Luigi and Francesca Nannariello

This section is about the pivotal starting point of this Ancestry of the Nannariello family in Calitri, specifically Luigi and Francesca Martiniello Nannariello. They are the starting point for the Ancestry, not because they were the first; but because they were the transition Nannariello family for some of the immigration of Nannariello’s from Calitri, Italy to the United States, specifically six of their children.

Francesca Martiniello Nannariello has been identified as Maria Francesca Martiniello Nannariello in parts of this Ancestry. It was common to use the name “Maria” for traditional religious reasons and in honor of the Virgin Mary. Many young girls were assigned this “Maria” followed by another first name. It was not intended to be called by “Maria, but her official name, or in this case Francesca. Therefore, the reference will be to Francesca Nannariello in this Ancestry.

This Ancestry identifies eight generations for  over two hundred and fifty years  of Nannariello’s before the generation of Luigi and Francesca, who were the ninth generation.  This Ancestry story commences with Luigi and Francesca.  Writing an Ancestry requires as much effort to determine what is included and the amount of details; as the effort to decide what to leave out and not provide details.

The Donato and Vincenza Nannariello family are included in this section, because of their   significant impact on the immigration for the six Nannariello children of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello.  Donato Nannariello was Luigi’s brother. Donato and his wife immigrated to Westchester Country, were successful in business, moved to White Plains, and operated a combination hotel and home that included their eleven children.

Also, included in this section is a history of the Nannariello name written by Alfonso Nannariello.  He was born and raised and recently died in Calitri, during the writing of this Ancestry. This is the first authorized release of Alfonso’s Ancestry analysis of the Nannariello name. It may be possibly be the first and only extensive research of a specific Calitrani surname.

There is an extensive review of fourteen generations of Nannariello, starting in the early 1600’s and ending at the current time.

About Luigi & Francesca

Luigi Nannariello was born January 25, 1863 and died October 6, 1931. His father was Lorenzo Nannariello and his mother was Mariantonia Cerreta Nannariello. Both the Nannariello and Cerreta names have a long history of four centuries and more in Calitri. Luigi was born and lived his entire life and died in Calitri. He was a shoemaker or calzalaio. It is not known if he practiced the shoemaking craft in his home or at a work location; and whether he was self-employed or employed. It was not uncommon to work out of one’s home at that time. He began his shoemaker craft long before there were store-bought shoes available in Calitri.

Maria Francesca Martiniello was born in1863 in Calitri and died in November 17, 1935 in Calitri.  The first name of Maria was traditionally given to many girls, and sometimes men, for the religious tradition of respect for the Virgin Mary.  However, Maria was not used as the “called” name, but in this case Francesca was her first name. Her father was Canio Martiniello and her mother was Rosa Bozza Martiniello. Luigi and Francesca Martiniello married in Calitri in February 14, 1888 when they were both in their twenty-fifth year. It is not known in which church they married, but likely it was likely La Chiesa D’Annunciata. The church was located a short distance from the home they would occupy for many years. The church was partially destroyed in a later earthquake and finally destroyed in an earthquake in 1910. Francesca’s mother and father both died on June 6, 1910, the day of the 1910 earthquake that destroyed their home and killed them both when parts of their house collapsed.

Luigi and Francesca had ten children over a period of about sixteen years. Four children died at early ages and the cause for each death has not been identified.  Their first child, and first daughter, died in early childhood in 1888 and was named Mariantonia.  They used the name again for their next daughter who was born in 1896 and lived a long life. They had two sons who died in early childhood, one in 1890 and the other in 1894, that were both named Lorenzo. Finally, their third surviving son was born and was named Lorenzo. Canio and Vincenza were twins born in 1901 and Vincenza died in the second year of her life in 1902. Following are their ten children in chronological birth sequence.

• Mariantonia Nannariello 1888-1888
• Lorenzo Nannariello 1890-1890      
• Grazia (Grace) Nannariello Trotta 10/1/1891- 11/26/1960           
• Lorenzo Nannariello 1894-1894 
• Mariantonia Antoinette Nannariello Panico Pecor 4/8/1894 – 8/29/1989
• Lorenzo (Lawrence) Nannariello 1/6/1898 to 3/21/69
• Rosa (Rose) Nannariello DeCosmo 4/23/1899 – 1966
• Canio (Charlie) Nannariello 05/31/1901 – 09/11/1988
• Vincenza Nannariello 5/31/1901- 1902
• Leonardo (Leonard) Nannariello 1/6/1904 – 1971

Luigi and Francesca lived at Via Immacolata Concezione 48 and not far from the La Chiesa D’Annunciata, which was significantly damaged and out of use after the earthquake.  It is a pedestrian street that proceeds up the hill from the lower part of town. The house was a two story home tucked side by side with the two adjacent houses. The streets and the neighborhood were typical of many parts of Calitri.

The six surviving Nannariello siblings all immigrated to Westchester County New York and spent most of their lives White Plains or New Rochelle, though some did live and work  in other towns in Westchester.  The roots for living in Westchester County and these two cities were established by their Nannariello uncles, who were brothers of their father Luigi Nannariello. Their uncles immigrated to Westchester in the 1890’s and established a presence that led to the six Nannariello siblings immigrating. They literally had a place to go and some established roots for the Nannariello family after arriving in New York City and Ellis Island.   Without their uncles having a presence in the United States and specifically Westchester County, it is not likely any or all of them would have had the opportunity to immigrate.

Their Uncle Donato Nannariello was a sponsor and provided a home and job opportunities and softened the demands of their not speaking English when each of them arrived.  Each of the six Nannariello’s immigrated one at a time and the success and communication back home to Calitri was the beacon of opportunity that enticed the next one to immigrate. It was a very traditional immigration strategy across many countries and across many times to create a chain of immigration from one family member to another.

All of the Nannariello siblings immigrated from Naples over a period of eighteen years and all arrived in Ellis Island in New York City. Naples was a major departure port and had regularly scheduled voyages to the United States and other countries and many of these were to New York City. However, there were also voyages from Naples to Boston and New Orleans and Canada and other ports.

The summary of the immigration dates and the ages for each of the six Nannariello’s is as follows. They all departed from Naples and all arrived in Ellis Island, New York City.

