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CANNIZZARO FAMILY HISTORY
Last update 11/5/2023Aunt Frances Cannizzaro Frame said the Cannizzaros in Sicily, prior to World War Two, were bed manufacturers.
Our Cannizzaro ancestors came from Militello, a town in the Catania region of Sicily. Our earliest ancestors that I have been able to document are Michelangelo Cannizzaro and his wife Lucia DiBenedetto. Although I know that Michelangelo was born in 1822 and Lucia in 1829, I have no proof that they were born there. What I do know is that they had five children, all born in Militello.
Update January 23, 2023 - I was contacted by Justin Ruggieri who has been researching his family ancestry in Militello.
He says his oldest documented ancestor, Giuseppe Ruggieri, had a daughter Angela Ruggieri who married Andrea Cannizzaro in the late 1600 s. Justin has traced their line all the way up to the late 1800 s. Unfortunately, he does not yet see a connection between our Cannizzaro family and his own. But, as he points out, he s sure we're related, somehow. In a town of 5000 people, after 10 generations it's pretty difficult NOT to be related to everyone somehow! .
Recently, Justin stumbled across some information on our Michaelangelo Cannizzaro and Lucia DiBenedetto that he wanted to share: On February 6, 1864 a girl named Agatha Ronsvalle (possibly Ronsavalle) was baptized in Militello and her Godparents were Michaelangelo and Lucia. The document also lists the parents of Michaelangelo and Lucia, which up until now, I had no knowledge of.
The document addresses Michaelangelo as "Magistro" Michelangelo. Justin surmises this suggests he was some form of teacher of highly skilled tradesmen. Michaelangelo s parents are listed as Gregorio Cannizzaro and Vittorie Bontevengro (perhaps a misspelling of Montenegro). Lucia de Benedetto's parents are listed as Giovanni DiBenedetto and Rose Guccione.
Justin points out there is an interesting notation after their names that he has seen in other entries but can't quite figure out. It says "Bidoni" or "Bideni"and he thinks it is a reference to where they are from, because he has seen it elsewhere with people who were not originally from Militello. According to Justin, Bideni is the old name for the town of Vizzini which is the next town about 10 miles to the south of Millitello. The Arabs called it Bid, and then it became Videos, and then Bideni. Note also that Vizzini is just 10 miles from Grammichele where our Russo ancestors came from.
Justin also says the patron saint of Vizzini is San Gregorio and that is the name of Michelangelo's father. Gregorio is not a very common first name in Militello so that also leads him to believe that our Cannizzaro ancestors came from Vizzini. For more on Vizzini, click here.
Update August 16, 2023 - I was contacted by Paul Cannizzaro who has been researching his family ancestry in the town of Licodia Eubea. If you look at the map above you will see Licodia just a few miles west of Vizzini. Paul and his Cannizzaro family live in Australia and he recently visited Licodia. His grandfather Paolo Cannizzaro, his great grandfather Giuseppe Cannizzaro and his great great grandfather Vito Cannizzaro were born in Licodia. However, he has a great uncle (grandfather's brother) who was born in Vizzini, and his family lived there for a while. They migrated to Australia in the mid-1950's and that has been their home ever since.
As for the Cannizzaro surname, Paul's research tells him they were from a historical town called Cannizzo in Spain, and they migrated to Sicily sometime in the 1300's. According to Paul, the Cannizzaro's were wealthy aristocrats. There are two palaces, "Palazzo Cannizzaro", that he found, one in Vizzini, and another in Modica, a town about 35 miles south of Vizzini. The one in Vizzini still has a sign and is considered a landmark. The sign says "This elegant property was once home of the rich and influential family Cannizzaro."
The palace in Modica has been turned into a hotel and restaurant. When Paul asked the owner what this palace really was, she told him it once belonged to the "noble Cannizzaro family" many, many years ago.
Paul further states that there is a town that some maps still recognize on the seacoast just north of Catania called Cannizzaro. Today, it is technically owned by the nearby town of Aci Castello. Paul recalls his grandfather telling the family a story that one of their relatives lost the town in a card game. In an online forum on Italian genealogy, Paul recalls someone named Michele Cannizzaro saying his great grandfather did exactly that.
As Paul says, somewhere along the line our Cannizzaro ancestors lost their wealth and status and became peasants. And the name Cannizzaro was given as an occupational name to makers of reed matting. They made mats, paper, blankets, and whatever else. According to my Aunt Francis, our Sicilian Cannizzaro's became bed manufacturers.
This section updated 5/6/2023
While I have documented proof that Michelangelo and Lucia had six children, there is some undocumented evidence appearing in some online sources that there were four more for a total of ten children. The first undocumented child was a girl named Vita Cannizzaro, born in Militello on August 7, 1846. If this is true, and she is indeed the first child, then Michelangelo and Lucia were probably married in Militello in 1845, when Lucia would have been around 16 years of age. According to a posting on FamilySearch.org, Vita married Giovanni Barravecchia in Militello on January 5, 1873. There is no evidence, however, that they had any children.
The next four children born to Michaelangelo and Lucia were all girls, and I have documental evidence to support their births. Giuseppa Cannizzaro was born on the first of January in 1851, when Michelangelo was 28 years old and Lucia 21. The second was born two years later on January 31, 1853. This was Maristella Cannizzaro. There is undocumented evidence that Maristella married Giovanni Frazzetto in Militello on April 15, 1871.
The third girl was Salvatrice Cannizzaro, born August 2, 1854. There is undocumented evidence that Salvatrice married Sebastiano Curcurato in Militello on October 22, 1887. This same undocumented evidence suggests that Sebastiano was born in 1869 in the village of Scordia, located a few miles from Militello. I have some trouble with some of this. For one, Salvatrice was 33 years old when they married, and Sebastiano would have been about 22.
The fourth girl was Giovanna Cannizzaro, born in Militello on August 28, 1856. That is all I know about her.
The next two children were boys. My great-grandfather Sebastiano Cannizzaro was born two years after Giovanna on September 29, 1858. Next was Giuseppe Cannizzaro, born sometime in 1860. He would become Joe Cannizzaro's grandfather. More on Joe much later in this narrative.
Now, again according to undocumented posts, there were three more girls born after Giuseppe. Concetta Cannizzaro
As stated above, Michelangelo and Lucia Cannizzaro's fourth child, Sebastiano Cannizzaro, was born in Militello on September 29, 1858. He was nearly 28 years old when he married 18-year-old Francesca DiRaimondo in Militello on September 5, 1886. Francesca was born in Militello on April 17, 1868, the daughter of Salvatore DiRaimondo and Rosa DiBenedetto.
Salvatore DiRaimondo was born in Militello in 1841. Rosa DiBenedetto was born there on June 3, 1845, the daughter of Mario DiBenedetto and Venera Basso. Salvatore and Rosa were married in Militello on February 21, 1867.
You may have noticed that Michelangelo Cannizzaro and Salvatore DiRaimondo both married women named DiBenedetto, one born in 1829, the other in 1845. I have no proof how they might be related.
