The Other Palazzo San Gervasio Families

A while back I wrote about the Belsanti family. Maria Rosaria Belsanti married Gervasio DiPaolo. I don’t really know much about his side of the family other than what I learned from my cousin’s wife’s relative who did a bunch of research into the family. You can see the different lines Gervasio DiPaolo is descended from here https://myfamgen.com/dipaolobarbuzzivolpe-families/. The family names in addition to DiPaolo are Barbuzzi, Calzaretta, Volpe, and DiMira. None of these are names that I have come across in the US.

Names I have found connected to Maria Rosaria and Gervasio’s daughter Teresa DiPaolo Vespignani, her husband Arturo Vespignani, and their children once they were in the US are Lamastra, Crocone, Lorosso, Fanizzi, Terbuta. I have no idea if any of these people were relatives, or friends from Palazzo San Gervasio, Italy, or people they met once they arrived in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Teresa and Arturo had a son Silvio Vespignani. His godparents were Vincenzo Fanizzi and Angela Terbuta. That is the only time these names show up and I haven’t found any other information about them. Silvio died May 1,1915 at the age of three. He is buried in Holy Name Cemetery in a plot owned by Luiga Lamastra. Also buried in the plot are Lucia Lamastra who died May 31, 1910 at age 18 months, Gennaro Crocone who died Sep 22, 1911 at age 3 months, and Angelo Lamastra who died July 31, 1931 at age 78.

Luigi Lamastra and his wife Maria were the godparents to Teresa and Arturo’s youngest son Pasquale Vespignani. I assume this is the same Luigi Lamastra who owned the cemetery plot. I have found Luigi and Maria in some family trees on Ancestry. At least I think it’s them. According to those trees Maria’s maiden name was Griesi. Teresa and Arturo’s son Michael Vespignani married Madeline DiNardo. Madeline’s mother Isabella’s maiden name was Griesi. So it may very well be possible that Luigi and Maria were not related to Teresa, but were close friends from the old village in Italy and that the families did eventually marry together in a later generation.

Jennaro Lorusso was Pasquale Vespignani’s confirmation sponsor. I am not sure if that is the correct spelling. It’s how the church says it was spelled, but I think it may have been Gennaro. There was a person who was referred to as Gumba Generane(Generain). I have no idea how to spell that, I have just heard how it was pronounced. I think that’s who this person was. Again perhaps not a relative, but a close family friend. See definition of Gumba here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goombah. He wasn’t his godfather, but I guess a confirmation sponsor could also be thought of in the same way as a godfather.

In addition to Jersey City, there were people from Palazzo San Gervasio who settled in Newark, New Jersey and Newburgh, Beacon, and Cold Spring, New York. There is a DNA match with the DiTullo family in Beacon, NY. He is descended from Giuseppe DiTullo and Maria Guiseppa Festino. There was a Domenico Festino present at Teresa DiPaolo’s birth according to her birth certificate. I still haven’t been able to figure out the connection between the DiPaolo/Belsanti and Festino families, but there must be a connection if the DNA says so.

So at this point, until I find any new information, this will be my last post about my Italian side of the family. I have one more to write about the Irish side with some new info about  newly confirmed DNA matches that I have gotten some info from. After that it’s all going to be about my husband’s family, since I have so much more info about his side since they’ve been here in the US for so long.

But please keep reading my blog posts anyway. I think my husband’s relatives are interesting and so does my hairdresser.