This is a copy of an email that Joe Rizzo forwarded to me from Joseph Ciraulo who grew up in Brooklyn, New York with the Ciraulo line:
My cousin Joseph Ciraulo responded to me and provided me with the following:
Anyway, the Ciraulo family tree.........my father, Gandolfo Ciraulo, had the butcher shop on 237 Elizabeth St., NYC. His sister, Mary Albanese, had a butcher shop across the street. In fact her butcher shop is still there. She retired at the age of 94 and her son now runs the shop. My aunt Mary, now 96, is a bit slow both physically and mentally. My father had 3 sisters and 3 brothers Ignazio, Frank and Joe were the boys and Mamie (real name is Gandolfa), Mary and Tessy ( real name I think was Theresa). Everyone deceased except aunt Mary and uncle Joe.
mindyc
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Tare some recent photos of older members of the Chirolo Family (the spelling has changed in the last 2 generations) at Mary Chirolo's Memorial about a month ago. The photos are at
http://www.stampola.com/curnutt/ Select the category Grandmas Memorial and the picture list will come up. There are photos of Vernon, Claude and Melvin Chirolo who are sons of "Uncle Nick" - see Nicolo Ciraulo below. Grandma Mary was one of Nicolo Ciraulo's younger sisters. There are also a few pictures of Theresa Chirolo - sister to Nicolo. All of them grew up in Reed, PA and later moved to the west coast.
Joe Rizzo - thank you for passing the information on to Joseph.
Joseph Ciraulo - Thank you for offering to share what you know, I have some questions for you both after doing more research:
Kim Agnello - I thought I would pass this on to you too to see if you have any information to share about how the Agnellos may be connected. I know that Grandma Mary always said that the Agnellos were related, and in particular that we were related to "Louie" - can you share some of that and how it works too?
So, here are the questions:
Do any of these names or places ring a bell with you guys, if so I can give further details on most of this stuff as I have the copies of the Manifests from Ellis Island. Most of these individuals were either going to Elizabeth Street, NY or Reed or Anita in Indiana County, PA, or they were are person that someone was going to see. Almost all of them are also from the Grotte, Girgenti region of Sicily. All of these people were in one way or another travelling together with a Ciraulo, and going to the Elizabeth Street or NY address, or going to Reed, PA or a PA address from Grotte.
Places
Grotte (Gratte), Girgenti, Agrigenti Sicily.
Recalmuto, Sicily
Rochester, NY
Elizabeth Street, NY (255 or 229)
Niagara Falls, NY
303 Jefferson Avenue? Unknown City.
Reed, Indiana County, PA, in particular PO Box 62
Anita, PA
People
Alfonsa Agnello
Alfonso Agnello
Calogero Agnello
Carmello Agnello
Gaetano Agnello
Giovanni Agnello
Granneres Agnello
Guiseppe Agnello
Giovanni Alaimo
Calgero Arasone
Michele Arnone
Salvatore Bandazzo
Guiseppe Bellomo
Antonino Bertolino
Rosa Bruccoleri
Michaelangelo Busnito
Pietro Busnito
Guiseppe Calotta
Vincenzo Carcarella
Calogero Carlini
Nicolo Carlini
Angelo Carlisi
Cavalgero Castelli
Michele Castelli
Vincenzo Castrogiovanni
Domenico Ceranni
Calogero Ceranno
Antonio Cimino
Concetta Cimino
Nicolo Cimino
Antonia Cipolla
Pietro Cipolla
Stefano Cipolla
Angelo Ciraulo
Anna Ciraulo
Antonio Ciraulo
Crocifissa Ciraulo
Filippo Ciraulo
Francesco Ciraulo
Gaetano Ciraulo
Gioacchino Ciraulo
Giovanni Ciraulo
Guiseppe Ciraulo
Michele Ciraulo
Nicolo Ciraulo
Savlatore Ciraulo
Sortino Ciraulo
Stefana Ciraulo
Venera Ciraulo
Vincenzo Ciraulo
Crocifiosa Ciraulo Fatanzzo
Carmelo Cortorici
Antonio Costanza
Giuseppe Culota
Calagaro Fatanzzo
Domenico Gambito
Alfonso Indrano
Antonio Juliano
Pompeo La Cresta