• Grazia (Grace) arrived on May 6, 1907 on the SS Roma.
• Lorenzo (Larry) arrived in December 6, 1910 on the SS Roma.
• Mariantonia (Antoinette) arrived in November 2, 1913 on the SS Venezia.
• Leonardo (Leonard) arrived in December 22, 1920 on the SS Niagara.
• Canio (Charlie) arrived on May 9, 1921 on the SS Patria.
• Rosa (Rose) arrived on March 2, 1924 with her husband Giuseppe DeCosmo on the SS Columbo.

The Nannariello siblings, all departed from Calitri at young ages and with limited schooling. We can only wonder what they knew of Naples as it bid them a final farewell from Italy.  It is not known if any of the Nannariello’s had been to Naples before their immigration journey. Possibly their embarkation was their first and last visit to Naples.

Naples is the capital of the Region of Compania and defines Campania in terms of cuisine, history, politics, language and many other social and cultural criteria. Naples is the unofficial capital of the Mezzogiorno or land of the midday sun. The imaginary Mezzogiorno line runs below Rome from the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west of Italy to the Adriatic Sea to the east of Italy. Naples has a strategic location along the coast and its great harbor has made this city a dominant participant in the history of Italy. Naples nurtures the coast lines and the islands around it, including Capri, Ischia, Procida, Sorrento, Positano, Costiera Amalfitana, Amalfi, and many other smaller islands.  Naples was founded by the Greeks and further developed by the Etruscans and the Romans. These multi-cultural influences nurtured Naples and overflowed east into the fields and pastures and mountains of Campania including Benevento and Avellino and Calitri.

With one exception, none of the Nannariello siblings, returned to Calitri after their immigration.  Leonard Nannariello came to the United States in 1920, settling in White Plains initially and then moved to New Rochelle where he spent the remainder of his life.  Leonard returned to Calitri 1931 on behalf of his siblings.  The oral history indicates the six Nannariello siblings, now all settled in the United States, planned this trip with the objective to have their mother and father come to the United States to join their now established children.  Luigi and Francesca had not seen any of their children since their departure.  The Nannariello siblings were all married, had jobs and had become American citizens. 

Leonard stayed at his family home with his mother and father. He visited friends and family and locations that he had departed about eleven years before. There are photos of a very sartorial Leonard’s sitting among Calitrani that could not have imagined the life he lived in the United States. The oral history is that Luigi and Maria Francesca chose to remain in Calitri, rather than relocate in the United States.  Luigi died in 1931 and shortly after Leonard had made his visit.  Francesca died in 1935. Again, oral history indicates, that the Nannariello home in Calitri was sold sometime in the 1940’s.  Oral history from Canio Nannariello with his two sons around the 1950’s was that his mother Francesca had some mental or psychological issues and was sent to Naples for treatment. The location and detailed circumstances of her passing are not known. Possibly, she died in Naples.

In later years several of the children of the Nannariello’s returned to Calitri. This includes Joe DeCosmo, son of Rosa Nannariello DeCosmo in 1953; Richard Nannariello II, son of Richard Nannariello and grandson of Canio Nannariello  in 1977; Richard Nannariello, son of Canio Nannariello, in 1978; Robert Nannariello, son of Richard and Grandson of Canio Nannariello in 1981.

Luigi Nannariello Siblings

Luigi Nannariello’s father was Lorenzo Nannariello (1/9/1830-1905). Lorenzo married Mariantonia Cerreta Nannariello (4/27/1833–1888).  Luigi Nannariello was one of eight siblings. Among the siblings there were about forty-one children.  Among the forty-one children there were twenty-three men who significantly added to the spread of the Nannariello name in Calitri and eventually in Westchester County, New York and other places in the United States. In deciding about the scope of the research, it is intentional to remain focused on a limited number of people and their Ancestry. On a website such as Ancestry.com, one could produce a vastly complex “Family Tree” to document Luigi Nannariello’s siblings in more detail than is provided here.  

All of Luigi Nannariello’s siblings were born in Calitri. Their husbands and their wives were all born in Calitri.  Their deaths occurred in Calitri unless specified that they immigrated to the United States.  The rather small population of Calitri over the centuries, its geographical isolation, and the limited immigration until the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, accounts for the fact that marriages over the centuries were to a rather limited number of Calitri families and surnames. There are about three hundred “root names” in Calitri, that can be traced back to around the early 1600’s.  There is an historical document from the 1600’s that identifies those surnames. The research for the Nannariello name and going back before the early 1600 ‘s has not been done for this Ancestry. It is very common to find the Nannariello’s are related in one way or the other with many of the common surnames names in Calitri. In the Ancestry research of names in Calitri and communications with people, we rarely find a surname that is not somehow connected. 

Some of Luigi’s siblings immigrated to Westchester Country, and specifically to White Plains and New Rochelle. The research has not been completed in this Ancestry who was the first Nannariello and who was the first non Nannariello that immigrated from Calitri to  Westchester County.

Luigi and Francesca Nannariello had a number of brothers and sisters that immigrated to the United States. The motivation for new emigrant arriving in the United States from Calitri was to have a sponsor and a place to stay and a job prospect.  We can only imagine how Luigi and Francesca received information from their immigrating siblings and this information was eventually provided to their children. Luigi and Francesca processed this information and eventually permitted and enabled their six siblings to immigrate.

It is notable that of the eight Luigi Nannariello siblings, five of them immigrated to the United States: Giuseppe Nannariello, Rosa Nannariello DeCarlo, Vincenzo Nannariello, Michelle Nannariello and Donato Nannariello.

Following are eight children of Lorenzo Nannariello and Mariantonia Cerreta Nannariello listed chronologically by their birth date.

