Great-grandfather birth record

[Joetheriver]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for the birth records for my great-grandfather, Oreste Fiume. On his immigration to the US, he said he was born 26 May 1876 in Naples, Italy. He came to the US on 6 Nov 1899 and married my great-grandmother Maria in 1903 in New York. He lived in New York until he died in 1955.

I can find copies of every document on him in the US, (naturalization, draft, marriage, death, children's birth certificates), but I cannot find his birth record. He was born in Italy. He was an orphan, both his parents died when he was young. Because both his parents died, we have no parent or other family records to aid in finding a birth certificate. It is possible he was not born in Naples, but moved to Naples before his parents died.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Farassino]

Hello,
To research in Naples il always difficult as you need to know in which “quartiere” the person you’re looking for comes from.

Do you know the name of Oreste’s parents?
Also do you know of any sisters as on the ship manifest it says that he was going to join his brother in law Mr Pirozzi as does the other person travelling with him on line #20 but with a different surname. Maybe 2 Pirozzi brothers as it’s impossible to read their names.
https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/sh ... cGciOw==/1

[rlw254]

Where do you get the info that both his parents died? If his parents' names are not listed on the marriage record but his wife's are, to me it rather looks like he was a foundling. Napoli birth records in the time you'll need are not readily available.

In addition to Vincenzo (?) Pirozzi from the above comment, Oreste can be found listed as 'brother-in-law' to Antonio Ferraro on a 1906 immigration for the latter. I always take these listed relationships with a grain of salt.

[Farassino]

As a curiosity, there is a Vincenzo Pirozzi arriving in 1892, aged 29 on ship Burgundia.
Probably the same person as the one on Oreste’s manifest. Line #45.
https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/sh ... cGciOw==/1

[off]

joetheriver, Oreste was my grandfather, so that means you are probably one of my cousins children. I have been doing work on this lately. Can we take this conversation off-line?

[Joetheriver]

After a bit more research, he was a foundling. I was able to find a record that his passport existed and it has the "di Ave Gratia Plena" which was the common name given to foundlings in Naples at that time. From what I have learned of foundlings they would create a new birth record with a new name at the orphanage where they are found regardless of whether a previous birth account existed or not. That leads me to believe that his date of birth is accurate as well as his name and that there should be a record somewhere.

Here is archival record of his passport: http://patrimonio.archiviodistatonapoli ... 1899-.html

The passport record also has a Vincenzo Fiume attached to the same passport record: http://patrimonio.archiviodistatonapoli ... 1899-.html

Is it possible the passport record holds more clues as to where his birth record might be? Does anyone know what type of information is found on an Italian passport record from that era? Thanks!

[off]

joetheriver, you have not responded to my previous message, and maybe the lack of specific information may be the reason. Let me correct that.

Oreste Fiume had three sons, Oreste (a.k.a.”Bob”), Louis and Edward, who was my father, in addition to three daughters. My name is Orest, without the “e” because my parents wanted to Americanize it.

The only thing that I remember being told about my grandfather was that he was adopted and raised by “two sisters”. However, after my father died, I became interested in finding out more.

My first step was to travel to Petaluma to visit the last surviving son, Lou, and he gave me as much information as he could remember. I then did a DNA test, but all the “matches” were on my mother’s side of the family. Until recently.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a woman in California saying that she and I had a DNA match on the male side. We have been working together and sharing the information that we have and continuing to do more research.

I sent her the link to the conversation you started on this website, and she authorized me to share her family documents and information with you. However, I am reluctant to put them on a public forum. I see two solutions. I can send it to you directly. Or, she is on ancestry.com and if you are also, she can communicate with you directly, and then hopefully you with me.

I’m going to take a guess that your dad is Gus since he has a son named Joseph. If that guess is correct, I haven’t seen him since my last trip to California about 20 years ago.

Your “handle”, joetheriver, suggests that you know that Fiume in Italian means “river”. So, I guess you could call me oldmanriver.

[Joetheriver]

Hi Orest, we must have met 20 years ago. Yes, I am hesitant about information shared online, but you have correctly guessed who I am. I messaged you privately on here but it must not have gone though. Please message me privately on here and we can exchange some contact info.