was probably in Rome at the time of his birth.  In 1902 he traveled to Boston and states his last residence was Prezza.  (He may not have actually traveled to Boston as his name is crossed off on the passenger list.)  If he did travel, he was back in Prezza by 1904 where he married his wife Louisa .  So 1902 is the first evidence of Arnaldo in Prezza, where his possible mother had been living (at this time Eugenia may have actually been in Chicago).  By 1906 he was back in the Boston / Quincy area.  Interesting that they are in a lot of the same places, just at different times.  By 1910, both Eugenia and Arnaldo are in Quincy, MA.

I have had my DNA tested, but have not been able to make any connections yet to possible cousins descended from Eugenia Farneti.  This is not unusual though as many of my matches do not have family trees online, so it is difficult to assess at this time.

Update on Denicola To Do List

I wrote a "to do post" on this blog almost a year ago for my DeNicola lineage from Rome, Itlay.  The first step was to order microfilm from the Family History Library.  I finally ordered and reviewed the microfilm, but did not find as much information as I had hoped.

This is what I had hoped to accomplish for Adolph DeNicola, my second great grandfather, first husband to Eugenia Farneti:

• death record - Adolph DeNicola, probably occurred in Rome between 1879 when his son Arnaldo was born and 1882 when his wife had another child by her second husband.  Need to order death index for Rome from familysearch for these years.  UPDATE:  I ordered microfilm 2280749 (death index rome 1871-1881) and 2280754 (death index rome 1882-1891).  Neither of these indices had an Adolph DeNicola or DiNicola.  Not sure where to go from here.  Two possible scenerios are 1. Adolph did not die in Rome, 2. Adolph did not die between these years.  Is it possible that Adolph and Eugenia were never married; therefore Adolph may not have been deceased at time of Eugenia's marriage to Luigi Faiella. 
• marriage record - Eugenia Farneti to Adolph DeNicola. This probably occurred in Rome, Italy as their son Arnaldo was born in 1879 in Rome, according to all of his US records.  I have ordered the index to marriage records for 1871-1879 for Rome.  Once I find out the year, I can order the microfilm which contains the records.  UPDATE: I ordered microfilm 2280663 (marriage index rome 1871-1879 and publication index 1875-1882.)   I browsed through this index and found no entries for this couple for the years 1872, 1875, 1876, 1877, and 1878.  I did not see an index for 1879 or beyond on this microfilm.  It is possible that Adolph and Eugenia were married in 1879 or 1880, but there does not seem to be a microfilm for these years, the microfilm jumps from 1878 to 1882.  LEFT TO DO : (allegati for arnaldo's birth might be helpful, could be in either of these?: Allegati [nati] 1879 (ser. A, n. 1-192; ser. B, n. 51, 1954, 52-57, 48, 186, 646-43) microfilm 2335194 Item 4; Allegati [nati] 1879 (ser. B, n. 42-34, [numeri vari]), microfilm 2335195 Item 1)
• marriage record - of Adolph's son Arnaldo DeNicola to Luisa Terragnoli.  This probably happened around 1905 in Prezza, as this is when and where their first child was born. This may also give Eugenia's age and place of birth.  I will probably have to hire a professional to obtain this record, as there does not seem to be microfilm available for these years. UPDATE:  There is a notation in Arnaldo's birth record below that he married Luisa on Nov. 21 190?.  I cannot make out the last number for the year.  It also does not say if the marriage took place in Rome or Prezza.  LEFT TO DO : (index for rome marriages from 1898-1911 on microfilm 2280664; Prezza microfilm only go up to 1865)
• marriage record - of Eugenia Farneti to her second husband Luigi Faiella.  This probably occurred in Rome also, as their first child was born there in 1882.  If I find the marriage record, the allegati would possibly have Eugenia's first husband, Adolph's, death record.  UPDATE: I ordered and reviewed microfilm 2280742 (rome marriage index 1882-1891) There was no Luigi Faiella or Eugenia Farneti listed in this index.  I had also looked in the year 1879 when I was looking for Eugenia's first marriage, but she was not listed here either.  As I wrote above, the index skips from 1879 to 1882.  It could be that both of her marriages took place in 1880 and 1881 where there does not seem to be an index for Rome, or perhaps she did not marry in Rome. 
• birth record - of Adolph's son Arnaldo DeNicola.  He was born in Rome in 1879 according to his naturalization papers.   UPDATE: I ordered microfilm 2280908 (birth index rome 1878-1880).  This index did contain a birth of Arnaldo DeNicola, son of Adolfo item number 1356C.  In order to see the actual birth record, I ordered microfilm 2140328.  The writing on the microfilm was very dark and very small, and the only way I could get a copy of it was to take a picture.  Needless to say, it did not come out very well.  The record is below...

