FILLIPPONE / FILLIPPONI / FILIPPONE / FILIPPONI

From time to time I like to tackle a project for friends and readers. Today's is an Italian-American family.

FILLIPPONE

Today’s project is the FILLIPPONE family of Illinois and Italy. Here’s the info I started with: Charles FILLIPPONE, born in Illinois in 1911 and living in Chicago at age 94. That’s it. Let’s see what we can learn.

First I head to the 1930 US federal census at www.ancestry.com: the family is in Normal (named for the location of the Illinois State Normal School), McLean County, Illinois. It looks like this:
100 Stover Place, Normal City; 15 APR 1930; ED 57-54, sheet 12B
FILLIPPONE, Peter 53, md at 25 (or in about 1902), Italy Italy Italy, to the US in 1905, naturalized, flagman for the Illinois Central Railroad
FILLIPPONE, Katherine 48, md at 19 (or in about 1901), Italy Italy Italy, to the US in 1909
FILLIPPONE, Charles 19, Illinois, boilermaker in the C. & A. steam railway shops
FILLIPPONE, Rose 16, Illinois
FILLIPPONE, Lewis 12, Illinois
FILLIPPONE, Samuel 10, Illinois

Next is the 1920 census: the family is still in Normal.
904 S. Linden St., Normal Town; 09 JAN 1920; ED 144, sheet 10A
FILLIPPONI, Peter 43, md, to the US in 1875, alien, Italy Italy Italy, railroad laborer
FILLIPPONI, Catherine 40, md, to the US in 1879, alien, Italy Italy Italy
FIGE (?), Victoria 18, md, to the US in 1909, alien, Italy Italy Italy
FILLIPPONI, Teresa 15, to the US in 1913, Italy
FILLIPPONI, Angelina 13, to the US in 1913, Italy
FILLIPPONI, Frank 9, Illinois
FILLIPPONI, Charles 8, Illinois
FILLIPPONI, Rosa 5, Illinois
FILLIPPONI, Louis 3y6m, Illinois

I couldn’t find them in the 1910 census. I wonder if they were back in Italy. The immigration dates suggest it.

Next is the 1900 census: hmmm. Couldn’t find them in the index. Let’s turn elsewere. The Social Security Death Index (available through Ancestry.com or through www.familysearch.org) shows Louis L. FILLIPPONE, born 15 JUN 1916 and died 21 AUG 2004. His last residence was Normal, Illinois. Our condolences to the family. (A quick check of www.findagrave.com shows he was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Normal. Also in that cemetery is Frank F. FILLIPPONI, Sr., born 24 MAY 1910 and died 29 DEC 1989. His wife was Carmen. From other Web sources [Google] I found that they had sons Frank, Jr. and Jack P.) He is the only one listed, which would be odd except for the fact that they were railroad men, and as such, they weren’t in the Social Security system. There was a separate pension system for railroad workers.

Next I checked the New York passenger lists at www.ellisislandrecords.org (free, but you have to register). It was murder. I had to see hundreds of web pages and use various spellings, but I finally got Catherine and the kids as they arrived in 1909. They left from Naples aboard the S.S. Neckar, arriving at Ellis Island, New York Harbor, on 21 MAY 1909. Caterina PERRI (her maiden name), age 30. Her nearest relative in Italy was aunt Fortunata PESCI in San Giovanni in Fiore, Cosenza. She was headed to 388 S. Alete (?) Street, Chicago with her children: FILIPPONI, Vittoria, 8; M. Teresa, 5; and Angela, 3.

If Italy is seen as a boot, San Giovanni in Fiore, Cosenza, is in the ball of the foot, in Calabria. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. There are no FILLIPPONEs (various spellings were tried) in the town.

