Looking for family info

[LittleLady]

Looking for info on my grandgather, Cosimo (or Cosmo) Gigante from Molfetta, Puglia, Italy. According to Ancestry, he came thru Ellis Island in 1909. He lived in Rotterdam Junction, NY, where he married my grandmother, Stella Dimenna in 1919.
I can't find my grandmaother's name on Ancestry. She was born in 1903 and came here in 1916 with her mother & siblings to live with her father, Leonardo Dimenna in Rotterdam.
I'm lost on any information prior to 1919. Anyone able to help? Thanks

[maestra36]

Could this be your grandfather? You don't say what year he was born. Perhaps someone can upload the manifest for you, or you can view it by going directly to www.ellisislandrecords.org He was destined for a brother in law named Luigi Pansini

First Name: Cosmo
Last Name: Giganti
Ethnicity: Italy, South
Last Place of Residence: Malsetta, Bari
Date of Arrival: May 07, 1909
Age at Arrival: 26y Gender: M Marital Status: S
Ship of Travel: Liguria
Port of Departure: Napoli
Manifest Line Number: 0029

[maestra36]

Welcome to the forum. I would suggest that, in order for those of us on this forum to help you better, if you have approximate years of birth for your ancestors, that information would be helpful. Also do you know where in Italy Stella Dimenna was from.

[Tessa78]

Hi LittleLady! Welcome

Possible manifest for your grandmother, her mother and siblings.
Arriiving Boston December 1915
Leaving no one in Ortenova, going to join husband/father Leonardo di Menna in Amsterdam, NY (which is near Rotterdam)
Lines 26-30

Mother is Saveria Guida, 32
Children:
Maria, 12 - Stella? (would put her date of birth at 1903)
Giuseppe, 9
Vincenzo, 4
Maria Pasquale, 2

page 1
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/9343/d ... st1915.jpg

page 2
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3025 ... t19152.jpg

1930 Census in Rotterdam, NY
By this time Leo is a widower and Maria (Stella) is married. Joseph (Giuseppe), Vincent (Vincenzo) and Pauline M. (Maria Pasquale) who were all born in Italy; and Mary and Ralph who were born in New York, are all living with their father.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9571 ... census.jpg

T.

[Tessa78]

The town on the manifest could be Cortenova in the Lombardy Region.

http://en.comuni-italiani.it/097/025/

Based on the 1930 Census, Saveria Guida diMenna probably died between 1925 and 1930.

T.

[suanj]

Hi LittleLady! Welcome

Possible manifest for your grandmother, her mother and siblings.
Arriiving Boston December 1915
Leaving no one in Ortenova, going to join husband/father Leonardo di Menna in Amsterdam, NY (which is near Rotterdam)
Lines 26-30

Mother is Saveria Guida, 32
Children:
Maria, 12 - Stella? (would put her date of birth at 1903)
Giuseppe, 9
Vincenzo, 4
Maria Pasquale, 2

page 1
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/9343/d ... st1915.jpg

page 2
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3025 ... t19152.jpg

1930 Census in Rotterdam, NY
By this time Leo is a widower and Maria (Stella) is married. Joseph (Giuseppe), Vincent (Vincenzo) and Pauline M. (Maria Pasquale) who were all born in Italy; and Mary and Ralph who were born in New York, are all living with their father.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9571 ... census.jpg

T.

Hi here Leonardo arrival:

First Name: Leonardo
Last Name: Di Menna
Ethnicity: Italian, South
Last Place of Residence: Ortanova
Date of Arrival: Jun 11, 1907
Age at Arrival: 41y Gender: M Marital Status: M
Ship of Travel: Sannio
Port of Departure: Napoli
Manifest Line Number: 0010

http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0010
the town is Ortanova, I believe Orta Nova ( Foggia province, Apulia region)
all the best,
suanj

[LittleLady]

Thank you so much for the info on my grandmother. I guess the reason I couldn't find anything was because I thought she came thru Ellis Island and not Boston.

I don't think the info on my grandfather and great grandfather is right. According to my mother, Cosimo Gigante was born approx 2/2/1888. He fought in the Turco-Italian war (1911-1912) and sometime in the 1970's, he received medals and recognition as Cavalier.

My great=grandfather, Leonardo Dimenna was born 1/29/1879, and arrived here in approx 1914. I think the Leonardo you listed was his cousin.

Any help with this additional info? Thank you

[vj]

DiMenna

Hi!
Just in case you haven't used this site:
http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html
It should have newspaper articles for your family in NY
Valarie

example
Schenectady Gazette
Thu, 24 Sep 1959
obituary Leonard DiMenna
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1272/image0002m.jpg

[Tessa78]

Hi Valarie

Great find!

T.

[vj]

Hey T
Old Fulton is one of the best newspaper sites I've used.
And, it's great that it's free.

Search Over 12,698,000 Old New York State Historical Newspaper Pages

Valarie

[LittleLady]

Thank you so much! That Old Fulton site is fantastic. I found so much information to share with my family.
I may be back with more questions later on, but for now, thank you again!

[jordangreen]

Cosmo was married to stella and they had 3 children. Rose or Rosaria, Mary of Sevaria, and Ann. Rose had one child with Michael Silecchia named Denise. Mary had one child named Marylin with Henry Aimes. Ann had four children with Joseph Coppola, Dennis, Lorraine, Diane, and Barbara. Denise had a child with Michael Green named Jordan. Marylin had one child named Megan. Dennis had four kids, Mary, Dennis Jr., Chris, and Dena. Diane had one kid named Joeseph. Barbara had 2 kids named Karen and Stephen.

That is the Gigante family tree, well the small one any way.

[LittleLady]

Thanks Jordan, but it's me...Aunt Marilyn : )

[jordangreen]

oh wow. WEll, you know more than I do so I can't help you.

[ddchrismar]

STELLA DEMENNA GIGANTE WAS BORN JAN 20,1903 SHE CAME TO AMERICA IN 1915.
SHE DIED march 15, 1970 while at a wedding ( FRANNIE SASSO (kovarcik 'S WEDDING/
SHE HAD DIABETES AND HER SUGAR LEVEL WAS EITHER TO HIGH OR TO LOW /SHE PASSED OUT AT THE WEDDING/FRAN SASSO WAS COSMO GIGANTE 'S SISTER (ROSE GIGANTE) GRANDCHILD (FRAN MOTHER WAS CALLED NIELLA) WHO WAS COSMO GIGANTE'S NIECE/COSMO AND STELLA LIVED AT 3 LOCATIONS IN HOBOKEN,THAT I KNOW ABOUT:( 732 BLOOMFIELD STREET, 812 BLOOMFIELD STREET, AND 11th AND GARDEN STREET)/ STELLA BECAME A NATIONALIZED CITIZEN ON DEC. 20, 1943/ THE COURT DECREE HER NAME CHANGE FROM MARIA TO STELLA AT THIS TIME.