Antonio La Rocca
Giovanni Lamensta
Diega Lazzara
Vido Lufantizo
Girolamo Maida
Angelo Milano
Antonio Milano
Diega Morreale
Diego Morreale
Onofrio Morreale
Vincenzo Morreale
Grazia Muzzarella
Calogero Napoli
Paolo Napoli
Guiseppa Oliveri
Alfonso Pagano
Carmelo Pagano
Ramiondo Pagano
Salvatore Pagano
Alfonso Palumbo
Salvatore Piazza
Vincenzo Piazza
Angelo Pilliterri
Antonino Provenza
Calogero Provenza
Gaetana Provenza
Giuseppe Provenza
Giovanni Rizzo
Vincenzo Rizzo
Calogero Russello / Busello
Vincenzo Russello / Busello
Calogera Salvaggio
Calogero Salvaggio
Michele Salvaggio
Mle Salvaggio
Vincenzo Terrana
Carmelo Tortoria
Giacomo Tortoria
Carmelo Virzino
Diego Vitello
Pietro Vitello
*Edited by - mindyc on 11/01/2001 18:15:58
mindyc
USA
154 *Posts *Posted - 11/01/2001 : 19:03:08
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These are previous emails that led up to the one right above this:
To Joe Rizzo from Mindy on 6/19/2001:
I came across your family tree page on the internet. I am researching the Ciraolo line (which seems to be mispelled one of three ways Chirolo, Ciraulo or Ciranlo). I hit the jackpot the other day at
http://www.ellisisland.org, which is now up and running and free. You can even look at the original manifests and see who each immigrant was coming to see and where they were going. I have been logging all of the Ciraolo individuals coming from Southern Italy (Sicily) and also logging the others that were travelling with them. I have seen Rizzo family members travelling with Ciraolo individuals, but didn't think of a connection until I came across your website. You may want to check out the Ellis Island site if you haven't already.
To Mindy from Joe Rizzo on 6/19/2001:
Thanks for your email. The Ciraulo family, are first cousins, that I grew up with in Brooklyn, NY. The spelling is correct. If it helps any, my Uncle Gondolfo Ciraulo, the son of Vincenzo Ciraulo, was a butcher, along with his siblings, on Elizabeth Street in NYC. Your relatives may be related somehow, just changed the spelling along the way which was very common with the immigrants coming into ELLIS Island. Seems that the island officials misspelled names and it kept.
Keep in touch, and good luck with your research. I have been working on my tree for 7 years now.
To Joe Rizzo from Mindy 6/20/2001:
Very interesting! I am trying to research this more. Calogero Provenza is my Great Grandmother's brother. He came over to America from Grotte, Sicily (where my "Chirolo" family is from) on 6/22/1909 a ship named Berlin out of Naples and put down on the manifest at Ellis Island that he was going to stay with his cousin Calogero "Cerrano" which I think is supposed to be Ciraolo. It is very hard to read on the manifest. The address is 255 Elizabeth Street, NY.
Then, on 11/29/1909 my Great Grandmother Gaetana Provenza came over with my grand uncles Nick and Tony, and my grand aunt Anna. This one I am certain of.
On 3/21/1910 another brother of my Great Grandmother, Antonino Provenza, came over. It has down that he was going to stay with his brother Calogero Provenza at Box 62, Indiana County, Reed, PA. This is the small city (still only about pop. 400) where my Grandmother was born and grew up. Antonino was travelling with two other men from the same city (Grotte, Sicily), Nicolo Cimino and Calogero Bussello (maybe Russello). Nicolo Cimino was going to stay with a man named "Nicolo Carlini"?? ( think Carlisi) who lived on Elizabeth Street in NY.
I have also found these other individuals travelling with Ciraolo/Ciraulo family members immigrating from Grotte, Sicily.
1/20/1911 Calogero Carlisi (travelling with Filippo Ciraolo & Antonio Bertolino) going to stay with his mother in law Paolo Napoli of 229 Elizabeth Street, NY.