Giuseppe Nannariello (2/27/1856-7/17/1934) was born February 27, 1856 in Calitri and died July 17, 1934 in The Bronx, New York. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.  He married Lucia (Lucy) Lampariello (6/21/1862-1932) on November 27, 1879 in Calitri. They immigrated to the United States in 1895.  Lucy was born in 1868 in Calitri and died in 1932 in The Bronx.  Giuseppe was a laborer and mason.  They had two children:

• Angelina Nannariello (1887-1972)
• Joseph  Nannariello (1904-1972)

Maria Nannariello Cestone  (2./2/1858-10/17/1896) died in Calitri in 1896 at the age of 38. . Maria married Giuseppe Cestone in Calitri, Italy and they had three children. Only one son, Vincenzo, lived to adulthood. Vincenzo immigrated to the United States at the age of 9 to New Rochelle where his remarried father lived. Giuseppe remarried Anna Sperduto in 1901 after Maria’s death and immigrated to New Rochelle, New York. They had another five or six children born in New Rochelle.     

Rosa Nannariello DeCarlo (7/13/1860–1948)died in 1948 in White Plains, New York in 1948. She married Michael DeCarlo (6/9/1848-) in Calitri  in February 18, 1893. Rosa immigrated to the United States with her husband and they  lived in White Plains. Rosa is buried in the White Plains Rural Cemetery as are many Nannariello’s that lived in White Plains. They had five children.

• Erberto Albert DeCarlo (1884–1951)
• Mariangela DeCarlo (1889–1975)
• Anna DeCarlo (1891–1936)
• Vincenzo DeCarlo (1895–)
• Antonio DeCarlo (1899–1977)

Luigi Nannariello (12/25/1863–10/6/1931)  died in 1931 in Calitri.  He was a twin to his brother Michelle Nannariello. He married Maria Francesca Martiniello (2/9/1866–11/17/1935)  who died in 1935.  They had ten children. Six of the children survived to adulthood and four of the children died in early childhood.   

• Mariantonia Nannariello (1888-1888)

• Lorenzo Nannariello (1890-1890)
• Grazia (Grace) Nannariello Trotta (10/1/1891-11/26/1960)  
• Lorenzo Nannariello (1894-1894)
• Mariantonia (Antoinette) Nannariello Panico Pecor (4/8/1894-8/29/1989)
• Lorenzo (Larry) Nannariello (1/6/1898-3/21/69)
• Rosa (Rose) Nannariello DeCosmo (4/23/1899-1966)
• Canio (Charlie) Nannariello (5/31/1901- 09/11/1988) twin of Vincenza
• Vincenza Nannariello (5/31/1901-1902) twin of Canio        
• Leonardo (Leonard) Nannariello (1/6/1904-1971)

Angelo Maria Nannariello (11/25/1865–1913)died in 1913 in Calitri. He married Barbara Maffucci (1871–). They had seven children: 

• Mariantonia Nannariello (1896–1930)
• Alfonso Nannariello (1903–)
• Maria Annunziata Nannariello (1906–1994)
• Vincenzo Nannariello had a daughter Iolanda Nannariello Maffucci. Iolanda had  two daughters Anna Maria Maffucci and Enza Maffucci.
• Lorenzo Nannariello (1907-)
• Grazia Nannariello (1897-)
• Mariantonia Nannariello (1896-1930)

Vincenzo Nannariello (3/1868–1922) immigrated from Naples on the ship Nuestria to New York City in 1888 with his wife Angela  Scilimpaglia  Nannariello (9/1869-).  He lived in New Rochelle, New York and his occupation was a shoemaker. He later relocated to White Plains. Vincenzo may have been  one of the first   Nannariello’s to immigrate to the United States.  As  many other Nannariello’s, Vincenzo is buried in the White Plains Rural Cemetery in White Plains, New York with his wife Angela.  There children were:

• Mariantonia Nannariello (1882-)
• Mariantonia Nannariello (1884-)
• Mariantonia Nannariello (1896-)
• Antonio Nannariello (1897-)
• Filomena Nannariello (1890-)
• Lorenzo Nannariello (1895-)

Michelle (Michael) Nannariello (12/25/1868-2/26/1943) was a Christmas baby with his  twin brother Luigi Nannariello. He married Francesca DiMilia Nannariello (1871-) in Manhattan, New York  on April 16, 1896. They lived on Bronx Street in White Plains in 1904, which was  adjacent to the property owned by his brother Donato Nannariello on 21 Main Street. Michele worked as a Mason. In 1912 his family  continued to live in White Plains on Hamilton Avenue. Later, they lived in both New Rochelle and Newark, New Jersey  from 1935 to 1943. Michael died in West Orange New Jersey.  on  February 26, 1943. They had six children.

• Laurenza Nannariello (1896–)
• Maria Nannariello (1898–)
• Jimmy Nannariello (1901–)
• Rosa Nannariello (1902–)
• William Nannariello (1904–)
• Frank Nannariello (1911–)

Donato Nannariello (9/25/1874-1/24/1920) was born in 1872 in Calitri and died in 1920 in White Plains, New York. He immigrated to the United States in 1894 with his wife Vincenza Toglia Nannariello(12/191874–4/1967). Before their Nannariello nephews and nieces immigrated, they had bought an apartment house at 21 Main Street in White Plains. This building became the Harlem Hotel in addition to being their home.  Donato had a saloon in the building  that had  several revived versions over the years.  Donato was a pivotal figure in the immigration of the six Nannariello siblings and this is explained in other topics.  A comprehensive of biography of Donato  is included in this Ancestry. They had eleven children.

• Lawrence Nannariello (1897–1988)
• Teresa Marie Nannariello (1902–1992)
• Michael Nannariello (1903–2002)
• Mary Nannariello (1905–2002)
• Joseph Nannariello (1906–2002)
• Louis Nannariello (1907–)
• Donato Anthony Nannariello (1909–1987)
• John Anthony Nannariello (1912–1993)
• Anna M. Nannariello (1913–1993)
• Grace G. Nannariello (1914–1990)
• Florence Mildred Nannariello (1916–2003)

Francesca Martiniello Nannariello

Maria Francesca Martiniello (1866-11/7/1935) was born in Calitri in 1866 and died on November 17, 1935. Her husband Luigi Nannariello had died in 1931, several months after a visit to Calitri by their son Leonard Nannariello. There is some undocumented oral history that Francesca had some psychological or cognitive issues in the last few years of her life and was sent to Naples for treatment and died in Naples. Her burial location is not known.

