I would appreciate the following lookups in the 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 Lake Charles City Directories.

By Address:
204 Boulevard St
832 Railroad Avenue
Looking for owner's names and occupants

By name:
Rose/Rosina Coco or Lococo or Camora
Giuseppe Camora/Tamura
Vincenzo Manicchia or Manichia

Rosina Coco/Lococo was my grandmother, Camora/Tamura may have been the name of her first husband, who died in 1905 and Manicchia is my grandfather whom she married in July 1910 in Lake Charles.

I'd be happy to pay for copies of the appropriate pages and for your time. I'd also be happy to help with research in Harris County TX.
Also,I can do research in Houston's Clayton Genealogical Library if there is anything there that you need. Unfortunately there is very little about Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish in the library.
Thanks,
Lana

Gee, Lana, how did you know for which dates we don't have city directories? :o( Sorry.

I have city directory pages copies for 1901, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1917,1921,1925,1939 or 1945 for RR Avenue.

Anna

832 RR Ave. in 1903: there was a grocery there according to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

832 RR Ave. in 1909: there was a grocery there then as well and a barber shop according to the Sanborn Map.

832 RR Ave. in 1914: a grocery and barber shop. :o)

Did your family live or work at this address?

Anna

1901 City Directory:
832 RR Ave.--- S. MUSEY Fruit Stand.

1911 City Directory:
832 RR Ave.---- G. LOVOI;

In 1913 name is "Giatano LAVOI"; and 1917 has name as "Jasper LOVOI, grocery"; 1925 has name "J. A. LAVOI, barber".

And in 1939 name is LOVOI's CAFE.

Thanks for coming to my rescue, again, Anna.
I know the 1910 fire destroyed a lot, but I hoped that some of the earlier directories had survived. My grandmother emigrated from Sicily via Ellis Island in 1904. My grandfather emigrated via New Orleans in 1897. I'm trying to find out where they were and what they were doing prior to their marriage in LC in July 1910. So far I have had no luck. I do know my grandmother was married previously but I don't know when and to whom. She had my Aunt in 1906, and if the Fr.Hebert DVD can be trusted was a widow before she gave birth. So where does a widow with a baby go? My Mom always said that Grandma worked as housekeeper for a priest in Lake Charles but did not know the priest's name.
832 RR Avenue was on a deed for property bought in Houston in 1910. I believe my grandmother may have been staying with the Lovoi family, who lived at that address, before or after my grandparents marriage. Jennie Lovoi married my grandfather's brother Leoluca (Luke) Manicchia/Manichia. Jennie & Luke stayed in LC while my grparents moved to Beaumont, then Houston. Why grandma bought property in 1910 in Houston, I don't know. They didn't move here until the late 1920s. My grandfather was a grocer..everyone in the family was a grocer or barber in those days. I think Gaitano Lovoi was the father and Jasper the son.
The 204 Boulevard address was on a postcard sent from Sicily to my grfather in Lake Charles in 1911 (if I remember correctly). The card was from my grmother's mother. I don't think Boulevard even exists anymore.
When I'm doing Harris County research I always check City Directories and find so much info in addition to what the query has asked for.....but then our directories go back to the 1880s and are pretty complete. I had hoped the LC directories would prove as fruitful. I hadn't thought about the Sanborn maps...thanks for thinking of that.
I appreciate your help so much.
Lana

Lana,
Can you contact me off list?

Anna Hayes

sjhayes@bellsouth.net

I've removed some chit-chat and am sending these facts that I have sent to Lana concerning her query about the MANICHIA family and Lake Charles' Railroad Avenue.

Marriages : Guiseppe CAMOLO and Marira MUSCACHIO,
Source: Lake Charles AMERICAN, 24 JAN 1908, p. 3 on microfilm roll # 25/6.3.

On another note, Boulevard does still exist, but years ago, after the local Enterprise Club planted oak trees in the middle of the Boulevard, it was renamed, “Enterprise Boulevard” and it intersects with Railroad Avenue after the 1100 block of RR Ave.

The Lovoi barbershop at 830 & 832 RR Ave. was only a couple doors down from 834 RR Ave. where my aunt’s in-laws had a grocery store, The Pelican. And I had remembered seeing the Monichio name somewhere in my research, but when I looked back, I realized it was Luke Monichio and he was at 1104 RR Ave. in 1913. I also found Jos. Manicha at 1004 RR Ave. in 1925.

I have continued trying to locate information and pictures of the businesses along that street from Ryan to Enterprise Boulevard. The north side was predominately residences and boarding houses/hotels with only a few businesses. The south side was a real “downtown” area with sidewalks and business place after business place. There were quite a few groceries and dry goods stores, drug stores, furniture stores, barber shops, restaurants, saloons, a couple of bakeries, shoe stores and shoe repair shops and a movie theater along the south side. We even had a macaroni factory, a mattress factory, a bottling plant for Dr. Nut cold drinks, and Dickey Boy Mayonnaise factory. Of course the railroad tracks ran down the middle of the avenue separating the north side from the south side, and the train depot was in the 800 block before 1900, then in the 400 block. It was a busy place!

Anthony SACCO’s wife, Josephine MANICHIA, had a grocery store on RR Ave. in 1915. Her store was located at 1002 RR Ave. Then by 1925 the store is shown as Jos. SACCO’s grocery.

I see from Joseph SACCO’s death certificate that he was in Real Estate when he died in 1965 in Houston. So he didn’t stay in the grocery business.

Your grandparents? :
Vincenzo MANICHIA did stay in the grocery business evidently. He was born 25 OCT 1874 in Italy according to his death certificate and died at age 88 on 27 JAN 1963 in Houston. But I guess you know that, right? Supposed to be son of Joe MANICHIA.
Rose MANICHIA, b. 29 JUN 1881 in Cifalu, Italy was daughter of Joe COCO and she died a widow of MANICHIA in 20 FEB 1964 in Houston. But I guess you know this as well.

There seems to have been a Mary MANICHIA too. She was married to Frank CUTRUPIA and they had a son born in Lake Charles in 1907. His name was John Joseph CUTRUPIA and he died in Houston in 1975 at age 67 and was the owner of a taxi company.

But then there was also a Mary MANICHIA who was the daughter of Joseph MANICHIA and Theresa ?? who was born in 1892 in Italy and who was married to Sam GIAMMALVA. She died in Houston in 1961 at age 68. Is this the same Mary as above? And did she marry CUTRUPIA and then a GIAMMALVA?

Now there was also a Frances SCARLOTTA who died in 1940 in Dallas. Her mother was Lena MANICHIA. The reason I mention this is when Frances died she was shown with a married name of SOLARI, another Lake Charles family name. She was born in Fort Worth in August of 1890. Don’t know if there is a connection or not.

I figured you had all this but am sending it along in case you don’t.

Anna