PROVVIDENZA'S FAMILY

Giuseppa La Manna

Josephine, the oldest child of Antonino and Concetta La Manna, was born October 29, 1880. She married Paolo Cavalero. According to the 1920 census neither Paul nor his wife Josephine can read/write English though they became citizens in 1897. They have five children in 1920-- Anthony, Jennie, Bessie, Samuel and John. All the children were born in Pennsylvania. Paul is a fruit dealer at a retail market. Their address in 1920 was 1105 Sarah Street.

Anna La Manna

Anna was born in 24 October 1889. Anna had been asked by her grandson Anthony and she replied 1890. She married twice. Anna's first husband was Bartolomeo La Mantia whom she married in Termini Imerese on December 4, 1905. Anna and her first husband Bartolomeo La Mantia arrived at Ellis Island on the 3rd of January 1906. No Census document has been found for Anna and Bartolomeo. A record has been found on the Ellis Island website of a Bartolomeo La Mantia traveling to Buffalo, New York arriving at Ellis Island on June 8, 1912. He is 5'6" in height and has $55. He is a "trader". He has been visiting his father Matteo La Mantia in Termini at Via Gisera #18 and is returning to his wife Anna and their sons at 35 Picaco Street. Another record was found on Ellis Island of Bartolomeo La Mantia and his wife Anna traveling to Buffalo. Bartolomeo died (year unknown at this time) and Anna married again. Anna's second husband was Sam Cracchiolo, according to her grandson Anthony Geraci. A census document has been found for Anna and her second husband for 1920. You will find it on the Historical Documents page. Sam worked at a grocery store. Anna had seven children -- Matthew, Joseph and Mary, whose father was Bartolomeo La Mantia. By her husband Sam Cracchiolo, Anna had Jennie (Concettina), Lena, Patronella (Nellie) and Nicholas. Mary was born in Italy and came to the US in 1916. Anna died in 1978.

The photo above to the right is Ignazia (Agnes) La Manna, the second oldest sister of Provvidenza La Manna with her husband Antony Geraci and their son, also named Anthony Geraci.

Ignazia La Manna

Agnes (Ignazia) was born on October 13, 1883 in Termini Imerese and died of a kidney infection called Bright's Disease in 1937. We now call this kidney disorder acute or chronic nephritis. I have not been able to find Agnes in the census records. Grandmother said that her sister Agnes married Anthony Geraci. I do have a record of Anthony Geraci dying on December 1, 1958. Agnes and Anthony Geraci had six children. A census record has been found for 1920 that may be Agnes and Anthony Geraci. Please go to the historical documents page to see that record.

Carmella La Manna

The marriage record of Carmella La Manna has been found on the Termini Imerese database. Carmella La Manna married Giacomo Bova on April 13, 1899. Carmella is the daughter of Antonino La Manna and Concetta Bova. Giacomo is the son of Vincenzo Bova and Vincenza Scola.

Carmella was born on November 12, 1881 in Termini Imerese. Carmella died in Italy. After the death of Carmella's third husband, she had returned to Sicily to find another husband. Carmella died of complications from diabetes. Carmella entered the United States in 1899 at the age of 18. According to her granddaughter, Rose Marie, Carmella made at least 6 trips back to Sicily, prefering to give birth to her children in Sicily.

According to the 1910 Census Carmella La Manna was married to Joseph Bova. Joseph was 37 years old, therefore his birth date would have been 1873. He immigrated to the US in 1889. According to the information given to the census taker, Carmella was 28 years of age, her birth year being 1882. Joseph was a fruit peddler. According to Rose Marie, Carmella's granddaughter, Joseph started selling bananas and eventually owned a large fruit store on 15th street in Pittsburgh.

The photo - above left - is Ignazia (Agnes) La Manna, the second oldest sister of Provvidenza La Manna. The photo - above right - is Carmella La Manna. The photo - below right - shows Carmella's funeral--in Italy.

Carmella's children are Bessie (Vivian), Jimmy, Rose Marie, Peter, Jennie, Anthony and Sam--all children of first husband Giacomo Bova. According to the 1910 census Carmella had several children who did not live long after birth. The records indicate that she had had 7 births but only 4 children living in 1910. Those children are Bessie, Jim, Tony and Jennie. Both Jim and Jennie were born in Italy and the data indicates that they immigrated in 1906.

There are census records available for Carmella and her husband J. Bova for both 1910 and 1920. In 1910 the husband's name is listed as Joe and in 1920 the husband's name is listed as Jack. All of the data on both census documents are the same except in the 1920 census three more children are listed as having been born after the 1910 census. These children are Sam, Peter and Rose Marie.

Peter, Carmella's son, drove an 18 wheeler for a living and married a woman named Ella. He often visited Provvidenza and was very kind to her.

Agostino La Manna

August (Agostino) was born on December 2, 1884 in Termini Imerese and married a woman named Frances Busalecci (sp?) who had been born in Illinois. August immigrated to the United States in 1902 and was naturalized in 1910. August and his wife Frances had six children by 1920. Their names are Anthony, Joseph, Frank, Concetta, Salvatore and Rose--all the children were born in Pennsylvania.

