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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => US Lookup Requests => Topic started by: briankaess on Thursday 18 January 24 19:19 GMT (UK)
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Hello,
Looking for Hometown in Italy for Vito Despigno (1874-1960) who may have immigrated to the USA in 1892. Any ship manifest info would be great too. Thanks for any help.
Brian
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Possible 1950 USA Census (First name spelt with a E not I. Surname spelt with an I and the end not O)
Name: Veto Despigni
Sex: Male
Age: 74 years
Birth Year (Estimated): 1876
Birthplace: Italy
Marital Status: Widowed
Occupation: Cook
Industry: Cafe
Race: W
Citizenship Status: yes
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Event Date: 14 April 1950
Event Place: Muscle Shoals, Colbert, Alabama, United States
Event Place (Original): Muscle Shoals, Colbert, Alabama
Enumeration District: 17-53
Line Number: 1
Page Number: 15
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Tony Despigni Son M 17 years Alabama
Frances Despigni Daughter F 24 years Alabama
Veto Despigni, Jr Son M 21 years Alabama
James Clemmons M 4 years Kentucky
Patricia Clemmons F 3 years Alabama
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It looks like you attached the passport application to his tree that gives where/when he was born and when he arrived - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99XM-S2N5?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQV5B-W4GX&action=view
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Seems to be the same man as the passport application:
At Ancestry there is a WWI draft card (dated 1918) for a Vito Dispigno, birh date October 18th 1874, a naturalized US citizen living in Alcoa, Tennessee. He is a shoemaker.
He names his next of kin as Vaneruda Iacona [this is the transcription, I don't think that I can do better] whose address – also very difficult to read – looks something like Ni..ole Isola Dichia Villaggio Sudivo.
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Since Naples is mentioned on the passport application both as his place of birth and the residence of his aged mother, that seems like a good bet.
Looking at map distributions of Italian surnames it appears that Dispigno is quite a rare name. Searching modern phone books at Ancestry reveals just two places:
Terracina [Latina]
Casoria [Naples]
Added: I used Dispigno, not Despigno, because that is clearly how the name is spelled on the documents.
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The Civil Births of Casoria are browsable at Film # 007413155, Italy, Napoli, Casoria, (Comune), 1809-1929, at Familysearch. Also browse by 'Nati' 1870-1875 section. I could use help locating October 18 or 'Diciotto ottobre', in other words, the record for Vito. I believe October 16, 1874 may begin at image 670. Anyone skilled at perusing Italian records is welcome to jump in.
Thank you again,
Brian
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18 Oct 1874
SSNI: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K79-49RK
Passport: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5B-W4GX
WWI Draft: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ6W-3WY
Civil Registration (Comune): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBJ4-BKP
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So, according to the birth registration, he was born at Serrara Fontana which is on Isola d’Ischia,which must be what I transcribed from the draft papers as ‘Isola Dichia’.
Added: there is a nearby village, Succhivo, which is presumably my transcription ‘Villagio Sudivo’ (perhaps Suchivo?).
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Just in case you haven't found him in 1920 census he is in Blount County Tennessee.
Stawberry Street
Surname put first then, Christian name.
Daspingo, Vito 45 shoe repairman emigrated 1890 citizen Nov 1897 born Italy parents both born Italy
Daspingo May 28 born New York, father German, mother German
Daspingo Ellen 13 born Mississippi
Daspingo Johnie 11 born Mississippi
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Newspapers- Oil City PA. dated 3 June 1948
Mr. Vito Despigno of Alabama is visiting his daughter Mrs. James Bunch and family.
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Here is an interesting article about him. A lot of the information matches more or less what was on his passport application, dates, age, locations. If all is true, it appears he was a stow-away on the ship that had brought him to America.
The Birmingham News
Birmingham, Alabama
Monday, October 26, 1959
Page 15
Clipping: https://www.rootschat.com/links/01sxx/