Sebastiano and Francesca had six children, all born in Militello. Since I have found documentation on the births of only three of them, I have no idea who was first born. The ones I don't have birth dates for are Concetta Cannizzaro, Giuseppe Cannizzaro and Mariano Cannizzaro. For Mariano, I have no further data other than his name. Of the other three, Michele Cannizzaro was born in Militello on June 11, 1887; Salvatore Cannizzaro, my grandfather, was born March 1, 1891; and Giovanni Cannizzaro was born in 1904.
Based on a document supplied and interpreted by Justin Ruggieri, Michaelangelo Cannizzaro died in Militello on February 17, 1890 when he would have been about 67 years old, although the document says he was 73. The document is written in Latin and Justin says it tells us he died in his own home and was a member of the parish of St. Mary's Church.
Waves of Italian immigrants embarked on steamships during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and arrived on the shores of America to escape from Italy s natural disasters, political instability, famine and disease. Many decided to leave their homeland and journey across the Atlantic, under arduous traveling conditions in the steerage section of steamships, just for a better life. As they arrived on Ellis Island to be processed before being allowed to settle in the land of milk and honey, many Italian immigrants already had family members living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
In 1905, Sebastiano Cannizzaro left his family and went to America to find a better life for them. He was about 48 years old. I have not been able to locate any documentation about his trip, but I know about the 1905 date from his passenger record when he returned to Italy and came back in 1913.
A year later, Sebastiano's sons Michele Cannizzaro and Salvatore Cannizzaro joined him. They left Sicily from the port of Messina, which is located about 90 miles up the eastern coast of Sicily from Militello. I have no idea how they got to Messina, but they left aboard the S.S. Giulia on June 19, 1906. Seventeen days later, they arrived at Ellis Island in New York Bay on July 6. Michele was 19 years old and Salvatore 15. They joined their father in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan at 31 Cherry Street. A hundred years before, it was a wealthy affluent section. By 1906, it was a waterfront slum. Many of the tenements did not have their own bathtubs and showers.
Although it's difficult to determine for certain with the scant amount of documentation for this period, it appears that Michele stayed with his father, but Salvatore struck out on his own. In 1910, he was 19 years old and living with the Montes family at 108 Cherry Street. This was just a few doors down from 31 Cherry Street where his father and brother were living. Ironically, there was another family living nearby, at 106 Cherry Street. This was Francesco Russo and his wife Concetta (D'Amico) Russo. They had emigrated from Grammichele, Sicily with their four children in 1909. One of the children was 15-year-old Francesca Russo. We can only conjecture that Salvatore and Francesca may have become acquainted with one another at this time.
By 1913, Salvatore was living again with his father and brother Michele, this time at 5 Monroe Street, one block north of Cherry Street. Sebastiano and Michele left Salvatore and returned to Italy to bring 16-year-old Concetta and 13-year-old Giuseppe back to New York. Sebastiano's wife Francesca and their youngest son Giovanni remained in Militello. They would arrive in 1914. Sebastiano, Michele, Concetta and Giuseppe sailed from Palermo aboard the S.S. Lazio on May 23, 1913. The voyage took 18 days. They arrived in New York on June 10, 1913 and joined Salvatore at 5 Monroe Street.
Not long after this, Salvatore was living at 424 East 14th Street in Manhattan. This was about 2 miles north of Cherry Street in what is today the East Village. How and why he came to be here and with whom, if anyone, is a mystery. Just as mysteriously, however, the Russo family was living next door at 418 East 14th Street. These were their addresses when Salvatore and Francesca got married, at Town Hall, on October 25, 1913. He was 22 years old and she was 19. At this time, Salvatore was working as a house painter. He and Francesca lived with her family at 418 East 14th Street for a few years.
On November 5, 1914, 46-year-old Francesca DiRaimondo Cannizzaro departed Italy from Palermo aboard the S.S. Taormina. Traveling with her was her son, 10-year-old Giovanni Cannizzaro. Since she was travelling without her husband who was waiting for her in New York, Francesca conformed to the 19th Century custom of using her maiden name for herself on the ship's manifest, and her husband's for her son. The transcript says Francesca was very short, only 4' 5" tall. She left behind her mother, Rosina DiBenedetto (DiRaimondo), who lived on Via Sutera in Militello.
Two weeks later, they arrived in New York City, on November 19. She and Giovanni were going to her husband Sebastiano, who was now living in a tenement at 56 Henry Street in Manhattan. This was only a few blocks north of Cherry Street, still in the Lower East side. Eventually, the family moved to 122 Cherry Street.
On January 20, 1918, 30-year-old Michele married 20-year-old Giovaninna Tagliere, the daughter of Francesco Tagliere and Agata Mancuso. She was born in Militello in 1897. The ceremony took place at the Transfiguration Church, located at 29 Mott Street in Manhattan. Before the marriage, Giovaninna lived at 129 Monroe Street.
To get a better understanding of the location of all these addresses, check this map.
Around 1917, Salvatore and Francesca moved to Centerville, New Jersey, and eventually to nearby Keyport. On December 27, 1918, Michele and Giovaninna's son Sebastiano Cannizzaro was born. He was known to us as Benny.
In January of 1920, Sebastiano, Francesca, Giuseppe, Concetta, and Giovanni, plus Michele and his wife Giovaninna and their son Benny were living at 122 Cherry Street. Although it is unclear exactly when this happened, it appears they all left America and returned to Italy. The justification was that Sebastiano's health was failing. I have to believe there was more to the story. Most of them were illiterate (Sebastiano, Francesca, Concetta, Giuseppe, Michele, and Giovaninna) and struggling to make a living in New York. Only 20-year-old Giuseppe was listed as being able to read and write on the 1920 Federal Census. Perhaps this advertisement for employment that appeared in a Rochester, New York Newspaper in 1923 provides a clue.
In any case, the entire family, except Salvatore and Francesca, went back to Italy.
As stated above, 30-year-old Michele Cannizzaro married 20-year-old Giovaninna Tagliere, the daughter of Francesco Tagliere and Agata Mancuso. She was born in Militello in 1897. The ceremony took place at the Transfiguration Church, located at 29 Mott Street in Manhattan. Before the marriage, Giovaninna lived at 129 Monroe Street. Like his brother Salvatore, Michele was a house painter. Prior to his arrival in America in 1906, he served in the Italian Army for six months. He was relatively short and of medium build, with brown eyes and black hair.
In January of 1920, they were living with Sebastiano, Francesca, Giuseppe, Concetta, and Giovanni, at 122 Cherry Street. It was around this time that everyone left America and returned to Italy. All I have been able to learn of Michele and Giovaninna after that is that they had another child, a daughter named Francesca Cannizzaro, who was born in 1922. Francesca would eventually marry Paolo Eremita. I have no further information about any of them except Benny. He eventually returned to America, in 1938.
I have no idea what Benny did in Italy, but it appears he was trained as a barber. He grew up in Italy and lived there for more than 15 years. By 1938 he was back in America. By June of 1938, he was 19 years old and living with Sam and Nanny Cannizzaro in Keyport, along with his five "sisters." He was 5' 5" tall, weighing about 145 pounds, with a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and red hair. He was working as a barber when World War II started. He enlisted in the Army (Remember, he was a natural born American) on January 7, 1942, and served four years. He was honorably discharged on January 21, 1946.