Her father was Canio Vincenzo Martiniello (9/3/1834-6/7/1910 and her mother was Rosa Maria  Bozza Martiniello (4/23/1840-6/71910). Her mother and father died together  on June 6, 1910 when they were killed in their home as the result of an earthquake that day. The house collapsed while they were in their bedroom. Thirty-eight other people died that day in Calitri.  Following are the eleven Martiniello siblings, two of whom died in early childhood.

• Leonardo Martiniello (1860-) Immigrated to South America
• Grazie Maria Martiniello (1864-) Immigrated to New York
• Maria Francesca Martiniello (1866-1935) Married Luigi Nannariello
• Maria Concetta Martiniello (-1956)
• Stellante Costantina Martiniello (1870-)
• Adelaide Genoveffa Martiniello (1873-1933)
• Ernesto Leopoldo Martiniello (1878-)
• Cataldo Flaminio Alfonso Martiniello (1877-1878)
• Ripalta Eleonora Martiniello (1879-) Became a Nun
• Stellante Martiniello (1880-1880)
• Stellante Martiniello (1881-)   Became a Nun.

Only one of Francesca’s siblings, Adelaide G Martiniello (1875-10/9/1935), immigrated to the United States in 1915, specifically to Brooklyn, New York. She sailed on the Kaiser Wilhelm and arrived in May 9, 1893 in Ellis Island, New York City.  She was married and had a daughter, but both of them died before she did.  She worked as a midwife. She died in Brooklyn, New York in 1935 from self-inflicted carbon monoxide poisoning.

Leonardo Deodato Martiniello (7/27/1808-11/15/1894) was born and died in Calitri. On November 19, 1829 he married Grazia Maria Tozza Martiniello (2/6/1813-2/2/1871) in Calitri. Grazia died in Calitri. They had the following children.

• Canio Martiniello (1830-1830)
• Canio Vincenzo Martiniello (1834-1910)
• Vitantonio Martiniello (1836-1841)
• Maria Filomena Martiniello (1839-1841)
• Filomena Martiniello (1842-)
• Vitantonio Martiniello (1846-1924)
• Mariantonia Martiniello (1849-1910)
• Giuseppe Martiniello (1851-1910)

Donato and Vincenza Toglia Nannariello

The story of entire families and siblings migrating singly or in groups over a period of years was very common for the generations of immigrants from Europe in the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s. This was the case of the six Nannariello’s sibling of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello. It was true for previous and succeeding generations from Italy and from many countries in Europe. There were the pragmatic issues of the finances to make the trip from Naples to New York. All of the Nannariello siblings left from Naples, one at a time, and all went to New York City. There were other alternatives ports awaiting to Canada or South America and other ports in the United States, such as Boston and New Orleans. Though there is no oral or written history as to why they each one went separately, we can imagine that age, the challenges, costs of the adventure, the  First World War, and the Spanish Flu pandemic, and other considerations  were some among many factors.

However, there had to be someone in the United States, to get there first to establish a beachhead for the family. For these Nannariello siblings, that someone was Donato Nannariello. Donato (9/25/1874-1920), the brother of Canio Nannariello’s father Luigi Nannariello, immigrated to the United States in 1894.  Donato married Vicenza Toglia Nannariello (12/19/1874-4/1967) in Calitri prior to their immigration.  Aunt Virginia (Zi’Vicenza) and Uncle Donato (Zi’Donato) became the portal and the beachhead for the Nannariello siblings and their individual immigrations. Anyone disembarking from a ship in New York City needed a place to go and a sponsor and a job; and Donato Nannariello was that person for the Nannariello siblings.

There is a record of Donato living in Tarrytown, New York in 1902 at 38 Cortland Road. In 1905 there is a census record that Donato and is family lived in White Plains, New York, It is assumed Donato and his family moved to White Plains in 1905 or possibly a year earlier. They lived at 21 Main Street. Donato’s apartment house at 21 Main Street literally rubbed shoulders with the concrete wall of the bridge for the New York Central Harlem Division that brought trains from New York City and north into Westchester Country. When Donata originally located at Main Street, the street was named Railroad Avenue because it led to the New York Central Railroad station. On September 3, 1914 Railroad Avenue was renamed Main Street and it was called “The Great White Way” because it was electrified and had electrified trolleys.

At one time, Donato operated the apartment house as the Hotel Harlem, having used New York Central Railroad Harlem division, as the name source.  Donato and Vincenza operated a hotel, raised eleven children, and accommodated related Calitrani at that  location.  It was a three-story building and in later years Donato and his family would operate a bar on the ground floor. Many of his eleven children worked in the bar and eventually some had shared ownership and operating involvement.

The bridge that abutted the Nannariello home and hotel, was part of the New York Central Railroad Station. The New York Central had raised the tracks to straddle Railroad Avenue, which was the main street for White Plains and was eventually renamed Main Street. The railroad station was on the  on the opposite side of Main Street. Around 1921, White Plains was the last station of the Harlem Division which began in New York City in Grand Central Station and traveled north to Westchester County. White Plains at that time was the early version of what would become the suburbs of New York City. There were ten or so stops from New York City to White Plains,  the first being 125^th Street in New York city. The last stops prior to White Plains were  Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Scarsdale, Hartsdale and finally White Plains. White Plains was a commuter town, long before the concept of commuting towns became a way of life for the suburbs to support New York City.  Eventually, the New York Central extended the stops north of White Plains and this development evolved into the development of towns across what was then rural Westchester County.

On the other side of the bridge adjacent to 21 Main Street, the Bronx River runs parallel to the New York Central tracks for many miles and into New York City. In June 20, 1916, Donato was the Grantor of some property on the Bronx River side of the bridge to the Bronx Parkway Commission. Obviously, Donato owned land on both sides of the bridge and took the opportunity to sell it. Donato had established his experience in being a land owner when he owned land in Tarrytown and sold it to a Brewery. We can only speculate his adroitness as a clever business man and his entrepreneurial skill and spirit;  particularly considering he was only about twenty two years old when arriving in the United States and settling in Tarrytown.

Donato is buried in the White Plains Rural Cemetery in White Plains along with his wife Vincenza.   This cemetery has a history of having many family members from Calitri with a variety of Calitrani surnames. Donato and Vincenza Nannariello had eleven children. They are listed in the order of their birth dates. Because of their birthdates we can assume some were born in Tarrytown  and others were born in White Plains.

