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Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia

Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 3:51AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Ciaccia
I am looking for any information on my great-grandfather, Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia.

He was from Jelsi, Italy originally and came to Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Mary Valiante and son Andrew.

His wife passed away and Egidio went to South America for work. I am not sure which country, but I have been reading that there were many areas of Argentina and Brazil where Italians settled. I believe he would have left the US in the 1920's or very early 1930's.

My grandfather, Andrew, never heard from him after he left for South America and always was sad that his father seemed to just disappear.

If anyone knows the name Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia or is related to him, I would love to hear from you.

My grandfather has passed away so I really want to do my best to find his father.

Thanks you.

Re: Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 3:27PM GMT
Classification: Biography
Surnames: CIACCIA, TESTA
You may have found the information you are seeking by now. Just in case not, or in case you don't already have this information, Egidio arrived in New York on April 19 1916 on board the America, with son Andrew, from Naples. His age was 44, place of residence Gelsi, Italy, nationality Italian, name Egidio Ciaccia.

In the 1930 census, Andrew (born 11 Nov 1901 Italy), Mary (born c 1902 Ohio, of Italian parents) and their three children are living in Cleveland. Mary may have been Mary Testa, born 4 Feb 1902 in Cleveland, to Giuseppe Testa, 33, and Filomena Valiante, 32, both born Italy.

Have you looked at Andrew's naturalization documents (seems to be 1926-27) to see if there is anything helpful re Egidio there? I looked for Egidio in FamilySearch but didn't see any records for him in South America, although there are records of his arrival in the US and census references.

There is some discussion of resources re Italian immigration to South America at http://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/topic6634.html

Re: Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 6:01PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you so much for your response.

I do have the information you provided and it is accurate to my family. After my grandparents (Andrew & Mary) were married in Connecticut, Edgidio brought the couple back to Cleveland to live with him and his wife Filomena Ciaccia. We have their wedding picture with Egidio in it, our only picture of him. Sometime after that, before Filomena Ciaccia died, Egidio supposedly left for South America for work.

No one heard from him and didn't know where he actually went. My grandfather, Andrew, was always sad that he never heard from his father again.

Any other suggestions as how to find missing persons would be greatly appreciated. I will check out the link you provided.

Thank you again.

Re: Egidio (Julius) Ciaccia

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 6:41PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: CIACCIA
I know it is a long time ago but I think you can still be methodical about the search. He doesn't sound like the type of man to not stay in touch with his family if he was able to do so, so it seems something happened to him. Maybe he was in an accident and died; maybe he was in an accident and lost his memory.
Think about all the information you know, and try and put together a time frame and fact sheet that may help you search methodically, step by step.
Where did he work before he left, and what was his job? Was he laid off, or did he quit? Did he have a number of trades and skills? What were his hobbies?
Why did people think he went to South America? Did he have relatives there? Had others gone there from Cleveland at that time? Had there been some big economic development that would have atracted him? If not South America, was there somewhere else he was likely to have gone?
How would he have travelled to South America from Cleveland? Would he have gone to a port by train? What ships were travelling to South America in those times? What ports would ships have stopped at? Were there any shipping disasters?
Can you narrow down the time frame in which you think he left Cleveland?
Assuming he got to South America, either Argentina or Brazil seeming like reasonable possibilities, what churches would he have been likely to have attended?
What did his wife do when he disappeared? Did he own a house that was in his name? Was there any court actions to have him declared dead after a certain point in time, and if so, what kind of evidence was presented?
I am sure you can think of many more questions to ask. Some of them may not be relevant but it doesn't hurt to brainstorm all the possibilities. While records might be hard to find after all this time, you might be surprised at what it is possible to uncover.
This might seem like a lot of work but being systematic can often be very useful in trying to solve mysteries like this one. If you can determine the route along which he might have travelled, for example, you might be able to uncover possible accidents or deaths that might have occurred.
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