The Andrew Tucciarone Family
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THE ANDREW TUCCIARONE FAMILY 1800 – 1993 Dedicated to our parents Andrew and Rosaline Scarpine Tucciarone One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever. Ecclesiastes We leave the family history, delivered down from generation to generation, as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn. Adapted from Joseph Addison Compiled by Adeline Tucciarone Ackerman and Anna Mae Tucciarone Tomillo 1993 ANDREA TUCCIARONE The past is but the beginning of the beginning… H. G. Wells Where did our ancestors come from? How did they live? When did they come to America? These and many other questions have been voiced by the descendants of Andrea and Rosaline Scarpine Tucciarone. This chronicle aims to answer these questions and leave some remembrances of the descendants living in the 19th and 20th centuries. So this is the beginning, but the beginning begins in Italy. All that is known of the Tucciarone family begins with Guiseppi, the progenitor of a long line of Tucciarones in the United States. Guiseppi Tucciarone married Maria Antonia Piembia cir. 1800 cir. 1805 Biagio Tucciarone married Theresa Paparella cir. 1834 cir. 1840 Guiseppi, Concetta, Andrea, Guiditta, Daniel b.1874 married Rosaline Scarpine b. 1882 1 Andrea’s grandfather, Guiseppi, was born in Tufo, a Small town in the Provincia de Caserta, Italy, around 1800. Tufo is located north of Naples and south of Rome. Guiseppi’s son, Biagio, and Biagio’s son, Andrea, were also born in Tufo. As far as is known, Tufo was the birthplace of many past generations of Tucciarones. The way of life has changed very little from Grandfather Guiseppi’s time to that of his grandchildren, but Italy itself was changing. In the years preceding 1861, Italy was fighting for a united nation. It was at this time that Garibaldi (1807-82) was marching through Italy gathering one thousand volunteers to fight to unify Italy. In 1861 Italy was united and Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed King. Only the Papal Sates were outside the Kingdom. Conceivably Biagio could have been part of Garibaldi’s army or at least part of the turmoil then in Italy. (For future family history buffs, to help put the years into perspective, historical facts will be added throughout.) (Historical fact: Italy became a republic in 1946, two years after World War II ended. In America, Andrea and Rosaline told their children tales of the courage and valor of Garibaldi. He was a hero to the parents. In their minds the children equated him with Washington or Lincoln. Andrea Tucciarone’s birth record states he was born on April 4, 1874. He claimed he was born on March 31, 1874. He was born in Tufo, Provincia de Caserta, Italy, in a small two-story stone house. Tufo was a small town with narrow streets paved with stone and lined with small shops. In Tufo the name “Tucciarone” was well known. Interestingly, there is a street, a bridge, and a building bearing the name “Tucciarone.” (Historical fact: Andrea was born while Ulysses S. Grant was president of the United States and ten years after Lincoln was assassinated.) During World War II, the citizens of the town ran to the hills and hid in the caves to escape from the bombardment of shells. Andrea’s house was damaged. The family were land-owning peasants whose livelihood came fro m farming. They owned a masseria (farm) on the outskirts of Tufo which was named Tre Cipole (Three Onions). How or why it got this name is now known. During the busiest times the men of the family stayed at Tre Cipolli, going home occasionally. On Tre Cipolle a variety of vegetables were raised: cece (chick peas), fava, lentils, peas, beans, peppers, tomatoes, onions, greens, corn, wheat, and many others. Olives, figs, nuts, oranges, lemons, prickly pears, a fruit called “shu-shell” (which possibly is St. John’s bread), and, of course, grapes were grown. The grapes were made into wine and raisins and the olives into oil. In addition to the goats and sheep, there were working animals on the farm. These were the jackasses and oxen and cows for plowing. Most of the time the land was spaded. Only the wealthy had horses. The standard working animal was the jackass. Two-wheeled carts were pulled by oxen, cows, and jackasses. The jackasses also carried loads on their backs, and sometimes barrels—one on each side. Wheat was planted in rows and hoed. Vegetables were planted between the rows of wheat and also hoed. Every bit of land was used– none wasted. Inasmuch as most of the land was spaded, the Tucciarone family, by necessity, needed outside help on the masseria. The hired workers, who were paid ten cents a day and sometimes less, worked from