I've only recently learned of Giuseppe and Elena so not much information is available so far, except that Giuseppe was a shepard and they had at least one child:
Both born in Cervicati, Angelo Majerà (b. 1803) and Agata Barci (b. 1805) were married 8 Feb 1826 at S. Nicolo di Bari Church in Cervicati. Agata was the daughter of Pasquale Barci and Caterina Damiano. Angelo and Agata had seven children that we know of:
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Giuseppe Majerà & Giuseppina Cristianelli - my G Grandparents |
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* Apparently Giuseppe Pietro Majerà had two wives. It has come to my attention through the work of Paolo Chiaselotti with the San Marco Argentano civil archives (see "Archivo") that Giuseppe Pietro Majerà married Maria Rosaria Martino (b. 1852, San Marco Argentano, Italy) on 13 Mar 1880 in San Marco Argentano. Together they had four children:
- Pasquale (b. 1881)
- Salvatore (b.1883)
- Angiolino (b. 1891 - d. 1957) married Maria Saveria Liparoti (b. 1891 - d. 1967) daughter of Michelangiolo Liparoti (b. 1857) & Maria Raffela Guaglianone (b. 1860)
- Pasqualina (b. 1894 - d. 1894)
Giuseppe Pietro Majerà (b. 24 Aug 1857, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. after 1924, Kings Park, New York, US). Giuseppe married Giuseppina Cristianelli (b. Sep 1867 - d. 3 Jun 1934, Brooklyn, NY) daughter of Francesco Cristianelli (b. 1840, Cervicati) and Mariantonia D'Amico (b. 1840). Giuseppe came to the United States in 1888. Giuseppe found work as a concrete mason. Having been in the US for only 10 years he was one of the few men in his town to own his own home free and clear of a mortgage as noted on the 1900 Federal Census. He became a citizen of the United States on 10 Jul 1899 at the Suffolk County Court (see Suffolk County Naturalizations database) in Riverhead, NY. Proving once again the uncanny accuracy of childhood memories, it is in fact true that Giuseppe met his end in the form of a ferocious cow - see his obituary. These were Giuseppina & Giuseppe's children:
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1. Pasquale Quineraldo Majerà (b. 7 Aug 1883, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. as child in Cervicati)
2. Quineraldo Ferdinando Majerà (b. 21 Nov 1884, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. as child in Cervicati)
3. Angelo Ferdinando Majerà (b. 16 Feb 1886, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. as child in Cervicati)
4. Angelo Ferdinando Majerà (b. 28 Jun 1887, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. as child in Cervicati)
5. Angelo Raffaele Majerà (b. 21 Jun 1888, Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria - d. as child in Cervicati)
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6. Mary (Maria) (b. 15 Mar 1891, Kings Park, LINY - d. 13 Dec 1987, Woodhaven, NY), married Oscar Noren (b. abt 1882 - d. abt 1947) Oscar's parents are presently unknown, however, he had a brother, Peter A.H. Noren, who had a business in 1949, selling and servicing welding equipment at 250-70 Jericho Turnpike, Bellerose, NY). Mary was a nurse and Oscar was in the demolition business. They moved to Weeksville, Brooklyn and later Ridgewood & Woodhaven, NY. They had one son:
- Leroy Noren. Roy was a New York City policeman.
* if you're researching the Noren family, make sure you check the directory listings I've collected
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Mary with husband Oscar Noren
and son Leroy, about 1920
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7. Michael Maiara (b. Sep 1893, Kings Park, LINY - d. Oct 1960, Brooklyn, NY), married Mary Agatha Flood, at Holy Rosary Church on 27 Nov 1924. Mike played baseball as a young man in his home town of Kings Park with the Elinore Heights Athletic Club. Michael volunteered for the US Army during World War I where he served in France in the 88th Artillery, American Expeditionary Force
Michael along with his brother-in-law, Oscar Noren, opened one of the first electric arc welding businesses in the nation in 1919. It was called "Utica Welding & Cutting Works Co." and was first located at Herkimer Street and Utica Avenue, Brooklyn and later (1933) at 1606 Bergen Street. Michael and Agatha had 8 children:
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Michael Maiara, Camp Merritt, NJ 1917
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- Mary Agatha
- Rita
- Muriel
- Michael J.