Before he left the Army, however, he got married to Sebastiana "Ann" Straniero. The marriage took place in Keyport on October 27, 1945. Ann was born in New York on October 14, 1922, the daughter of Nicolo Straniero and Rosalia "Rosa" Toscano. Although Ann was raised as Nicolo's daughter, the truth may be a bit more complicated, as I will explain later.
Ann's father Nicolo was born in Militello on April 1, 1893, the son of Niccolo Straniero and Nicolina Tinero. He came to America on March 3, 1914 aboard the S.S. Henry Mallory. He was 5' 4" tall and weighed 135 pounds. He had a dark complexion with grey eyes and brown hair. His formal education in Italy went as far as the third grade, but he could read and write.
Nicolo had an older brother, Sebastiano Straniero, who was born in Militello on April 20, 1886. Sebastiano arrived in America four years before Nicolo, on April 15, 1910, aboard the S. S. San Giovanni. He was 5' 3" tall, with blue eyes and dark blonde hair. He was a bricklayer by trade.
On November 24, 1918, 33-year-old Sebastiano married 32-year-old Maria DePasquale at the Transfiguration Catholic church in Manhattan, the same church where Michele Cannizzaro and Giovaninna Tagliere were married on January 20. Maria was born in Militello in 1886, the daughter of Feliciano DePasquale and Giuseppina Scaccianoce.
Less than two years after the marriage, Maria, pregnant with their first child, became ill and was admitted to the Italian Hospital on July 22, 1920. She contracted a bacterial infection of her uterus and died on August 15, 1920.
A year later, Sebastiano was back at the Transfiguration Catholic church to marry Rosalia "Rosa" Toscano. Yes, this is the same Rosalia Toscano who will marry Nicolo at a later date. They lived at 2805 Stillwell Avenue on Coney Island. Rosa was born in the port city of Catania, about 30 miles northwest of Militello. Her parents are unknown. She was offered up as an infant for adoption in Catania on March 9, 1898. Somehow, she appears to have been adopted by the Mellone and Campagna (Italian: Compagnino) family in Militello. How she got from Catania to Militello is still a mystery. Rosa could not read or write. She never attended school in Italy. This was common practice in Italy at the time. Sending a daughter to school was considered an unnecessary luxury. In any case, she arrived in New York City aboard the S. S. Duca Degli Abbruzzi on February 23, 1920 at the age of 21. She was traveling with her aunt Maria Campagna and her sister Maria Mellone.
A year following her arrival, Rosa married Sebastiano, on June 12, 1921. On the marriage certificate, the entries for the names of her parents are blank.
Rosa was pregnant with their first child when Sebastiano was murdered. To read about the sensationalized newspaper coverage of this tragic event, click here.
On October 14, 1922, Rosa gave birth to what would have been their first child, Sebastiana "Ann" Straniero. Four years later, Nicolo married his dead brother's wife. He and Rosa were married in Manhattan on April 25, 1926. Thus, Nicolo became Ann's father. From that point on, they had seven more children: another daughter and six sons.
In 1928, Nicolo bought 22 acres in Centerville which was nearly all farmland then. It is situated southeast of Keyport and is now considered a part of Hazlet. Nicolo moved Rosa and their eight children to Middle Road in Centerville where they managed an extensive farm. They grew tomatoes, sweet corn, strawberries and sweet potatoes. They picked peaches and apples from their orchards. It may sound like an idyllic life, but it was very hard work. There was no running water or indoor bathroom, and very little money. Somehow, Nicolo and Rosalie were able to feed and raise their children.
By the mid-forties, Nicolo found he needed extra income and began working at the Armstrong Cork Factory in Keyport. One of Rosa's favorite pastimes was to sit and listen to Italian opera on the radio. By 1950, they were living on Middle Road in Centerville and Nicolo was still working at the cork factory. In March of 1953, Nicolo was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was taken to Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch where he died of pneumonia on March 6, 1953. He was only 58 years old.
In the mid-1960's, the town bought most of the farmland to protect open space. Today, there is virtually nothing left of all the farms in Centerville. Rosa continued for many more years before succumbing on her 82nd birthday, March 9, 1980. She and Nicolo are buried at Saint Joseph's cemetery in Keyport.
After Benny was discharged from the Army in 1946, he went back to barbering. He eventually opened his own barbershop called Ben's Beauty and Barber Shop at 161 Main Street in Keansburg, New Jersey. He was a member of several organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the Hazlet Seniors. He was also a camera enthusiast, and established the Bayshore Camera Club and was its first president. Ann was a member of several clubs, including the Hazlet Seniors, the Holy Family Golden Age Club and Saint Clement's Seniors.
Benny and Ann had three children: Michael Cannizzaro, Janet Cannizzaro and Robert Cannizzaro. They were communicants of Saint Ann's Roman Catholic church in Keansburg. After living in Keansburg, the family moved to Hazlet in 1958.
Son Robert, born March 12, 1954, moved to Florida in 1992. He worked odd jobs, including house painting and auto repair, but he was most successful by forming a musical group with two other musicians called "The Lords Of Cool." Robert was known as "Bobby C." He was the group's drummer. Bobby passed away suddenly on December 30, 2013. He was only 59 years old.
Daughter Janet married Leonard "Lenny" Mancini on August 4, 1973 at Saint Catherine's Roman Catholic Church in East Keansburg, New Jersey. Lenny was born in Long Branch on July 7, 1947, the son of Alphonse F. Mancini and Philomena R. Perno. Janet was working at the Earle Naval Ammunition Depot in Colts Neck, New Jersey while Lenny was employed by Chevron Oil Company in Perth Amboy. They had two daughters, Deneane Mancini and Alison Mancini. They lived in Hazlet and Lenny started working at the Keyport Post Office, retiring from there after 30 years. Afterwards, they moved to Brick, New Jersey and Lenny continued working as a school bus driver for the Brick Township School Transportation Department and Pine Grove Day Camp.
Lenny loved riding his motorcycle, doing crossword puzzles and reading, but most of all he loved spending time with his family and friends. He would drop anything to help anyone. Tragically, he was riding his motorcycle in Pennsylvania when he died in a road accident on August 23, 2022. He was 75 years old.
Benny died on September 19, 2004 when he was 85 years old. Less than a year later, Ann followed him on June 28, 2005 at the age of 82. They are interred together in a mausoleum in Saint Joseph's cemetery in Keyport.
After returning to Italy with her family in 1920 when she was about 23 years old, Concetta Cannizzaro married Vito Lobianco. They had three children: Giuseppa Lobianco, Agata Lobianco and Salvatrice Lobianco. During World War Two, Vito served as a high-ranking officer in the Fascist Army. This is all I know about them.
Giuseppe Cannizzaro was about 20 years old and working as a carpenter when the family returned to Italy. Eventually, he married Concetta Frazzetto. Concetta was born in Italy in 1909. They had two children: Gina Cannizzaro and Sebastiano Cannizzaro. Gina married Franco Baressi. They had two children: Ella Baressi and Rita Baressi. Sebastiano married Graziella Caruso.
