Day 2: Genarro and Grazia

Jan 2:  My fIrst real day here.  Before I head to the folklore museum to learn about Lucanian customs (what would YOU do on your first day in Rome??), I decided to post what I wrote about my family tree.  And, you are entitled to take a break from the history of Southern Italy, talking about people is much more interesting.   Who were the Calvellsi ancestors?  What was their life what like?  Not much is known about my/our great grandparents, and the more I find out the more questions I have!  Luckily, my cousin Betsy had done some research and I at least have some names and dates as groundwork.  I also discovered a little more in the LDS records I ordered.. and hopefully we’ll learn more in Calvello.  As I do find out more, I’ll just edit this post and eventually create a family tree.

Pietro DiGrazia was born (I’m guessing) around 1827.  We don’t know his wife’s name but he had a son named Rocco (born about 1847, I’m guessing) and that son had a son named Genarro : my great-grandfather born 1872.

Francesco Gallichio was born (I’m guessing) around 1827 and, again, we don’t know his wife’s name but they had a daughter named Grazia Galliccho who married Rocco DiGrazia.

Genarro DeGrazia was born May 7, 1872; twelve years after the revolution and reunification of Italy.  He was the son of Rocco DiGrazia and Grazia Gallicchio.   Given the Italian tradition of naming, we would expect there to be children named  Pietro, Francisco and Grazia within this family 

We know Rocco and Grazia had at least three other children; there were probably many more.  The infant and child mortality rate in Basilicata was among the highest in Europe; and it was very common for a woman to have had 10-15 pregnancies in her lifetime.  Margarita (our great great aunt) was born in 1867;  then a son, the first Gennaro was born in 1870.  Genarro (the first) died as an infant and they had another son 2 years later and named him Genarro.  We also think there was another son Vincenzo, but I haven’t found proof of that yet.   Genarro and one of his daughter look fairer than the Logiovine’s in the picture.  Perhaps they had a little of the Norman/Longobard blood in them, or perhaps some of the DiGrazias were more Samnite than Lucani.. or maybe they were from Northern Italy.  (more posts on Di/DeGrazias: Famous and Infamous to come).

Francepo or Francesco LoGiovine was born around 1827 and had a son named Pasquale born about 1847.  Pasquale married Angela Trinchitella  and they had a daughter named Grazia Logiovine in 1868.  She was my great grandmother (quite pretty, very Spanish looking in the picture…can’t say much about her tastes in hats though).   So she was 3 or 4 years older than her husband Gennaro.  We don’t have information about her family..yet

After the initial shock that my name wasn’t really DeGrazia but was actually DiGrazia, I started wondering who Genarro and Grazia might have left behind when they came to America.  Another question is: what gives with the name Gennaro? It was the custom to name the first son after the paternal grandparent and the first daughter after the maternal grandmother.  So, did Rocco have a falling out with his father?  Or was he somehow inspired by the miracle of San Gennaro on a trip to Naples (the statue’s dried blood liquefies).  Or were there just too many darn Roccos in Calvello that he decided to start a new line of the family?  For that matter, why is his first known daughter named Margarita… does that mean that Grazia Gallicchio’s mother was named Margarita?  And then there is the question of why did Genarro marry a woman 3-4 years older than he was?  I know we’d like to think it was love, but most often marriages were still arranged by the families, and dowries were still important; although the typical dowry was linens for the new home.  Additionally, eligible males in Calvello were rare and in high demand.  Because of the revolutions and massive emigration, it was darn hard to find a husband.  And any eligible male could be very picky.  So, I’m guessing she had a nice dowry and that the marriage was favorable to the DiGrazia’s.

It kind of makes me wonder how the genealogist determined that “our” Gennaro was this Gennaro (son of Rocco, son of Pietro) and if the groundwork isn’t a bit shaky.  But, having faith, I’m continuing under the assumption.   Besides, I like the name Rocco.  St. Rocco was a very big deal in Calvello… far more important than St. Gennaro.  The town has many many many Roccos.

