Hello all, I am a new member and new to researching my Italian family. So I need all the help and guidance anyone can give. I just recently came across my great grandfather's Giuseppe (Joseph) Giardinella naturalization papers on footnote.com and found out that he was born in Pachino, Italy 2-26-1905 and did pass through Ellis Island August 2, 1912. I had to be creative and finally found him in the Ellis Island site. I got lucky and found out that he traveled with his mother and siblings and was visiting his mother's sister. It also listed his mother's father, but of course I can barely read it. I have some questions, What is the custom of Italians on surnames when getting married and then to the children's last name? My great grandfather's mother had listed that she was a widow and her last name was different from the children. Although her sister and father resembled her last name, but hard to read to confirm. Here is what I found out from the Ellis Island manifest.
Mother: Salvatrice Blandini age 38 and then children, Salvatore Giardinelli 15, Emanuela Giardienelli 13, Giuseppe Giardinelli 7, and then Sebartiano Giardinelli 3. Where should I go from here to research the family?


Thanks
Sarah

Hi Sarah

Welcome to the forum!

The reason your great grandmother's name is different than her husband's and children is because in Italy, women retain their maiden names so that is what they travel under. Once in America, they usually take their spouses name.

You have been given a great clue now knowing Salvatrice last name and approximate age and place of birth. You may want to write away for her birth certificate which will give her her parents name and ages and maybe even their parents names and if living or deceased.

But first, have you done all your American research? Do you have a goal as to what you would like to accomplish?

You tell us what you need and we'll help you get it.

For reference, I'm posting the manifest.

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
about Salvatrice Blandini
Name: Salvatrice Blandini
Arrival Date: 1 Aug 1912
Estimated birth year: abt 1874
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Port of Departure: Messina
Ethnicity/Race-
/Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Ship Name: San Guglielmo
Search Ship Database: Search the San Guglielmo in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Nativity: Sicily
Line: 24
Microfilm Serial: T715
Microfilm Roll: T715_1906
Birth Location: Sicily
Birth Location Other: pachino
Page Number: 85

On ellis island transcribed as:

First Name: Salvatore
Last Name: Blandini
Ethnicity: Italian, South
Last Place of Residence: Pachino, Sicily
Date of Arrival: Aug 02, 1912
Age at Arrival: 38y Gender: F Marital Status: W
Ship of Travel: San Guglielmo
Port of Departure: Messina
Manifest Line Number: 0024

Page 1 of Manifest for Salvatrice and Children

Page 2

I have found the family in the 1920 Census using records from ancestry. As you can see, Salvatrice took her husbands name once she arrived in Massachusetts. Notice Emanuela is not there? She more than likely married as she would have been around 20 years old by this time.

1920 United States Federal Census
about Salvatrice Giardinelli
Name: Salvatrice Giardinelli
[Salvatrica Giardenelli]
Home in 1920: Lawrence Ward 3, Essex, Massachusetts
Age: 45 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1875
Birthplace: Italy
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: Italy
Mother's Birth Place: Italy
Marital Status: Widow
Race: White
Sex: Female
Home owned: Rent
Year of Immigration: 1913
Able to read: No
Able to Write: No
Image: 12
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Salvatrice Giardinelli 45
Salvatore Giardinelli 23
Joseph Giardinelli 14
Sabestiano Giardinelli 10

Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Lawrence Ward 3, Essex, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_693; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 104; Image: 12.

Source Information:
Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA.

Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 on roll 323 (Chicago City. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1920. T625, 2,076 rolls.

1920 Census

Another great free resource site :

Steve Morse's manifest Markings page. If you look at Salvatore's infor on the manifest, it has some handwritten numbers on it. Whether thats his passport number or naturalization number I'm not sure since I haven't looked really closely at it but this page will explain to you what it actually means.

www.jewishgen.org/info...Manifests/

Some possible records:
Social Security Death Index
Name: Joseph Giardinella
SSN: xxx-xx-xxxx
Last Residence: 05261 Pownal, Bennington, Vermont, United States of America
Born: 27 Feb 1905
Died: 7 Feb 1997
State (Year) SSN issued: Massachusetts (Before 1951 )

National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.
Name: Joseph G Giardinella
Service Info.: S SGT US MARINE CORPS WORLD WAR II
Cemetery: Vermont Cemetery
Cemetery Address: 213 W Main St Bennington, VT 05201

Biff

I want to say THANKS for all the information. I would like to obtain a birth certificate for my great grandfather, but do not know how to obtain one since he was born in Italy. I would like to know his father's name. I know that his father died before they came to the states, so don't know if could find out more information on him. I have tried to google sites on Italian genealogy (how I got this site), but have came across some that are in Italian language, which I cannot read. So really don't know if they would help me. Someone also suggested to try the Social Security office and see if I could obtain a copy of application. So I am looking into that see if parents are listed and if I can obtain a copy.

After getting info that my g-grandfather's mother took her married name in the states, I also have tried to find out when Salvatrice died. Cannot find anything more about her. I assume with the info that was given regarding numbers and info on the manifest that she planned on being a permanent resident of the USA.

Also did you look at the manifest. Her father's name looked like it was Giuseppe Blandizi???? Doing research on other family, I have learned that some people that were taking info could right down wrong info. So what are your thoughts on that? and Her sister's name who she was visiting looked like Francisca Blanditi???

Also, I noticed that the Last name actually last letter of the last name was changed from an I to an A. Is this normal?

Thanks
Sarah

You do not want the birth certificate if he was born in Italy. The Italian birth certificate does not have any parental information on it. You want the birth act which will have both parents names, professions and ages on it. Was he from Pachino, Sicily? If so you can write the comune for a copy of his birth act and they will send you a copy. The request should be made in Italian. You can ask for a translation on the translation board or use one that was already posted there. The state civil offfices email is statocivile.pachino @ virgilio.it but I would follow up with a letter. I don't know the address - perhaps Nuccia or Riccardo do.
As far as names getting changed in this country I would say that was fairly common.

Here's the address to write for the birth act(s)

Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Comune di Pachino
Via XXV Luglio
96018 PACHINO SR
ITALY

Official website of Pachino

As Cathy mentioned, your letter should be made in Italian. If you need help, post your request on the translation board.

Best,
Biff