My records show that Sebastiano and Francesca had a son named Mariano Cannizzaro. Other than his name, I have no other information about him.
Several years after 16-year-old Giovanni Cannizzaro returned to Italy with his family, he married Cunsolo Felicina. Cunsolo was born in Italy in 1910. They had two daughters: Francesca Cannizzaro and Maria Cannizzaro.
I have very little information on Francesca Cannizzaro. She married Sebastiano Zimbone and they had a daughter, Daniele Zimbone, born in Italy in 1972.
Maria Cannizzaro was born in Italy in 1937. She married Carmello Vitello who was born in Italy in 1934. They had three daughters: Maria Gabriella Vitello; Adriana Vitello; and Marcella Vitello.
Maria Gabriella Vitello, born December 3, 1960, known more familiarly as Gabriella, married Riccardo Pirruccio. Riccardo was born March 31, 1956. They had three children: Attilio Pirruccio, born 1988; Claudia Pirruccio, born 1990; and Alessandro Pirruccio, born 1993.
Adriana Vitello, born June 30, 1962, married Giovanni Milana, who was born July 12, 1961. They had three children: Ubaldo Milana, born 1992; Eleonora Milana, born 1993; and Lorenzo Milana, born 2003.
Marcella Vitello was born in 1964. She married Peppino Valastro. Peppino was born in 1961. They had two children: Federica Valastro, born 1995; and Edoardo Valastro, born 1998.
From this point on, I will use the familiar names of Sam and Nanny. After Salvatore (Sam) Cannizzaro married Francesca (Nanny) Russo on October 25, 1913, they lived with Nanny's family at 418 East 14th Street. Sam was a house painter. He was 5' 6" tall, weighed 130 pounds, with dark brown hair and eyes, and a light brown complexion. Nanny worked as a "feather maker." On June 14, 1914, their first child, Frances Cannizzaro, was born. A year later another daughter arrived. This was Erminia Cannizzaro, born in 1915. On November 19, 1916, a third daughter, Concetta "Kit" Cannizzaro was born.
Although I have no documentation regarding her birth or death, family lore told me that Erminia was born in 1915 and died in 1918. But, there is other evidence that she may have died in 1917. By the summer of 1917, Sam was living and working on a farm in Centerville, New Jersey, owned by Nanny's brother-in-law, Filippo Criscillo. At some point, Sam moved his wife and two remaining children to Keyport, New Jersey, not far from Centerville. By January of 1920, they were living at 22 Broad Street in Keyport, barely one block from the harbor. On March 20, 1920, another daughter, Erminia "Minnie" Cannizzaro, named after the first Erminia, was born here. My mother Ann Cannizzaro was born here, also, on October 2, 1921.
By 1930, the family had moved 1/2 mile from the harbor to 196 Main street in Keyport. Shortly after that, they moved to the more permanent location of 299 Main street. Sam and Nanny had one more child, Lillian "Bunny" Cannizzaro, born March 26, 1931. Sam continued his career as a house painter.
In April of 1949, Sam accidently hit a little girl with his truck. The girl survived. Here is the article from the Asbury Park Press.
One October day in 1953, I was walking on Tennent Road near my home, returning with some groceries my mother had sent me for, when I saw her driving towards me from home. She yelled for me to get in the car. "Pop-Pop" had a heart attack. That's all I remember. I was seven years old at the time. My grandfather died that same day, October 10, 1953. He was 62 years old. I vaguely remember the wake taking place at the home at 299 Main Street, with Sam's casket in the front room. I was left at the house with a few others when he was taken to Saint Joseph's Cemetery for burial.
As the years went by, Nanny continued living in the family home at 299 Main Street. Eventually, she sold the property and moved in with her daughter Minnie. In 1968, she developed colon cancer and was operated on at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey. After the surgery, she developed pneumonia and died at the hospital on March 31, 1968. She was 72 years old. She was buried with Sam at Saint Joseph's cemetery.
Several years later, cousin Sam Wyckoff wrote a beautiful memorium to Nanny.
Frances dropped out of Keyport High School after her second year. She had various jobs as a bookkeeper and cashier while attending night school in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. From 1938 to 1943, she worked as a bookkeeping machine operator for Michael Brothers in Brooklyn. Eventually, she graduated from Drake Business College.
On March 31, 1943, 28-year-old Frances enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in New York, "to do what I can to help win the war." It was the height of the Second World War. She received her initial training at the WAAC training center at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia. In July of 1943, Auxiliary First Class Cannizzaro graduated from the Army Administration School, WAAC Branch, Number 5, located at the East Texas State Teacher's College, in Commerce, Texas. She was then sent to the Lubbock Texas twin-engine army air field, working as an administrative clerk in the officer's personnel section.
After serving two years and eight months, Staff Sergeant Cannizzaro was honorably discharged three months after the end of the war, in November of 1945. She found employment as a bookkeeper with Phelps Dodge in Marlboro, New Jersey.
Frank was born Francesco Frame in Long Branch, New Jersey on February 22, 1913. His parents were Alexander Leslie Frame and Adele Albeck. They lived at 154 Stokes Place in Long Branch when Frank was born. Frank's father Alexander was born in Scotland in 1879. While his mother Adele was born in New Jersey in 1884, her father was born in Denmark and her mother in England. Why was Frank's birth name Francesco? He once told me the story, most of which I have unfortunately forgotten. But the gist of it was that the doctor who delivered him was an Italian named Francesco Filice. There may have been complications with the birth and Frank's father was so grateful, they named him after the doctor. Adele may not have been too thrilled with this because she had his name officially changed to Francis in 1927.
By the 1930's, the Frame family lived at 474 Atlantic Avenue in Long Branch, New Jersey. Alexander worked as a cable splicer for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and was a member of Belleville Lodge number 108, the Free & Accepted Masons. He was of a medium height with a stout build, brown hair and blue eyes. In October of 1936, Alexander developed a serious case of the grip, otherwise known as the flu. He retired from the telephone company, and he and Adele temporarily relocated to Florida for the winter. On January 5, 1937, Alexander died in Florida. His body was returned to New Jersey and he was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He was 58 years old. Adela was 53.
Besides being a life-long member and one-time commodore of the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club, Frank also served our country during World War II, in the Army. In March of 1944, his mother Adele was driving home from a presentation of the play "Junior Miss" at Star Of The Sea school in Long Branch when her car was struck by a train and she was killed. To read the tragic story, click here. She was buried with Alexander at Glenwood Cemetery. She was 60 years old.
After the war, Frank worked as a photo technician and machinist at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He was six feet tall, weighed about 180 pounds, with blue eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion. He became the owner and operator of the "Margaret", a 52-foot retired State of Maine Lobster Patrol Boat converted into a charter fishing boat.
On September 30, 1949, 35-year-old Frances married 36-year-old Frank at the parsonage of Calvary Methodist Church at 41 Osborn Street in Keyport. The church was located across the street from the home of Phillip and Jennie Criscillo, Frances' uncle and aunt, at 42 Osborn Street. The double ring ceremony took place on a Friday evening, at 8 PM. Frances wore a sky blue velvet suit with brown accessories and a corsage of white gardenias. Her only attendant was her sister Lillian "Bunny" Cannizzaro. Frank's brother Bruce Frame was best man. Following an informal reception at Frances' parents home at 299 Main Street, the couple left for a cruise on the "Margaret."