Microfilm 2140328 Rome Births

The only useful pieces of information I was able to read from this document are 1.) his birthdate of September 20th, 1879, which agrees with his WWI record and naturalization papers, and 2.) Arnaldo's father's name is indeed Adolfo, which I had first obtained from Arnaldo's death record in Quincy, MA.  Unfortunately, I am unable to read the section which would state his mother's name, which I think is the middle of 9th to 11th row.  Lastly, in the margins of Arnaldo's birth record is a notation of marriage to Louisa Terragnoli, with a date which looks like November 21.  I am not sure of the year, maybe 1904 or 1906?  

• birth record - Eugenia Farneti around 1863 probably in Rome, Birth records not available this early in Rome 

to do

I just finished creating a family history book through ancestry.com on my grandfather, Amedio Pompeo's, line.  I was able to go back to my 5th great grandfather in the 1700s, Severino Pompeo, in Torre de Passeri, using the Italian records online through familysearch.org and the Italian State Archives. 

Now that I have so many names on my paternal Italian side, my maternal Italian side looks sparse in comparison.  This maternal line, the DeNicola's and Terragnoli's, are also mostly from the Abruzzo region, but from the province of L'Aquila in the commune of Prezza.  These records only go up to 1865 online, which means I was unable to make that connection back in the records since I am starting with my great grandparents, who were born in the 1870's.  It also seems that the DeNicola's may have been from Rome.     

Pedigree chart for Remo DeNicola

I do have the names of my 2nd great grandparents from the records in the US, but I was unable to find most of these names in the Prezza records.  As the chart above shows, there is one line I was able to trace back a bit further, that of my 2nd great grandmother, Francesca Lucente. Since she died in the United States, I was able to obtain her death record which included her parent's names.  She was born in 1846, which allowed me to find her birth record in Prezza online.  This leaves me with three lines to spend some time researching.   

to do: (bold items I have started the process)