• Lawrence Nannariello (1897-1988)
• Teresa Marie Nannariello (1902-1992)
• Michael Nannariello (1903-2002)
• Mary Nannariello (1905-2002)

Mary married Matthew Fusillo and

they had four children: Lillian,

Virginia, Marie and Joan.

• Joseph Nannariello Fusillo (1906-2002)
• Louis Nannariello (1907-2002)
• Donato Anthony Nannariello (1909-1987)
• John Anthony Nannariello (1912-1993)
• Anna M  Nannariello (1913-1993)
• Grace G Nannariello (1914-1990)
• Florence Mildred Nannariello (1916-2003)

Donato and Vincenza were the sponsors for all of the children of Luigi Nannariello, who was the brother of Donato. At this time, we can only imagine the letters exchanged between Donato and Luigi starting in 1890’s, when Luigi and  Francesca first child, Grazia,  had the opportunity to immigrate.  We imagine the courage of the young Grazia to make the journey alone in 1`907, the feelings of her parents, and the generosity of Donato and Vincenza to make it possible.

Lorenzo Nannariello

Lorenzo Nannariello (11/20/1830-3/27/1905)) and Mariantonia Cerreta Nannariello (1833-1898) were the parents of Luigi Nannariello one of the primary people in this Ancestry. They were both born in Calitri.  Lorenzo was one of eleven children that are listed in the chronological order of their birth;

• Luigi Nannariello (1827-)
• Lorenzo Nannariello (1829-1829)
• Lorenzo Nannariello (11/20/1830-3/27/1905)
• Vitantonio (1833-)
• Canio Nannariello (1836-)
• Pietro Nannariello (1843-)
• Rosa Nannariello (1843-)
• Alfonso Nannariello (1847-)
• Giuseppe Nannariello (1848-). He immigrated to the United States; lived in Westchester County, New York;  and had three children. Giuseppe was the great great grandfather of Alfonso Nannariello who died in 2021 and made contributions to this Ancestry.
• Vincenzo Nannariello  had three children: Francesco (1877-) lived in Westchester:  Luigi (1882-1937) lived in White Plains;  Maria (1886-) married Vincenzo Cioffari and lived in White Plains.
• Antonia Nannariello (1850-). She immigrated to the United States and married Pasquale Maffucci (1845-1919). They lived in Stamford, Connecticut. Some of their nine children included: Giovanna (1878-), Maria (1879-), Alfonso (1881-),  Fritz (1881-), Angelomaria (1884-), Louisa (1886-), Luigia (1887-)
• Michael (1854-1930)

Lorenzo and Mariantonia Nannariello had eight children. Five of their children immigrated to the United States.

• Giuseppe Nannariello (2/27/1856-7/17/1934
• Maria Nannariello (2./2/1858-10/17/1896)
• Rosa Nannariello DeCarlo (7/13/1860–1948)
• Luigi Nannariello (12/25/1863–10/6/1931)  
• Angelo Maria Nannariello (11/25/1865–1913)
• Vincenzo Nannariello (3/1868–1922)
• Michelle (Michael) Nannariello (12/25/1868-2/26/1943)
• Donato Nannariello (9/25/1874-1/24/1920)

In the latter part of their lives, Mariantonia had some undefined medical issues and died in Calitri in 1898. Lorenzo was alone and his health was not good.  His son, Donato Nannariello,  traveled to Calitri and brought his father Lorenzo back to  Tarrytown, New York to live with his wife Vincenza and their growing family. Lorenzo arrived with Donato from Naples on the Ship Gallia in Ellis Island in  New York City  on July 22, 1902.  Lorenzo died in White Plains on March 27, 1905 at the age of 75.  Lorenzo died shortly after his son Donato relocated his family to White Plains from Tarrytown, New York.

With some irony, Lorenzo Nannariello had immigrated to the United States,  prior to the six children of his son Luigi Nannariello  having  the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. These were his grandchildren. Donato was the benefactor and facilitator and sponsor for the immigration of the six Nannariello siblings and unfortunately Lorenzo had died in the United States before the first of them arrived.

Nannariello Name History

Alfonso Nannariello was born and raised in Calitri and was  a High School teacher in the Calitri school system, until his retirement. Alfonso was a very curious and prolific writer and published about fifteen books.  Alfonso did significant  research tracing the origins of the Nannariello surname and produced the extensive results that follows.  Alfonso’s wife is Mariantonietta, known as Francesca,  and his son is Emanuele Leonardo Nannariello.  Alfonso had  a passion for research and ancestry and the history of Calitri. Also, he contributed other  articles to this Ancestry that were written in Italian and translated into English.

Alfonso’s research into the Nannariello name is a heroic research effort and we are indebted to him for his work and his agreement to share his research on this website.  Alfonso is in the company of Mario Toglia and Vito Acocella and Ben Montalbano and others, who are referenced in this Ancestry, for their commitment and significant efforts to perpetuate the Ancestry and history of Calitri and its people.

Alfonso initially wrote this historical analysis of the Nannariello name in Italian. Later he was responsive to the need  have it translated into English and  appear in this Ancestry. He worked very closely with Steve Nannariello on a number of efforts related to this Ancestry. He  used software translation tools to accomplish the translation.  We have intentionally minimized efforts to  correct or improve on the computer translation. There are minimal translation issues that will not deter the Reader  from understanding this fine research effort.   We have no intention to change a word that he has written. Also, he chose to write this wonderful research paper in the first person.

There are few of the surnames, or “cognomes” in Italian, in Calitri that have had the  research and analysis that Alfonso Nannariello has provided.  All of those who have the Nannariello name are the beneficiaries of Alfonso efforts. Also, in his research he has added towards the end of the document some research related to Nannariello’s immigrating and visiting the United States, particularly Westchester County and White Plains.

Unfortunately, before this Website was published, Alfonso Nannariello passed in early 2022.  He was much too young and he had so much more to do with his life and Family. He has left his legacy in so many ways to Family and Friends. His  contribution to Calitri and all Calitrani is immense. 