Fran and Frank lived at 611 First Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey for many years. This was their winter residence. During the summer, they lived aboard the "Margaret."
The Asbury Park house was where many of us wound up on New Year's Day for food and drink. I seem to remember, however, that we also did the same at Kit and Blick's house on earlier January Firsts. There we honored the family tradition of consuming lentil soup. I say we, but I hated it. My mother told me it was for "good luck." When I became an adult, I grew to love the soup.
Many of us looked forward to spending Labor Day aboard the "Margaret", moored at the Long Branch Ice Boat and Yacht Club. Frank usually took us on short excursions along the Shrewsbury River, then back to the yacht club for all the lobster you could eat, courtesy of Fran and Frank. Before the tradition of spending the Fourth of July at Kit's house, we spent it aboard the Margaret, as depicted in this photo.
The Margaret was also the source of other adventures. In July of 1959, Aunt Fran and Uncle Frank took me, Jane, Nan, Patty, Aunt Min and Nanny on a week-long voyage up the Hudson River through New York State. All of us aboard the Margaret. No TV, no record player. Just a friendly game of "Sorry", which the exasperated adults eventually confiscated and hid away. On another occasion, Ann, Gene, and Nanny went with Fran and Frank on the Margaret all the way to Fort Ticonderoga. Then there was the 1964 World's Fair when several lucky family members lived aboard the Margaret for two weeks while it was berthed at the Long Island Marina. They trekked over to the Fair each morning, then trudged back to the Margaret for rest and recreation.
Frank retired from Fort Monmouth in 1974 after 23 years. Eventually, he had to retire the Margaret, also. He and Fran later lived in Lincroft, New Jersey, then finally at the Navesink House assisted living facility in Red Bank, New Jersey.
They were living at the Navesink House when Frances died, two weeks after her 90th birthday, on June 26, 2004. Frank, who had become totally blind several years earlier, died on January 14, 2006. He was 92 years old.
Kit, who was originally known as Jennie, graduated from Keyport High School, class of 1933, and attended Monmouth Junior College (later becoming Monmouth College, then Monmouth University) in Long Branch, New Jersey. She was employed as a secretary for the Keyport Weekly newspaper. She organized and served as the first president of the Keyport Junior Women's Club. After two years at Monmouth Junior College, Jennie decided she would rather enter business and secured a position in the business department of the Brown Publishing and Printing Company in Keyport. On August 31, 1936, when she was 22 years old, she married Matthew "Matty" Feldman, a classmate of hers at both the high school and college. Matty was born in New York City on May 20, 1914. At the time of the marriage, he was employed as a garment worker. His parents were Meyer Feldman and Augusta "Gussie" Schrager. Gussie died when Matty was 11 years old. Meyer remarried, to Rose Solinger. The family lived at 106 Atlantic Street in Keyport.
Prior to the marriage, Jennie resigned as president of the Junior Women's Club. The marriage took place at the office of the Town Recorder, Thomas Smith, on Front Street, Keyport, on a Monday evening at 8 PM. Jennie was attended by her sister, Frances Cannizzaro and the best man was Dr. Sydney Goldstein, our family dentist. The bride wore a white sharkskin suit with brown accessories. The parents of the bride and groom attended the ceremony along with about 20 other relatives and friends. After the ceremony, a reception was held at the home of Jennie's parents at 299 Main Street. The couple waited until Labor Day, September 8, before departing for a honeymoon through upstate New York and the Great Lakes region.
When the newlyweds returned to Keyport, they rented an apartment at 85 First Street, right on the waterfront. Matty was employed as a collector of coin machines and Jennie returned to the Keyport Weekly newspaper as a reporter. Two weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Matty enlisted in the Army Air Corps, on December 19, 1941. At the time, he was 5' 4" tall and weighed 200 pounds. The marriage did not last, however, and the couple eventually divorced.
Matty served in the Army Air corps for four years. He was honorably discharged with the rank of staff sergeant. On July 22, 1950, he married Virginia Brophy and settled in nearby Matawan. He was employed with Tucker Linoleum Company in Newark. In 1952, he and a partner opened Seacoast Floor Covering on Highway 35 and Clark Street in Keyport. He was a member of the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club and the Caesarea Lodge 64 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Keyport. He and Virginia had two children: Matthew W. Feldman and Deborah Lynn Feldman. Matty was only 45 years old when he died suddenly at his home of a heart attack on October 4, 1959. He was buried at Shoreland Memorial Gardens in Raritan Township, New Jersey.
Jennie went back to college and graduated from Monmouth Junior College. By this time, she was going by the name of Kit rather than Jennie. After the divorce, she continued living at 85 First Street. She found a new job as a classification analyst at Camp Kilmer, near New Brunswick, New Jersey. The facility was established in World War II as a processing point for soldiers being sent overseas to Europe. On July 15, 1945, she married one of the returning soldiers, Warren Harding "Blick" Wyckoff. Blick was 5' 5" tall, weighed 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and a light complexion.
The wedding took place at the parsonage of the Methodist Church in Keansburg, New Jersey. Kit's sister Minnie Cannizzaro and PFC Louis Morano were the attendants. The bride wore a pink informal sheer dress with white accessories and carried a nosegay of white orchids. The groom recently returned from 15 months overseas and was on leave from his station at Camp Gruber in Oklahoma.
Blick was born at his family home, 153 First Street in Keyport, on November 15, 1922. His parents were Edward Harrison Wyckoff and Frances D. Miller. He was the youngest of seven brothers. All seven brothers, by the way, served in the armed forces during World War II. Blick's father Edward, was born October 19, 1893 in Millstone, New Jersey, the son of Charles Wyckoff and Henrietta Gray. Edward was a machinist. He was 5' 8" tall, weighed 140 pounds, with black hair, hazel eyes and a light complexion. Edward and Frances were married in Somerville, New Jersey on August 1, 1914. Frances was born in Somerville on September 20, 1894, the daughter of John Miller and Nettie Storr.
After living in Keyport, the Wyckoffs moved to Raritan Township, New Jersey. Around 1940, Edward and Frances divorced. Frances moved to Bordentown, New Jersey and married Alfred Taylor in 1946. Edward eventually moved to Paterson, New Jersey. Ironically, Edward and Frances died within 10 days of one another in March of 1967: Frances on March 7 and Edward on March 17. He is buried at New Cemetery in Somerville. Frances was buried next to Alfred at Greenwood Cemetery in Trenton.
Blick enlisted in the Army on April 24, 1943. He and his six brothers all served in the armed forces during the second world war. After his honorable discharge on November 12, 1945, he and Kit eventually moved into a new home next to Kit's parents, at 295 Main Street. They had three children: Jane Wyckoff, Nan Wyckoff and Sam Wyckoff. Blick was a star bowler and softball player with several Bayshore leagues, competing in many tournaments.
