Reached a wall tracing Diloura/DeLoura family back to Italy

[amari]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, after reading through multiple other threads in the last few weeks for others' tips on finding family members and dealing with inconsistent/incomplete documents, a huge thank you to everyone who contributes their skills and expertise on these forums.

My family (DeLaura in current spelling) has a relatively compact history in Brooklyn, New York area. I'm trying to trace us back to where we come from in Italy and feel like I've exhausted every combination of names, relations, and spelling wildcards I can find.

I have a great great grandfather who appears in variations of Vincenzo/Vincent Dilora, DiLauro, DeLoura, etc. in 1900-1930 Brooklyn.

To further complicate, Vincenzo's mother appears on a 1920 census as Mary Dilora, along with a step-father. Her immigration year is the same as Vincenzo's. There is never an appearance of a father or siblings of Vincenzo on any document I've found.

Vincenzo's naturalization petition indicates he was born "January 1880" and arrived in the US on "25 APR 1890". I haven't been able to match these dates to anyone myself, and think they may be false.

In short, I'm trying to find where he and his mother came from in Italy and their Italian names/family there!

The timeline:

Vincenzo Dilauro, born approx 1880-1885 in Italy
Mother: Mary Dilauro, born approx 1860-1865 in Italy

Mary and Vincenzo come to New York in 1890-1895 when Vincenzo is approx. 8-15 years old.

Vincenzo has a son, Nicolai, in 1903 and a second son, Anthony, in 1906, both with Mary Dilauro.

Vincenzo passes away in 1935.

Any insights you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

[Tessa78]

Welcome to the forum!

Can you post Vincenzo's naturalization petition?

Is this the 1920 US Census you referenced?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJ1D-14F


Is this your Vincenzo in the 1930 US Census?
Residing on Rockaway AVenue in Brooklyn.
Wife, Mary; sons, Nicholas (26) and Anthony (7)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=1810731

***EDIT TO ADD***

His Petition?
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/22 ... PUBJs=true

T.

[adelfio]

Is this him?
Name: Vincent Delaura
Age: 54
Birth Year: abt 1881
Death Date: 24 Jan 1935
Death Place: Kings, New York, USA
Certificate Number: 2155
Wills and Probates: Search for Vincent Delaura in New York Wills & Probates collection

Marty

[bbivona]

Based on the 1910 census record, Vincent's mother, Mary/Maria, appears to have married Antonio Cunzo about 1899. She also appears with Antonio in the 1920 federal census and the 1925 New York state census. While she is listed as Mary Dilora in 1920, she appears as Mary Cunzo everywhere else. Her death index record shows that she died in New York on February 25, 1926. If you can get access to the actual certificate it might give a location other than just "Italy" and might have her parents' names.

The immigration record is also a good shot, as those often have the mother's surname, rather than the husband's name that most of them took in American custom once they got to America. Also they often list the town of residence in Italy.

EDIT - adding Maria's mother
In the 1900 census in Manhattan, Antonio Cunzo appears with wife Maria Cunzo, two of his children from a prior marriage, and Antonia Pillora, age 75, born Jan 1825, who is listed as his mother in law. Presumably that is the mother of Maria and grandmother of Vincenzo. Maria is shown as born in January 1862, and as married to Antonio for one year.

[amari]

tessa78: correct on all counts! Wow, I had found the index to his petition but hadn't somehow found the petition itself

adelfio: yep!

bbviona: THANK YOU so much for interpreting the writing on that census as Cunzo and finding her under that name elsewhere. I'll dig down that route today.

[bbivona]

tessa78: correct on all counts! Wow, I had found the index to his petition but hadn't somehow found the petition itself

adelfio: yep!

bbviona: THANK YOU so much for interpreting the writing on that census as Cunzo and finding her under that name elsewhere. I'll dig down that route today.

See my edit above about Antonio Cunzo's mother in law

[Tessa78]

Keeping in mind that "Pillora" on the census may be a misunderstanding of the surname Di Laura

T.

[Tessa78]

In this 1910 US Census for Vincenzo, wife Maria, and sons Nicholas/Nicola and Antonio... Nicholas is born about 1903 in NYC.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/78 ... PUBJs=true


Here is a POSSIBLE birth act for Nicola from NYC Birth Index

Delauro Nicola Oct 6 1903 #44056 Manhattan

If you request the birth act from NYC it should have the maiden name of the mother.
Maybe that will help to find the marriage of Vincenzo and Maria which would have Vincenzo's mother's maiden name...

T.

[amari]

I found matching information for that birth act as well and now have a copy on order.

I also have a digital copy of Vincenzo's naturalization petition on order and hopefully somewhere in there/declaration information has more family details.

[Tessa78]

Good news!

T.

[amari]

I've all but confirmed that Vincenzio's wife was maiden Maria/Mary Saraceno, that they were not living together in 1900 but were in 1905 - that was a fun one, his mother-in-law is listed as Delia Saraceno in 1900 and Delia "Sararineo" in 1905 census... transcription translation is great.

Now to see if I can find a marriage index!

[amari]

I have another possible lead I'm investigating that I'd love to throw out there for more expertise.

Vincenzo's mother has a death certificate index listing her father's name as "Salvatore", approx birth year 1962
The additional census above indicates Vincenzo's grandmother was named Antonia.

I've found the following:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XKCJ-DHV

Maria Teresa Salvatore, born 16 OCT 1865 in Lanciano, Chieti
Father: Francesco P. Salvatore
Mother: Antonia Marrone

In the linked tree view on familysearch:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedig ... e/M81Y-LDH

She appears to have a brother named Vincenzo, so it looks like that name was in family history.
EDIT: I also found this, a Maria Salvatore and Filippo di Lello with a son named Vincenzo di Lello, 04 FEB 1884

Anyone way better than me at linking Italian records able to figure if she's my Vincenzo's mother?

[amari]

Hmm, when I dug through year by year on the Villa Santa Maria records, it looks like Maria[nna] Salvatore and Filippo/Fillipo di Lello had 7 children between 1877-1893, at least 4 of which died at birth/early. I find this most interesting as in her 1910 census in New York, Mary Cunzo is listed as "7 children, 1 living". The plot thickens.

[amari]

... I just found Maria Salvatore, 33 and Vincenzo Salvatore, 12, no other family members, on the manifest for the Matteo Bruzzo arriving 4/26/1892 - same year from the consistently reported census arrival year, the exact month and date of Vincenzo's naturalization petition, but his petition has it as 1890.

I haven't yet found a match (different than the above 1884 finding) for a birth record for 1880, but I also suspect he may have lied on his naturalization petition - his mother was remarrying and he was moving out, and he used the 1880 date so he would be "18" when he submitted his initial papers in 1898.

[amari]

Argh, another wall!

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 0.jpg.html

This is 1883 Vincenzo's birth entry with an added stamp saying he married in Pescolanciano, Molise, Campobasso in 1916 (at age 33) to a woman named... Angelli something.

I've still yet to find any other Vincenzo's that match up, let alone match so well with the family names/dates I have. I also can't find a record online for the 1916 marriage, or birth records citing them as parents. Is it possible it's stamped on his entry in error?