11/29/1911 Angelo Ciraolo travelling alone. Going to stay with his "friend" Giovanni Romano of 229 Elizabeth Street, NY.
I am still doing more research, it just takes time.
Can you give me the names of some of Gandolfo's siblings? Do you know his date of birth or the names of his parents? Would he happen to be from the town of Grotte, Sicily in Girgenti?
Would you happen to have any of these last names in your tree too?
Agnello, Carlisi, Cimino, Cipolla, La Rocca / La Bocca, Morreale, Piazza, Provenza, Salvaggio, or Vitello?
To Mindy from Joe Rizzo on 6/20/2001:
Looks like you are hooked. When you begin to lose interest, you find out something that re-kindles the spirit. It is fun.
My Uncle Gondolfo Ciraulo (we called him Moe) 11/9/11-10/8/73, married Mary Rizzo and they had two children:
Vincent Ciraulo (10/18/47) and Joseph Ciraulo (6/18/1950)
Uncle Moe had a few brothers named Ignazio, Frankie, and I think Joe; and a sister they called Mamie, and another named Mary (who also cut meat in the butcher shop) I do not have any info on them since I have been researching my ancestry and not my cousins.
The Elizabeth Street connection is very interesting for sure. I do not know the address, but I will attempt to find out the address of the butcher shop. The 255 somehow rings a bell, but I may be fantasizing. I seem to also remember that they ran a resturant at the same location.
"Provenza" rings a bell also. I remember a connection with a Provenzano family, that ran a funeral home. But again, I am not sure of any relationship since I had not been researching that leg of the tree. I just know some info because I was very close to my cousins Vincent and Joseph (We grew up in the same brownstone together in Brooklyn)
Are you using a computer program to keep track of your research? I would imagine you are, since it is almost impossible without it.
Again, I will contact my cousins and see if they have any info.
Where do you live now? Is Curnutt your married name, if so what is your maiden name. How old are you?
I dont mean to get personal, you know that, but I am like you, logging any family tree info I can get.
I am 50 yrs old now, and live in the West Palm Beach area of Florida.
Keep in touch, I enjoy correspondence like this.
To Joe Rizzo from Mindy on 6/20/2001:
I am wondering if Joseph or Vincent have email accounts and I could ask them some questions? My Grandmother Mary Perry (maiden last name Chirolo) just died about 2 months ago, so no more asking her questions. She came from a family of 18 kids, and only 1 of them is now left - (Theresa) - (but she's pretty grumpy!).
I am using Family Tree Maker and have been researching only since 1997. This particular line is a bit difficult, and I have made more progress on the others.
I live in Dallas, TX, but just moved here last July. My husband and I met in Seattle 6 years ago. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where my whole line of Chirolos ended up going from Pennsylvania. I am 32 years old. My maiden name is Turner.
Here's a little breakdown:
Great Grandparents: Gaetana Carmella Provenza & Giovanni (John) Ciraolo from Grotte, Sicily
Giovanni had a brother named Sam Ciraolo who was born in Messina. Giovanni's parents were Nichaolas and Anna Ciraolo.
Gaetana's mother was named Carmella. Gaetana had at least 2 brothers. One named Calogero and the other named Antonino. Calogero was the one who stayed at Elizabeth Street for a while upon immigrating. He ended up moving to Reed, PA within 9 months.
Gaetana and Giovanni (John) immigrated to America in 1909 and 1907 respectively.
Giovanni went through Niagara Falls, NY and then settle in Reed, PA.
Gaetana joined him in Reed, PA with their 3 children at the time.
Chirolo (Ciraolo) Children are (were):
Carrie, Josephine, Maria, Joseph, Gaetana (Tony), Nicholas (Nick), Anna, Carmella, Samuel (Sam), Theresa, Mary, Nina, Lucy, Vera, Christina (Tina). I don't know about the missing 3 siblings. I was always told there were 18, but the most anyone could come up with was 15. Supposedly Carrie through Anna were born in Sicily and Carmella onward were born in Reed, PA. I haven't been able to find any birth records though to prove this. I can see on the immigration papers at Ellis Island that Tony, Nick and Anna came over on the boat with Gaetana. I don't know how Carrie, Josephine, Maria or Joseph got to the US yet.