- Donald E.
- Raymond P. (b. 1 Jan 1933 - d. 18 Mar 2004) married Carol Maria Desmond
- Joseph W.
- Virginia
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Michael Maiara, Elinore Heights Athletic Club, Kings Park, NY
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8. Santa (Maria) (b. Nov 1896, Kings Park, LINY - d. about 1916)
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9. Domenica (Maria) (b. 3 Oct 1897, Kings Park, LINY - d. 10 Jan 1897, Kings Park, LINY) also called "Mamie" and "Mazie" married Elting Crosby (b. 6 Nov 1891, Marlboro, NY - d. Apr 1967, Kings Park, LINY). Mamie was a nurse who accompanied the US Expeditionary Forces during WW I. She continued her nursing career after returning home and had two children:
- Arthur
- Dorothy
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Dominica Maiara
Camp Merritt, NJ about 1918
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at right: Dominica Maiara and husband Elting Crosby |
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10. Caroline (Maria) (b. Jan 1900, Kings Park, LINY - d. between 1900-1910)
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11. Victor (Maria) (b. about 1903, Kings Park, LINY - d. about 1945, Nassau, NY), Victor was a boilermaker, a skill he learned while serving in the US Navy and owned a boiler repair shop named "Atlantic Welding" with a partner named McCue. Victor married Ethel Fitzgerald and had one child:
- Ethel
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Ethel Fitzgerald-Maiara abt. 1923
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Victor Maiara 1924
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Francesco Cristinanelli & Mariangela D'Amico di Saverio - my GG Grandparents
Francesco Cristianelli (b. 1840, Cervicati) was the son of Nicolo Cristianelli (b. 1816, Cervicati) who was the son of Francesco Cristianelli! Francesco married Mariangela D'Amico di Saverio and had the following children:
- Gaetano Raffaele (b. 10 Jun 1866, Cervicati)
- Giuseppina (b. Sep 1867, Cervicati - d. 3 Jun 1934, Brooklyn, NY)
- Rosaria Nicoletta (b. 5 Oct 1868, Cervicati)
- Domenica, married Gaetano Coppolillo and had at least one child:
- Mariantonia Vittoria
- Giuseppe (b. 10 Mar 1870, Cervicati)
- Raffaele (b. 8 Feb 1873, Cervicati)
Angelo Tundis & Anna Maria di Cianni - my GGG Grandparents
Angelo Tundis (b. 1806, S. Angelo, Cetraro) the son of Joachim Tunnis, married Anna Maria di Cianni (b. 1806, S. Angelo, Cetraro) and had the following children:
- Michele (b. 1830, Cetraro) married Caterina Bosco (b. 1832) and had the following children:
- Francesco Giuseppe (b. 6 Apr 1870, Cervicati)
- Mariangela (b. 20 Apr 1836, Cetraro) married Pasquale Majerà (click link)
- Gaetano (b. 1839) married Francesca De Seta (b. 1842), daughter of Salvatore De Seta, and had the following children:
- Maria Rosa (b. 3 Jul 1866, Cervicati)
- Vincenzo Gaetano (b. 3 Jun 1868, Cervicati)
- Teresa (b. 1843)
Pasquale Barci & Caterina Damiano - my GGGG Grandparents
Pasquale Barci (b. 1781, Cervicati) was the son of Pier Maria Barci. Pasquale married Caterina Damiano (b. 1785, Cervicati) and had at least two children that we know of:
- Agata Barci
- Giuseppe Nicolo Barci (b. 21 Jan 1812, Cervicati)
Research Notes and Links:
* research update 9-4-04: I located a wonderful website L'Ottocento dietro l'angolo San Marco Argentano nel XIX secolo created by Paolo Chiaselotti. These marvelous archives of municipal records (including vital records) largely concern San Marco Argentano. San Marco Argentano is the larger, neighboring town to Cervicati. Naturally many marriages occurred between the townspeople of both these towns. Paolo's website offers a surname index and charts of San Marco Agentano family histories as well as links to the birth and marriage records. They also indicate that Giuseppe Pietro Majera had two wives. Perhaps this explains his early immigration to the United States. Although the civil records of San Marco Argentano show he fathered four children with Maria Rosaria Martino, some of their births raise concerns as Giuseppe was presumed to be here in the United States during this period. Perhaps he sailed back and forth frequently. I'll have to investigate the passenger ship logs more closely.
