Giuseppe Casassa (1896 - 1964)

Born 30 Jan 1896 in Audun-le-Tiche, Moselle, Lorraine, France

Ancestors

Died 15 Jul 1964 at age 68 in Rathbun, Appanoose, Iowa, United States

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Biography

Giuseppe Casassa has Italian Roots.

Giuseppe "Joe" Casassa was born on January 30, 1896 and died on July 15, 1964. ^[1] He is the son of Marco Casassa and Marie Goffo.

Giuseppe "Joe" Casassa and his wife Rose Bonel, along with his parents, are mentioned in the book titled "Marchello and Goffo and Related Families" published in 1995. Their story follows with the author's (Robert Bradley Clark) permission. The story follows.

"Marie Goffo married Marco Casassa. Marco was born September 24, 1865 in Coassolo, Italy in the province of Torino. His parents were Giuseppe “Joseph” and Marie Casassa. The Casassa family lived near the Goffo family in the Torino area of Italy. They brought Marie’s father, Pieto Goffo, milk and food when Pieto was ill and the some of the Goffo children were young.

Marco and Marie were married in France where Marco was working as a miner. They had one son who died in infancy while they were in France. He was the first person to be buried in the cemetery and it was named after this young boy. A second son, Giuseppe “Joseph”, was born January 30, 1896, and their daughter Margherita was born October 17, 1900. She was born in Audun-le-Tiche, Moselle which is located in the Alsace Loraine region of France. Joseph may have been born in the same area.

Giuseppe Casassa migrated from Italy to United States.

Giuseppe Casassa was an Iowan.

Marco came to the United States in 1906. He left behind a brother and a sister and his parents. He worked and saved his money so that he could bring his wife and children to America. After a year he had money and sent for them. They came through Ellis Island in New York harbor during October 1907. When they came to the U.S. on a ship young Margherita and Joseph would watch the waiter bring others food. They were shy, hungry children. Occasionally, the waiter would give them a little of the food. When the Casassa family arrived in the U.S. they moved to Jerome, Iowa. They lived with the Michael and Secunda Goffo family for some time. Michael was the older brother to Marie.

Marco worked as a coal miner around Jerome. Marie and Marco also had a two-story boarding house which Marie ran for many years. When Marco retired as a miner he received a pension of $60 per month beginning June 28, 1948. He was in district number 13, Local No. 933 of the United Mine Workers of America.

Family members referred to Marco Casassa as Barba Casassa rather than Barba Marco. No one is quite sure why. He had a big trunk and he always had long pieces of licorice in it. When kids stopped for a visit he gave them a tasty piece of licorice. He was very popular with the kids. Deloris Marchello and Jo Balagna enjoyed many treats from Barba Casassa. Olga and Josy Nobile also experienced the pleasures of a visit to their aunt and uncle many times.

Giuseppe 'Joe' Casassa and Rose Bonel Casassa

Margherita [Casassa Goffo] always remarked how her dad loved kids. During her later years she would always speak fondly of her father... as if he was there. Her memories of him were so clear. His humor and love left a wonderful permanent mark on her life. Marco lived with his daughter the last few years of his life. Marie was know to many as Mia Mayng (Muh-yeng). Mia is Aunt in Italian. Mayng was a nickname whose origins have long been forgotten. Marie died November 20, 1931 and Marco died October 9, 1948. They are buried in the Jerome cemetery.

