Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

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NDR
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Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by NDR »

I am looking for any information on the Richichi family from Catona, Reggio Calabria. My great grandparents were Antonio Richichi and Maria de Maria Richichi. Their known children were: Gaetano, Vincenzo, Pepina, Teresa, Carmella, Angela and Raphael. Thank you.
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Tessa78
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

Hello and welcome! :-D

Can you provide a few more details?
Approx. years of birth for your GGPs and their children?
Possible year of immigration (if they immigrated)
And if they immigrated, where they settled?

T.
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Tessa78
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

The RICHICHI surname is common in Reggio Calabria today.

There are 6 listings for Richichi in the Italian Phone Book in Catona...
http://www.paginebianche.it/execute.cgi ... &om=0&td=1

You may wish to write to one or more or these potential relatives :-)

Help with letters in Italian.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... #relatives

Meanwhile, if you can provide some details, we'll see what we can find...

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by NDR »

Vicenzo Richichi,my grandfather, was born in Catona between 1885-1887. He came to America on the Sicilian Prince, sailng from Messina and arriving Ellis Island on 7 Aug 1906. His only other sibling to immigrate was his sister Teresa Richichi, who sailed on the Sant'Anna
from Naples, arrivng Ellis Island on 13 March 1913. In America she married a man whose last name was Alessi and they settled in Amsterdam, NY. Back in Italy, my grandfather's brother Gaetano went to military school and was eventally a Caribinieri. That is all I know of the fmaily in Italy, where they were farmers in thh Catona area.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

Possible WWII Registration Card for your GF
Living in Scranton PA - miner
DOB - June 1885

Image

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

Is this the family of Rocco and Teresa (Richichi?) Alessi in Amsterdam, NY in 1930?

Image

1930 United States Federal Census

Name: Teresa Alessi
Home in 1930: Amsterdam, Montgomery, New York
View Map
Age: 36
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1894
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Spouse's Name: Rocco Alessi
Race: White
Household Members:
Name Age
Rocco Alessi 43
Teresa Alessi 36
Nancy Alessi 14
Mary Alessi 11
Carman Alessi 10
Anthony Alessi 7
Salvatore Alessi 2
Joseph Alessi 1/12

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

NDR wrote:I am looking for any information on the Richichi family from Catona, Reggio Calabria. My great grandparents were Antonio Richichi and Maria de Maria Richichi. Their known children were: Gaetano, Vincenzo, Pepina, Teresa, Carmella, Angela and Raphael. Thank you.
You stated:
His only other sibling to immigrate was his sister Teresa Richichi, who sailed on the Sant'Anna
from Naples, arrivng Ellis Island on 13 March 1913
While I haven't yet found that manifest, I have found this one - May be Teresa? :-)
A Teresa Richichi and sister Carmella (ages 20 and 17) are listed on the manifest. The boat is the Sant'Anna arriving NY on JUNE 12, 1913 - leaving father Antonino in (can't read place) and going to join brother Vincent in Amsterdam, NY...
HOWEVER, their names are crossed out... :?
This could mean they didn't sail, or that they were listed elsewhere on the manifest...

Lines 5 and 6
Page 1
Image

Page 2
Image

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by NDR »

Tessa - first let me thank you for so graciously helping a "Newbie" on his first posting! 1) I shall write to the 6 persons in Catona you located; 2) I shall use the Italian letter format you linked me to -as I don't speak, read or write Italian so the sample letters are a Godsend; 3) the WWII gentleman is not my grandfather as he lived in Little Falls,NY at that time and never lived in Scranton, PA;It is a surprise to me that his sisters Teresa and Carmella may have come here together as I only knew of Teresa ever coming and the arrival date is the same year but a different day/month from what I found recently on the internet -- Carmella may have backed out, accounting for the crossouts in the record. However it is my GF's sister(s), as she (they) would have been going to Amsterdam, NY where he (Vincent/Vincenzo)first settled and married and had his children (including my Dad. BTW, if I do not respond quickly to your postings, I am not being rude or ungrateful - the truth is that vision problems limit how much time I can stare at a monitor each day. Cheers!
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

Happy to help! :D
And don't worry about the "speediness" of your response... get to it when you can.

As for the manifest with Teresa and Carmella...
Have you noticed that it is for JUNE? You said you had found a manifest with Teresa coming in MARCH - the month BEFORE --- Hmmmm - makes you wonder...

Do you have a copy of that manifest for Teresa? I can't seem to find it...
If you can post it, maybe we can solve the mystery...

There are a lot of records for a Vincenzo Richichi in Pennsylvania - so thanks for letting me know that your GF settled in Little Falls, NY :-) and NOT in PA.

I tried to find an address for the Comune of Catona so you could write to the town for birth records, but so far have not been able to locate one. I'll keep looking...

