November 2, 2012, Friday, 306

The Maltese Family

From The Peopling of New York City

Catherine Maltese, age 39, death certificate number: 11423 [1].

Catherine was born in Italy. She was an operator at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Catherine was married to Serafino Maltese. They had lived in the US/NYC for four years before Catherine died [2]. Catherine died of asphyxiation/burns. She was identified on December 18, 1911 when her husband, Serafino, finally recognized her by one of her possessions. The Malteses lived at 35 Second Avenue [3].

In Triangle, Von Drehle states that Catherine's age is unknown. The date of death on the certificate is 3/25/1911 so it must be the same Catherine Maltese. When I searched for Catherine Maltese who died in Manhattan, only one match came up with the correct date of death. Catherine's death certificate is in the midst of the "unknown" death certificates on the microfilm. This is interesting because her death certificate does not relay much information. It is also interesting that there are two death certificates numbered 11423. The first certificate was that of Catherine Maltese and the second was that of "Unknown Woman" [4].

Catherine Maltese [5].


Lucia Maltesa, age 20, death certificate number: 10230 [6].

Again, the spelling of the last name is similar yet not the same. This should not be a problem since the date of death and age seem to match the information given in Triangle. Lucia, daughter of Catherine and Serafino Maltese and sister of Rosaria Maltese, was an operator at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. She was born in Italy as were her parents. Catherine's maiden name was Caurrio (?-handwriting on certificate was hard to read). It is interesting that Lucia's death certificate states her mother as Catherine Caurrio while Rosaria's death certificate states her mother as Catherine Maltese. Lucia had only lived in the US/NYC for four years before her death. She was unmarried at the time of her death. Lucia was buried on March 28, 1911 at Calvary Cemetery. Domenico Bonomolo served as her undertaker. He lived at 294 Elizabeth Street [7]. Lucia died of asphyxiation/burns. She was identified by her father, Serafino [8].


Rosaria Maltesa, age 14, death certificate number: 10231 [9].

Rosaria was the daughter of Catherine and Serafino Maltese and the sister of Lucia Maltese. She was born in Italy and worked as an operator at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. She only lived in the US/NYC for four years before she died. She was unmarried at the time of her death. Rosaria was buried on March 28, 1911 at Calvary Cemetery. Her undertaker was Domenico Bonomolo, the same as for her sister Lucia [10]. Rosaria died of asphyxiation/burns. She was also identified by her father, Serafino [11].

Lucia and Sara Maltese [12].

Two women were found crouched in a narrow space behind the toilets in the Triangle building. Von Drehle believes them to be the bodies of Lucy and Sara Maltese [13].

The Malteses also lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Housing was a big problem during those years. Families were packed into tiny one room tenements with only one toilet per floor. It was extremely unsanitary and illness spread quickly in those conditions. They most likely lived in a tenement like most new immigrants who could not afford anything better. The Malteses lived in a neighborhood that was inhabited by other Italians but also by many Jews [14] [15]. In 1902, food riots broke out. Orthodox Jewish women rioted because the price of kosher meat was too high. In the end, they won. Within a month, the price of kosher meat fell [16].



The father, Serafino Maltese, born in 1868, arrived at Ellis Island on May 19, 1906 on the Italia. He was a shoemaker and arrived with only $20 in his pocket. He had family in the US and upon arrival went to live with his brother-in-law Nicolo Mirolilo (?) at 25 Alabama Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. In fact, on the passenger manifest, Serafino's name was crossed off, indicating that he was not aboard the Italia [17]. Serafino, though, was aboard the Algeria. He departed from Palermo, Italy on July 25, 1906 and arrived in New York on August 6, 1906. He was born on November 4, 1868 in Trapani, Italy. He declared his intention of becoming a U.S. citizen on January 15, 1923. He was the widower of Katherine and had two children, Vito, born on August 24, 1892, and Paolo, born on June 22, 1905. The number of his Declaration of Intention is 299778. He was 56 years old when he filed this document. He was a shoemaker. He was a white man with a fair complexion. He was five feet six inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had gray hair. He was then residing at 97 East 3rd Street. The two witnesses that signed his petition for naturalization certifying that Serafino was an upstanding person were Peter Benente, a real estate broker who lived at 95 2nd Street, and Vito Maltese, his son, a barber, who lived with him at 97 East 3rd Street [18]. He was then residing at 97 East 3rd Street.