* research update 3-9-02: By quick wit on the part of Mr. Leo P. Ostebo, Director of the Kings Park Heritage Museum, Kings Park, NY, a long awaited reunion was made between Dominica Majera's grand daughter, Donna and myself. Dominica was a life-long resident of Kings Park, Long Island. Her nickname was Mamie. When Mamie's grand daughter visited the museum, a query from Mr. Ostebo revealed to him that Mamie was Michael Maiara's sister (based on previous corespondence I had with him). Mr. Ostebo furnished my phone number, Donna made the call and I shall be forever grateful!
* research update 5-19-01: Giuseppina is buried with Mary Marian-Noren and Mary's daughter-in-law, Veronica in St. John's Cemetery (sect. 34, row V, no. 34) it's interesting to note, neither Giuseppe or Oscar were interred here
* research update 6-19-01: I have confirmed that both Giuseppe and Giuseppina were born in the Commune di Cervicati, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. This is an Arbereshi village and chances are good Majerà is an Arberesh surname. For more information about the Arbereshi visit the Italo-Albanian Heritage page. Of course, since "Maiera" is the name of an ancient Jewish town in Calabria, there's also a good possibility the surname is Judaic (note: Maiera was named for the shape of it's harbor or cove which resembled the shofar horn)
* research update 7-5-01: I have six tracings of Angelo and Mariangela "Tundis" records. Problem is, among these there are four spellings: Tundis, Tunis, Tunnis and Tunnisi. So, we have an approximation of the surname's spelling at best. Spelling was not a big deal at that time and was largely the option of the clerk who recorded the data. Of all the possible spellings, "Tunnis" is the oldest. I have one example dated 1801, a church dispensation for Joachim Tunnis. The best quality reproduction however dates from 1836, the birth certificate from the Comune di S. Angelo (today part of Scigliano, Catanzaro) for Angelo's daughter, Mariangela Tundis. There are still Tundis family members in Italy today. Then to, you will find many members of the Tunnis family in the Nederlands and also Estonia… go figure.
* research update 7-17-01: Having found the marriage certificate for Angelo Majerà and Agata Barci today, I was able to connect Angelo to his parents and grandparents. This is about as far as the Stato Civile records available through the LDS will take me. I will be able to flesh out some remaining mysteries in the coming weeks but great leaps are not expected. I found one book written specifically about Cervicati which might be of interest to those researching the town. I found it to contain not much genealogical value although it mentions both Posterivo and Rebecchi families. It describes cultural features of the town and a brief, superficial history, mostly detailing various nobles who have laid claim or held sway over this knob of rocks. It is written by a native son and is in Italian:
New York Public Library, Humanities Division - Genealogical Research; 42nd St & 5th Ave, NY, NY; Bill Blass Collection, room 315
call # JFD 77-8463; author: Veltri, Fiore (b. 1915); title: "Noi gente di Cervicati"; imprint: Cosenza LPE (1974); 89 pages in Italian, 3 plates
* research update 7-27-01: After two months of poring over the LDS collection of Stato Civile records for the Comune di Cervicate, I have compiled a database of vital records for our related family members as well as many possibly related individuals. I prepared a new directory for this database and submitted the location to GENDEX. Researchers can either search GENDEX or go directly to the database by clicking here.