1. Guiseppe Terragnoli, my second great granfather, probably died in Italy before his wife Francesca came to the United States.  (Francesca married secondly Luigi Pettinelli in Prezza).  These are the records that I would like to find for Guiseppe Terragnoli; I will probably have to hire a professional to obtain any of these records, as I have written to Prezza town offices a couple of times with no response.
• death record - I was not able to find Guiseppe Terragnoli's death record, which probably occurred after 1865, maybe in Prezza. 
• birth record - I am not sure if Guiseppe was born in Prezza, as I was also unable to locate his birth record after browsing through the Prezza records that are available before 1865.  He would have been born before this date, so I am not sure why I cannot find him, unless he was born in a different commune. 
• marriage record - of Guiseppe Terragnoli and Francesca Lucente, probably in Prezza, as their first child was born there in 1877.  The marriage record will give the age of Guiseppe, his place of birth, and his parents' names.
• marriage record - of their daughter Luisa Terragnoli to Arnaldo DeNicola.  This probably happened around 1905 in Prezza, as this is when and where their first child was born.  This may also give Guiseppe's age and place of birth.
• marriage allegati - for Francesca Lucente's second marriage, which may include Guiseppe's death record.  Allegati contain documents which were necessary to marry.  I have this marriage date of 1894 which was annotated in Francesca's birth record.
2. Eugenia Farneti, my second great grandmother, died in Quincy, MA in 1937. 
• death certificate - this will be easy to obtain by ordering through mass document retrieval.  This will contain Eugenia's parent's names and date of birth.  (UPDATE: I ordered her death certificate and it states her parents' names are Peter Farnetti and Anunziata Gismondi, and birth year would be abt 1870 - see this post about analysis of Eugenia's birth year)
• birth record - her son's birth record, Gaetano Faiella, states Eugenia was born in Rome.  There is microfilm from familysearch that I can order once I have a birth date - which is probably around 1864 according to some other US records.   May have to order Rome birth index to find date. 
• marriage record - Eugenia Farneti to Adolph DeNicola.  This probably occurred in Rome, Italy as their son Arnaldo was born in 1879 in Rome.  I have ordered the index to marriage records for 1871-1879 for Rome from familysearch.  Once I find out the year, I can order the microfilm which contains the records.
• marriage record - of her son Arnaldo DeNicola to Luisa Terragnoli.  (same as above under Guiseppe) This probably happened around 1905 in Prezza, as this is when and where their first child was born. This may also give Eugenia's age and place of birth.  I will probably have to hire a professional to obtain this record. 
• marriage record - Eugenia Farneti to her second husband Luigi Faiella.  This probably occurred in Rome also, as their first child was born there in 1882.  I will have to check if the marriage allegati records are available at familysearch for this year in Rome.  The allegati would have Eugenia's age, place of birth, and possibly her first husband, Adolph's, death record.
• birth record - her son Arnaldo DeNicola.  He was born in Rome in 1879 according to his naturalization papers.  I have ordered the 1878-1879 index and records for Rome from familysearch.  This may obtain Eugenia's age and place of birth. 
3. Adolph DeNicola, my second great grandfather, first husband to Eugenia Farneti
• death record - Adolph DeNicola, probably occurred in Rome between 1879 when his son Arnaldo was born and 1882 when his wife had another child by her second husband.  Need to order death index for Rome from familysearch for these years.
• marriage record - Eugenia Farneti to Adolph DeNicola.  (same as above under Eugenia) This probably occurred in Rome, Italy as their son Arnaldo was born in 1879 in Rome.  I have ordered the index to marriage records for 1871-1879 for Rome.  Once I find out the year, I can order the microfilm which contains the records.
• marriage record - of her son Arnaldo DeNicola to Luisa Terragnoli.  (same as above under Guiseppe and Eugenia) This probably happened around 1905 in Prezza, as this is when and where their first child was born. This may also give Eugenia's age and place of birth.  I will probably have to hire a professional to obtain this record. 
• marriage record - of Eugenia Farneti to her second husband Luigi Faiella.  (same as above under Eugenia) This probably occurred in Rome also, as their first child was born there in 1882.  I will have to check if the marriage allegati records are available at familysearch for this year in Rome.  The allegati would have possibly her first husband, Adolph's, death record.
• birth record - her son Arnaldo DeNicola.  (same as above under Eugenia) He was born in Rome in 1879 according to his naturalization papers.  I have ordered the 1878-1879 index and records for Rome from familysearch.  This may obtain Adolph's age and place of birth. 

I definitely have some ways to expand my Italian line on my maternal side.  Guiseppe Terragnoli will probably be the most difficult to obtain as I have to go through a professional, but I can get a start on the other two lines.  It looks like I have some records to order. 

the mob connection

I recently read an article from Genea-Musings' blog about finding hints for ancestors from a specific database on ancestry.com.  I had no idea this was possible, so I thought I would play around with it a bit.  I started by looking for people in my tree that had hints in the Social Security Death Index database.  I do not think anyone on my direct line came up, but I was still able to fill in some death dates for others in my tree.

While I was browsing through these hints, I noticed a link on the left side of the page that would allow me to narrow down the ancestry hints by photos.  I have always wanted to find just photo hints for the people in my tree, and was happy to see there were over 300 possible photos for my ancestors.  After clicking on the link, I found most of them were of gravestones that I myself had taken and posted on findagrave.com already.  However; I did find some pictures I did not have, and also found an interesting connection of my family to the Chicago mob, "the outfit" - once run by Al Capone.

The Mob Connection:

The picture that brought me to this connection was under Louis T. Fratto.  I attached the picture to my tree, and noticed that the picture looked like it came from a newspaper, and the caption for the photo was "Louis 'cockeyed louie' Fratto".

Louis "Cockeyed Louie" Fratto (originally from ancestry.com user lmuchisky family tree)

The nickname peaked my interest, so I did a quick google search and found the following wikipedia entry on Louis.  I also found that his brother, Frank "one ear" Fratto, worked alongside Louis.  A blog post from Breakshot Blog details this family a bit more.  Apparently, Louis became the mob boss of the Iowa Family in Des Moines, replacing Charles "Cherry nose" Gioe (Gioe was appointed by Capone). Louis may also have been involved in Gioe's death.  They did not have enough evidence to convict Louis, so he was released.  Another interesting tidbit about this family: Louis' son, Frankie Fratto Farrel, died in the plane crash with boxer Rocky Marciano in 1969.