Ship Italia [19].


Serafino2.jpg
Passenger Manifest for Italia [20].


Naturalization Petition for Serafino Maltese [21].


While searching on ancestry.com I came across two passenger manifests. Both manifests included the names of Catherine, Lucia, Rosaria, Vito, Maria, and Paolo. On the first manifest, the one of the Sofia Hohenberg that arrived in NY on July 2, 1907, the names are all crossed off [22]. On the second manifest, the one of the Francesca that arrived in NY on August 3, 1907, the names are not crossed off and next to some names is a stamp reading ADMITTED. The Francesca manifest also shows that Maria died in the hospital upon arrival (on August 5, 1907). She did not make the journey. Catherine was treated at the hospital and then released. Could it be that the Malteses were sent back the first time they arrived at Ellis Island? Apparently Catherine, Lucia, Rosaria, Vito, Maria and Paolo were supposed to be on the Sofia Hohenberg but never made the trip. They arrived one month later on the Francesca. The Francesca departed from Palermo, Italy on July 16th, 1907 and arrived in New York on August 3, 1907 [23].


Maltese2.jpg
Passenger Manifest for Sofia Hohenberg July 2, 1907 [24].


Ship Sofia Hohenberg [25]. 400px


Malteseaug.jpg
Passenger Manifest for Francesca August 3, 1907 [26].


Ship Francesca



Paolo (Paul) Maltese was born on June 11, 1905 (the date of his birth on his father's naturalization petition is June 22, 1905- I find this interesting) in Trapani, Italy. He arrived in New York aboard the Francesca on August 3, 1907. He was 18 years old when he petitioned for naturalization. Paul worked as an upholsterer. He was a white man with a fair complexion. Paul was five feet six inches tall (like his father) and weighed 145 pounds. He had brown hair and blue eyes. Paul filed his Declaration of Intention to become a U.S. citizen on January 5, 1924. The number of the declaration is 340114. The number of the petition for naturalization is 150947. The witnesses who signed Paul's petition were Serafino Maltese, his father, who resided at 97 East 3rd Street in NYC, and Pietro D'Angelo, a grocer, who lived at 97 East 3rd Street NYC [27].

Upon searching for Paul's marriage certificate number, I came upon two numbers. When I looked both up on microfilm at the Municipal Archives, I found that Paul and his bride, Frances Scafidi, had two marriage certificates. The first certificate I looked at, number 23026, gave the following information: Paul Maltese and Frances Scafidi were married on October 8, 1931 by Rev. Gabriel A. Zema at 44 Secant Avenue in Manhattan. This was the first marriage for both the bride and the groom. The groom lived at 97 East 3rd Street and the bride lived at 71 East 3rd Street in Manhattan. Both were white and single. Paul was an upholsterer while Frances had no occupation. The groom was born in Trapani, Italy to Serafino Maltese and Caterina Canino. The bride was born in New York City to Vincenzo Scafidi and Carmela Parisi. The witnesses to the marriage were Paul's brother and sister-in-law, Vito Maltese and Francesca Zerilli who lived at 44 Secant Avenue [28]. The second certificate, number 20985, provided the ages of the bride and groom. The bride was 18 years old and the groom was 27 years of age. This certificate, though, was issued one month earlier and claims that Paul and Frances were married on September 9, 1931 by Rev. Charles I. Tunby at 39 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The witnesses to this marriage were Samuel Koslow and William J. Charters who resided at 39 5th Avenue [29].

