louisa terragnoli denicola (part 3 of 3)

death

Louisa died on May 9, 1945 in Quincy, MA, ten years after her husband, Arnaldo.  I have this date thanks to the great reference librarians at the Quincy Public Library who looked through the cemetery index for me.  She found that Louisa and Arnaldo are buried at Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA, in lot 574, section M.  Their last name is spelled DiNicola in the index, rather than DeNicola.  The librarian was unable to find an obituary in the Patriot Ledger, the Quincy newspaper.  Louisa was survived by 10 of her 11 children; all except Eva who died as a child.  I have ordered a transcription of Louisa's death record, I will update my post when it is received.

Louisa Terragnoli and Arnaldo DeNicola Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I only have one picture of Louisa, it is of her and her husband Arnaldo.  Even though they look to be dressed in wedding attire, they seem older the their twenties.  I am guessing the picture was taken later in their lives; therefore probably in Massachusetts.

Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola

From blog post louisa terragnoli

louisa terragnoli denicola (part 2 of 3)

immigration

Louisa Terragnoli was married by the time she immigrated to the United States in 1907.  She arrived in Boston, MA with her husband, Arnaldo DeNicola, and daughter, Annunziata, on May 13, 1907.  They left the port of Naples, Italy on the S.S. Canopic on May 1, 1907, sailing for 13 days.  Louisa was 24 years old when she ventured on this trip to America.  I found an image below of the ship, and another site which has a little history on the SS Canopic.



Immigrants arriving in Boston, MA on the SS Canopic 1920, from BPL flickr site

On the passenger record, it states that Louisa and Arnaldo are going to see Louisa's brother, Cosmo (or Cosnio) Terragnoli, who lives at 3 North Square in Boston, MA. Cosmo came over in 1906 with Louisa's husband in 1906. This may have been one of three trips Arnaldo made, he must have been coming to get settled before he came with his family.  I was unable to find any military or census records for Cosmo in Massachusetts, so I am not sure if he went back to Italy or moved to another state. I mentioned another possible brother of Louisa's in my last post, Damiano Terragnoli.  I was also unable to find much information on him, other than his marriage record in Boston, MA. (see note on last post with updated Damiano information)

Louisa's last place of residence on her passenger record is listed as Prezza, Italy.  It also lists her daughter, Annunziata, was born in Prezza in 1905.  If Louisa had her first child quickly after being married, this would give Louisa and Arnaldo's marriage year to be around 1904-1905, maybe in Prezza.  The 1910 Census states they had been married for 6 years, so that would also suggest around 1904.  The Family History Center Library does not have the civil registrations for these years on microfilm, they only have 1809-1865.  I did write to the commune of Prezza in August of 2010, over two years ago; asking for their extraction of marriage; unfortunately, I did not get a response. 

1910 US Federal Census Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola in Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

  This first census for Louisa in the United States (1910) shows that she and her growing family settled in Quincy, MA.  They stayed in this city throughout their lives, even though they moved at least 8 times while in Quincy.  I have written a little about their residences in another blog post about her husband Arnaldo.  I have been unable to locate Louisa and Arnaldo in the 1920 census, even though I have found them in the 1920 Quincy directory on Washington Street.  I browsed through this district of Quincy for the 1920 census, and still am unable to locate them. 

1910-1943 residence for Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola

View Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola in a larger map



 
Arnaldo and Louisa lived on Canal Street in 1910. After looking at some historical maps, it seems the name of this road at some time was changed to the current Revere Road. By 1920, they moved to Washington Street; 1926 they are on Winter Street. The 1930 Census has Louisa living on Bracket Street with Arnaldo and 9 out of her 10 living children; their eldest, Nancy was married by 1930. By 1932 the family has moved to Edwards Street, then Massachusetts Ave by 1933 to at least 1938. In the 1940 Census, Louisa is a widow living with five of her children on Arnold Street. Louisa moves at least one more time by 1943 when she is found on Spear Street in that year's Quincy directory.






I believe Louisa's mother, Francesca Pettinelli, may have lived in Massachusetts also; as her name is etched on her daughter Eva's gravestone in Quincy, MA.  Francesca dies in 1925, two years after her granddaughter Eva, who was only about 3 years old.  These must have been some difficult years for Louisa.

Louisa may also had at least one brother, maybe two, living in Massachusetts; Cosmo and Damiano as mentioned above.  I have not found Francesca or Cosmo in any census records, but Damiano is listed in the 1920-1940 censuses, living in Quincy, MA.  Louisa probably saw Damiano since he was living so close.