Each Fourth of July, the Cannizzaro's gathered at Kit's house to celebrate. This was also the day the family celebrated Nanny's birthday. It also gave her husband Sam an excuse to enjoy two of his favorite things: practical jokes and firecrackers. According to Kit, "Papa" decided to help Bob Johnston loosen up. Bob was sitting with his arms crossed, wearing his usual somber expression, when the firecracker exploded. We can imagine the result was not pleasing to Bob. On another occasion, Blick's favorite cherry bombs, which Nanny called "Bums", prompted the annoyed neighbors to call the police. And, supposedly, there was a time when Blick held the wrong end of a lit Roman Candle.
At some point, Blick and Kit separated. In 1972, he moved to Margate, Florida, located just north of Fort Lauderdale. He finally divorced Kit before marrying Mildred Esther Ross in Florida on September 9, 1973. He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the Loyal Order of Moose. Four years after moving to Florida, he died at the Veterans Administration hospital in Miami, two days before Thanksgiving, on November 23, 1976. He was only 54 years old. He is buried at the Star of David Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale, Florida.
Kit continued her employment as a supervisor job analyst at Fort Monmouth. She was a member of the Calvary United Methodist Church in Keyport, where she was a lay reader, and a member of the board of directors of the United Methodist Women's Organization. She was a volunteer friend of the Keyport Library, a member of the Keyport Historical Society, and a volunteer at the Calvary Ministerium Food Pantry.
After 42 years at Fort Monmouth, she retired in 1981. On April 6, 1997, at the age of 80, she passed away at her home.
The second Erminia was known as Minnie. Her sisters always kidded her about being different than they were. They gleefully perpetuated the family myth that Minnie had been kidnapped by the Gypsies when she was a toddler and another little girl was returned to the family afterwards. The basis for this story may have been connected with the true story of a band of Gypsies setting up camp in Keyport in the 1920's, not far from where the family was living at the time. Read all about it here.
Minnie was 19 years old when she announced to the family at Christmas dinner in 1939 that she would marry Robert "Bob" Johnston. Bob was born in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey on December 5, 1917. His parents were John M. "Happy" Johnston and Georgia Mount. John was born May 17, 1894 in Atlantic Highlands, the son of Robert Johnston and Annie Lynch. Georgia was born in Atlantic Highlands on July 3, 1899, the daughter of Charles R. Mount and Wilhelmina Doninal.
One month after his 13th birthday, Bob's father died in an automobile accident. He and another man were returning from a night of New Year's celebration when John lost control of the car and crashed into a tree. The other man was not seriously hurt but John suffered from a fractured skull. He lasted five days before succumbing to his injuries on January 5, 1931.
Two years later, Bob's mother remarried, to Norman J. Currie, in Keyport, on April 8, 1933. Georgia was described at this time as a beautiful brunette. Norman was a lawyer and member of the Keyport Borough Council. They lived at 2 Hurley Street in Keyport. The marriage was anything but happy for either Georgia or Bob, and it ended in divorce in 1937. To read the sensational tabloid story, click here.
After the divorce, Georgia and Bob moved to 181 Beers Street in Keyport, a short distance from the Hurley Street home. Georgia had a job as a clerk at a chemical plant. Bob graduated Keyport High School and went to work at the DuPont Chemical Plant in Parlin, New Jersey.
Minnie and Bob were married at Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic church on June 1, 1940. Minnie wore a white heavy crepe afternoon frock with a shoulder length veil crowned with a tiara of lillies-of-the-valley. Her sister Ann was maid of honor. The best man was Eugene Lanzaro, who would become Ann's husband in 1942. After the ceremony, the wedding party had breakfast at the Virginia Tea Room in Asbury Park, New Jersey. A reception for relatives and friends was held at the home of Minnie's parents.
Minnie and Bob had two children: Barbara Johnston and Patty Johnston They lived at 64 St. George Place in Keyport. Bob served in the Marines during World War II. He was also a member of the Keyport Fire Company and First Aid Squad. He stood 5' 8" tall, weighing 145 pounds, with black hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion.
The marriage did not last, however, and Bob and Minnie divorced in 1949.
Bob's mother Georgia married for a third time in 1944 to Arthur Whitehead. They lived at 159 Luppatatong Avenue in Keyport. Georgia died in July of 1956 at the age of 57. Arthur died in 1982. They are buried together at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet.
Minnie worked for Westreich's Department Store as a sales manager.
Bob moved to South Amboy, New Jersey, where he married Mary Lucille Foley. Mary's parents were Leo Robert Foley and Florence M. Haynes. She was born in South Amboy on March 24, 1921. She and Bob had two children: Robin J. Johnston and Laurie J. Johnston. In 1986, Bob and Mary moved to Parlin. Mary was a house mother at the Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Bob retired from DuPont in 1982 after 45 years. He and Mary were living in Parlin when he died on Christmas Eve in 1996. He was 79 years old. Mary was 79 when she died two years later on October 20, 1998. They are buried together at the Franklin Memorial Chapel Mausoleum in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
Each Memorial Day the Cannizzaro clan would gather at Minnie's house for a holiday picnic in the large back yard, weather permitting.
Minnie retired from Westreich's after 42 years. She was living in Holmdel, New Jersey when she died a few days before Thanksgiving on November 24, 2003. She was 83 years old.
Minnie and Bob's daughters: Barbara Ann Johnston was born September 27, 1941. She married Leo Robert "Bob" Foley, Sr. on October 31, 1959. Bob was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of American Legion Post 338, Leonardo. He was born in South Amboy on March 8, 1938. His parents were Leo R. Foley and Elizabeth Faust. Barbara and Bob had two sons before the marriage ended in divorce. In December of 1971, Bob married Geraldine Bieber. In 1973, Bob began work as an operations manager for Frontier Security Services. He retired from there 15 years later in 1988. He then began to suffer a long illness before dying on September 9, 1991. He was 53 years old. He was interred in a mausoleum at Forest Green Park Cemetery in Morganville, New Jersey. Barbara was 81 years old when she died in January of 2023.
Minnie and Bob's other daughter, Patricia "Patty" Frances Johnston was born October 11, 1943. She married Samuel "Sam" A. Magarino Jr. on April 22, 1967. They have a son and a daughter.
On January 28, 1940, Leo Brown of Morganville married Amelia Patterson of Keyport. Although these people are not on our family tree, there were two others in attendance at the wedding who had a significant impact on me (and my sister). One of Amelia's bridesmaids was 18-year-old Ann Cannizzaro, and one of the ushers, a close friend of the groom, was 26-year-old Eugene Lanzaro, my father.
A few years later, on November 28, 1942, Eugene Lanzaro married Ann Cannizzaro. The wedding took place at St. Joseph's Church in Keyport. Gene's brother, Larry Lanzaro, sang several songs before the ceremony. The maid of honor was Ann's sister, Frances Cannizzaro. The bridesmaids were two more of Ann's sisters, Minnie Johnston and Kit Feldman, plus Gloria Preston and Elinor Pasino. Another sister, 11-year-old Bunny Cannizzaro, was junior bridesmaid. Gene's brother, Joe Lanzaro, was best man. Ushers were Minnie's husband, Bob Johnston, Gloria's husband, Ed Preston, plus Robert LaMura and John Babrisky. Following a reception at Balbach's Auditorium in Keansburg, the newlyweds left for a honeymoon in New York. Upon their return, they took up residence at Gene's home, the family farmhouse in Morganville. Living with them would be Gene's father, Ciro Lanzaro.
