Puleo/Carrao family from Sciacca Sicily to Manhattan NY

[policiaboy]

Hello
My grandmother was Betty (Vita) Colletti who lived in Elizabeth. Her husband was Felice (Phil) Orazi. My grandmother's father was Benedetto Colletti, mother was Accursia (Gussie or Susan) Corrao. Accursia had a sister named Josephine (Guiseppea) who 1st married a Vincenzo Maniscalco, then a Ernesto Pedicano, her brother in Sciacca was Ignazio. I do not know which side of her family (Colletti or Corrao, but I think Corrao) she was realted to you. My aunts told me that the Puelos started our in Elizabeth with artificial trees, and that they were cousins, and I contacted a couple of years ago Mr Puelo by their christmas tree website, he emailed me saying he would get back to me when he got back from China, but I never heard from him. There is a Puelo who married Ignazio (my grandmothers Uncle), I think her name was Rosina Puelo. But I dont know if it is the Corrao side. Did you write our your family tree? My email address is policiaboy@hotmail.com It is easier to correspond with instead of this site. Also, our cousins in Sciacca are grandchildren of Ignazio, Rosalba and Enza (daughters of Vitucca).


Jason

[rituza]

Hi my name is Rita My grandmother was Maria Carrao, she was married to my grandfather Salvatore Ruffo. My brother and I would love to hear back from you because we think we are related to you. We are looking for my grandfathers father, (my great grandfather).

[policiaboy]

Hi Rita, I would need to know a little bit more information. There are several Corrao families who came from Sciacca. I do not recall hearing the name Ruffo. If you have the surnames Pedicano or Botta in your family then you could be related to us. Our Corraos lived at 85 Elizabeth St in Manhattan in the early 1900's. They then moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey. I would need more information. If you check the web site www.Ellisislandrecords.org and find the passengership records it might give ou more information on who they were coming to see and who they left in Italy (depending on what year they emigrated to the USA. If after 1905 there is more information). Hope that helped.

Jason Bahrt. my email address is policiaboy@hotmail.com

[marianita1125]

Hello Rita, we are definitely related and I would love to meet you! I have info on the Corrao side of the family that I hope will help piece things together for you. Unfortunately, nothing on the Ruffo side. Please respond so we can figure this out. Marianna

Jason- I am not quite sure how we are linked but would also love to chat. Will email you shortly.

[jsierzant@gmail.com]

Hi.... I just saw your post... I know your great grandmother Anna Carrao as Anna Corrao. Her brother was my grandfather. They came to America together after their parents died in Sciacca. I am actually going there on Thursday. I've been doing ancestry research and have found my grandfather, Giuseppe's birth certificate. Yes, Anna married Salvatore Puleo... I believe I found one of the children on my Facebook page. Please check out my facebook page under Janet Sierzant. I started a corrao family group too. My email is jsierzant@gmail.com

[jsierzant@gmail.com]

As far as I know, Anna Corrao and Sal Puleo had one son, joseph. I am looking for information on Anna Corrao's father, Paolo Corrao and her mother Maria Colletti. But I keep hitting dead ends. I don't know if it's because of the spelling.... They had to come from somewhere. I know Anna and her brother Guiseppe came to America together from Sciacca but my mother tells me that her grandfather Paolo was born in Palermo. It's so frustrating. I want to find out who Paolo's siblings were.... I know of Gus and Francesco...
jsierzant@gmail.com

[carubia]

Corrao is primarily a name from Palermo province but there are a lot of them in Sciacca as well, going back hundreds of years. OTOH, Colletti is primarily a name from Agrigento province (which includes Sciacca), but is found in Palermo as well. So Paolo and Maria were probably from Sciacca, but there is also a good chance that they, or at least Paolo, moved from Palermo. I'll try to see if I can locate their marriage record in Sciacca. It's very common for people whose ancestors were from Sicily to think that they were from Palermo when they were really from somewhere else.