When my Grandmother was a teen a bunch of the kids moved to the SF Bay Area. I don't think the parents were alive at this point. I do not know where the parents (Gaetana / Giovanni) are buried.
Of the children, Mary Chirolo was my Grandmother. She married Ray Clifton Perry and became Mary Perry. They had 6 children: MaryAnn, Ruth, Barbara, Raymond, Donald and John. All of these children were born in the SF Bay Area.
Barbara Perry is my mother. She married Kenneth Turner who is my father. I have one brother named Dan. We were both born in the Bay Area. Kenneth died in 1976 in a motorcylce accident.
Do you know anything about a Jefferson Avenue address? Or of anyone living in Niagara Falls, NY?
Was there ever anyone named Calogero Ciraulo living at the Elizabeth Street address? Could there have been 2 addresses on that street? Maybe one for the butcher shop and one for the restaurant, right next to one another?
Did Gondolfo immigrate from Italy too? If so, what year? Were any of his brothers and sisters older than he was? If so, around when would they have been born and did they immigrate? Do you have any idea what Gondolfo's parents were named or where they were from originally?
To Mindy from Joe Rizzo on 6/20/2001:
My Uncle Gondolfo, I believe was born in the US. His father was Vincenzo, I do not know his mother's name, I used to call her grandma out of respect for my cousins. I could not tell you who was the oldest sibling.
I do know the butcher shop and the restaurant where at the same location. The whole family lived in the multilevel brownstone above the store. For some reason I do think they had another building down the street that other family members lived in.
I left a message with one of my cousins about you. Hopefully he will respond soon. Unless he is away on vacation.
I do not know of any family members moving to PA, or the west coast. I do not know if the sibling names I gave you are complete. They are just the ones that I had met growing up. There could be more that moved away. Who knows.
I just started browsing the Ellis Island site and can not seem to get past initial searches. I have not found any documents etc, etc.
I did get a lot of info from a cousin (Rizzo) that remained in Sicily and she went to the Bureau of Vital Statistics and go me a lot of info. She told me that the records are in poor condition, (handwritten) and some illegible.
Get to know your grumpy Aunt Theresa. Get on her good side and tell her what you are doing, She probably has a wealth of info she can share with you. Unfortunately for me, I started this after most of my Aunts and Uncles had passed. One Aunt, who is now gone, (rest her soul) remembered a lot and shared it with me. Unfortunately, she could not remember some real vital stuff and it leaves me to do the research.
Jefferson Ave I have no knowledge of. But remember, the Ciraulos were not my family, except for Uncle Gondolfo, who married, Mary Rizzo, my fathers sister.
I have memories of his family, since we Italians are very close knitted families (as you know) and we intermingled a great deal, especially around the holidays. And forget the weddings and funerals, I would meet aunts, uncles, cousins etc that I never heard of before. That is what has me going crazy, because as a kid, I remember meeting them, but I do not have any records of them, or any knowledge of whereabouts.
The sad thing is when my grandparents died, the bond that held the family together died with them. Sure my aunts and uncles (immediate) stayed close, but many cousins, (my second cousins) etc, we lost contact with. One of the reasons I am doing the family tree is so in 100 years or so, when my great great grandkids, get a bug up their butts to know their roots, they will not have to spin their wheels too much.
mindyc
USA
154 *Posts *Posted - 11/01/2001 : 19:40:32
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To Mindy from Joe Rizzo on 11/01/2001
Glad to see you are persistent at this. It takes persistance and determination since you have a tendency to run into dead ends. As I explained to you previously, I do not know much about the Ciraulo family, except for my first cousins, Joseph and Vincent and their immediate families. I apologize.
My cousin Joseph is the main guy to help you. I do know that his Grandfather was named Vincenzo, and they lived in NYC, on Elizabeth Street. That is all I know. Wish I could help you more.