Gennarro and Grazia married on September 28, 1890. He was 18, she was about 22. Gennaro was a shepherd and Grazia was a farmer and they lived at #10 via Castiglione.  (This street is near the Calvello castle and still exists, although I’m not sure the house does).  Often sons and daughters-in-law lived with the son’s family, so I need to check that out.  They had a daughter, Angela in 1891, she died as an infant.  Another daughter, Rosettia was born in 1892 and came to America. 

Genarro immigrated to the USA aboard the Neustria and arrived at Ellis Island on December 27 1993 and settled in Chicago.  He was 21. He doesn’t appear to have traveled with relatives.   However there was another young man from Calvello age 21 on the same ship, M. Donato Anagliano.  Perhaps they were on an adventure together?  There were also a few other Calvellesi aboard: Giagliardo Buongrazio (51y) Canella Buongrazio, ( 15y),  Francesco Rohunis,( 21y) and Rosa Maria Rohunis (17y).  In the story I’ve made up, I decided that the Buongrazio’s were our close family friends.  Giagliardo had been to America a number of times. Many Italians came to America with the goal of making quick money and basically were migrant workers, commuting the Atlantic Ocean multiple times.  The economics were worth the long commute.  The cost of a steerage ticket could be made up in a matter of a few months and all the rest was gravy.  Not only were wages much higher in America (even though Italians were paid less than Negros), but, more importantly, there was work to be found.  Anyway, in my imagination, On this trip, Giagliardo brought across his granddaughter as well as Genarro and his friends Donato and Francesco; and Francesco’s new wife Rosa. 

No one knows for sure when Grazia came to America; we can find no immigration records. According to the 1910 census (after she became a Pedote), it looks like it was 1892 (not likely)  or 1894.  She could have come through New Orleans: those records burned in a fire.  Or, more likely, she came through Canada.  There were no emigration records made when people disembarked in Canada if they were just passing through to the USA.  However by 1896, she and Gennaro had a second daughter, another Angeline, born in Illinois in 1896..  There is a third name, Grazia DeGrazia listed on the 1910 census but it is a mistake... it was Rosettia.     Their first son, Gennaro (Jr), my/our grandfather was born May 1, 1899.  Like their first sister Angela and  Rosettia died as children, leaving Genarro and Angeline to grow up together.  Somehow we suspect young Rosettia died of appendicitis.   IMHO, she doesn’t look quite right in her picture.  Perhaps she had weakened health and rickets, very common due to malnutrition in Basilicata.  The only picture we have of this generation was done in 1898 when Rosettia would have been 6, Angeline would have been 2 and Gennaro Jr. was still in the works.

>Gennaro (Sr) died in an accident working for the railroad in October 1899 at age 28.  He fell and broke his neck shortly after that picture was taken; approximately 5 ½ years since he stepped ashore to the land of plenty.  He never saw his son Genarro, my grandfather. Grazia was left with three children.  She doesn’t speak English.  She is illiterate and poor.  As far as we know she has no relatives in Chicago. I wonder how she made it?  Did she take in laundry or do sewing?   Was there a community of Calvellsi who gave her help and support?  After a year or two of widowhood, she marries Matteo Pedote (aka Pecota, aka Pedota) who was 8 years older than she was.  They had two children: Anthony “Tony” (b 1902), and Pasquale “Charlie” (b 1905).  The census records lists the family name as Pecota but I think I found his immigration record listed as Pedota in 1891. Aunt Eileen says he was from Piedmonte, a region far in the north of Italy. He would have spoken an entirely different dialect and his culture would have been quite different. He was very tall and had blond hair and blue eyes. Piedmonte, like Calvello, was full of patriots fighting for independence. The first king of Italy was from there. And also Massini, I believe. Massini was the political genius behind the secret societies like the Carbonari in  Calvello.  (I know, I haven't explained Carbonari yet).

I wonder, too, about Rocco and Grazia back in Calvello and how they must have felt giving up a son to America and having him lose his life.  I imagine that Grazia found someone to write a letter back home, and that, in Calvello, the letter was brought to local “legale” who was paid to read the bad news to them.  They probably had just recently received that hopeful photo of the young family, all dressed up, and looking very prosperous.  Letters to and from Italy were rare; maybe they hadn’t even known that Angela had been born. Possibly, Gennaro was able to send money back home to help support family as was the custom of immigrants.   Now they were losing that source of income as well as a son.   I’m sure the chance to have their son come to America was a life long dream that they had saved for years to make happen. Maybe they had hopes that Gennaro would soon be able to send for the rest of the family.  Such a lot of hope, such a tragic story.