Armed with this place of origin, I looked harder for Peter. On 14 DEC 1901, he (Pietro FILIPPONE) arrived at Ellis Island as a single laborer, age 26, aboard the Naples. He said he was from San Giovanni in Fiori and was headed to Fairmont, WV (coal mining country) to join his uncle, Pasquale PERRI. Isn’t that great?! He was related to his soon-to-be-wife’s family. A quick look at the White Pages for San Giovanni in Fiori shows that there are still PERRI relatives there.

A Google search led me to the correct married name of Victoria, which was in question from the 1920 census. It was FESI. The immigration records of McLean County, Illinois are online, and several entries say: “131 FESI, ANTONIO Nat. Rec. No. 732
Res. 106 E. Locust St., Normal, Ill.; Watchman; b. 8 Dec. 1894 Lascari, Italy; Decl. of Intent 21 May 1936 Circuit Ct., McLean Co., Ill.; Wife Victoria; mar. 22 Sept. 1919 Bloomington, Ill.; She b. NY NY 6 Jan. 1909; 5 children: Joseph b. 15 Aug. 1920 Bloomington; Rosa Angelina b. 22 Oct. 1922 Bloomington; John P. b. 24 July 1924 Bloomington; Mary C. b. 21 Aug. 1931 Normal; Janet E. Fesi b. 6 Aug. 1933 Normal; To US from Palermo, Italy to NY 17 April 1913 on "SS Cincinnati"; Res. in McLean Co. since 15 May 1918; Witnesses: Reuben FitzHenry, blacksmith; Grant M. Ridenour, mayor; Oath of Allegiance 14 Sept. 1940; Cert. No. 4896776
132 FESI, TONY Decl. of Int. 918
Res. 106 E. Locust St., Normal, Ill.; Section hand ICRR; b. Lascari, Italy 8 Dec. 1894; Wife Victoria; mar. 22 Sept. 1919 Bloomington, Ill.; She b. San Juan de Fiora 13 Dec. 1902; entered US at NY 6 June 1909; 5 children: Joseph b. 15 Aug. 1920 Bloomington; Rose Angelina b. 23 Oct. 1922 Bloomington; John Peter b. 24 July 1924 Bloomington; Mary Catherine b. 21 Aug. 1931 Normal; Janet Eileen b. 6 Aug. 1933 Normal; Last foreign res. Lascari, Prov. di Palermo, Italy; To US from Palermo, Italy to NY under name of Antonio Fesi 17 April 1913 on SS Cincinnati; Dated 21 May 1936; 11-142790
133 FESI, TONY Nat. Rec. Vol. 6 p. 83
Res. 100 Stewart Pl., Normal, Ill.; Steel Car Shlp Helper; b. 8 Dec. 1895 Lascari, Italy; To US from Palermo, Italy 15 April 1913; arriving 15 April 1913 port NY on "New York"; Decl. of Intent: Petition filed under terms of Act. of May 26, 1926; Res. Ill. since 15 Aug. 1919; Wife Victoria Fillipponi Fesi b. 13 Dec. 1902 San Juan Casenza, Italy; 3 children: Rose Angeline b. 23 Oct. 1922; Joseph b. 15 Aug. 1920; John Peter b. 24 July 1924; all at Bloomington, Ill.; Witnesses: George W. Falkingham, salesman; Charles Bova, Produce; Petition dismissed without prejudice it appearing that law under which petition was filed expired prior to hearing
134 FESI, VICTORIA Pet. for Nat. 792
Res. 106 E. Locust St., Normal, Ill.; Housewife; b. 13 Dec. 1902 San Juan de Fiore, Italy; Husband Tony; mar. 22 Sept. 1919 Bloomington, Ill.; He b. Lascan Italy 8 Nov. 1894; 5 children: Joseph b. 15 Aug. 1920 Bloomington; Rose b. 23 Oct. 1922 Bloomington; John b. 24 July Bloomington; Mary b. 21 Aug. 1931 Normal, Ill.; Janet b. 6 Aug. 1933 Normal, Ill.; To US from Naples, Italy to NY under name of Vittoria Filipponi 3 June 1909 on SS Neckar; Witnesses: Lillian Lois Bartram, housewife; Myrtle Goldie Volk, housewife; Oath of Allegiance 29 Aug. 1942; Cert. Nat. 5223731”