Paul Maltese died on November 3, 1988 in Pasco, Florida at the age of 83 [30]. He last lived in Holiday, Pasco, Florida zip code 34691. His social security number was 068-03-3598. It was issued to him in New York before 1951 [31].


Vito Maltese married Francesca Zerilli on July 27, 1913. Rev. Zpcacci officiated at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. This was the first marriage for both the bride and the groom. The bride and groom both lived at 208 Forsyth Street before marrying. Both were also white and single before the marriage. Vito was a barber and Francesca had no occupation. When they were married, Vito was 20 years old and Francesca was 18 years old. The groom was born in Marsala (Trapani), Italy to Serafino and Caterina Maltese. The bride was also born in Marsala (Trapani), Italy. Her parents were Sebastiano Zerilli and Maria Maltese. The witnesses to the marriage were Melchiorre Guastella and Giuseppissa Lisitra who lived at 263 Mulberry Street in Manhattan [32].

Vito Maltese died in June of 1970 in Flushing, Queens, New York in zip code 11368. His social security number was 079-05-8644. It was issued to him in New York before 1951 [33].



Serphin Maltese Grandson of Catherine Maltese and nephew of Lucy and Sara [34].

One of the grandsons of Catherine and Serafino Maltese, Serphin (Serf) R. Maltese, is a Republican New York State Senator for the 15th senatorial district (Queens, NY). He was born on December 7, 1932. Serf was first elected in November 1988 and was elected in 2006 to his 10th term. Serf is married to the artist and pianist Constance Mary DelVecchio Maltese, born in 1933. They married on August 27, 1955 and have been married for 52 years.


Serf and Constance have two daughters, Andrea Maltese Spanarkel and Leslie Maltese McGill, from whom they have 4 grandchildren.


Andrea and her husband Arthur Spanarkel have a daughter, Genevieve Frances Spanarkel.


Leslie and her husband Jim McGill have three children: Sondra Elizabeth, Eva Daly, and James Francis McGill III[35].

Constance DelVecchio Maltese is a renowned artist. She was born in Queens, NY in 1933. Her father was an Italian American and her mother was a German immigrant [36].

Here is a family photo

Maltese Family Photo [37].


Serf's brother, Vincent Maltese is the president of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Memorial Society.

From left granddaughter Eva, Constance, and Serf, From right Vincent Maltese [38].