The 1930 census gives us a little bit more information on Louisa and her husband.  It does state that they were both naturalized by 1930, which I knew since I found Arnaldo's naturalization papers on ancestry.com.  The census also notes that they are both able to speak English, and are able to read and write.  They are renting their house, which is not surprising with all the moves from house to house they have done.  They rent their house on Brackett street for $30 a month.  (The only new information from the 1940 census is that Louisa's highest level of education is 4 years of High School. I am not sure of the school system in Italy when she was a child, but it seems she was well educated.)

1930 Census Louisa and Arnaldo DeNicola Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

Louisa's husband died in 1935, leaving her with her youngest child, Remo, still only 13 years old. Remo is my grandfather, and I do not remember him speaking much of his parents, or if his grandparents or any Aunts and Uncles came to the US along with Louisa.  He would only have been about three years old when his grandmother Francesca dies, too young to remember her.   

(continued...)

louisa terragnoli denicola (part 1 of 3)

birth

I do not have a lot of information on my great grandmother, Louisa Terragnoli.  I have only seen an exact birthdate on one record, her husband Arnaldo DeNicola's petition for naturalization.  This record has a date for Louisa's birth as May 20, 1877.  This record also states that she was born in Roma, Italy, but Louisa's passenger record states she was born in Prezza, Italy.

Arnaldo DeNicola's petition for naturalization (with Louisa's birth date)

From blog post louisa terragnoli

Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola's passenger record (states Louisa was born in Prezza)

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I do not have any records that state who Louis'a parents were.  I am hoping when I obtain her death record it will list them.  I do have a couple of guesses from some indirect sources.

One source is a gravestone of her daughter, Eva, who died at a very young age in 1923.   John Talieri created a memorial on findagrave.com with a picture of her gravestone from Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, MA; which also has Eva's grandmother listed on the stone, Francesca Pettinelli.  Perhaps this is Louisa's mother.

Eva DeNicola and Francesca Pettinelli's gravestone at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA picture of gravestone from findagrave.com user John Talieri

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I remember some time ago when I first became interested in genealogy that one of my family members mentioned the name Pettinelli (and Faiella) in relation to my great grandmother, Louisa Terragnoli.  I am not sure where the Pettinelli name came from though, as I would guess she would have had her married name of Terragnoli on her stone.  It could be her maiden name, but again I find it strange that she would not put her married name.  Another option might be that she remarried a Pettinelli, and this is her second married name.  Finding her death record would also be of help to get more information.  (see updated post on Terragnoli / Pettinelli connection)

Another indirect source I found which  links the Francesca name to Terragnoli is a marriage record I found of a Damiano Terragnoli.  He marries Giselda Faiella (a name mentioned in my family) in Boston, MA and his parents are lised as Guiseppe Terragnoli and Francesca Licente.  Maybe Damiano was Louisa's brother and Francesca Pettinelli's maiden name is Licente.  That would mean Francesca most likely remarried a Pettinelli.  The trees on ancestry.com have Giselda Faiella from the same area of Prezza, Italy.  I was unable to find more information (such as passenger or census records) for Damiano or Francesca though; so I am not sure if they were from Prezza also. (see note 1 for update)

I did not find too much information about the area of Italy that Louisa grew up in.  I am guessing that the petition of naturalization was wrong in stating Roma as her place of birth, and that she was born in Prezza as this area is listed for many Terragnolis.  Prezza is in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  It seems to be a small commune, with a current population of around 1200.  The following is an excerpt from the http://www.abruzzocitta.it/english/comuni/prezza.html website :

"Prezza is a commune with an altitude of 500 mt above sea level and a population of 1200 inhabitants. Perched on the slopes of Mount Prezza this centre overlooks the Peligna valley. Prezza was known in the Middle Ages, although several archaeological findings date back to a prehistoric age.a terrace over the Peligna Valley, it dominates the whole Sulmona basin. Enchanting is the village, with its typical houses, together with the Baronial palace and the 13th- century of St. Lucia, a destination for religious tourism for the worship bound to the miracle of the grace against eye disease."

(to be continued, immigration to America...)

to do:
1. order death record for Francesca Pettinelli and Louisa Terragnoli from mass-doc.com (since I do not have the time to go to Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics).  These would hopefully give me Francesca's maiden name and if it matches Damiano Terragnoli's marriage certificate, I know Louisa and he are brothers.  It would be great if Francesca's death record also gives me her parents' names to go back one more generation. 
2. find more information about Prezza, Italy

notes:
1. While I was searching for Pettinellis in the 1922 Quincy directory, I came across a Damiano and Giselda Pettinelli.  This makes it more likely that Damiano was Louisa's brother, and he changed his name from Terragnoli (on his marriage record) to Pettinelli - perhaps his mother's new married name.  This explains why I could not find much information on Damiano, I was using the Terragnoli name.  All of his children have the Pettinelli last name, and he uses this last name on all of his records, including WWI and WWII records, and also a naturalization record (only have index entry, not image on fold3.com). 