[carubia]

This is the birth record for an Anna Corrao born in Sciacca on 30 Apr 1887 to parents Paolo Corrao, age 34, occupation "martuaro," and Maria Colletti. If this is not her then probably this Anna died and a later child was given the same name.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cc=2043548

However, I cannot find a marriage record for this couple in Sciacca between 1868 and 1890 (except 1888, which I didn't check). There is a marriage record in 1885 between a Paolo Carrao, age 32, occupation "martuaro," and Maria Ippolito. Their parents were Giuseppe Corrao and Anna Guardino, and Vito Ippolito and Maria Graffeo, so would agree with Paolo and Maria having daughters Anna and Maria in that order, as well as a son Giuseppe. I'm investigating further to try to see if Maria Ippolito and Maria Colletti are really the same person or not.

[carubia]

Probably Maria Colletti and Maria Ippolito are the same person. Here is her birth record from family search:

Name: Maria Ippolito
Gender: Female
Christening Date: 23 Dec 1854
Christening Place:
Birth Date: 22 Dec 1854
Birthplace: Sciacca, Agrigento, Italy
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Vito Ippolito
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age: 30 y
Mother's Name: Maria Graffeo
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age: 28 y
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C74073-3
System Origin: Italy-EASy
GS Film number: 1603636
Reference ID: 1854 Item 3 # 514



Citing this Record:
"Italia Nati e Battesimi, 1806-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVYV-8QT : 8 December 2014), Maria Ippolito, 23 Dec 1854; citing Sciacca, Agrigento, Italy, reference 1854 Item 3 # 514; FHL microfilm 1,603,636.

However, here is the birth record for another woman born around the same time in Sciacca:

Name: Maria Colletti Ippolito
Gender: Female
Christening Date: 05 Aug 1855
Christening Place:
Birth Date: 04 Aug 1855
Birthplace: Sciacca, Agrigento, Italy
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Giacomo Colletti Ippolito
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age: 32 y
Mother's Name: Anna Zinna
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age: 25 y
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C74073-3
System Origin: Italy-EASy
GS Film number: 1603636
Reference ID: 1855 Item 5 # 303



Citing this Record:
"Italia Nati e Battesimi, 1806-1900," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVYV-CHW : 8 December 2014), Maria Colletti Ippolito, 05 Aug 1855; citing Sciacca, Agrigento, Italy, reference 1855 Item 5 # 303; FHL microfilm 1,603,636.

It seems that Colletti Ippolito was a double surname. (Double surnames were common in Agrigento province.) I'll try to connect Giacomo to Vito to show that they were from the same family.

[carubia]

I just noticed that I have Vito Colletti and Maria Graffeo already in my tree on Ancestry. Vito Colletti was born 5 Feb 1825 in Sciacca, whereas Maria was actually Maria Antonia Graffeo, born 13 Jun 1827 in Sciacca, and they married on 3 Feb 1850 in Sciacca. Vito's father was Paolo Colletti Ippolito, who was born in Caltabellotta around 1790 (to parents Mario Colletti Ippolito and Maria Truncale) and died in Sciacca on 27 Apr 1851.

So that solves the mystery. Paolo Corrao was not from Palermo but rather from Sciacca. My guess is that if you trace back his family (I'll do that a little later), you'll find his ancestors were from Sciacca from at least the early 19th c.

[carubia]

I just noticed that I already have the parents of Paolo Corrao in my tree, too. It seems that his great-grandfather Antonino Corrao moved from Santa Margherita di Belice to Sciacca between 1774 and 1794.

[marianita1125]

Hi there,
I am from the same family. My name is Marianna and Paolo Corrao and Maria Colletti were my great grandmother's parents. Could you please give me your email or phone number so I may reach out to you to further discuss your responses? Thank you so much! Mine is marianrossell@hotmail.com

[carubia]

I sent you an email, Marianna. I advise against posting your email address on a public board like this, though.