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by NDR »

Thanks - I don't have a copy of the manifest on Teresa because it was so illegible,but the printout I have from AncestryInstitution.com of the New York Passenger Lists: 1820-1957 shows her coming alone on 12 June 1913, so if I said March earlier,I was in error. That would fit the date you gave me for her and Carmella. In the meantime,I am trying to reach my last surviving aunt on that side of the family (in her 90s and with a poor memeory) to see if she has any remembrance of Carmella (HER aunt)ever living in the USA - cheers!
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

I have posted the June 12, 1913 manifest above :-)

I took another look at the manifest and it seems like Teresa (and Carmella) were leaving their father "Antonio" in what appears to be the comune/town of "Terranova Sap." - That is also what they list in the last column of the manifest as their Place of Birth :-)
There is a comune of TERRANOVA SAPPO MINULIO in Province of Reggio Calabria. Perhaps that is where they were from, but resided in Catona just before departure. Catona is on the coast, and closer to Messina. Are you sure about the place of birth being CATONA?

This is may be a real "long-shot" but why not try writing to the Comune of Terranova Sappo Minulio (RC) to request a birth record for your GF. There is no cost and you might get lucky... :-)

Address:
Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Piazza XXIV Maggio, 1
89010 Terranova Sappo Minulio (RC)
ITALY


You must write your request in Italian and provide dates of birth and parents' names. You may include the names of siblings, too.

Help with requests in Italian...
http://www.circolocalabrese.org/resourc ... civile.asp
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... talrecords

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

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NDR wrote:Vicenzo Richichi,my grandfather, was born in Catona between 1885-1887. He came to America on the Sicilian Prince, sailng from Messina and arriving Ellis Island on 7 Aug 1906. His only other sibling to immigrate was his sister Teresa Richichi, who sailed on the Sant'Anna
from Naples, arrivng Ellis Island on 13 March 1913. In America she married a man whose last name was Alessi and they settled in Amsterdam, NY. Back in Italy, my grandfather's brother Gaetano went to military school and was eventally a Caribinieri. That is all I know of the fmaily in Italy, where they were farmers in thh Catona area.
Here is the image for the 7 Aug 1906 manifest you listed above as the arrival of Vincenzo Richichi...
It states that he is from Catona, but it also states that he is going to his brother-in-law Antonino Prisalli in Mayfield, Pennsylvania.
From what you have told me about Vincenzo, he never lived in Pennsylvania.
Are you sure that this manifest is the one for YOUR Vincenzo?

Passenger #110
Click once to ENLARGE and again to MAGNIFY
Image

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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

I think this may be the correct manifest for your grandfather Vincenzo Richichi (spelled Rechiche on the manifest)

Arriving NY 1 September 1907 on the Regina D'Italia
Age 20, single
Last residence, Terranova, Reggio Calabria
Leaving father ANTONIO in Terranova
Destination - Amsterdam, NY (written over what was there before)
Going to brother-in-law Vincenzo Sesollo in Amsterdam, NY
Manifest also indicates that he is about 5'3" and has a scar on his forehead.
Place of birth listed as Terranova

Line 16
Click once to ENLARGE and again to MAGNIFY
Image

page 2
Image

I think you should definitely write to the comune of Terranova Sappo Minulio for his birth record :-D

T.
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by NDR »

Tessa - you are a WONDER! I am shaking from having read your last two postings, as I believe you are spot-on and have solved a mystery of at least 50 years! But first let me say, my vision is such that I cannot read handwritten manifests - even those I am finding when I go to the local Family History Center for help - I just can't understand that old-fashioned, faded handwriting, so that has been part of my problem. "Catona" entered in the picture because I identified the wrong ship manifest years ago for my grandfather (someone with the same name,obviously) - now I believe you have found the correct one/person and the information on the manifest for Teresa/Carmella is also likely correct. Here is why: when I and my now-deceased aunt quzzed my grandfather about his birthplace 50 years ago, in his broken English we thought he said, "Lia, Sapamanu". Since I could never find a town of that name in Reggio Calabria,I jumped on "Catona" as his birthplace when I saw it in the (wrong) manifest of someone with his name who had come from there. Obviously, he was talking about "Terranova Sappo Minulio"! The fact that you found that his name was incorrectly spelled on the manifest (Rechiche) didn't help my researches of "Vincenzo Richichi" either. Anyway, I shall write to the TSM commune for records as you suggested (today I ordered the necessary International Postal Reply Coupons on the USPS internet, as the local PO doesn't carry them anymore (the local clerks told me "no one uses them anymore"!) I shall also try to research the commune of TSM for more information on where it is exactly located in RC. I still can't believe you've done all this for me - Nick
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Re: Richichi Family of Catona, Reggio Calabria

Post by Tessa78 »

So happy to have helped, Nick! :-D

I read your note with nostaglia...so many of us (myself included) had similar experiences with information from our ancestors who spoke with an accent and couldn't read or write, so spelling was out of the question :-)

Here is a map of TSM. Use the "-" sign to zoom out so you can see where in RC Province it is located.
You can see that it due NW of the City of Reggio Calabria, West of the mountains, and South of Taurianova.
http://en.comuni-italiani.it/080/094/mappa.html

When you receive your record(s) from TSM, you can post them here at the forum in the "Italian Language..." section and we can translate for you!! :-D

AND - if you visit your local FHC to view microfilms of TSM, just try to find the name Richichi (usually the names are written much larger than the rest of the record) and capture it on a thumbdrive, or print a copy. Then post it here for translation. We translate lots of records, and many people post records for translation hoping to find the correct ones.
Films available for TSM through FHC cover records from 1810-1915
http://familysearch.org/eng/library/fhl ... +Terranova


Buona fortuna!

T.
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