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 5 of 5)

death

Euphema Anna (Fish) MacConney dies on May 5, 1904 in Rockland, MA. Her death record shows she died from paresis, which is a slight paralysis. I have also seen it defined as a paralytic dementia. She was 64 years old when she died, her husband James was still living at the time. They are both buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Rockland, MA.

death record for Euphemia Anna Fish MacConney 1904

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

gravestone for James Frank MacConney and Euphemia Anna (Fish) MacConney

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Rockland, MA

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

The day I visited the cemetery, the sun was shining in a difficult direction to get a good picture of their stone.   There was also some moss growing on the stone, which made for a picture that is difficult to read.   The inscription is as follows:

James F MacConney
Hartsuff post g.a.r. no 74
20th unattached m.v.m.
his wife
Anna Euphemia
1840 - 1905
Hartstuff w.r.c. no 137
children
Frank 1871 - 1896
Archer 1880 - 1886

Both James and Anna's names have notations of GAR membership. This must have been important to them to engrave it on the stone. I did not know what GAR or Hartstuff stood for, so I googled a little bit and found that GAR is the Grand Army of the Republic (wikipedia article).  The GAR was made up of veterens of the civil war who advocated for "voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates." 

The wikipedia article also references..."Rockland, Massachusetts: Hartstuff Post 74 was dedicated January 30, 1900. Portions of the wooden structure was restored between 1990 and 1999. The structure is currently home of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Camp 50.^[37]"  There is also a page on the history of the hartstuff hall in Rockland here.

I still was not sure what the notation of wrc after Anna's inscription meant, until I came across this website on GAR civil war portraits that mentioned the women's relief corp, which must be the wrc. This article also credits the GAR with the establishment of Memorial Day.

websites:
1. The Library of Congress has a bibliography for the Massachusetts Women's Relief Corps.

to do:
1. find pictures of gar post 74 in massachussetts - any group photos or individual soldier photos.
2. find pictures and information on the wrc no 137 - group photos.

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 4 of 5)

family life

Anna and James MacConney had a total of six children by 1880.  They also moved from Abington, MA to Hanover, MA between the years of 1870 (when they are found in the 1870 census in Abington, MA) and 1872 (when their son George is born in Hanover, MA). 

There is a map of Hanover from 1879 on ancestry.com's database, Count Land Ownership Maps.  I searched for a J Macconney, but was not able to find him on the map, even though they were living in Hanover on the 1880 census.  I decided to search for the families surrounding him on the census, and found some of these families on Center Street.  Around these families, the name of Frank Fish stood out.  This must be James Frank MacConney; but for some reason he is listed with Anna's last name of Fish.  There is not another Fish or Frank in the 1880 census on this street in Hanover, MA.

1880 US Federal Census : Hanover, MA James F. MacConney and Anna

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

1879 Hanover map with Frank Fish (probably James Frank MacConney) residence

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

It must have been difficult for Anna to have left most of her family in Maine when she moved to Massachusetts.  Her father, John Calvin Fish, dies before 1880; as he is not listed in this census. Her mother, Cynthia Fish, is no longer living by the time of the 1900 census. Since her parents died in Maine, I wonder if Anna knew. Her sister, Nancy, most likely would have written her with the news if they were still close. It is probably likely that Anna did not see them again since she left Maine around 1860.

Since her family was in Maine, I hope that Anna had some support in Massachusetts when she had to endure the loss of two of their boys in the same week of May in 1886 to diptheria. Their sons, Frank and J. Archer, were 15 and 5 years old when they died.  This must have been devastating to their family. Their deaths are recorded in Rockland, MA, which means they had moved from Hanover by 1886.

Anna loses another child, her daughter Eva, in 1894, from Pthisis; which seems to be a term used for consumption. Eva was a widow, her husband died in 1891 from consumption also.  They had a child, Norma, and the family was living in the same town as Anna and James in Rockland, MA.  Since her parents both died, Norma is found in the 1900 census living with her grandparents, Anna and and James.  (Norma's fate was not a good one. She is found in the later censuses in the Hospital Cottages for Children in Templeton, MA and later in a state hospital as an adult.)  Norma was probably one of the only grandchildren that Anna would spend much time with, as the other 9 living grandchildren at this time were living in other towns.  Anna and James's daughter Amy and family are living in Hanover, MA.  Their son Walter and family are living Hingham, MA.  Their son George does live with Anna and James in Rockland in 1900, but does not have any children.  George does not even marry until 4 years after his mother dies.  