The Nannariello Name

The catalogue of destinies1561-1585. From 1559, a couple of years before the most remote term of this reconstruction, the Mezzogiorno of Italy was dominated by the Spaniards.   On July 31, 1561, an earthquake, which had Diana’s valley as an epicenter, also impacted Calitri, knocking down one half of the castle. Despite the disaster, none of  the craft activities were compromised, nor did the public works that were being carried out have a setback, nor consequently, the black economy. In this context lived the three Nannariello heads of the family of this section: Ioanne, Antonio and Giovanni Antonio.

On 17 July 1561, I (Ann) and Nannariello christened the Oglio Ioseppo Antonio Nannariello; on 13 December 1571 christened Bartholomew;  on November 8, 1562 had christened Oglio Guglielmo, to whom he appeared Io (Ann) and of Bergamo, palaierefren of Cardinal Alfonso Gesual, Francesco Michele Nannariello and Vittoria by Giuseppe Fierravanti on 7 November 1782 they baptized Giuseppe Michele, born on the same day. Francis Michael died on November 5, 1784. By hypotheses, obstacles and other writings.

The search for origins is always a challenge. You have to go through times and places. A document or  data, sometimes happens at random, as when the dishes fall from hand and fall into pieces, which you never collect at once. You find one every now and then; you aim it behind a cupboard; you look at it in the corner where the crystalline is; you feel it under your foot when you don’t expect it.

Many searches for origins are lost in history. To make suggestive this act due to those with its existence made mine possible, were some impediments, which almost worked from obstacles put to protect a ban, which did not allow to cross the simple line of reconstruction of the past and have access to the myth.

The first set of obstacles was documentary. The oldest register of our parish archive is dated 1558-(1555)-1588. You could not go back further back. A similar difficulty is due to the fact that the archive consulted does not have
– baptism records for the years 1589-1612 and 1726-1738
– and with regard to the certificates concerning my family, the registrations that you would expect to find between the years 1650-1671 and 1682-1697.

Another woman with a no-go zone was found on the origin of her last name. Determining where a surname began and why and by whom, generally presents difficulties. This has also been the case since I have absolutely not been able to trace unequivocally to a subject from which it could arise.

There is no need to make assumptions here. I believe, however, that the suffix ‘(R)IELLO suggests an alteration of the radical, which in this case is Nanno, that is Joanno (John), from which the surnames Nannari, Nannaro, Nannarelli and Nannarello should also derive. The content of these surnames clearly indicates the descending sequence, which is why the DE and DI statement of ancestry could be stopped. According to Calitri’s use, the diminished Nannarelli, Nannarello and Nannariello indicate ‘the little young Nanno’, specifically  the new generations compared to that of the forefather.

The reference, therefore, is to a Nanno, name in use in Calitri, as they document
– Antonio de Nanno, who in October 1555 baptized his son Guglielmo
– Nanno de Nanno (register of the Cresimates of 1562, f. 66)
– the Tower of Nanno with the ancient door of the same name.

If so, the Nannariello alteration could be of Neapolitan origin. In the case of Antonio and Nanno (junior) de Nanno (senior) the senior Noanno tends to become patronymic and starts to be surname. Later the prefix DE or DI, as in other cases, disappears and the Nannarello handwriting, that is, the small and young Nanno, appears. In some cases, however, as in the Holy Visit of 1582 of Bishop Marcantonio Pescara to Calitri, the de rest (sheet 566: “Cola de Nannariello et friti”).

The fact that Nannariello may have been derived from Nanno’s alteration is confirmed from the different graphs, which also seem to declare an evolution of the patronymic. Here they are:
– Nanno (or Nenno)
– Goglielmo, son of Antonio de Nanno, is baptized in October 1555
– Antonio, son of Joanne de Nenno, is baptized in October 1561
-Angelella, daughter of Antonio de Nenno, is baptized on 23 September 1571
Nannarello
– Joseppo, son of Joanne Nannarello, is baptized on 17 June 1562
– Nannarello corrected in Nannariello
– Bartholomew Jerome son of Antonio Nannar[i]ello, is baptized on December 13, 1571.

In the face of this evolution, which also includes the coexistence of all the graphs of the Nanno (Nenno) slowly disappear.

My First Certain Ancestors

A Giovanni Nannariello, who is supposed to be the third son of Angelo and Bridget Lo Brusco, married Donata Lupo on February 3, 1739. If it is the John who I suppose, the day he married he was thirty years old, having been born on September 8, the day of the Nativity of Mary, of 1709.

I like to imagine that, persisting the use of calling as the grandfather the first male of each family, in the name of John came that of the Nanno who gave me the surname.

From the unciario Catasto of 1753 we know that John was a worker of the fields,  married, and he lived in his own home: at the street of the Tower.

John is my first established ascendancy. If it is the John of Angel and Bridget must have been a favorite of Our Lady, since not only was he born on the day of a Marian feast, but he also died there. He died on the day of the announcement on 25 March, 1756.

Giovanni Nannariello and Donata Lupo were born
– Antonia who in 1753, the date of the Catastrophe, was 5 years old
– Pascale who, by that date was 10. Pascale married Lucia di Francesco Di Muro. Several children were born from them. Of these they became adults only
– John (whose date I do not know the date of birth), to whom three children died, all called Pascale, all of a few months in age
– Giambattista, born 24 June 1770
– Francesca Maria, born 10 August 1777.
– Rocco, who in 1753 was 2 years old. He died on August 20, 1790. Rocco di Giovanni and Donata Lupo married Francesca of Giuseppe Germano. From them arose
– Giovanni Vincenzo, September 25, 1774
– Lorenzo Giovanni, August 9, 1778. Lorenzo Giovanni di Rocco and Francesca married Antonia Galgano. From them they were born
– Francesca Maria, who on 13 November 1832 married Tommaso Piumelli of Antonio and Angela Mazziotti
– Vincenzo, in 1799, who died in 1873. Perhaps in 1838 he did, like Piumelli his brother-in-law, the shopkeeper.

