Heritage Consulting
Genealogy Research Services
Ciambra
October 2013
Ciambra Family
Ancestry
This session of research adds the colorful Italian side of the client’s lineage. Greg Richter’s mother,
Louiseann Theresa Ciambra, began life on August 22, 1935 in New York City. She blessed the home of
John Ciambra and Angelina Castelleneto, and she had a brother named John. From this premise of
information from family records, research began in the records of New York City. Additional generations
were identified, as well as specific places of origin in Italy. The following paragraphs explain the
research process and the findings.
The 1940 U. S. Federal Census is the most recent census available to the public. Louise A. Ciambia, age
four and born in New York, lived in New York City in the Borough of Queens. The section of town had
the name of Springfield Oak. Louise lived with her parents, John and Angelina Ciambra at 59 156 th
Avenue. Thirty-five year-old John worked as a dispatcher for a dredging company. He and thirty yearold Angelina had both finished eighth grade. Two doors away, at 55 156th Avenue, there is found
another Ciambra family, headed by Michael and Louisa Ciambra, age sixty-five and sixty respectively,
both born in Italy. Michael made his living as a tailor and owned his own tailoring business. It appears
that Louiseann was named after her grandmother. The two households consisted of these persons:1
Ciambra, John
“
Angelina
“
Louise A.
35
30
4
NY
NY
NY
dispatcher, dredging
Ciambra, Michael
“
Louisa
“
Rose P.
65
60
27
Italy
Italy
NY
tailor
operator, coat factory
1
Document 1: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1940, New York City, New York, Borough of Queens, E. D. 411521, Sheet 3A, Lines 15-17, Household #57, & Lines 21-28, Household #59.
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“
“
“
“
“
Frank M.
Molly
Elizabeth
Edward
Robert
Ciambra
October 2013
25
23
20
18
12
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
crane operator
beaut., beauty shop
floor girl, garter factory
handyman, sandpit
The occupations of each family member are so interesting, and give an idea of the hard working lifestyle
they lived. Additionally, both John and Michael Ciambra owned their homes. John rented out an
apartment to the young James Secondo family. Given the tight family customs of the Italians, it is
possible that this young Secondo family may be related.
The 1930 federal census confirms that John belonged to the family of Michael and Louisa Ciambra.
Several additional children were found in their home in that census year, including twenty-six year-old
John. The Ciambras resided at the same address as 1940, 55 156th Avenue:2
Ciambra, Michael
“
Louisa
“
Joseph
“
Anthony
“
John
“
Charles
“
Angelina
“
Rose
“
Frank
“
Molly
“
Elizabeth
“
Edward
“
Robert
53
48
30
28
26
23
19
18
15
13
11
9
2½
Italy
Italy
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
Tailor, own shop
chauffeur, gas co.
engineer, steam shovel
chauffeur, trucking
mechanic, auto
The 1930 census asks for the year of immigration, to which Michael and Louisa both responded ‘1895’.
This suggests that they may have been married in Italy and immigrated together. However, this census
also asks for the age at the time of first marriage for married adults. Michael reported that he had been
married at age twenty-five, and Louisa responded with age twenty, which suggests a marriage after
1895, closer to 1902. Both had become naturalized citizens of the U. S. by 1930.
The 1930 census finds Angelina ‘Casteleneto’ in the same Jamaica South area as the Ciambras. Twenty
year-old Angelina was the daughter of Joseph and Theresa Casteleneto, age sixty-four and fifty-four,
2
Document 2: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1930, New York City, New York, Borough of Queens, Jamaica
South, E. D. 41-1373, Sheet 1A, Lines 23-35, Family #30.
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October 2013
respectively, and both natives of Italy. Joseph had reportedly immigrated in 1896, and his wife Louisa in
1903. Neither had become naturalized citizens as of 1930. They owned their own home at 145 155 th
Street. Their family consisted of these persons:3
Casteleneto, Joseph
“
Theresa
“
Angelina
“
Frank
“
Carmella
“
Josephine
64
54
20
18
16
13
Italy
Italy
NY
NY
NY
NY
operator mch., paper box
chauffeur, road building
The 1925 New York State census finds Michael and Louisa Ciambra in the Springfield Docks section of
Queens, with ten children. New clues picked up from this state census include that Michael and Louisa
had been in the U. S. for twenty-five years, and that Michael had been naturalized in 1914 in Kings
County.4 These are valuable clues for finding documents pertaining to their places of origin in Italy.
Michael and Louise Ciambra lived in Brooklyn, Kings County at the time of the 1920 federal census
enumeration. In this census, Michael reported his year of immigration as 1893, and naturalization in
1913. These discrepancies are very typical. Louise is consistent with an immigration year of 1895. She
also naturalized in 1913, probably with her husband. The family resided at 22 Flint Street, and consisted
of these members:5
Ciambra, Michael
“
Louise
“
Joseph
“
Toney
“
John
“
Charles
“
Angelina
“
Rose
“
Frank
“
Mollie
47
38
19
18
16
12
8
6
5
4
Italy
Italy
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
NY
Tailor
Helper, Candy Factory
Teamster, Box Factory
3
Document 3: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1930, New York City, New York, Borough of Queens, Jamaica
South, E. D. 41-1439, Sheet 8B, Lines 55-60, Family #33.