Manifest records for August -- came to the United States in 1902, going to Pittsburgh to an uncle at 1933 Harmon (Carson) Street in Allegheny City. He went back to Italy to visit his mother and return in 1906. He states on the later manifest that he had been in Pittsburgh from 1901 to 1905. On the second trip August states that he is living with his brother-in-law Paulo Cavalero at 2216 Carson Street in Pittsburgh.

Lorenzo La Manna

Lorenzo, the second son of Antonino and Concetta La Manna, was born in 1891 and died one year later on March 2, 1892. The record of this child's death was found on the Termini Imerese database. No family member had ever spoken of this child.

Concetta Bova

Grandmother's mother, Concetta Bova, was born on November 6, 1857 in Termini Imerese, Sicily. Concetta developed diabetes at some time during her life and died of a carbuncle in 1929. Concetta was living with Mariano and Provvidenza at the time of her death and had lived with them since 1911. Concetta Bova died at the age of 72. Provvidenza's father, Antonio, died at the age of 53 of heart failure after having returned to Sicily to visit his wife and daughter. He died on May 13, 1906. We have recovered a record from the Ellis Island website that shows Concetta's arrival in the United States in 1911.

A manifest has been found for Concetta Bova traveling to the United States on November 1, 1906 with her daughter Provvidenza. She had $30 in her pocket. She was 5'2" tall. Her daughter Provvidenza was 11 years old. The ship's name was the "Francesco". Concetta and her daughter will be staying with her son August at 2216 Carson Street in Pittsburgh.

Another manifest on May 11, 1911 showing Concetta Bova, a widow, traveling to Pittsburgh. She has no relatives left in Termini Imerese. She has $30 in her pocket and reports that she had been in the United States from 1906 to 1908. She is going to her son-in-law Antonino Geraci at 125 19th Street in Pittsburgh.

A photo - above left - of Concetta Bova with her father, Michele Bova, who lived with her in Sicily. The child in the photo is Giuseppa (Josephine) La Manna, the oldest child of Concetta Bova and Antonino La Manna. Above right is another photo of Concetta Bova. The photo below left depicts four of the La Manna sisters. From the left are Guiseppa(?), Anna, Provvidenza and Ignazia. The photo is from the collection of Anna's grandson, Anthony Geraci.

Grandma's Family Tree

To examine Provvidenza's family tree, please click on Provvidenza's Family Tree. Your browser will open a new window. Close the window to return to this page.

The family tree above is for Provvidenza La Manna. The birth/death/marriage location of each individual listed is Termini Imerese, Sicily unless otherwise stated. Antonino La Manna died May 13, 1906. Grandmother Provvidenza stated that her father Antonino died on a visit to Italy after working in the United States for a time. He was alive for his daughter Anna's marriage in 1905. After Antonino's death Provvidenza and her mother, Concetta Bova, traveled to the United States. The date of that trip to the US was November 1906.

Concetta Bova's father Michele lived with Provvidenza and her mother Concetta. Michele Bova was deceased by the time Providenza and her mother left for the United States in 1906. Records have been found for the marriage of Michele Bova and Ignazia Ardizzone Caito on August 25, 1849. A marriage record has also been found for Concetta Bova and Antonino La Manna who married on December 10, 1879.

Provvidenza's father has more information available. Antonino's parents were Francesco La Manna and Giuseppa (Maria) Palmisano. According to Provvidenza, Antonino's mother died when he was still young and his father Francesco remarried. The documents prove grandma's retelling of his history. Francesco La Manna was born May 2, 1831; no death date has yet been found. Giuseppa Palmisano was born October 7, 1821 and died September 7, 1854. Francesco and Giuseppa married January 24, 1844. Antonino had two sisters, Lorenza (born September 25, 1853) and Leonarda (born July 1947 and died January 31, 1848)

After Giuseppa's death Francesco married Carmella Comella and had two more children -- Angela (born April 25, 1865) and Ignazio who married on October 12, 1893. No birth or death dates have been found for Ignazio and the death date for Angela has not been found. These names have not been added to the family tree.

Paul Caito has been researching his Sicilian ancestors and has written a paper on the origin of the Ardizzone Caito surname. Paul has graciously allowed me to add his research to this website. To read Paul Caito's interesting paper, click on History of the "Ardizzone Caito" Surname. According to Paul Caito, surnames did not come into use until well into the Middle Ages, about the time of Charlemagne. The surnames come from a variety of sources which is fully explained in the paper. Additionally, Paul Caito's research relates the history and possible derivation of the "Ardizzone Caito" surname and includes a guide to the pronunciation of the "Caito" surname.

Please remember that the names on this family tree beyond Provvidenza's name are based on knowledge of naming conventions and remembered stories and by tracing family names back thru birth, death and marriage records.

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©2010 Franciene McDonald