When Ciro died on December 19, 1944, Gene inherited the farm. I was born there one month later on January 27, 1945, and my sister Jeanne on November 17, 1948. Ciro was buried with his wife and three sons at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Keyport. Several months later, Ciro's mother Petronilla, who had died in 1932, was removed from her grave in another part of the cemetery and reburied in the plot holding Ciro and Louise. Ciro's funeral and burial cost $751. My father, in the course of executing Ciro's will, hired two local men, Frank Eckel and John Babriski, to appraise four vehicles that Ciro left. They determined that his 1928 Graham flat-bed truck was worth $15, his 1931 GMC truck $50, his 1937 Dodge 4-door touring car $300, and his 1939 Allis Chalmers Model B tractor $200.
In 1950, tired of farming with little profit, Gene went into business with his brother Joe. They built a general appliance and furniture store called The Bargain House on a portion of the farm next to our house.
On the Fourth of July, 1961, eleven years after opening the store, they had their first robbery and $2000 worth of televisions, radios, record players, and electronic equipment was stolen from the store. Since the entire township was covered by only one policeman, "Charlie the Cop," the State Police from the Keyport barracks investigated the robbery. There had been other robberies in the area, starting about 1958. People began locking their doors when they were away, something they never had to do before. This was the time that the world changed, forever. The township began the development of a real police department around 1962.
The farm house was the gathering spot for the Cannizzaro clan on Easter. Each year, as the family grew, more and more Aunts, Uncles and cousins met for a sit-down dinner. Originally, the holiday drinks were Whiskey Sours. Uncle Frank, however, drank Rusty Nails. So, we always had a bottle of Drambuie on hand to accommodate him. Ann and her sisters gathered in the kitchen prior to the meal to help prepare the food (and drink Sours). By 1983, cousin Sam Cannizzaro introduced us all to the Chichi, and that replaced the Sours, at least to the younger generation.
Mom and Dad, originally Brooklyn Dodger fans, were devoted to their new team, the New York Mets. They also loved stock car racing (as spectators), often cheering their nephew, Joe Lanzaro Jr., who raced at Old Bridge Raceway Park and Wall Stadium. True to his farming roots, Dad grew and tended a huge garden each year. Friends and relatives knew they could stop in to visit the farmhouse any time. You didn't have to call ahead or knock on the door. You just went in and called "Ann?", and Mom would welcome anyone and everyone with food and coffee and someone to listen to their stories.
Mom was a great cook and we usually had lots of relatives to share holiday dinners at the farmhouse. When the headcount of Cannizzaro's at one Thanksgiving in the 1980's reached 36, everyone decided the custom had outgrown the abilities of those who had to work to make it happen, and subsequent affairs were greatly reduced.
After Joe died in 1985, Dad continued to operate the store alone until his death at 87 on July 2, 2000. Ann, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, died December 20, 2009. They are interred together in a mausoleum in St. Gabriel's Cemetery in Marlboro, NJ.
When Bunny was 11 years old, she performed as the junior bridesmaid at her sister Ann's wedding. At the time, she was also President of her Keyport Girl Scout troop. While attending Keyport High School, she was a cheerleader and secretary of her junior class. And she served as a councilwoman and borough clerk for the Keyport Youth Government. After graduating high school, she was accepted for admission at Rider Business College in Trenton, New Jersey. Once she earned her business degree at Rider, she found employment as a secretary at the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
On December 21, 1951, Bunny married Gary Vanderwiel at Saint Joseph's Catholic church in Keyport. Her sister Ann, who had been married at the same church ten years before, was matron of honor. Ann Lufburrow was maid of honor. Bunny wore a French Renaissance lace ballerina length gown with a redingote front, Queen Elizabeth collar and Juliet lace cap trimmed with lillies-of-the-valley. The best man was Donald McKnight of Paterson, New Jersey.
Gary was born Garret Vanderwiel in Paterson, New Jersey on May 23, 1927. His parents were John David Vanderwiel and Jennie Frost. Gary had an older brother, John D. Vanderwiel, Jr. They lived at 181 Alabama Avenue in Paterson, a house that no longer exists, today. John Sr. was a well-known carpenter contractor and a drummer for the Ex-Fifth Regiment Field Music Corps. He belonged to several lodges, including the Shriners, Masons, and Elks, and a member of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement for Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. While John was born in Paterson on March 27, 1892, his father Gerrit Vanderwiel was born May 4, 1857 in Sliedrecht, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.
Gary's mother Jennie was born in Paterson, New Jersey on February 4, 1897. Her parents were Andrew Frost and Sarah Johnstone. Jennie operated a news stand at the N. J. Natural Gas Building in Asbury Park, New Jersey. John Sr. was only 55 years old when he died on September 26, 1947 at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Paterson while undergoing an operation. After his death, Jennie and her sons moved to 511 First Avenue in Asbury Park. Ten years after John's death, Jennie died at home of a heart attack on April 2, 1957. She was 60 years old. She and John are buried together at Fair Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
After the wedding Bunny and Gary honeymooned in Bermuda. They were driving home after the trip on New Year's evening when they were involved in an auto accident. Gary was driving on Highway 35 in Middletown, New Jersey and tried to pass another car on the right when his car hit the curb. He then lost control of the vehicle, crossed the highway, hit the other curb, and rolled down a 20-foot embankment before the car landed on its roof. Bunny was seriously injured in the accident. She suffered fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, a fractured jaw, and cuts to her chin, arms and chest. Her jaw had to be wired shut in order to allow it to heal properly. She spent 8 days at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey recovering from her injuries.
In the beginning of the marriage they lived at 503 Eighth Avenue in Asbury Park. Gary had served overseas in the Navy during World War II and was a member of the Disabled War Veterans. He initially worked at the Quartermaster Division of Camp Kilmer, near New Brunswick, New Jersey. Later, he was employed as an electrical engineer at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Bunny and Gary had one child, Garret Peter Vanderwiel, born October 22, 1952. He was known to all of us as Peter. They moved several times before ending up at a home on Old Amboy Road in Robertsville, New Jersey. Gary was a charter member of the Holiday Beagle Club and raised several beagles.
Around 1970, Bunny and Gary separated. He moved to Cliffwood, New Jersey and Bunny stayed at the home in Robertsville. In May of 1976 they officially divorced. In October of 1984, Gary became ill and retired after working 35 years at Fort Monmouth. Three months later, on January 14, 1985 he died at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey. He was 57 years old. Although he was a Navy veteran, he is buried in an unmarked grave at Saint Gabriel's Cemetery in Marlboro, New Jersey.
Bunny kept very busy. Besides being secretary of the Marlboro High School PTA (her son Peter's high school), she was also elected to the Marlboro Township Board of Education in 1964 and served for three years. She was a Marlboro Township tax collector and police radio dispatcher, a Freehold Township Court Clerk, and president of the Monmouth County Court Clerks Association.