4
Document 4: State of New York 1925 Census, New York City, Borough of Queens, E. D. 56, p. 26, Lines 24-35.
5
Document 5: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1920, Borough of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, E. D. 65,
Sheet 1A & B, Lines 45-54, Family #12.
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This census tells that John had not attended school within the last year, although his younger siblings
had. It is clear that the children went to school through about eighth grade and then dropped out to go
to work full time.
As required by law, all males born between 1873 and 1900 had to register for the World War I draft,
even if they were not U. S. citizens. Michael Ciambra registered on September 12, 1918, and gave his
exact birth date of December 25, 1875. He resided at 22 Flint Street, Brooklyn. The box is checked to
indicate his citizenship status as naturalized. Michael worked as an elevator operator at 100 Broadway,
New York City. He listed his nearest relative as Louisa Ciambra at the Flint Street address. His physical
description tells that he had medium height and build, black eyes and black hair. He signed his name as
‘Michele Ciambra’.6 Another piece of the puzzle is added with Michael’s exact birth date.
In 1910, the Ciambra family is again found in Brooklyn, headed by thirty-five year-old Michael, born in
Italy. He reported his year of immigration as 1896, and had not yet become a naturalized citizen. ‘Luisa’
reported an immigration year of 1899. Michael worked in a tailor shop. The family resided in a rental at
71 Main Street. Most of the children were listed with their Italian names, which had become Anglicized
in the later censuses:7
Ciambra, Michael
“
Luisa
“
Giuseppe (Joseph)
“
Tony
“
Giovani (John)
“
Carlo (Charles)
35
30
10
8
6
3
Italy
Italy
NY
NY
NY
NY
Tailor, Shop
The microfilmed original petition for naturalization of ‘Michele’ Ciambra has been located and included
with the documents. Dated May 16, 1904, the petition tells that Michele resided at 71 Main Street in
Brooklyn. His birth occurred on December 25, 1875 in Tarsia, Italy. He departed from Italy at the Port
of Naples about April 6, 1896, on the ship Alsatia. He arrived at the Port of New York on April 21, 1896.
His petition reveals that his wife Louise was born in Cervicata, Italy. Six children are listed for them, all
6
Document 6: Ancestry.com, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Michael Ciambra, Brooklyn, NY.
Document 7: Ancestry.com, U. S. Federal Census 1910, Borough of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, E. D. 16,
Sheet 16B, Lines 52-57, Family #299.
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October 2013
with exact birth dates, including Giovanni, born April 16, 1903. Michele signed the petition in his own
hand. He took the oath of citizenship and was sworn in as a U. S. citizen on July 31, 1913.8
From this marvelous record, we learn the towns of origin for both Michael and Louisa. Tarsia is located
in the Calabria region of Cosenza Province in southern Italy. It is a fairly small town with a population of
2,272 as of 2007.9 No place name of Cervicata in Italy could be identified in Internet searches, but a
town called Cervicati is located in the same Province of Cosenza, in the Calabria region. Even smaller
than Tarsia, it had a population of 955 in 2007. Cervicati is just a few miles west of Tarsia.
The Family History Library has microfilmed civil registration records for both towns, going back to 1809.
Our Italian research specialist will locate the families there. But first, we need to determine the maiden
name of Louisa. This can be done through the birth records of her children in New York. A few
possibilities have been identified from the index.
A couple of discrepancies are noted between the list of children in the naturalization record, and the
censuses. The fifth child listed in the naturalization record is Angelo, born September 22, 1910, and the
sixth child appears to be Prodesino, born May 7, 1912. The censuses for 1920 through 1940, including
the 1925 state census, list two daughters after Charles, namely Angelina and Rose, whose ages roughly
fit the above 1910 and 1912 birth dates. Birth records for New York City are not available for persons
born after 1909, for privacy reasons. Therefore, we cannot use the birth certificates to settle the name,
birth date and gender discrepancies.
But since there are four censuses in agreement, and the
naturalization record stands alone as the source of discrepancy, the names Angelina and Rose have been
added to the database for generating pedigree charts and family group sheets.
Historical newspapers are being made available at an increasing pace through subscription websites.
Two of the children of Michael and Louisa Ciambra have been identified in the newspaper obituaries,
namely Angelina and Robert. Both obituaries come from the New Haven Register in Connecticut.
Angelina Ciambra Pucillo died at age eighty-nine, on February 25, 2000. The obituary does not provide
her parents’ names, but gives the list of her siblings as Frank, Joseph, Charles, Anthony, John, Edward
and Peter Ciambra, Millie Sorrentino, Rose Tagliarini, and Elizabeth Barge. Her brother Robert Ciambra
8
Document 8: Final Petition and Citizenship Papers, 1865-1958, U. S. District Court, New York Eastern District,
Volume 41, #9952. FHL Film #2231924
9
Document 9: www.wikipedia.org, Tarsia, Italy.