Both Rocco Nannariello and Francesca Germano, Lorenzo Giovanni Nannariello and Antonia Galgano, both others of whom it is being said, lived in the years straddling Bourbons and Napoleonic. Their children felt the sensation of the Carbonari movements and lived the first of the Kingdom of Italy, as well as a moment of brigandage. They were the first in the family to benefit from both the improved city street and public lighting and the possibility of literacy, although public elementary school was not opened until 1862. Like others who had gone before them, they too went through some epidemics
– cholera which, which began in July 1837 and ended towards the end of the year and  produced 192 victims
– “a disease” that, which took hold in April 1841 and disappeared in mid-December of that year, caused 200 deaths.
Due to the deaths caused by these infections, work began in 1851 to build a cemetery outside the town.

In 1854, because the graves of the cemetery proved insufficient to contain all the cholera deaths, many of them were buried in an area of the Pascone, in Ripa di Mare, which later became the football field of the Madonnelles, named because on the site of those burials was erected a monument with an image of Our Lady.

I C’rrèta

Vincenzo Nannariello, of Lorenzo Giovanni and Antonia Galgano, on June 7, 1826 married Francesca Lampariello of Luigi (name not known) and Gaetana Di Napoli. On September 4, 1869, he married Mariantonia Cerreta, daughter of Michael and Maria Jesus Cestone. Lorenzo was also born with them, who was baptized on January 9, 1829. Lorenzo must have been the first born, given the name tribute to his grandfather.

On December 6, 1851 Lorenzo married Mariantonia Cerreta (baptized April 27, 1833), daughter By Giuseppe and Rosa Galgano. From this union were born
– Joseph, my father’s grandfather, who was baptized on February 27, 1856
– perhaps also Vincenzo, who was born Canio, who was born the Vincenzo who married Agnese Del Cossano, from whom Canio, Mariano, Angelomaria (Cat’nàzz), Rosinella, Antonietta, Elvira and Amelia (more frequently called Emilia), the eldest daughter were born. But these Nannariello’s don’t belong to the Cerrèta.

Joseph, of Lorenzo and Mariantonia Cerreta, my father’s grandfather, married another Cerreta:

Mariantonia Francesca. Alfonso, my grandfather, and his brothers who went to America were born to them.

In The Name Of The Father

At Angelomaria Leone’s photo studio, they all went to take a passport. In 1907, his grandfather Alfonso also went, and already that he had to make a few more copies, for the identity card. When he applied for his passport, he had clearance for New York on 29 May to visit his brothers. If my grandfather really went, he left on November 10 with his brother Michele, who returned to America after a visit to Italy.

Francis was twenty-three years old. In America, he sent him to call Donato his cousin. Francis left Naples in February 1900. He climbed the Werra as a worker. He landed in New York City eight years before a group of women died at the textile factory they had occupied in protest on March 8, and settled in White Plains. When the time came, he sent to call his brother Michele, who was 25 years old, and until then he had been a laborer. 

Michele left all his belongings and embarked from  Naples on February 14, 1902. He landed on March 4, the day the American Automobile Association was founded, and went to live for a while at Francis’ house. Then he took one of his own on the same street.

The following year Francis sent to call Luigi, who sailed from Naples on June 11. It came on August 1, a day that would go unnoticed in that world’s calendar forever. Luigi was 21 years old and had gone to be a tailor. Michele’s wife did the trip. He lived with them at 5 Bronx St, White Plains.

I don’t have any exact news about Maria. Possibly,  she also boarded from Naples. It turns out a Maria Nannariello who is of a compatible age with her, 20 years, among the embarked on the Cretic that departed on September 6, 1906.

I imagine these emigrants going to live in those houses with all those windows built maybe a hundred years before. I imagine them coming in and seeing just a little light seeping out of the dark, and into a big void. I imagine them in the early days going around with friends, relatives and acquaintances for a closet, a table, two chairs, a net without a mattress, and make do with things you don’t find.

I imagine them going out to the noisy markets, more than disoriented, dwelling on things, looking at the signs without knowing how to read and understand them, recognizing merchandise of which they knew the names only in dialect, pointing them with their finger to make themselves understood. It was perhaps for this reason that once he had become familiar with that world, to hide their discomfort, that among the Calitrani who had emigrated to the USA there were those who had translated or adapted their surname, “but the Nannariello continued to call themselves so”. And that this last thing is true, I read it written by Rocco Polestra in the book that you know, in which he mentions just us. But it is clear that we were not the only ones who did not change the generalities, not to have remade the facial plastic of the identity.

Nannariello Family Tree 1600 to Current

The Nannariello name was present in Calitri when the tax roll was  issued in the early 1500’s by the Prince who occupied the castle on the top of the mountain that Calitri inhabits.  There needs to be more research of the name and lineage in the 1500’s and prior. The scope of this  Ancestry begins  with  Luigi (1863-1931) and Francesca Martiniello Nannariello (1863-1935). As explained in other parts of this Ancestry, this starting point was not arbitrary but intended to focus  the Ancestry narrative to recent generations; and at the same time provide the lineage back to the early 1600’s.

Following is the direct lineage for the Nannariello ancestry starting in 1605 with Linardo Nannariello who married Antonia Borrillo. For this Ancestry this has been identified arbitrarily as the first generation, though obviously the lineage began before this date. The previous generations are not being ignored and this intentional and arbitrary identification of the first generation provides both quantification of known generations and a meaningful reference as to where current generations are today.

Generation 10 includes  Canio Nannariello and his five surviving to adulthood  siblings who all immigrated to the United States.  Specifically, that generation includes Grazia (Grace), Mariantonia (Antoinette),  Lorenzo (Lawrence),  Rosa (Rose), Canio (Charlie)  and Leonardo  (Leonard). The  family tree is developed for their  direct descendants through the time this Ancestry was published as a website in 2022.  All of the  people who are direct descendants of Canio’s brothers and sisters have the opportunity to provide their version of the family tree starting with Generation 11 to the current date.

Note that the  absence of a date following or preceding another date, is because the date information is not available.