Peter was a member of the Manalapan, New Jersey Police Department. He married Joanne Sharkey in 1976. They had two sons, Clinton Vanderwiel and Zachary Vanderwiel. Peter was eventually promoted to Lieutenant with the police department. He retired in 1996. He and Joanne separated and he moved to Proctorville, Ohio.
Around 2002, Bunny moved to Proctorville to live with Peter. She died there on March 23, 2004 at the age of 72. On October 14, 2015, just one week before his 63rd birthday, Peter died at Saint Mary's Medical Center in Huntington, Ohio.
Way back at the beginning of this narrative, we learned that our earliest ancestors, Michelangelo Cannizzaro and Lucia DiBenedetto had five children. The fifth and last of these was Giuseppe Cannizzaro. Giuseppe was born in Militello around 1860. Most of what I have been able to gather about Giuseppe and his descendants is based on information I received from his grandson, Joseph Cannizzaro. I met Joe and his wife Lena in 1997 at cousin Sam Cannizzaro's house in Keyport. Afterwards, Joe and I corresponded for several years. I have notes from those correspondences, but find them to contradict some of the documents that I have come across recently. Joe and Lena are no longer with us, so I'm unsure how to reconcile these differences. So, what I will now present will be open for discussion by anyone who can provide a different story.
Giuseppe married Maria Stella Parisi in Militello. Maria was born in Militello on March 16, 1867, the daughter of Giuseppe Parisi and Salvatrise Pisano. Giuseppe was 5' 4" tall with a dark complexion and brown hair and eyes. Maria was 5' 3" tall with a rosey complexion with brown hair and eyes.
Giuseppe and Maria had two children: Sebastiano Cannizzaro, born in Militello on January 20, 1886 and Mario Cannizzaro, born in Militello on June 22, 1896. When he was 21 years old, Sebastiano left Italy and traveled to New York City. He sailed from Naples aboard the vessel Germania on October 5, 1907 and arrived 16 days later at Ellis Island. Five years later, his parents and brother Mario followed him. They set sail from Palermo on October 27, 1912 on the vessel Canada, and arrived in New York 13 days later on November 9, 1912. The family joined Sebastiano at 122 Cherry Street in Manhattan. The men worked initially as cigar makers.
On January 14, 1917, Sebastiano married Angelina Migliorisi at St. Joachim's Catholic Church, located at 26 Roosevelt Street in Manhattan. Angelina was born on April 12, 1902, ironically, in Grammichele, Italy, where the Russo family was from. The Migliorisi family lived nearby on Cherry Street. Angelina's parents were Vincenzo Migliorisi and Rosa Tentimiglia. The Migliorisi's came to America aboard the SS Neckar on March 14, 1907, just before Angelina's 5th birthday.
If you are paying attention, you will note that the marriage took place one week before Sebastiano's 31st birthday, and Angelina was 14 years old. Their first child was born on October 9, 1917. This was Joseph "Joe" Cannizzaro. His sister Maria Stella Cannizzaro was born June 16, 1919, and brother Vincent "Jim" Cannizzaro on November 2, 1920.
On March 1, 1923, Giuseppe contracted pneumonia and died at the home of his brother Sebastiano at the age of 62. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in New York. Years later, Maria was living at 105 Monroe Street in Manhattan when she accidently fell and broke her left leg at the upper thigh. She had recently had a history of falling. She also had been suffering from arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. She died shortly following the accident. She was 69 years old. She was buried with Giuseppe at Calvary Cemetery.
By 1930, Sebastiano and Angelina and their children were living at 1695 77th Street in Brooklyn. Sebastiano was now working as a house painter, but was sometimes unemployed. He was 5' 10" tall, weighed 170 pounds, with black hair, dark brown eyes and a dark complexion. By 1940, the family had moved to 2259 West Street in Brooklyn.
Joe was born in New York on October 9, 1917. He worked as a house painter. On December 18, 1939, Joe married Paulina "Lena" Amodio. Lena was born in Italy on October 27, 1916, the daughter of Joseph L. Amodio and Anna Interladi. On February 25, 1944, Joe enlisted in the Army and served his country during World War II. He was 5' 10" tall, weighed 160 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. Joe and Lena had two children: Richard Cannizzaro, born 1942, and Linda Cannizzaro, born 1945.
Both Joe and Lena lived to their 97th year. Lena died on November 30, 2013 and Joe on September 5, 2015.
Joe's sister Mary was born in New York on June 16, 1919. In 1942, she married Joseph Barone. I know nothing more about them except that Joseph, who was born in 1914, died January 22, 1967 when he was only 42 years old, and Mary died October 9, 1994 at the age of 76. They are buried at Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island.
Joe's brother Vincent was born in New York on November 2, 1920. The family called him Jim, after his middle. He served with the Army during World War II. He was 5' 11" tall and weighed around 175 pounds. He had black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. Like other Cannizzaro men, he was a house painter.
Jim married Angelina Josephine Ballero in 1947. Angelina was born in New York on Christmas Day 1924. Her parents were Ettore Ballero and Anna Portgeshese. Jim and Angelina had two children: Vincent J. Cannizzaro, Jr. and Patricia Cannizzaro. They lived most of their lives on Staten Island before moving to Florida in 1970. Jim died in Miami, Florida on May 24, 1976, age 55 years. Angelina was 77 when she died in Florida on March 8, 2002.
Giuseppe and Maria Stella's other son Mario Cannizzaro was born in Militello on June 22, 1896. He arrived in America with his parents on November 9, 1912, to join his brother Sebastiano who had arrived in 1907. Giuseppe, Sebastiano and Mario worked as cigar makers.
Mario married Antoinetta Acquista on August 15, 1931 when he was 35 and she was 23. Antoinetta was born in New York City in 1908, the daughter of Rosario Acquista and Maria Cavaleri. Antoinetta was eight months pregnant when she contracted Eclampsia, a complication associated with the pregnancy. She died 10 months after the marriage, on June 8, 1932. She was only 24 years old. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. The unborn child did not survive.
Two years later, Mario married Concetta Sergi on July 8, 1934. Sergi was her married name from a previous marriage, to Antonio Sergi. Concetta and Antonio had a daughter, Catherine Sergi, born around 1924. Then Antonio died on May 27, 1929. Concetta's maiden name was Concetta Cafiso. She was born in Italy on April 29, 1901. Her parents were Vincenzo Cafiso and Concetta Oechipenti. Mario and Concetta had a daughter of their own: Mary Cannizzaro, born around 1935.
Mario was 5' 10" tall and weighed about 150 pounds. He had brown eyes and brown hair with a light complexion. He also suffered from heart disease, which left him unemployed for much of his adult life. On the 1940 Federal Census, he claimed to have been unemployed for several years and had another source of income, but what that was is unknown. He lived to be 56 years old, dying on February 13, 1953. At the time, he and Concetta and Mary were living at 482 Van Sicklin Street in Brooklyn. He was buried at Saint John's Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens, New York,
Catherine married Joseph Aloisio in 1951. Mary married Phillip Di Novo in 1960.
Concetta died in November of 1979 at the age of 78.
