Recently in fun #genealogy mysteries, I'm researching my wife's GGM Rose, b. 1901 in a small US town. She had a brother Frank, b. ~1894 in Italy. He's with them on the 1900 and 1910 censuses, but then he disappears. He's included in obits for his mother (d. 1944) and brother (d. 1947). We haven't found his birth record yet.
The mystery? We recently got their mom's will (1933). She names all her children, some to mention they already got theirs so they get $1. She doesn't mention Frank AT ALL.
We ordered the will hoping it might clear up other mysteries around the parents. We haven't found any immigration records for them or even a marriage record. We haven't found birth records for Frank or his dad. We think we know what Italian town dad is from, and he has siblings born there, but no record for him. No marriage banns in mom's town. Just nothing. Oh, and when dad died in 1927 here in the US, his obit also named Frank.
So yeah, safe to say mom's will did NOT resolve any mysteries.
Did you look through the Antenati records? Sometimes the birth name is a little different - or 2 names are given but then the person goes by the 2nd name OR the child was born in a nearby town. I've done a lot of research using these records and may be able to help or give you tips.
@girasoli I've searched, but I'm certainly happy to have another pair of eyes, thanks!
The short version is that Luigi Gigliotti was probably born around 1854-59 in or around Caraffa di Catanzaro. His birth year varies from doc to doc, and the location is pieced together from family members.
Antenati has births for Caraffa di Catanzaro from 1809-1865. 1866-1910 are on familysearch.
@girasoli There's a Luigi Gigliotti born in Caraffa in 1875 (atto #1) who seems way too young. The atto says his mother is the widow of another Luigi, so I guess it's conceivable that there's funny business going on there with dad.
I haven't found a lot of the neighboring comuni on either antenati or familysearch. Awkwardly if he's descended from Antonio Gigliotti and Angela Pucci then their other kids' atti di nascita name them as Don and Donna, so they might have just had money to travel.
*1st, is Caraffa di Catanzaro in the Calabria region?
*I'm a little confused. Was the name you were looking for Frank but the records you did find were for a Luigi?
*Do you know the parents of this Frank/Luigi or is that part of the mystery?
Sorry... just trying to figure out from the info you posted.
@girasoli Oh gosh, sorry for the confusion! I did jump around there!
Yes, Caraffa di Catanzaro is in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria.
Luigi is Frank's father. I haven't found birth records for either of them. Luigi is my wife's direct ancestor; Frank is a great granduncle.
Frank was probably born around 1894.
I just found this naturalization record on Ancestry for a
Frank Gigliotti
Birth Date
19 Nov 1894
Birthplace: Serrastretta ... looking that place up - it's in the province of Catanzaro ... Did Frank live in PA?
@girasoli So, our Frank's family is in Easton, PA, om the far east side of the state. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4115151_00668?pId=52561986
IIRC the Frank from Serrastretta shows up in Pittsburgh, the entire opposite side of the state, practically a different world. I wasn't able to find Serrastretta's nati online (to hopefully verify the connection), but maybe I missed them. Of course it's possible the Frank from Easton could move to Pittsburgh, but I feel like there were other things that made him not a great fit.
Ok... so to get this straight, you are looking for info on a Frank (Francesco or maybe Francesantonio) Gigliotti ... maybe shortened his name in the US. He lived where in PA?
He was the brother of Rose.
You don't know anything further for him as far as who he married/if he married?
Here's a WWII card for the Frank with the same birthdate as the naturalization record living in Pittsburgh - https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1002/images/PA-2240253-2776?treeid=18589948&personid=162410323398&usePUB=true&_phsrc=TKO63161&_phstart=successSource&pId=2311353
Sorry, reading your latest message again - he lived in Easton, PA? Just looked at a map (I only know some areas of PA). I see... it's pretty far BUT if he had a falling out and disappeared from the family/not in the will, maybe this is him?
I don't have access to Italian Family Search records (locked for me) so I can't do a search since the Antenati records don't go that far for that area.
Has your wife done a DNA test? That might find relatives to confirm??
I get it. I avoided DNA testing for a while BUT I have to say, I have broken down a few huge brick walls with DNA testing. You can make your tree private and don't use the real name for the test person's name. I just use initials. Also for my ancestry account. I even changed my trees to just "maternal tree" and "paternal tree".
I probably went off on a wild goose chase. Looking at that tree and the city directory records - my guess - he changed his name to either Gillot or Chillot. Without knowing any other family info - at least a wife's name, it's hard to pin him down.
Going back to your original post - I just looked at his mother's obit. So he was still alive in 1944. My guess, if he was living in Italy, that might have been noted (but not necessarily).
*In his father's 1927 obit - says all children of Easton (including Frank) and the obit does mention a brother/sister living in Italy.
Also from the 1910 census - he was a laboror at a saloon and not naturalized.
Maybe he changed his last name? OR entire name! I have a couple of cousins that did that. Makes it tough to track them BUT he went by Frank in 1947 so I think it's his last name that was modified and that's why we can't find him.
@girasoli Oh, I hadn't considered the possibility that he might have changed his last name (other than to re-Italianize it). That's certainly another trail to follow.
I also want to see if I can link him to any WWI record. There seem to be a couple military folks with his name.
I definitely still have trails to follow, I'm just getting into the more difficult ones by now.
I Forget
girasoli 🌻🌻