My Italian ancestors came from the towns of Decollatura and Soveria Mannelli in the Province of Catanzaro, Region of Calabria, Italy. They arrived in the U.S. in the 1890's and early 1900's and settled in Carbondale, Pennsylvania.
My grandfather, Giuseppe Antonio Grandinetti, was born in 1895 in Soveria Mannelli to Vito Grandinetti and Maria Concetta Sirianni Grandinetti. Vito left for work and opportunity in America in 1899, Maria Concetta and Giuseppe followed in 1907. My grandmother, Angelina Rose Cerra, was born in 1898 in Carbondale, PA to Raffaele(Ralph) and Giuseppina(Josephine) D'Urzo Cerra. Raffaele and Giuseppina were natives of Cerrisi, in Decollatura, and arrived in America in 1890.
My Italian family surnames include Grandinetti, Cerra, Sirianni, D'Urzo, Molinaro, Costanzo, Falvo, Perri, Caligiuri, Marasco, Scalzo, Bonacci, Tomaino, Gigliotti, Chiodo, Scalise, Scozzafava, Colosimo, and Cardamone. My distant cousins, Mary Jo Loyd and Sam Tomaino have extracted all birth, marriage and death records (1810-1860) microfilmed by the LDS for Decollatura and Soveria Mannelli, in an effort to reconstruct the families for that time period.
I am also researching the families of my maternal Irish grandparents, William Francis Quinn and Anne McGill Quinn.
My grandfather William Francis Quinn was born in 1899 in Pringle (Luzerne County), Pennsylvania, son of Michael Quinn and Catherine Fallon Quinn. Michael Quinn was born in 1854 in the townland of Keeloges East / Keelogues East (from a locality known as Prosberry / Prosperry) in County Galway, Ireland. Great grandfather Michael Quinn, along with several brothers and a sister, left Ireland in the 1870's and 1880's. At least two of his brothers stayed in Ireland. One, Patrick, married Mary Tiernan but soon after died, without any known children. Another brother, Martin Quinn, also remained in Ireland at Keeloges East, married Catherine Conneran and raised a large family of 13 children. All but 2 of the 13 children went to America. One of Martin's sons, John Quinn (born 1883 - died 1973), remained at the homestead in Keeloges East, before moving his family to the nearby townland of Skehaghard (Skehard) around 1920. I've been lucky enough to recently make contact with some of John Quinn's descendents, some still living in the same area of County Galway, Ireland.
Catherine Fallon Quinn was born in Bilston, Staffordshire, England to Thomas and Mary Conway Fallon. Thomas Fallon was born in County Laois, son of Patrick and Bridget Dunne Fallon. I am interested in the surnames Quinn and Kielty/Kelty/Keelty (County Galway) and Fallon and Dunne originating in County Laois (possibly townland of Clonaslee) emigrating to Staffordshire and Derbyshire in the 1850's through 1870's. The Quinn family eventually emigrated to the USA, settling in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area in the 1880's.
My grandmother Anne McGill was born in 1898 in the townland of Leaconnell/Laconnell County Donegal, Ireland. She was the daughter of Daniel "Den" McGill and Mary Ann Brogan McGill. Den McGill was also from Leaconnell, while Mary Ann Brogan's family was from nearby Hillhead in Ardara. Grandmother Anne left Ireland in 1926 for Wilkes-Barre, PA. Her parents and 8 siblings stayed behind. Most of the children and grandchildren of her siblings are now in the areas of Ardara, Kilcar, and Killybegs County Donegal with others elsewhere in the British Isles. I am researching the surnames McGill, Brogan, Carr and Scanlon in the townlands of Leaconnell and Hillhead in Ardara, county Donegal.
I am also researching my wife's Italian ancestry. Her grandfather was Damiano Mezzina, a native of Molfetta, Bari, Italy. Her grandmother was Michelina Girolamodibari (Dibari), from nearby Giovinazzo, Bari. The setttled in Hoboken and Union City, NJ after arriving in America in the late 1920's.
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- Maria Concetta & Vito Grandinetti (300 KB)
Maria Concetta Sirianni Grandinetti & Vito Grandinetti (my great grandparents), March 1926
- Sergio Mezzina (26 KB)
My wife's great grandfather, Sergio Mezzina - Molfetta, Bari, Italy
- The Mezzina Family circa 1920 (28 KB)
Grazia Tridente Mezzina (center) holding Corrado, (from left to right) Damiano (my wife's grandfather), Anna, Michele, and Mauro - father, Sergio, was in America at the time of the photo
- Piazza Bonini - Soveria Mannelli (23 KB)
Piazza Bonini, the Church of San Giovanni Battista in the background - Soveria Mannelli
- Aunt Maggie's Wedding - Cerrisi, Italy (30 KB)
Pictures from the wedding of my grandfather's sister, Michelina "Maggie" Grandinetti to Pietro "Pete" Cerra in Cerrisi, Italy on October 22, 1931.