sunset to sundown and were given three meals a day. The main meal at noon, cooked in a large kettle on the premises, was usually beans with oil, accomp anied with bread and onions and wine. At times the workers were encouraged by the padrone to eat more onions say “Mange, mange I cipolla” (Eat, eat the onions) because they were cheaper than the beans. Other fare consisted of bread brushed with olive oil, 2 sprinkled with red pepper and eaten with formaggio di picorina (cheese made of sheep’s milk), and other ethnic foods. The priests in the small towns in Italy had great control over the people. They periodically visited the landowners and continuously asked for contributions—usually in garden produce. The priests laid down the law and the peasants were expected to obey. This made for much ill-feelings among the peasants and the priests for the peasants felt the priests were too demanding. Italy was a poor country; the peasants were struggling; the priests were struggling. Andrea’s brother, Guiseppi, came to the United States but then returned to Italy. Guiseppi’s son, Palmarino, immigrated to Toronto, Canada, and his son, Biagio, came to New York City. This accounts for the number of Tucciarones in New York and Canada. Several years later Andrea’s brother, Daniel, immigrated to the United States and settled in New York and later Ohio. A number of years later Guiseppi’s daughter, Theresa, also left Italy and settled in Ohio. On May 22, 1896, Andrea left his native land, leaving from the port of Naples on the S.S. Algeria, arriving in New York on June 8, 1896. (Historical fact: The Statue of Liberty was erected in 1886, ten years before Andrea came to America.) He left behind his mother, two brothers, and two sisters. His father died when Andrea was ten years old. According to the United States Census Bureau of 1900, Andrea was listed as born in 1875, came to the United States in 1896 and was married in 1899. The birth record of the 1900 census is inaccurate. He told of crossing the Atlantic, a journey of eighteen days. He arrived at Ellis Island where he went through customs and a health examination. While in New York Andrea boarded in homes with other Italian immigrants. He worked as a laborer for one year in New York but he disliked living in the city. He wanted to live in the country. While living in a boarding house he became friends with another immigrant named Maurizio. Maurizio convinced Andrea to go with him to Sharon, Pennsylvania, thus getting away from the big city. It was in Sharon in 1899 that Andrea met Rosaline Scarpine who was a distant cousin of Maurizio’s. This is the story Andrea told to his children of their meeting: When Rosaline first saw this stalwart young man of 5’10” with his back wavy hair, dark brown eyes and handlebar mustache, she fell on her knees before him and begged him to marry her because he was so handsome. They were married on August 8, 1899, in Sacred Heart Church in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Their first home was at 40 Hickory Street in Sharon. Together they began their new life in this country. (Historical fact: At the time of their marriage, McKinley was president of the United States, and America was involved in the Spanish American War.) EXPLANATION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF ANDREA TUCCIARONE CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH The undersigned officials of the Civil State do hereby certify that in the records of the year 1874, month of April, Fourth day, one Andrea Tucciarone was born to Biagio, (Father) and Paparella Teresa (Mother). Above information verified by the approved officials from the original records. 3 Official of the Civil State, Colletta. (Signed) Minturno, Italy, June 5, 1939 Province of Littoria ROSALINE SCARPINE With years, a richer life begins… J. T. Towbridge Joseph Scarpine m. Rosaline ? Frank Ross m. Theresa ? c.b.1834 c.b. 1838 c.b. 1836 c.b. 1840 Nicholas m. Philomena c.b. 1852 c.b. 1862 Mary, Rosaline, Theresa, Joseph b. 1882 m. Andrea Tucciarone b. 1874 Rosaline Scarpine’s birth certificate states she was born on December 3, 1882, in Colobraro, Provincia di Potenza, Baslicata, Italy, now the Provincia de Matera. (Historical fact: Victor Emmanuel was king of Italy and Chester A. Arthur was president of the United States following the assassination of President James Garfield.) Noting the dates of the birth of her grandfathers, it is conceivable that they may have been in Garibaldi’s volunteer army to unify Italy. Although Rosaline’s birth certificate states her birthday as December 3, 1882, she maintained her birthdate was December 22. Colobraro, a small mountain town, is located forty miles inland from the eastern coast of Bari.