There are very few family stories about Gennaro Sr and Grazia.  One is that Gennaro was very smart and taught himself English by reading the newspaper.  From my research, I find that a bit unlikely.  None of the peasants in Calvello, even into the 1900’s, went to school.  In fact, there was a full generation where NO ONE (even the wealthier families) went to school.  After the revolution/reunification in 1860, the church was forced to close all their schools, orphanages, hospitals, and to sell any farm lands.  It took the Italian government many many years to rebuild the secular infrastructure… and, for sure, the Basilicata region was at the bottom of their priorities.   So, he would have had to not only learn English but also would have had to learn to read.  Heck, he probably didn’t even know how to speak Italian, since most people spoke dialect unless they had been to school to learn Italian.  Of course, no one said he learned to read English well and it’s a great story.

Genarro Sr was somewhat artistic and liked to do wood carvings. He had carved a board that had different shapes for making pasta shells. Everyone admired it. He evidently did other carvings, too. He probably learned to do that while out watching the sheep (when he wasn't collecting acorns to feed the pigs, chestnuts which went into the bread of the peasants, collecting wood for fuel or mushrooms and herbs for food. Whatever was collected from the common lands or lands rented from the galantuomo (middleclass landowners "gentlemen")

So, how did our name get spelled DeGrazia?  I suspect that the manifest created in Naples misspelled his name and he didn’t know the difference (just as Pedote didn’t spell his name the same way twice).  Either that, or he liked the idea of having the name spells d with a De.  Starting in the mid 1800’s the more wealthy residents of Calvello had started putting a De in front of their names to differentiate their families from those of poorer relations.  My teacher, Alessandra says that the kings originally assigned to the De at the front of names to indicate nobiltity.  One of her relatives in Puglia was a baron and had a De in front of their name.  Isn't it interesting that in the mid 1800's, at the height of enlightenment and the eve of the end of feudalism and nobility, that basically middleclass people, (the galantumomi., not nobles) began renaming themselves to be more like nobility?

Genarro Jr (my grandfather) and Angelina grew up knowing Matteo as their father.  When Gennaro Jr.  first started school, they had a cousin, named Nick (I bet it was Nicola) take him on his for first day (because no one else spoke English). The school was confused at first thought that Genarro's name was Nick.  After a little while the teacher asked if he couldn't hear because, of course, he didn't respond when she called him Nick.  They ended up calling him “John” because it sounded more American .  And from that point on he was John DeGrazia * (and so was his son, grandson and great grandson).  *Sometimes Gennaro/John signed his name as John N DeGrazia with the N for Nick.

Gennaro/John went on to marry twice.  We don't know much about the first marriage.  In my imagination, it was an arranged marriage to a very conservative and shy Catholic Italian girl.  All we know is that it didn’t work out, and that later Gennaro/John married a frisky, flirty, funny flapper named Catherine Mary Margaret O’Neill.   Grazia was 59 when her first grandchild, my father John, was born.  He doesn’t remember much about her except that grandma made bread in an oven in the backyard.  He was taught to say “come stai, nonna?” but he never understood what she responded in Italian.  When he stumbled and fell, she comforted him saying “No, non woi” (that’s Italianish.. or Engltalian for “don’t worry”).  Grazia had a very straight posture and could balance and carry many objects on her head... (sorry, I can't resist smiling and thinking about that hat). Of course that is because of having to carry things several hours a day, walking to and from the mountain town and the fields she tended.  Sadly, my dad remembers her mostly as an invalid having had a stroke.

There were several pages of DeGrazia’s listed in the Chicago phone book.  My dad says only one was related. .. a “cousin” according to my grandfather Gennaro/John.  Maybe it was the cousin who first took him to school?   But, if a first cousin, wouldn’t he have to have been either Genarro Sr’s brother’s son?  So who would that have been:  maybe Vincenzo's son?  No one knows, because the link to the DeGrazia family was broken.  If Grazia cleaved to any family in Chicago it would probably have been distant relatives of the Logiovine or Pedote clans.