Finding Giuseppe's naturalization papers was my first mission genealogically when I began this research some five years ago. Until now very little information was available about him. Although I made great progress with every family EXCEPT my Italian ancestors, all hard data about them eluded me until the IGG released their database. I must thank the Italian Genealogical Group for their outstanding accomplishment. I will always be grateful to them. If you are new to genealogical research you will find a great deal of selfishness, many greedy businesses and the rare organization or indivdual who went far out of his or her way to help you in your research. The IGG is this type of organization. I must also add that the LDS Family History Center has provided invaluable resources for this research. Not only have they microfilmed the entire vital record set for the Commune di Cervicati from 1809-1910, but make those available to all the world and free-of-charge. Without the Mormons, none of this information would have been discovered. Lastly I must thank Napolean Bonaparte, without his conquest and subsequent administration of Italy, vital records might have remained the disorganized scribbling it was before he modernized and standardized municipal record keeping.
Most important of all, know that the surnames you are researching WILL BE spelled incorrectly, or rather "differently" on many critical forms, log books and registries. Do not assume the spelling errors will follow any particular pattern either. Here is an example of the various records for Giuseppe and his family:
- 1900, 1910, 1920 Federal Cenuses surname listed as "Maria"
- 1899 Suffok County Naturalization: surname listed as "Marian"
- 1882, 1884 Atti Di Nascita, Stato Civile, Universita di Commune Cervicati records for sons Pasquale and Rinualdo, surname listed as "Majerà", note: at the time of the birth of these two sons, the family resided at 20 and 60 Via Magazzeno, Cervicati, respectively
The most common alternate (after 1890) spelling for Majerà in the Italian records is "Maierà"
Several of Giuseppe's (presumed) family members preceded him immigrating to the US. Among these are:
These brothers or cousins travelled aboard Fabre Lines "Britannia" which departed Naples, Italy and arrived in New York City, US on 29 March 1888
Domenico Maiara, born 1848
Nicola Maiara, born 1851
Diodato Maiara, born 1858
Luigi Maiara, born 1867
On the 1900 Census, a brother-in-law, Frank Postereva is listed as living with Giuseppe and Giuseppina in Kings Park, NY. Frank was recorded as being born in January 1862 and was already married 10 years at the time the census was taken. Since the Ellis Island immigration records became available on-line, I have learned that most Posteraro's came from Cosenza, Calabria with significant concentrations leaving the towns of Amantea and Lago. See the Posteraro Ellis Island list.
"Frank Postereva", brother-in-law to Giuseppe was the key to discovering the Majerà family history. After the Ellis Island records came on-line, I compiled a list of all possible "Postereva" immigrants from Italy. The database offers SOUNDEX alternative spellings for any surname based on the sound of the name. Using all these alternative spellings, one of which "Posteriva" (which turned out to be the correct spelling) I sorted my list by the former residence of the immigrants. As noted earlier, most Poster*** family members came from a cluster of towns in Cosenza. The only instances of "Posteriva" immigrants were from the town of Cervicati. I had learned years before from interviews with my uncle Michael Maiara, that his only recollection of our family's origin was a childhood memory of his father saying the family hailed from "Geni-vi-cara". I spent a good deal of time searching for such a town and prepared a short list of possible matches based on the sound of the word. Matching the Posteriva-Ellis Island records with my uncle's memory narrowed the search to one town - Cervicati. The resolution evolved rapidly. I checked the LDS's catalog for any records relating to this town and BAM! most vital records from 1809-1900.
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Maiara and Larkin kids in the late 1930's, Brooklyn, NY
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the picture to the right is an ad for Victor's company from the 1942
Queens, NY Telephone Book
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