Joseph had the nickname “Pinote” and was also called Joe. He married Rose Bonel December 25, 1918. They lived in Rathbun, Iowa. Rose was born March 27, 1899. They had no children but did adopt a daughter named Rosalie who never married. Joe worked at the foundry - a hot metal works business which made the Hercules stump pullers and a variety of metal things. This was also where Marion Azzaline worked for a time. Joe gave Bradley and Bruce Clark little metal dogs made at the foundry. Later, Joe was a maintenance man at St. Joseph Hospital in Centerville, Iowa. Joe died July 15, 1964 and Rose died in 1979. They are buried in the Oakland Cemetery." ^[2]

Coming to America aboard "La Savoie"

La Savoie in Le Havre, France

Marie Goffo Casassa and her children Giuseppe and Margherita, started their journey to America when they travelled by train to Le Havre, France. There they boarded the steam ship La Savoie, operated by Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The ship was relatively new as it launched in 1901. It was 580 feet long and transported a small city of 1,055 passengers. The Casassa family departed from Havre, France on October 19, 1907 and arrived in New York City on October 26, 1907.

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal

When the Casassa family arrived in New York City harbor they joined the throngs that unloaded at Ellis Island and lined up in queues for processing. They went from one awkward medical inspection to the next. Fortunately, they passed the inspections and were ready to enter the United States. Next, they transferred via ferry to the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal in nearby Jersey City, New Jersey. ^[3] There they boarded a train and headed for Seymour, Iowa to meet up with Marco Casassa, the husband of Marie Casassa. Marco came to Iowa in 1906 and was working as a coal miner.

Maria (Goffo) Casassa Vigna - Age: 33; Female; Married; Farm Laborer; Can read and write; From: Coassolo, Italy; Name and address of nearest relative in country whence alien came: Aunt Paulina Goffo, Coassolo Torinse, Torino; Final Destination: Seymour, Iowa.

[Note 1: Casassa Vigna. This last name appears in several documents when the Casassa family comes to the United States but the Vigna portion of the name falls into disuse. No record has been found explaining this but it is probably the simplification process in a new world. The Vigna name has been used in the area that is Belgium from the 1500's to modern times. Italian Casassa families were working in the Alsace-Lorraine area back into the 1800's and possibly earlier. These areas border each other. Could an early marriage between a Casassa and a Vigna have produced a Casassa Vigna family line? This seems very possible.]

[Note 2: her aunt Paulina Goffo was Paulina Fornengo Goffo, wife of Battista Goffo. Marie's parent's were known to be deceased at this time and evidently Battista Goffo deceased. Battista Goffo was a blood relative to Marie and would have been listed if he was living, rather Paulina who was an aunt by marriage.]

Giuseppe Casassa - Age: 11; Male; Single; Occupation none; Can read and write; From: Coassolo, Italy; Name and address of nearest relative in country whence alien came: Aunt Paulina Goffo, Coassolo Torinse, Torino; Final Destination: Seymour, Iowa.

Margharita Casassa - Age: 6; Female; Single; Occupation none; Read and write no entry; From: Coassolo, Italy; Name and address of nearest relative in country whence alien came: Aunt Paulina Goffo, Coassolo Torinse, Torino; Final Destination: Seymour, Iowa. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/164085433/joseph-casassa : accessed 05 April 2022), memorial page for Joseph Casassa (30 Jan 1896–15 Jul 1964), Find A Grave: Memorial #164085433, citing Oakland Cemetery, Centerville, Appanoose County, Iowa, USA ; Maintained by gensekr (contributor 46944074) .
2. ↑ Marchello and Goffo and Related Families. Page 58.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Central_Railroad_of_New_Jersey_Terminal&oldid=1088757888 (accessed June 18, 2022).
4. ↑ New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957. Year: 1907; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 27; Page Number: 40. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYT715_1025-0526?pId=4010957393

See also:

• "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJFF-VTB : 18 October 2017), Marko Casassa in entry for Joe Casassa and Rosie Bonel, 25 Dec 1918, Jerome, Iowa, United States; citing reference P 109, county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,674,115.

• Clark, Brad. Marchello and Goffo and Related Families. West Des Moines, Iowa: Brad Clark Publisher, 1995.

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8YT-5JF : 1 February 2021), Joe Casassa, 1920.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMRY-WH7 : 6 January 2021), Joe Casassa, Rathbun, Appanoose, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 4-31, sheet 2A, line 25, family 25, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1137.