Martini Family---the VILLELLA connection

S. S. Principedi di Piemonte

St. Francis de Sales Cath Ch

St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Cath. Ch

Nicastro in Catanzaro, Italy

southern Italy homeland

Calvary Cemetery in Herkimer NY

Vincenzina Villella Vitalone

In the last blog we learned that Fortunato and Anna ZUBBA had a daughter named Anna born 1868 in Nicastro, Italy, who married Antonio VILLELLA in Italy. Thus ends the ZUBBA name in our direct line, and the VILLELLA name is carried forward for exactly one (1) generation before it comes to an end. We know nothing about Antonio VILLELLA, other than that he must have married Anna ZUBBA around 1885-1888, and he died between 1905-1907. It is possible that Antonio had come to America ahead of his family, and died before they came over....but there is no evidence one way or the other. At any rate, the 4' 11" widow Anna ZUBBA VILLELLA boarded the S. S. Principe di Piemonte (see photo) on August 1, 1907 in Naples, Italy...bound for America.
Anna VILLELLA left her oldest son Michele (Michael) in Nicastro, but brought her other three children on the ship. There was Giovanni (John S.), born January 31, 1892 in Nicastro; Vincenzina (Vincenza, Jennie), born September 12, 1896 in Nicastro; and Salvatore, born December 12, 1904 in Nicastro. The ship's record states that their destination in America was Utica, Oneida County, New York,(see photo) where they would find Anna's mother, Anna, and stepfather Angelo Pina. The S. S. Principe di Piemonte landed at New York City on August 16, 1907, where Anna Zubba VILLELLA and her 3 children would be held for "special inquiry" until they were admitted to the United States at 11:30 a.m., August 19, 1907.
The next year, 1908, the widow Anna Zubba VILLELLA met and married Tony Daniele, an Italian immigrant twelve years her junior. In April of 1910, the family lived on William Street in Herkimer with Anna's sister Antonetta George and her husband Nicholas George. Son John worked as a laborer on a barge canal, and young Vincenzina (Jennie) worked in a textile mill, but this was all about to change.
In late June, 1910, Anna Zubba VILLELLA died at the home of her sister Antonetta George, leaving her new husband Tony Daniele with the three children, John, Vincenza, and Salvatore. A mass was held for Anna VILLELLA at St. Frances de Sales Catholic Church (see photo), and she was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Herkimer. She was 42 years old, and had been in America for only 34 months.
What happened to the three kids you say? For one thing, the spelling of the last name changed in America to VILLELO, which it remains today in our direct line. It remained VILLELLA in Italy, and we have no idea why they were different.
At any rate, John S. VILLELO's 1917 WWI draft card states that he was the caretaker of his brother Salvatore that year, as Sal was only 12. John married the Brazil-born Italian Mary Suppa on July 27, 1918, and continued to work as a knitter in the James Lynch Knitting Mill in Herkimer until his retirement. John S. VILLELLO died April 8, 1958, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery. Mary died in 1983. Their children are Anthony J., Anna Rita (Stanley Dorozynski), Frank, Rose (Peter Grico), Ellen Marie (Albert S. Macera), and Raymond J. (Rose Marie Genovice).
Salvatore VILLELO married Grace Rita Fiore in 1926, and ran a barber shop on Bleeker Street in Utica for many years before moving to Oneida Square, and he was active in the Barbers Union until his retirement in 1969. Grace died in 1964, and Salvatore VILLELO died January 5, 1981. They were members of St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, and are buried in St. Agnes Cemetery. The children of Salvatore and Grace VILLELLO are Anna Lucy (Arthur Trozzi), Mary Felicia (Frank Wojnas), and Grace Rita (Thomas De Crescenzo).
Vincenzina (Jennie) VILLELLA married Domenico VITALONE.....the grandparents of Tony Martini.....more on her next time.
Thus, the VILLELLA line ended with my grandmother Vincenzina marrying into the VITALONE clan, but left us tons of cousins in and around Utica and Herkimer, New York, as well as those in Nicastro, Italy. Comments/questions to graveyardgossip@gmail.com