Generation #	Nannariello Lineage	Marriage
1	Linardo Nannariello (1605-)	Wife Antonia Borrillo (1607-)
2	Donato Nannariello (1635-)	Wife Elisabetta DiGernonim (-1694)
3	Angelo Nannariello (1/16/1677-2/1720)	Wife Brigida Lodrusco (1725-)
4	Giovanni Nannariello (1726-1753)	Wife Donata Lupo (1725-)
5	Lorenzo Nannariello (1778-1832)	Wife Antonia Galgano  (1769-1825)
6	Rocco Nannariello (1753-1825)	Wife Francesca Germano (1755–1828)
7	Vincenzo Nannariello (1799-1863)	Wife Maria Francesca Sabbi (1833-1898)
8	Lorenzo Nannariello (1830-3/27/1905)	Wife Mariantonia Cerreta (1846-1895)
9	Luigi Nannariello (10/6/1863-10/6/1931)	Wife Maria Francesca Martiniello (1866-11/17/1935)
10	Grazia, Mariantonietta, Lorenzo, Rosa,   Canio, Leonardo Nannariello	Children of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello

From this point the children of Generation 10  determine their lineage and their Generation Number. A limited number of a few selected names of descendants of Canio and Angelina Nannariello have been used to demonstrate the Generations. The Readers and descendants of Canio Nannariello’s and Canio’s brothers and sisters  can determine their descendants lineage  and Generation number.

11	Louis and Richard Nannariello	Children  of Canio and Angie Nannariello; grandchildren of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello
12	Lynn, Steve, Gary Nannariello	Children of Louis Nannariello and Nancy Guardino Nannariello; grandchildren of Canio and Angie Nannariello; great grandchildren of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello
13	James and Stephanie Nannariello	Children of Stephen  Nannariello and Barbara Nannariello; grandchildren of Louis and Nancy Nannariello; great grandchildren of Canio and Angie Nannariello; great-great grandchildren of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello
	Jake  and Juliet  Nannariello	Children of John Nannariello and Kristen Richardson Nannariello; grandchildren of Richard Nannariello and Antoinette Mercatante Nannariello; great grandchildren of Canio and Angie Nannariello; great-great grandchildren of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello.
	Kayla Nannariello	Child of Gary Nannariello and Virginia Nannariello; grandchild of Louis and Nancy Nannariello; great grandchild of Canio and Angie Nannariello; great-great grandchild of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello
14	Olivia, Christian, Gabriel Nannariello	Children of James and Krissy Nannariello; grandchildren of Steve and Barbara Nannariello; great grand children of Louis and Nancy Nannariello; great-great grandchildren of Canio and Angie Nannariello; great great-great grandchildren of Luigi and Francesca Nannariello

This family tree began with Generation 1 and the birth of Linardo Nannariello in 1605 with the explained considerations. As previously mentioned, there were Nannariello’s prior to 1605 and that research for preceding generations will be completed in the future.  We have counted Linardo Nannariello as Generation 1 as a way to provide some context to the Nannariello lineage.  The birth of Olivia Nannariello started  Generation 14 for the Canio Nannariello part of the family.

Obviously, this Ancestry analysis does not document  the names of the children for each of the people that defines each generation, going back to Generation 1. One can  speculate that literally many hundreds of names  would be revealed in  doing that process.  Adding several  generations  of children can quickly produce astronomical tree structures.

The focus for this Ancestry is on six people: Luigi and Francesca Nannariello, Canio and Angelina Nannariello, and Filomena Farinacci  and Pasquale Passarella. The above lineage is focused on the Nannariello side of the family, not the Passarella. This is a fact because the research for the Passarella side was not available.

Using the preceding generation analysis as a model, it is possible for the Reader to create a lineage chart for recent generations of Nannariello’s,  starting with Luigi and Francesca Nannariello.

Other Calitrani Ancestry

As explained in other sections, as this Ancestry project evolved it was necessary to develop a strategy as to what Families and individuals would be included in detail. This was done without excluding the fact many hundreds of people are referenced in the Ancestry, but not in detail. A detailed ancestry analysis of all the names mentioned would literally involve many hundreds or thousands of names and require research and resources beyond any reasonable objectives for this Ancestry.

With that background,  this section has been added to include current and future people who provide insights to the Ancestry and are of interest.  As  mentioned before, all of the people named referenced deserve our acknowledgement and ancestry respect, but this Ancestry has  a limited scope. 

As the Ancestry project proceeds we will add additional names to this section. This will be done as Readers become contributors and develop the narrative information and research information that is modeled in the manner presented in this Ancestry.

Antonio (Tony) DeCarlo

When the Luigi Nannariello children immigrated to the United States,  they had some first cousins who also immigrated.  Canio (Charlie) Nannariello was close to one of these first cousins, Antonio (Tony) DeCarlo. Canio and Tony both lived in White Plains all of their lives. Tony married Jennie  in Calitri and they immigrated to the United States. They had two children,  Michael and Louis. Unfortunately,  Jenny died very young around 1931 and Tony was a young widower with two sons. Tony returned to Calitri and met and married Francesca (Francis) Togola  (10/191912-3/17/2006). They married  on January 19, 1933 in Calitri and returned to White Plains. Possibly, they knew each other before.  They had a third son together, Angelo DeCarlo,  When Tony DeCarlo died,  Francis relocated to Florida and  lived many of her final years in Clearwater. Following are their children:

• Michael DeCarlo (1927-) Served in the military for many years. Married  and lived in Tallahassee, Florida.
• Louis DeCarlo ((5/29/1929-7/6/2019) lived  many years in Miami with his partner Dempsey Limbaugh.
• Angelo Salvatore DeCarlo (3/15/1936-4/1/2017)

Charlie and Tony were both short order cooks in diners. Tony worked for his brother  in a Diner in White Plains on Grove Street most of his life.  Tony’s mother was Rosa Nannariello.  Canio Nannariello’s father  was Luigi Nannariello. Rosa and Luigi were sister and brother.

It was interesting to observe Charlie and Tony sitting around a kitchen table with a bottle of red wine, talking an animated mixture of English and Italian. Very often they spoke of their experiences in the diners they worked at; and both pleasantly boasting about which diner had the best food and the best prices. Their work ethic was the fundamental issue of “doing what you do as best you can and better than most.” Therefore, a great short order cook has more worth than a bad accountant or a bad carpenter. Both of these Calitrani passed on that work ethic to their sons, never with great philosophical discussion, but always by example and the pride displayed in their work.