Frank "One Ear" Fratto (brother of Louis Fratto) (originally from ancestry.com user lmuchisky family tree)

So how is Louis and Frank Fratto connected to my family?  Louis and Frank Fratto are my 1/2 first cousins, 2x removed; the children of my half-great grand aunt, Bianca Faiella.  I understand the connection better this way...My second great grandmother, Eugenia Farnetti, remarried after her first husband, Adolph DeNicola, died.  Adolph is my second great grandfather; and their only son, Arnaldo, is my great grandfather.  Eugenia's second husband was Luigi Faiella.  Eugenia and Luigi had 10 children, Arnaldo's half siblings.  They lived in Chicago for a time, but Eugenia, Luigi, and most of their children moved to Quincy, MA.  One of these half siblings, Bianca Faiella married Thomas Fratto and remained in Chicago.  So my second great grandmother, Eugenia Farneti, is the grandmother of Louis and Frank Fratto, who were involved with the Chicago Mob and later the Iowa Mob.

eugenia farneti denicola faiella (part 3 of 3)

I put together all the information I have found from various sources on Eugenia Farneti Faiella to see if I could narrow down her birth date.

Birth Date

The sources I have for Eugenia's birth are:

• August 31, 1903 passenger record she is 42 years old : born between Aug 1861-Aug 1862
• May 1906 passenger record she is 44 years old : born between May 1862-May 1863
• May 1906 border crossing she is 44 years old : born between May 1862-May 1863
• 1920 census she is 56 years old (suppose to be status as of jan 1) : born  between Jan 1864- Jan 1865
• 1930 census she is 68 years old (suppose to be status as of apr 1) : born between Apr 1862 - Apr 1863
• May 1937 death obituary she is 67 years old : born between May 1870 - May 1871

Eugenia's age at death in 1937 of 67 seems unlikely, as the 1930 census states that she is 68 years old.  The ages in the other sources seem to correspond more closely to the 1930 census.  I would think the earliest record I have of Eugenia, her passenger records, might be more accurate.  So I am guessing her date of birth to be between the years of 1861-1864.  If we also take into account that she was 16 years old when she first married, according to the 1930 census, it seems likely she could have married Adolph before Luigi at a young age.  The first child I have a record of for Eugenia and Luigi is their daughter Elvira who was born around 1885.  The only child of Eugenia and Adolph that I have a record for is Arnaldo, who was born in September of 1879.  That is a large gap, although it is possible Eugenia and Luigi left children in Italy when they emigrated.  Arnaldo's year of birth is significant though; if Eugenia was born between 1862-1864, she would have been around 16 or 17 years old when she had him.  Again, this corresponds with the date of her first marriage at the age of 16.  

When I am able to search for Eugenia's birth records, I will focus on these years.  Also, according to one of Eugenia and Luigi Faiella's children's birth record, (Guy born in Chicago, IL); Eugenia was born in Rome.  Another clue for finding her birth record.  I also have sources which state my great grandfather, Arnaldo DeNicola, was born in Rome; which makes the connection even closer between them.   To sum up their connections:

1. I have a picture of Arnaldo's children with Eugenia's other grandchildren through her marriage to Luigi Faiella : and distant cousins stating that Eugenia was married to a DeNicola before she married Faiella
2. both Eugenia Farneti Faiella and Arnaldo DeNicola were born in Rome, Italy
3. both Eugenia Farneti Faiella and Arnaldo DeNicola eventually lived in Prezza, Italy before they immigrated to the United States.
4. both Eugenia Farneti Faiella and Arnaldo DeNicola eventually settled in Quincy, MA
5. birth year of Arnaldo DeNicola in 1879 would be close to when Eugenia Farneti Faiella's first marriage occurred, when she was 16 years old.    

If Arnaldo is the son of Eugenia Farneti Faiella, then according to Michael LoDico's website and Facebook page, this is my 2nd great grandmother, Eugenia...

Eugenia Farneti Faiella picture courtesy of Michael LoDico

eugenia farneti denicola faiella (part 2 of 3)

Marriage Record

I searched for the marriage of Eugenia Farneti and Luigi Faiella in the Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915 on familysearch.org without success.  I would assume that Eugenia and Luigi Faiella were married before 1915, as I know they had many children together and by 1915 Eugenia would be around 53 years old; too late to have children.  Since they are not in this database, it is likely that they were married in Italy before the immigrated to the United States.  It is posted on Michael LoDico's Facebook page that Eugenia Farneti and Luigi Faiella were married in Prezza on June 15, 1884. Prezza records will be a great place to look for this record; unfortunately they are only available up until 1865 online.