That finding led me to check out the FILLIPPONI name at the same source:

“157 FILLIPPONI, CATHERINE Pet. for Nat. 760
Res. 100 E. Stewart St., Normal, Ill.; Housewife; b. 18 Jan. 1881 San Juan de fiore, Italy; Husband Peter; mar 15 Dec. 1909 San Juan de Fiore, Italy; he b. Gerriggio, Italy 21 Nov. 1875; 7 children: Victoria b. 13 Dec. 1902 Italy; Theresa b. 27 May 1904 Italy; Frank b. 24 May 1910 Chicago; Charles b. 4 April 1912 Chicago; Rosa b. 27 March 1914 Chicago; Louis b. 15 June 1915 Barnes, Ill.; Samuel b. 1 Feb. 1919 Normal, Ill.; Witnesses: Blanche Pearl Huff, housewife; Mrs. Leota FitzHenry, Saleslady; Oath of Allegiance 24 May 1941; Cert. Nat. 5223848; Cert. of arrival: Caterina Perri 3 June 1909 SS Neckar
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158 FILLIPPONI, PETER Decl. of Intent 898
100 Stewart St., Normal, Ill.; RR Flagman; b. Gerrigo, Italy 21 Nov. 1875; Wife Catherine Perri Fillipponi; married 15 Dec. 1900 San Juan, Italy; she b. San Juan, Italy 18 January 1800; she entered US at NY 10 Feb. 1905; 7 children: Mrs. Victoria Fese b. 13 Dec. 1902 Italy; Mrs. Theresa Hubscher b. 27 May 1904 Italy; Frank b. 24 May 1910 Chicago, Ill.; Charles b. 4 April 1912 Chicago; Mrs. Rose Jepso b. 27 March 1914; Louis b. 15 June 1913 Barnes, Ill.; Sam b. 1 Feb. 1919 Normal, Ill.; Last foreign res. San Juan, Prov. Calabria, Italy; To US from Naples, Italy to NY under name of Pietro Fillippone 10 Feb. 1905 on "Sicilia"; Dated 28 March 1935
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159 FILLIPPONI, PETER Cert. of Nat. 662
Res. 100 E. Stewart Pl., Normal, Ill.; R.R. Flagman; b. 21 Nov. 1875 Gerrigio, Italy; Decl. of Intent 28 March 1935 Circuit Ct., McLean Co.; Wife Catherine Perri Fillipponi; married 15 Dec. 1900 at San Juan, Italy; she b. 18 Jan.1880 San Juan, Italy; 7 children: Mrs. Victoria 13 Dec. 1902; Mrs. Hubsches b. 27 May 1904; Frank b. 24 May 1910; Charles b. 4 April 1912; Mrs. Jepson b. 27 March 1914; Louis b. 15 June 1916; Sam b. 2 Feb. 1919; Mrs. Victoria and Mrs. Hubsches b. Italy; Frank, Charles, Mrs. Jepson b. Chicago; Louis b. ??; Sam b. Normal, Ill.; To US from Naples, Italy to NY 10 Feb. 1905 under name of Pietra Fillipponi on "Sicilia"; Res. in McLean Co. since 27 March 1915; Witnesses: Rueben Fitz Henry, blacksmith; Samuel James Reeder, Retired Sheriff; Cert. of Nat. 4275290 18 Sept. 1937 “

That about wraps it up. “San Juan” is the Spanish version of “San Giovanni”. One final note: a check of the library card catalog (online) at www.familysearch.org shows that the civil registration records of San Giovanni in Fiore, Cosenza, are available on microfilm for the years 1810-1910. There are 24 rolls. You can see them yourself or participate in the great, new extraction effort via www.ldsindexing.org and hope that, by helping, you can get the records on the Internet quickly.

