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Tommaso Cipriano diTella Genealogy

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Tommaso Cipriano diTella was the brother of  my great grandmother, Doristella diTella and my great granduncle Teridano diTella. He came to the US many times and spent a lot of time here. He did not stay here, though, returning to SPA at some point.

From San Pietro Avellana birth records (as microfilmed by the LDS Church):
     Film 1448675 Nati 1872 #76
     Tommaso Cipriano diTella
     19 Nov 1872
        father: Eliseo
        mother: Lucrezia Frazzini

He was known as Cipriano. He married Anna Laura d'Achille on 18 Sep 1904. They had one child, Eliseo. In SPA, he owned a watermill.

I got the following email from Alfonso diSanza d'Alena, the great grandson of Tommaso Cipriano diTella, the brother of my great-grandmother, Doristella diTella and great granduncle Teridano diTella. He had signed my Guestbook. Click here for more about Alfonso's family web site.

Date sent:          Thu, 21 Aug 2003 18:26:04 +0200
From:               alfonso di sanza <alfonsodisanzadalenayahoo.it>
Subject:            Re: Frazzini Genealogy

Dear Mark

Please excuse me for my English: it isn't very good.

I'll try to explain my descendance from Sabatino Eliseo Di Tella and Lucrezia Frazzini.

Sabatino Eliseo & Lucrezia were parents of Tommaso Cipriano (b. 1872) who spouses (september 18, 1904 in Castel di Sangro) Anna Laura d'Achille (b. june 19, 1878 Roccacinquemiglia, + dec 1, 1952 Rome): they had only one son Eliseo (b. aug 7, 1905 S. Pietro Avellana, + May 3,1982 S. Pietro Av.) who spouses Venusta Di Muzio (b. Feb 7, 1902 Castel di Sangro, + July 20, 1988 S. Pietro Av).; Eliseo & Venusta had only one child, Laura Maria, my mother who spouses Giuseppe Pietro Domenico Di Sanza.

Actually I live in Vasto ( Province Chieti - Region Abruzzo) far from San Pietro Avellana KM 100. Sometimes I come back to S. Pietro Avellana, in my father's home, in via Torre.

Thanks for your help
Alfonso
Date sent:          Fri, 22 Aug 2003 16:17:58 +0200
From:               alfonso di sanza <alfonsodisanzadalenayahoo.it>
Subject:            About records

Mark,
 
Last month I looked only for birth records (ecclesiastical records in the Church of San Pietro Avellana) from 1800 to 1887. Unfortunately some of these records are lost (because of war and natural calamity). I didn’t ask for other records but I could take information about them asking to don Felice, the parish priest of the local church. (another record on which it’s possible to find important information about a San Pietro’s family is the “status animarum”; I read on a book of local history that in this record (1852) there are informations about Frazzini’s Family; you can read it at the end of this post; it’s in Italian I hope you can understand, otherwise I’ll try to translate). Many Civic records in the Comune of San Pietro Avellana have been also lost.

I think a good opportunity for your research could be contacting Archivio di Stato di Isernia http://www.archivi.beniculturali.it/ASIS. I know they are allowed to make genealogical search for people who doesn’t live in Italy (no payment requested; the research is free). Probably in S.Eufemia a Maiella they have the same problem with records. In this case you can contact the Archivio di Stato of Pescara whose internet address is http://www.archivi.beniculturali.it/ASPE.

They are also allowed to send copy of  acts present in their records. I’d like to give you the internet address of I.A.G.I. (Italian Araldic Genealogical Institute) where you’ll find an interesting forum about araldic and genealogical matters in Italy: http://www.iagi.info/
 
And here is the text of ‘status animarum’ record about Frazzini’s family write by archpriest Giovanni Frazzini in 1852 (it’s taken from the book ‘I documenti storici e la vita di San Pietro Avellana’ di Pasquale Settefrati, Edition EDIGRAFITAL 2002):
 
“L’origine più lontana e remota di questa nobile distintissima e benemerita famiglia è meridionale. Li ha sempre fiorito degnamente, primeggiando per fasto, per le alte cariche nelle armi e nella scienze. Lo stemma si è prelevato nell’Achivio Curale anno LV n° 489. Gli antenati furono assai benemeriti verso la patria e verso la religione. Alla prima diedero molti uomini di valore delle armi, ed alcuni statisti onesti e di molti meriti. Alla religione dei martiri per la fede cristiana e qualche Prelato di molta dottrina e d’ingegno superiore. Furono attaccatissimi al partito Guelfo ed alla Real Casa d’Angiò che ne era a capo. Trassero nobili natali e lasciarono di loro chiara fama, consultando la preziosa opera del Ginanni per i significati araldi risulta avvalorato quanto si è detto per lo che i fregi in d’oro fra il labello rosso rappresentano un’onoreficenza che la casa d’Angiò dava ai suoi migliori sudditi, i più fedeli, ai più meritevoli. L’aquila poi denota la nobiltà dei natali e la fama chiarissima. (Blasone ecclesiastico Via Cola di Rienzo 149 Roma)”.
 