References

  1. ↑ Italian Genealogical Society, http://italiangen.org/NYCDeathresults.asp?kind=sounds&Esurname=maltese&Efirst=catherine&StartYear=1911&EndYear=1911&County=M&B1=Submit. </li>
  2. ↑ Manhattan Death Certificates 1911, <i> Microfilm roll 775, numbers 9995-10952, Municipal Archives: New York City, 11423
  3. ↑ David Von Drehle, Triangle (New York: Grove Press, 2003), 277.
  4. ↑ Manhattan Death Certificates 1911, Microfilm roll 775, numbers 9995-10952, Municipal Archives: New York City, 11423
  5. ↑ Times News Weekly online, http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2006/Jan.-Mar.2006/033006/NewFiles/FACTORY.html .
  6. ↑ Italian Genealogical Society, http://italiangen.org/NYCDeathresults.asp?kind=sounds&Esurname=maltese&Efirst=lucia&StartYear=1911&EndYear=1911&County=M&B1=Submit. </li>
  7. ↑ Manhattan Death Certificates 1911, <i> Microfilm roll 775, numbers 9995-10952, Municipal Archives: New York City, 10230
  8. ↑ David Von Drehle, Triangle (New York: Grove Press, 2003), 277.
  9. ↑ Italian Genealogical Society, http://italiangen.org/NYCDeathresults.asp?kind=sounds&Esurname=maltese&Efirst=rosaria&StartYear=1911&EndYear=1911&County=M&B1=Submit. </li>
  10. ↑ Manhattan Death Certificates 1911, <i> Microfilm roll 775, numbers 9995-10952, Municipal Archives: New York City, 10231
  11. ↑ David Von Drehle, Triangle (New York: Grove Press, 2003), 277.
  12. ↑ Times News Weekly online, http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2006/Jan.-Mar.2006/033006/NewFiles/FACTORY.html .
  13. ↑ David Von Drehle, Triangle (New York: Grove Press, 2003), 168.
  14. ↑ Joanne Reitano, Restless City (New York: Taylor and Francis Group LLC, 2006), 108.
  15. ↑ Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives .
  16. ↑ Joanne Reitano, Restless City (New York: Taylor and Francis Group LLC, 2006), 119-120.
  17. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_712-0307&fn=Serafino&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4010219539 .
  18. ↑ National Archives Northeast Region, Southern District Court of New York Petitions for Naturalization Roll number 550 petition numbers 12677-127032, petition number 127001
  19. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=8944&iid=IMUSA1858_005-0141&rdb=nypl&fn=Serafino&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4010219539 .
  20. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_712-0307&fn=Serafino&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4010219539 .
  21. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=view&r=an&dbid=7733&iid=SOU_131-4100&fn=Serafino&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=1051478 .
  22. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_935-0595&fn=Vito&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4012706356 .
  23. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_957-0611&fn=Vito&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4012782304 .
  24. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_935-0595&fn=Vito&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4012706356 .
  25. ↑ corkal.com, http://www.corkal.com/sofia_hohenberg.htm .
  26. ↑ ancestry.com, http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYT715_957-0611&fn=Vito&ln=Maltese&st=r&ssrc=&pid=4012782304 .
  27. ↑ National Archives Northeast Region, Southern District Court of New York Petitions for Naturalization Roll number 648 petition numbers 150890-151119, petition number 150947
  28. ↑ Manhattan Marriage Certificates 1931, Microfilm roll 2214, numbers 22250-23420, Municipal Archives: New York City, 23026
  29. ↑ Manhattan Marriage Certificates 1931, Microfilm roll 2212, numbers 19750-21000, Municipal Archives: New York City, 20985
  30. ↑ ancestry.com, Florida Death Index 1877-1998 http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&gsfn=paolo&gsln=maltese&gsby=1905&gsb2co=5118%2cItaly&gsb2pl=1&gsd2co=2%2cUSA&gsd2pl=1%2cAll+States&sbo=0&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-b&requr=295041&ur=262144&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&recid=2876319&recoff=1+2&db=floridadeath&indiv=1 .
  31. ↑ ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&gsfn=paolo&gsln=maltese&gsby=1905&gsb2co=5118%2cItaly&gsb2pl=1&gsd2co=2%2cUSA&gsd2pl=1%2cAll+States&sbo=0&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-b&requr=295041&ur=262144&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&recid=45140951&recoff=1+2&db=ssdi&indiv=1, .
  32. ↑ Manhattan Marriage Certificates 1913, Microfilm roll 1309, numbers 17001-18250, Municipal Archives: New York City, 18238
  33. ↑ ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&=%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c&gsfn=vito&gsln=maltese&gsby=1892&gsb2co=5118%2cItaly&gsb2pl=1%2c+&gsdy=&gsd2co=2%2cUSA&gsd2pl=35%2cNew+York&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-b&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&recid=45141110&recoff=1+2&db=ssdi&indiv=1 .
  34. ↑ google images, http://www.vote-usa.org/images/Candidates/NYMalteseSerphinR.jpg .
  35. ↑ Senator S. Maltese website, http://www.senatorserfmaltese.com/15/Biography.aspx .
  36. ↑ Italian American Museum online, http://www.italianamericanmuseum.org/exhibitions/constance_exhibition/thejourny_5.htm .
  37. ↑ google images, http://senatorserfmaltese.org/wms/images/11/P1010030.JPG .
  38. ↑ http://cmaltese.homestead.com/bobbiandstrays.html
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