Bring out Your Dead

Drop by our sister site "Bring Out Your Dead" at http://deadlist.blogspot.com/. It's an exploration of the ancestries of the "unclaimed dead" as listed by the coroner of San Bernardino County, California at www.unclaimedpersons.com (and other sources as I can find them). Do you know of other sources for names and info on the unclaimed dead?

Free Help / Ofrezco ayuda gratuita

Got a genealogy question? Stuck on some ancestor? Want to know what to do next? Try me, the Genblogger. It can't hurt. If I can help, it might make good reading for others here on this site. I'll change the names involved, if requested.

¿Tiene Ud. preguntas sobre cómo hacer la investigación genealógica? No pierde nada con hacérmelas a mí. Si resulto ser de ayuda, el proceso puede ser útil para otros lectores de este sitio. ¡Vamos! Mándeme una pregunta.

The Greatest Genealogy Project Ever

El proyecto genealógico más atrevido (español abajo)

Calling all genealogists and preservationists! The Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) are asking for volunteers to help them bring their vast genealogical archives into the modern era. As it stands, most of the records it has gathered are stored on nearly 2,000,000 rolls of microfilm in a network of caves outside Salt Lake City. To view these records, researchers have to go to SLC or request that copies be sent to a local Family History Center. Meanwhile, technology has made it possible to view images, anywhere in the world, at little or no cost. The folks at the Family History Library (FHL) in SLC want to digitize all the images so that they can be viewed via the Internet. But that's not all. They want to go one GIANT step further; they want to extract all the information stored on those 2 million rolls, index it, and put it on the Web.

First let's look at why they want to do that, then we'll consider how they plan to accomplish it.

WHY: Because it is the ultimate goal--to place all the information at the reach of all who care to see it, anywhere, anytime, and in the language of their choice. You see, at present, a person investigating their ancestry in Germany, for example, has to see the microfilms from Germany, read the old script, maybe having to learn German along the way, while another person with ancestors from the same location has to go through the same process separately. By extracting the information and indexing it, the FHL plans to make it available to all users, regardless of language.

HOW: Through a new website -- www.ldsindexing.org -- the FHL is requesting volunteers to read the images, extract the vital data, and submit to a growing database. Germans in Germany can extract data from the German records, while Brazilians in Brazil can extract the Brazilian records, etc. The result will be the ultimate database of genealogical information. Claim your place in this historic effort. Go to www.ldsindexing.org and volunteer.

¡A las armas! ¡Todos los interesados en la historia familiar! La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días (los Mormones) busca a voluntarios para participar en el esfuerzo de modernizar la distribución de los muchos datos grabados en los casi 2 millones de rollos de microfilm que tiene guardados en cavernas cerca de la ciudad de Salt Lake City en Utah. Para poder ver estos registros, el proceso vigente es que el investigador tiene que ó visitar Salt Lake City ó pedir que el microfilm le llegue a un centro de investigación familiar cerca de su hogar por medio de la Biblioteca de Investigación Familiar (FHL en inglés). Mientras tanto, la tecnología ha avanzado de tal manera que es posible ver imágenes, dondequiera que esté uno, a muy poco costo, o sin costo alguno. Es por esto que la Iglesia quiere convertir los imágenes en microfilm a imágenes digitales, para poder verse en el Internet. Más allá de eso, quieren hacer algo sumamente inmenso e importante; quieren sacar los datos de los rollos, preparar índices para buscar dentro de los datos, y ofrecerlo en en Internet. Veamos por qué quieren hacerlo, y después cómo piensan lograrlo.