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of West Haven, Connecticut survived her.10 The name Peter is not seen in any of the census records,
and may have died very young.
Robert Ciambra’s obituary from the same newspaper reveals that he died March 29, 2013, just a few
months before the writing of this research report. His birth took place on November 24, 1927, to
parents Michael and Louise Orico Ciambra. He was the youngest of thirteen children.11 The names of
twelve children are known, including Peter. Angelina’s obituary lists thirteen children, but Charles is
listed twice.
The index to Kings County births does indeed list a Pietro Ciambra, born December 23, 1908. Cross
checking the Kings County death index, Pietro Ciambra, age one year, died December 9, 1909. Pietro’s
birth record was located in the Family History Library’s collection, and it gave his parents’ names as
Michele Ciambra and Luisa Orrico. The family resided at 79 Main Street.12 The maiden name is spelled
differently than in the obituary, but consistent enough to be identified in the records of Italy. Little
Pietro died just a few days short of his first birthday, on December 9, 1909. He succumbed to
pneumonia and asthma. Here his parents’ names are given as Michael ‘Ciambro’ and Louisa ‘Orco’, still
residing at 79 Main Street in Brooklyn.13 Pietro/Peter has been added to the family database.
Other birth records of children in this family were noted in the index, and located in the microfilm
collection. Giuseppe (Joseph) Ciambra’s birth record is written in Italian. His birth occurred on January
3, 1900, parents ‘Michelo’ Ciambra and Luisa Orrico, both born in ‘Italia’. The family resided at 49 Front
Street at that time.14
Antonio (Tony) Ciambra started life on June 8, 1901, while his parents were living at 35 Main Street.
Their names are written as Michelo Ciambra and Luisa Orrica.15 Carlo ‘Ciambro’, son of ‘Michelo
Ciambro’ and Luisa ‘Orrica’, was born March 14, 1907. The family lived at the 79 Main Street address by
10
Document 10: GenealogyBank.com, New Haven Register, Sunday, February 27, 2000, Obituary of Angelina
Ciambra Pucillo.
11
Document 11: GenealogyBank.com, New Haven Register, Sunday, April 1, 2013, Obituary of Robert Ciambra.
12
Document 12: State of New York Certificate of Birth, Pietro Ciambra, 23 Dec 1908, Brooklyn, Kings County,
Certificate #41568. FHL Film #2022373
13
Document 13: State of New York Certificate of Death, Pietro Ciambra, 9 Dec 1909, Brooklyn, Kings County,
Certificate #22680. FHL Film #1324201
14
Document 14: State of New York Certificate of Birth, Giuseppe Ciambra, 3 Jan 1900, Brooklyn, Kings County,
Certificate #335. FHL Film #1984575
15
Document 15: State of New York Certificate of Birth, Antonio Ciambra, 8 Jun 1901, Brooklyn, Kings County,
Certificate #9810. FHL Film #1984860
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1907.16 Oddly, the index did not show a birth record for John/Giovanni Ciambra, even allowing for
variant spellings.
The index to death records showed Michele Ciambra, who died in Queens on November 14, 1946. The
microfilmed death certificates cover just beyond 1946, so his certificate was available. It is a much more
modern format and gives quite a bit more detail than those of the early 1900’s. The date of birth,
December 25, 1875, confirms that this is indeed the ancestor. He died at the age of seventy years,
eleven months and seventeen days. His wife’s name is listed as Louise, and she was apparently still
living. Michele worked as a tailor, and resided in Queens at 177-41 Troutville Road, where he had lived
for five years. He died of a cerebral thrombosis (blood clot in the brain) and also suffered from
arteriosclerosis. The most exciting item of information is his parents’ names: Joseph Ciambra and
Giovannia Todaro. No exact places of birth are given, just ‘Italy’, but the naturalization record has
already supplied the name of the town as Tarsia. Joseph Ciambra, Michael’s son, gave the information
for the death certificate. Michael rests in Holy Rood Cemetery.17
Research in the records of New York has located ample information for finding the ancestry family
members in the records of Italy. Our Italian research specialist can now study the records of Tarsia and
Cervicati, in order to extend the lineage there. We look forward to the results of his efforts. At some
future point in time, the Castelleneto ancestry should be pursued, in order to balance out the family
tree. It has been our pleasure to research these ancestors, and we look forward to further success in
the future.
Stan Lindaas, Professional Genealogist
Heritage Consulting
16
Document 16: State of New York Certificate of Birth, Carlo Ciambra, 14 Mar 1907, Brooklyn, Kings County,
Certificate #8256. FHL Film #1992591
17
Document 17: State of New York Certificate of Death, Michele Ciambra, 14 Mar 1946, New York City, Borough of
Queens, Certificate #9152. FHL Film #2194492
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