Alfonso

Rough computer assisted translation (with further explaination by Alfonso diSanza d'Alena):

The most distant and remote origin of this most noble, distinguished, and meritorious family is southern. They have always prospered deservingly, showing excellance in the high offices in the arms and sciences.

The coat-of-arms is drawn from the Achivio Curale, year (or annual) 55 number 489.

The ancestors were very supportive towards the native land and the religion. To the first, they gave soldiers and statesmen. To the martyrs' religion for the Christian faith they gave priests of superior talents.

They were aligned with the party Guelfo and to the Royal House of Anjou that it was its leader. Drawn from noble births that made them well-known.

Consulting the invaluable work of Ginanni for the meanings of the herald further strengthened what was said that the gold ornaments in between the red label represent a decoration that the house of Anjou gave to its best subjects, to the most faithful, to the most deserving. [Alfonso's note: Marc'Antonio Ginanni in 1756 wrote a book about the art of heraldry, "L'arte del blasone dichiarata per alfabeto"]
 
Then the eagle denotes the nobility of their birth and their importance.

(Blasone ecclesiastico Via Cola di Rienzo 149 Roma)
Date sent:          Sat, 15 Nov 2003 22:43:07 +0100
From:               alfonso di sanza <alfonsodisanzadalenayahoo.it>
Subject:            Re: (Fwd) diTella Genealogy

Mark

Eliseo Di Tella, official of Rome's municipalty city, received the knighthood of Ordine al Merito della Repubblica (Cav. O.M.R.I.) by the President of the Italian Republic in 1970, married Venusta Di Muzio and had only one child, Laura (my mother).

Hoping to be helpful
Alfonso
Date sent:          Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:29:56 +0100
From:               alfonso di sanza <alfonsodisanzadalenayahoo.it>
Subject:            Re: diTella Decendents

Mark
Actually I'm looking information about my direct ascendant Di Sanza (from 1887) and d'Alena (before this date; Giuseppe D'Alena was my great-grandfather). Now I've have information about my family until 1597.
After terminating this research, I'd like to improve my knowledge about my mother's family (Di Tella). Actually, I'm sorry, but I haven't other informations. I'll tell you if I'll find.
Alfonso
Date sent:          Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:00:59 +0100
From:               alfonso di sanza <alfonsodisanzadalenayahoo.it>
Subject:            di Sanza - d'Alena

Mark

Thans very much for information. Anyway you must know that the surname Di Sanza isn't my family's original name. My grandfather assumed it in 1887 but he was son and heir of  Giuseppe d'Alena and Domenica Mariani. For this reason actually my family has this name but my ascendance is by d'Alena family. Here is my ascendancy:

Alfonso Maria Pietro di Sanza (b.1969), Giuseppe Pietro Domenico di Sanza (b.1926), Alfonso Gaetano di Sanza (1887-1968), Giuseppe Antonio Raffaele Giovanni d'Alena (1847-1924), Federico Antonio Onofrio Emiddio d'Alena (b.1813), Domenico Antonio d'Alena (1767-1837), Donato d'Alena (1744-1822), Domenico Antonio d'Alena (d.1764), Donato d'Alena. Anyone descend from Berardino d'Alena living in 1597, in Apricena.

If you know someone who is interested about my family of origin d'Alena, I've a lot of informations.
Thanks again.
Alfonso

Elllis Island

I accidentally found an entry on Ellis Island for Cipriano diTella. His name was hard to read and was not in the index. I found it as I was just browsing looking for Frazzini's.

Alfonso,

I found a record in the Ellis Island data base that might be your great-grandfather Tommaso Cipriano diTella.

Cipriano diTella sailed from Napoli, 3 Ago 1910 on the Duca Degli Abruzzi, arriving in New York on 15 Ago 1910. He was 38 years old and married. He was going to Denver, Colorado. His occupation was "bricklayer". It says he was in the USA also from 1906 to 1909, staying in New York. There is a name of his wife but it is very hard to read. It might be Lauretta.

He was travelling with
  Carlo Frazzini, 30 years old
  Felice diSanza, 23 years old
  Sabatino diMartino, 34 years old

The Ellis Island records for all four of these men were marked "Non Immigrant Alien" which means they were visitors to the USA only, not immigrants.