Good Luck. I am curious to know if you do find a link to the Ciraulo's of Elizabeth Street. Keep in touch.
mindyc
USA
154 *Posts *Posted - 11/03/2001 : 12:41:23
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To Mindy from Rose Marie Ciraulo on 11/03/2001:
My father's family came from Sicily to Elizabeth Street. My grandfather was Charlie (Calogero). He was married to Pauline Giresi. Their three children were Vincenzo (my father)....nicknamed Jimmy...my aunt Rosie and my uncle Jack (all three now deceased). My father married Mary San Carlo (still living). Her mother was Rose Merulla but her mother was a Rizzo. I'm sure there's some sort of connection but Rizzo is a fairly common name.
The"Provenza" last name rings bells but I can't pinpoint it. I will try to check with more family on the Rizzo etc connection
Thanks for doing all of this.
Rose Mary Ciraulo (Cervone...married name)
mindyc
USA
154 *Posts *Posted - 11/05/2001 : 13:45:13
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I think I have a connection between your Grandfather Calogero Ciraulo and my Great Grandmother Gaetana Provenza. It is a bit convoluted, but check out Calogero Provenza below and his first trip to the United States.
My mother spoke with her Aunt Theresa Chirolo, who is my Grandmother's
sister and the daughter of Giovanni Chirolo and Gaetana Provenza.
Theresa said this (things added from Ellis Island Manifests):
The last name was spelt Ciraolo, but a teacher in PA did not like that
spelling and taught all the kids to spell it Chirolo.
Gaetana Provenza had the 4 brothers:
Gaspare Provenza - came over 9/29/1921 at age 16. sponsored by brother in law Giovanni Ciraulo of Reed, PA. Came with Guiseppe Falco, age 51, sponsored by son Gaetano Di Falco of Reed, PA.
Joseph (Guiseppe) Provenza - came over 7/22/1912 at age 15. Sponsored by brother Antonio Provenza. Box 62, Reed, PA.
Calogero Provenza -
#1 - came over 6/22/1909 at age 20 sponsored by cousin Calogero Ceraulo of 255 Elizabeth Street, NY. This trip he was travelling with his sister Gaetana Provenza and her three kids Nicolo, Gaetano and Anna Ciraulo who were sponsored by their father Giovanni Ciraulo of Reed, PA.
#2 - came over 4/10/1913 at age 24. Manifest not available.
Antonino Provenza - came over March 22, 1910 at age 17. Sponsored by brother Calogero Provenza, Box 62, Reed, PA.
Gaetana also had 3 sisters (maybe left in Grotte, Sicily):
Theresa Provenza
Rose Provenza
Josephine Provenza
Giovanni "John" Ciraulo had 1 sister and 2 brothers:
Anna Ciraulo
Michele Ciraulo - came through Ellis Island 3X.
#1 - 7/18/1910 - 28 yrs old, married, came through with Pasquale Vitello. Both were going to Reed, PA. Michele sponsored by his brother Giovanni Ciraulo, Box 66, Reed, PA. Pasquale sponsored by his brother Francesco Vitello of Reed, PA.
#2 - 3/22/1913 - 31 years old. Came through with Michele Salvaggio, Vincenzo Piazza, Carmelo Tortorici, Vincenzo Rizzo, Girolamo Maida, Vincenzo Moreale, Vincenzo Busello, Savatore Piazza, Guiseppe Bellomo, Calogero Agnello and Vincenzo Terrana. All are from Grotte, Sicily and all are going to Reed, PA. MIchele is once again sponsored by his brother Giovanni Ciraulo. This time he is down as Box 72, Reed, PA.
#3 - 3/4/1914 - 32 years old. Came through with Antonio Morreale who was 46 yrs old and widowed. Antonio was sponsored by his son Carmello Morreale of #7, Indiana, PA. This time Michele has down he was sponsored by his brother Giovanni Ciraulo of #7, Indiana, PA
Vincenzo Ciraulo - can see from Ellis Island,
#1 - came over 11/22/1910 at age 41, was single and sponsored by his brother Michele Ciraulo of Reed, PA.
#2 - came over 4/3/1914 at age 45. Original Manifest not available.