Passenger Record

It was easy to locate Eugenia and Luigi Faiella's passenger records from Italy with a simple search for Luigi Faiella on ancestry.com's Boston, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1954.  This record provides a great amount of new information.  Eugenia's maiden name is listed, Farneti, as well as many of their children that traveled with them; including Elvira age 18, Bianca age 17, Emma age 15, Nunzio age 13, Giselda age 10, Rodolfo age 8, Americo age 6, Giovannini age 4, Aristide age 1.  Luigi is 50 and Eugenia is 42 years old.  They left Naples, Italy on August 31, 1903 on the ship S.S. Cambroman.  I am unable to read Luigi's profession, it looks like "possessor" but it is crossed out?  The record states their last place of residence is Prezza, Italy; which corresponds with information I have on Eugenia's son Arnaldo DeNicola and his wife Louisa Terragnoli.  A surprising bit of information on this record is that Eugenia and Luigi are heading to Chicago, IL and not remaining in Boston, MA.  There is also another man listed above them, Amadeo Ghetti, from Prezza heading to Chicago, IL.  They list they are going to join their friends, David and Sabatino Falone; and that they have never been in the US before.  They are not joining Eugenia's possible son Arnaldo.  This is not that surprising as Arnaldo does not seem to be settled in Massachusetts yet, even though he had traveled there in 1902.  Arnaldo went back and forth a couple of times before settling in 1906.

1903 passenger record from Naples, Italy to Boston Massachusetts; Luigi and Eugenia Faiella

At some point, the Faiella family returned to Italy; as they are found on another passenger record in the Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 database in May of 1906.  This time the family left Antwerp, Belgium and were heading to Montreal, Canada on the ship Mount Temple.  Eugenia is now 44 years old and traveling with her husband Luigi and children Nunzio, Giselda, Rodolfo, Americo, Giovannini, Aristide, and a new son Gaetano.  The border crossing record from ancestry's database Border Crossings : From Canada to US, 1895-1956 shows their last residence was again Prezza, Italy and they again are heading to Chicago, IL.  It looks like they were joining Luigi and Eugenia's son-in-law Ant. Febbo at 317 Taylor Street in West Chicago.  I am not sure which daughter married a Febbo, but their daughter Bianca does marry a Thomas Fratto, who remain in Chicago, IL throughout their lives.  Perhaps this is who they were visiting and the border record was not exact in their recording the correct surname?

1906 passenger record from Belguim, Germany to Montreal, Canada; Luigi and Eugenia Faiella

1906 Canada Border Crossing; Luigi and Eugenia Faiella

I am not sure if the family stayed in the United States or returned again to Italy, but I did not find any other passenger records for them.  The census records below do show that they eventually moved from Chicago to Massachusetts.  So out of these passenger records, the only connection I have found for Eugenia Farneti Faiella and Arnaldo DeNicola is that they both immigrated to the US from Prezza, Italy.

Census Records

The first census record I have been able to find Eugenia Faiella in is the 1920 US Federal Census, living in Quincy, MA.  Eugenia is listed as Virginia Faiella.  I cannot tell if this is a transcription error of if the enumerator actually wrote Virginia and misheard her name.  Her husband is listed as Louis Faiella, when he should be Luigi.  Two sons are living with them, Eddie and Guy; probably Aristide and Gaetano according to their birth dates.  Gaetano's birth place states Illinois, which may mean the family was still living in Chicago in 1904, and probably traveled home to Italy for just a visit before returning to Chicago in 1906.  (From the Facebook pictures, it also states that the Faiella family lived in Missouri and that one of their son's, Americo, was born in Brazil around 1896 - so it seems they did a lot of traveling).  In 1920, they are living at 59 Main Street in Quincy.  By 1926, Edward, Guy and Eugenia are all living at 8 Silver Street; Eugenia's husband Luigi died in Sept of 1925 according to the Quincy City Directory on ancestry.com.

1920 Census Quincy, MA; Eugenia Faiella

Eugenia is also listed in the 1930 Census, still living with her son Eddie and his family; this time at 40 Baxter Street in Quincy, MA.  Her other son Guy is also still living with them.  They seem to be living with another family, or at least in a two family home.  The other family's head of household is Sam and Emma Pasquale; Emma is Eugenia's daughter.  The 1930 census also lists their immigration status; Eugenia is still an alien, while her son Edward was naturalized.