1900 US Federal Census : Rockland, MA James F MacConney and Anna

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

Anna's brother, Lee Fish, dies in 1896.  According to his death record, Lee was living in Whitman, MA, but died in Chelsea, MA.  He had cancer of the stomach, maybe he died in a hospital.  He is buried in Stoughton, MA.  Since Anna came to Massachusetts around the same time he did, I assume Anna and Lee were close.  They were living in different towns; however, and probably would not have been able to see much of each other. 

James MacConney (and therefore Anna) is listed in three Rockland, MA directories after 1900, found on ancestry.com.  For each listing, they are living at a different address in Rockland, all on the same street.  In 1900 James and Anna are at 18 Grove Street, with their son George and granddaughter Norma.  In 1902 they are now living at 11 Grove Street; and by 1904, they are at 43 Grove Street in Rockland, MA.  Maybe they were renting houses and had to move when their term was up.  According to zillow.com, the house at 43 Grove Street was built in 1900.  This means that when James and Anna were living there, it was a new house. The other two addresses are not listed, so I am not sure if the houses are still standing.

Anna and James MacConney residence in Rockland (yellow 1900s) and Hanover (blue 1879)

View Euphemia Anna Fish and James Frank MacConney in a larger map

Residence of Anna and James

• 1860 Abington, MA
• 1870 Abington, MA
• 1872 Hanover, MA (birth of son George)
• 1879 Hanover, MA (land ownership map)
• 1880 Hanover, MA
• 1886 Rockland (death of two sons)
• 1890 Rockland (VA 1890 schedule)
• 1900 Rockland
• 1904 Rockland (death)

to do:
1. Dyer Memorial Library in Abington has some newspapers from this time period for Rockland, MA

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 3 of 5)

civil war

Anna was about 22 years old when the civil war started.  She had some relatives from both Massachusetts and Maine enlist as soldiers, including her husband and her brother.  Her husband James enlisted in August of 1864.  Anna would have been home with my great great grandmother, Amy, who was almost three years old and another child, Walter, who was only 4 months old.  At this time, Anna's parents are in Maine, but her parents-in-law (James and Sylvia MacConney), brother (Lee), and a sister-in-law (Lavina MacConney Raymond) all live in the same town as Anna, Abington, MA.  They do not seem to be on the same street as Anna beacuse she is enumerated more than 10 pages after all of them; but they may have been close enough to have visits with each other if they found the time. 

 

Information from the following database on ancestry.com

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865

James F Macconney - Anna's husband

• Regiment Name: Unattached Co., 20 Massachusetts Mil. Inf. 100 Days, 1864 (Militia)
• Enlisted in Company 20th, Massachusetts 20th Infantry Company on 11 Aug 1864.
• Mustered out on 18 Nov 1864.

Lee Britton Fish - Anna's brother

• Enlisted in Company G, Massachusetts 12th Infantry Regiment on 26 Jun 1861.
• Mustered out on 26 May 1862 at Washington, DC.

Uzza Thomas - Anna's brother-in-law (sister Nancy's husband)

• Regiment Name: 8 Maine Infantry Regiment
• Rank In: Private

Willard Jones Fish - Anna's Half-Uncle (father John Fish's half-brother)

• 30th Regiment, Maine Infantry

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 2 of 5)

marriage

Euphemia did not stay in Maine for long. By 1860, Euphemia moves to Massachusetts and meets her future husband, James MacConney.

 At 21 years old, in June of 1860, Euphemia marries James in Abington, MA. Euphemia, who seems to sometimes go by her middle name of Anna now, may have come to Abington with her brother Lee Fish, who marries in that town in 1858. (I will refer to Euphemia as Anna from now on)

I have not been able to find Anna in the 1860 census; maybe she was in between moves since she marries the same year as the census. She is not living with her parents, or her future husband James, or her brother Lee. Her sister Nancy and parents John and Cynthia Fish all stay in Maine throughout their lives.

The marriage record of Anna and James states they were married by H D Walker, congregational minister. The book, History of Abington (note 1), states H D Walker was a minister of the Third Church in East Abington, a congregational church. I assume Anna and James were living in the eastern part of Abington if they attended this church. The only historical map of Abington I have found on ancestry.com was from 1879. There is a J McCorney listed on this map, but matching the names around this residences found in the 1880 census; this J McCornney is actualy James' father James McConihe.

Third Congregational Church from the History of Abington, MA

notes:
1. Hobart, B. (1866). History of the town of Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement. Boston: T.H. Carter and Son. (p 164) (Google eBook)