Besides Nick (don't know if he was a DeGrazia or not), there is one other known cousin in America.  Joe (probably Gioseppe DeGrazia).  I'm not sure if he lived in Chicago or if he was a first or second cousin. He also worked for the railroad and had a free pass to travel.  He twice visited Grandpa in California with his wife Isabel.

DeGrazia is a very common Italian name, like Smith or Jones, and yet, I’ve never met another DeGrazia.  The Gallichio and DeGrazia (DiGrazia) families have long histories in Calvello.  The Logiovine name seems to have died out there, and, I suspect, the Trinchitella name is more “recent”.  In searching the LDS microfiche for births for only ONE year (1868), I found  5 DiGrazia’s, 3 Logiovine’s and 3 Gallichio’s. I haven’t connected any of these people to us but there are several familiar names Grazia Maria Logiovine, Rocco DiGrazia , Vincenzo DiGrazia, Francesco Gallichio, Pasquale DiGrazia, Rocco Logiovine… As you can see there are many and its kind of a wonder that the genealogist could figure anything out for sure.  This in a town of only 5300 people!  The town of Calvello has a booklet with a short history of the town followed by lists of the mayor and various city councils from the mid 1800’s to mid 1900’s.    In most years there was at least a De/Di Grazia or a Gallichio.  In one yeqr there were 3 De/Di Grazias!  About ¼ of the immigrants from Calvello went to Argentina which is why there are so many South American DeGrazia’s.  Today in Calvello, the mayor is Mario Gallicchio.  Today there are many Gallicchio’s, a few DeGrazias and one Trinchitella family.  My cousin Betsy (I mean, “Elizabeth”) hired a genealogist who did most of this legwork.  She didn’t find any relatives left in Calvello, but somehow, way far back, we must be related.

While searching on Ancestry.com, I found a posting from a few years ago for Calvello where someone was looking for a relative of Francesco Gallicchio.  I tracked down the poster through "Linked In" and she had an interesting story which kind of gives us some feeling what it was like back in Calvello.  She went to Calvello and met with a distant cousin of one of her Grandmother and that relative happened to know the story of Franchesco Gallichio.  It so happened that her grandmothers family found Francesco on their doorstep, a foundling.  Although no one claimed him, they somehow knew he was a Gallicchio and so they named him that way.  They themselves had another last name, of course.  Their daughter and Francesco were raised together and because they weren't related by blood, they were allowed to marry.  Again, eligible males were scarce.  It was important to have as many men in the family as possible for the ability to labor and support the family.  Females were simply a drain on the family because the family had to work hard to raise an appropriate dowry.  Also, the story of foundlings is another interesting and tragic topic.  Unlike the bigger towns, the towns in Basilicata did not have a foundling wheel (a turntable where unwanted children could be left annomously).  Poor families had no choice.  They either left them at the home of a fellow citizen or out in the woods.  Part of the job of the nuns in the convents was to look in the woods for children left to die.  In fact, the idea of the foundling wheel was from a Pope who was embarrassed at the number of babies floating down the river Tiber in Rome.  Life was different then, people were so used to death and children dieing that  I think it must have been more like losing a pet or like dumping a litter of cats or puppies.  Makes you think, doesn't it?

I hope to find out more when Giovanni and Margarita go to Calvello with me on the 17^th of January.  Maybe we won’t learn anything but we can find the street where they lived (Castelone) and also see the two streets named for some relative along the way: Via DeGrazia and Via Gallichio.  Via DeGrazia is right next to Via Ferri… but who are the Ferri’s?  That’s a topic for another blog.

Ok, I’m posted for the day and I’m off.  Tonight I will travel to Viterbo to join my Italian host family for two weeks.


PS: if you would like to imagine what life was like in the 1890's in Calvello, rent the movie Christ Stopped in Eboli.  It is a true story, set in Basilicata, not far from Calvello.  It talks about life in the 1930's, but from what I've read, life in the 1950's was much like life in the 1700's... so except for the car... this is pretty much what it was like.  Another pertinent movie is The Wooden Shoes.