1930 Census Quincy, MA; Eugenia Faiella

Another interesting bit of information on the 1930 census is Eugenia's age at first marriage.  This will be helpful when trying to locate the marriage record for Eugenia and her possible first husband Adolph DeNicola.  If this is the correct Eugenia, she was 16 years old when she married Adolph DeNicola, according to this census.  This bit of information does not provide any direct evidence that Eugenia Faiella and Adolph were once married.  The only connection these census records do make is that Eugenia Faiella and her possible son from her first marriage, Arnaldo DeNicola, are both living in Quincy in 1920 and 1930.

Death

It took a little bit to track down any death information on Eugenia.  I finally found her in the Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901-1980 on ancestry.com.  She was indexed under the surname Fai Ella.  This database on ancestry is not indexed very well for searching; so whenever I find an entry, I look at the actual scanned index page.  For instance, Eugenia's death is indexed on this ancestry database as 1940 in Boston; but after looking at the actual page, I see she died in 1937 in Quincy.  Now that I have at least the year of her death, I contacted the Quincy Public Library for a possible obituary in the Patriot Ledger, the local newspaper for Quincy.  I was so excited when the librarian emailed the obituary to me.  The obituary states Eugenia died on May 3, 1937 and is buried at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, the same cemetery my grandfather and great grandparents are buried.  I will have to make another visit to the cemetery to find her gravestone.  It also states her age at death is 67 years old, which I am not sure is that accurate.

Patriot Ledger 5/5/1937; obituary Eugenia Faiella

In my next post, I will look at all the sources of information I have on Eugenia's age and come up with a date range for her birth.  This date range will help me eventually narrow down her birth in the Italian records and to see if the age for a first marriage to Adolph DeNicola makes sense with this Eugenia Farneti that married Luigi Faiella.

eugenia farneti denicola faiella (part 1 of 3)

My last post was about my Italian immigrant ancestor, one of my second great grandmothers, Francesca Lucente.  Another second great grandmother of mine was also from Italy, Eugenia Farneti.  Eugenia's first husband was Adolph DeNicola, my second great-grandfather.  I believe Adolph died in Italy, and Eugenia married a second time to Luigi Faiella.  Again, I have not had much success finding information on this family in Italian records.  The only information I have on Adolph is his name.  However; unlike my last post with Francesca Lucente, I was able to find what I think is Eugenia's passenger record.  If I have the correct Eugenia, she actually traveled back and forth between Italy and and various other countries with her second husband and their children.

I know Adolph DeNicola and Eugenia Farneti are my second great grandparents from the death certificate of my great grandfather, Arnaldo DeNicola, translated from Mass Document Retrieval.  I do have some evidence from Arnaldo's naturalization papers and his passenger records that Arnaldo was born in Rome, Italy.  This would make Rome a place to look for more information on his parents, Adolph and Eugenia.  I have not looked yet to see if there are records for Rome online, as I do not know which church or area of Rome Arnaldo was from.

The only information I have that links Arnaldo's mother Eugenia Farneti to a second husband is from Facebook.  A distant cousin's Facebook page, Michael LoDico, includes pictures of my grandfather, Remo DeNicola, as a young child.  The discussion under this photo mentions that Remo's grandfather, Adolph DeNicola, died and his wife, Eugenia, later married Luigi Faiella.  The picture with my grandfather, Remo DeNicola, also includes some of his siblings along with some Faiella children that were grandchildren of Eugenia Farneti Faiella.  Remo is the son of Arnaldo, and therefore the grandson of Eugenia Farneti.  This does show that there is some sort of a connection with the DeNicola's and the Faiella's.  I think that it is very likely Arnaldo's mother, Eugenia Farneti, is the same Eugenia Farneti that marries Luigi Faiella; which is what all the cousins on Facebook have posted.  Remo is the first boy on the left, middle row, with bowl-cut next to boy in hat.

Rudolfo and Jenny LoDico Faiella with Faiella and DeNicola children picture courtesy of Michael LoDico

Now that I have some evidence that Eugenia Farneti DeNicola and Eugenia Farneti Faiella are the same person, I looked into finding more information on Eugenia Farneti Faiella in Massachusetts; hoping to find documentation that Eugenia Faiella was once married to Adolph DeNicola.

In my next post I will focus on finding the following in United States records:

• marriage record to Luigi Faiella
• passenger record
• census records
• death record
• burial record