They were all going to the home of Prospero Frazzini in Denver.

What do you think about this?
Mark
Mark,

I'm very happy to hear you again.

By sure, he's my great-grandfather Tommaso Cipriano. I knew, he went in the U.S.A., but I didn't know how many time he remained there.

The name you read Lauretta, is the diminutive for Laura, and you know his wife was Laura d'Achille.

He liked to play music (guitar and flute) and he can write music. I've have a little book of songs he wrote when in U.S.A.; on the top you can read "Libretto Musicale appartenente a Cipriano Di Tella, East Ely (Nevada) U.S.America". I've also a golden-clock (pocket, not wrist-clock) Burlington Special, he acquired in the U.S.A.; on the back of the clock is written Cipriano Ditella.

It's possible he works as bricklayer, because in the civil act of born of my great-great-grandfather, Federico d'Alena (1813), I found Cipriano di Tella (witness, grandfather of Tommaso Cipriano) 38 years old indicated as "muratore" (bricklayer). I think they (Di Tella family) were not simply workman, but builder. In fact they owned a big house in via Fontanella in S. Pietro and owned lands (not feudal) in San Pietro in a place called "S. Nicola" (my mother and the others di Tella, still own land in S. Nicola) and Tommaso Cipriano (and so did his father) had a water-mill in San Pietro in a place called "Prato di Pozzo" (my mother still have the land, but the mill has been destroyed during the world-war II - september of 1943 - by german soldiers in escape from the allied troupes).

Also my other great-grandfather Carlo Di Muzio lived some years in the U.S.A., exactly in Beaver Falls; he came back in Italy, while his son Amico remained there and there still live his descendants. I've an American  "souvenir" of nonno Carlo, a pocket-clock, gold-filled, Elgin Nat L Watch Co.

(Mark's note: Amico "Jim" diMuzio and his wife lived near my mother in Beaver Falls.)

Thanks for your precious notices about nonno Cipriano.

Alfonso

Alfonso sent me these photos in Oct 2010.
I'm trying to find out more about these watches.
Alfonso,

I asked my mother about Carlo and Amico diMuzio. Here is what she remembers:

Amico DiMuzio (went by name of Jim, married to Lena/Lina) lived on 11th St in Beaver Falls, close to where my mother lived.

Their children :
    1. Delia DiMuzio, (my mother can't remember her married name) lives near
        my Aunt Maxine Frazzini in Beaver Falls. Delia's daughter was paralyzed
        in an automobile accident when a deer crashed through the windshield of her car.
    2. Joe DiMuzio, lives in the College Hill section of Beaver Falls
    3. Mary DiMuzio Torrence lives in East Liverpool, Ohio. Mary's
        son, Albert, is an attorney in Beaver, PA.

My grandmother, Lucrezia Carlini was the mid-wife for Lena when she gave birth to Delia and Joe.

I remember Amico (Jim) diMuzio and Lena when I was a child. They lived close to my grandmother and we visited often. They have both died.

I found 13 Oct 1913 Ellis Island record for Amico DiMuzio, 17 years old, going to father Carlo in Pittsburgh, PA. Mother in SPA Domenica ?? (can't read it). Travelled with:
   Amico Luigi Musillo -  (23 years, going to Dawson, NM, to godfather, Giuliano d'Achille)
   Sabatino Mariano  -  (17 years, deported back to Italy)

I could not find Carlo diMuzio.

Mark


Then I found another entry at Ellis Island for Cipriano diTella. This one had his first name spelled wrong: 7 May 1907,  34y, married , mason, going to brother Teridano diTella, previously in the US from 1897 to 1906.


Alfonso was a great help to me in contacting another cousin in Italy, Giuliano Colajanni. Giuliano is descendent from Teridano diTella, Tommaso's brother.

29 Mar 2004   Alfonso sent me these photos of his grandparents and cousin:
*
Eliseo di Tella (7 Aug 1905 - 3 May 1982), when student in Caserta. He was an official of Rome's municipalty city, received the knighthood of Ordine al Merito della Repubblica (Cav. O.M.R.I.) by the President of the Italian Republic in 1970.

Venusta di Muzio, Eliseo's wife (7 Feb 1902 - 20 Jul 1988). Eliseo and Venusta had one child, Laura (Alfonso's mother).

Vinicio di Tella, Eliseo's cousin, Colonel in the Italian Air Force (17 May 1911 -  8 Apr 1969). Vinicio was the son of Teridano diTella.

This site prepared and maintained by Mark DiVecchio

email :  markd@silogic.com
 
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