POR QUE: Porque es la meta más deseada que hay en la genealogía--la de formar un base de datos inmenso, global y comprensivo, del cual todos los usuarios en todas partes del mundo pueden sacar información sobre sus antepasados sin la molestia de idiomas desconocidos, ni costos, ni viajes. Resulta que hoy en día existe la posibilidad de que un investigador en, digamos Uruguay, tenga que sacar datos de sus antepasados en Alemania de los microfilms de ese lugar, luchando (y pasando meses) para saberse el alemán y las formas exóticas de la letra manuscrita de antaño, mientras que otro investigador en otra parte, teniendo antepasados del mismo lugar en Alemania, tenga que pasar por lo mismo. Con sacar los datos una vez y preparar índices, será posible encontrar los datos sin tener que ver los imágenes.

COMO: Aquí está lo más interesante. La FHL pide voluntarios por medio del nuevo sitio www.ldsindexing.org para sacar los datos. Si Ud. tiene computadora con conexión al Internet y un par de horas al mes, puede participar en esta gran obra. Visíte el sitio, e inscríbase.

Funny Names #2 - DRINKWATER and PASSWATER

Disclaimer: People may consider some family names funny. It's unavoidable. But we know that all family names are valid and have interesting histories. We mean no offense. That said:

DRINKWATER and PASSWATER
These names are particularly fun when they cross paths, or at least might have. Setting aside the obvious places like Chicago and Philadelphia, where averybody congregated, we find Drinkwaters and Passwaters in Kansas. In the 1900 census, in Falls Township, Chase County, Kansas, (sheet 1B) we see the family of Charles (?) and Ida DRINKWATER, both of Pennsylvania, and their children (all born in Kansas), Mabell, Delos, Hannah, Myron, Winifred, and John. I'm particularly fond of the name Myron Drinkwater; it reminds me of a newsman that I used to hear on KSL radio in Salt Lake City by the name of Florian Weinreiter (phonetic).

Meanwhile, two counties over, in Lone Elm Township, Anderson County, Kansas (sheet 6A), we find the family of farmer James PASSWATER (from Illinois) and his wife Mary (from Kansas), and daughters Jessie and Bertha.

Wouldn't it be great if they intermarried and had a child named Winnie Drinkwater Passwater? Something like that happened when Minerva HUGGINS married Manlove PASSWATER in Hamilton County, Indiana on 05 APR 1877. Don't you just love the name Minerva Huggins Passwater?! Poor, unfortunate Manlove apparently went through 3 wives in 10 years.

By the way, a source at Ancestry.com suggests that PASSWATER may have been another word for a ferryman, or someone who helps you pass over water.

Let me know if you find other interesting, unique, and maybe even comical names out there.

La genealogía hispana

A través del mundo hispano, la iglesia católica ha guardado registros de bautismos, matrimonios y defunciones desde muy tempranas épocas. Estos anales forman la fuente principal para la investigación genealógica hispana. Mayormente, tales registros no se han juntado en archivos centralizados, como a nivel regional. Mas bien, el investigador tiene que determinar de cuál parroquia procede un antepasado y después visitar esa parroquia para ver los registros, si el cura se lo deja.

Hay otro modo: la iglesia mormona ha sacado copia en microfilm de muchos de los registros católicos de muchas partes del mundo hispano. Se pueden ver ó en la biblioteca central en Salt Lake City, en Utah, o los puede pedir prestados, por un leve honorario, y verlos en un centro local. Véase www.familysearch.org o pregúnteme a mí cómo hacerlo.

"HOW TO" Sites & Portal Sites

I am troubled by the many "How to" sites for genealogy. Any single one might hold the key to your particular problem, but how to read them all? It's better, I think, to find a singe reputable source and stick with it. For me, that source is www.FamilySearch.org. They offer many tips for beginners, but you can also get your questions answered there. besides, they have heaps of published guides and research aids.

For that matter, there are too many genealogy portal sites, pretending to lead you to all sources of information. www.Cyndislist.com is still the greatest. Cyndi started as a part-timer when the Internet was young and has become the provide of the most comprehensive go-to site for family history researchers.