- Damiano Mezzina (47 KB)
My wife's grandfather, Damiano Mezzina
- Greatgrandma Cerra's House in Cerrisi (28 KB)
Giuseppina D'Urzo Cerra's place of birth - 13 Orsi Inferiore in Cerrisi
- The Mezzina Family circa 1907 (34 KB)
Mauro, Michele, Anna, and Grazia Tridente Mezzina (my wife's great grandmother)- Grazia's husband, Sergio, was in America at the time of the photo
- Cerrisi (43 KB)
Cerrisi
- Wedding of Damiano & Michelina Mezzina (56 KB)
Wedding of my wife's grandparents
- Family Home of Anne McGill Quinn, my grandmother (153 KB)
This is the family home of Anne McGill Quinn, my grandmother, in Leaconnell, County Donegal, Ireland - Thank you Charlie O'Donnell
- Giuseppina D'Urzo Cerra - my greatgrandmother (28 KB)
Giuseppina D'Urzo Cerra - my greatgrandmother
- View of Decollatura (125 KB)
View of Decollatura - Thank you Sam Tomaino & Carolyn Epps
- Church in Cerrisi (30 KB)
Church in Cerrisi
- Birth record of Vito Grandinetti (54 KB)
Birth record of my great grandfather, Vitantonio (Vito) Grandinetti, August 1, 1869 in the village of Casenove, Decollatura, Italy.
- Leaconnell, county Donegal, Ireland (33 KB)
Place of my grandmother, Anne McGill Quinn's, birth. Her father was Daniel "Den" McGill. Brian "Briney" McGill was Den's brother.
- Angelina Rose Cerra Grandinetti - my grandmother (27 KB)
Angelina Rose Cerra Grandinetti - my grandmother
- Family of Vito & Concetta Grandinetti - 1916 (39 KB)
Rose, Concetta (holding Mary), Michael, Vito, Michelina(Maggie), and Giuseppe(Joe) - 1916, Carbondale, PA
- View of Cerrisi (29 KB)
View of Cerrisi
- 1901 Ireland Census - Daniel McGill Family (92 KB)
1901 Ireland Census for my grandmother Anne McGill's family. She is seen along with her parents and siblings.
- My Visit to Leaconnell in Donegal, Ireland (170 KB)
Me in Leaconnell during my trip to Donegal in July of 2002. Standing on the property of the old McGill family home.
- Michael and his father, Vito Grandinetti (24 KB)
Michael and his father, Vito Grandinetti
- Soveria Mannelli - Palazzo Passalacqua (24 KB)
Here is a picture of Soveria Mannelli - viewing the church and the historical Palazzo Passalacqua
- Inside the church in Cerrisi (44 KB)
Inside the church in Cerrisi
- Greatgrandfather Daniel McGill with Danny McGrenra (54 KB)
Greatgrandfather Daniel "Den" McGill (on right) with Danny McGrenra. Taken in County Donegal, Ireland (circa late 1940's). Kind thanks to Danny McGrenra and Charlie O'Donnell for sending this photo to me.
- Village of Iunci in Soveria Mannelli, Italy (45 KB)
Birthplace of my grandfather, Giuseppe Antonio Grandinetti
- Vito Grandinetti - my greatgrandfather (16 KB)
August 1924
- Soveria Mannelli - Panorama (31 KB)
Soveria Mannelli - Panorama
- Old Quinn Family Home - Prosberry, Keeloges East, (23 KB)
This is a photo of the old Quinn family home is Prosberry, Keeloges East, Co Galway Ireland. My great grandfather Michael Quinn was born here in 1854 along with 7 other siblings.
- Anne McGill Gallagher - Leaconnell, Ireland (32 KB)
Sister of great grandfather Den McGill
- My Grandparents' Wedding June 1917 (46 KB)
Giuseppe Grandinetti & Angelina Cerra - My Grandparents' Wedding June 1917
- My Mom & Dad - Anthony & Ruth Grandinetti (40 KB)
Mom and Dad at our wedding August 28, 1993
- Giuseppe Antonio Grandinetti - my grandfather (25 KB)
Grandpa with his chickens
- Great Grandfather Daniel "Den" McGill (34 KB)
Daniel "Den" McGill sitting outside the home of his daughter, Maggie McGill Doherty, in Meentullynargarn, Killybegs County Donegal Ireland
- Leaconnell, Ireland - grandmother McGill's home (63 KB)
The townland of Leaconnell/Laconnell, in the parish of Ardara, County Donegal. The family home (Daniel McGill's)is on the extreme bottom right. Thank you Charlie O'Donnell!
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