Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri (1860 - 1926)

Born 13 Jan 1860 in Corleone, Palermo, Sicily

Ancestors

Wife of Paolo Soldano — married 20 Feb 1884 in Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Descendants

Died 29 Jan 1926 at age 66 in Corona, Queens County, New York, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Justin Cascio [send private message]

Biography

Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcusi is born in Corleone at 11 AM on 13 January 1860 in Corleone and baptized the same day, the daughter of Antonino Paparcuri and Nicolina Canali.

Maria Grazia Bernarda has an older sister named Maria Grazia, born 1853. The evidence from later US Census records suggest a birth year of 1862 for our ancestor, wife of Paolo Soldano; this record for Maria Grazia Bernarda has been the closest match. I may yet find another baptismal record for Antonio and Nicolina, as families of this time commonly lose children young and then baptize subsequent children with the same names.

Maria Grazia marries Paolo Soldano (sometimes Giordano or Sordano), on 20 February 1884. When they marry, Maria Grazia's father and Paolo's mother have both passed away.

The civil marriage record for Paolo gives his last name as Giordano, and the Church record calls him Sordano. According to the civil record, Paolo Giordano, celibe (bachelor), age 34 (b. 1850), falegname (joiner/carpenter), born in and resident of Corleone, son of Emmanuele, and of the late Maria Grazia Cinquemani, marries Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri, nubile (virgin), age 24 (b. 1860), casalinga (housewife), born in and resident of Corleone, daughter of the late Antonino and of Nicolina Canali, on 20 February 1884. Their Church marriage is of the same date.

Maria Grazia and Paolo have five children. In US records, as well as in great uncle Joseph's telling, she is known as Mary Soldano. They are my great-great grandparents. Cascio-10 16:07, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Their daughter Nicolina is born on 28 November 1887 and baptized on 4 December. Her parents are recorded as Paulo Giordano and Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri. Her godparents are her uncle and aunt, Friderico Paparcuri and Calogera, his unmarried sister. (Calogera's vital records have not yet been found, so she does not have a WikiTree profile.)

The 1920 Census indicates that Mary immigrates in 1905.

A 1905 Census record shows Grazia Soldano, age 34 (b. 1871), newly arrived in the country (having been here for 7/12 of a year, as have her 3 children with her: two daughters, the oldest also named Grazia, age 18 (b. 1887); and Lena, age 16 (b. 1889); and son Manuel, age 15 (b. 1890). The mother Grazia is at home, the two daughters work as operators, and Manuel is a barber.

The family is living in Assembly District: 32 Election District: 21, which contains East 106th and 107th Streets, First and Second Avenues. This particular block is charted in David Critchley's book on organized crime in America, as the home of a number of known members of the Mafia at this time.

In 1906, Salvatore Provenzano, one of Maria Grazia's nephews, joins her at 327 E. 106th St.

Grazia marries Nicolo' Cascio, also from Corleone, in New York on 24 October 1909.

In the 1910 federal census of Manhattan, taken 15 April, Maria Gracia Sordono, 48 (b. 1862), a widower, heads a household at 167 106th St with her children Nicoline, 22 (b. 1888), Manuel, 20 (b. 1890), Antonina, 17 (b. 1893), and Tony, 16 (b 1894), and her nephew Salvatore Provenzano, 20 (b. 1890). All were born in Italy. Maria Gracia has had 6 children, 5 living. Nicoline and Antonina are dressmakers in a factory. Manuel owns his own barber shop. Salvatore is a plasterer in the building industry.^[1]

In the 1920 census, Mary Soldano is living with her daughter, Lena's family. Charles Di Palermo, age 34, born in Italy and his wife Lena, age 31, also born in Italy. Their children, born in New York: Lena (the same age as Biagina/Jean), age 5, Philip, age 1, Paul, age 0. Mary is age 58 (b. 1862). All of these ages match what I've found in other sources. Charles has filed his papers for citizenship.

Mary's daughter, Lucy, 27, lives nearby with her husband, Louis, 33, and their first child, Joseph, eight months. Louis works in a laundry.^[2]

Death of Maria Grazia

Maria Grazia Bernarda (Mary) Paparcuri Soldano dies at her home at 9604 Northern Blvd., Corona, Queens, on 29 January 1926, at age 65. She died from atrophic cirrhosis of the liver, of two years' duration, and a contributory cause of myocarditis (one year). She was born in Italy on 14 January 1861, and has lived in the US and NYC for 22 years. She is the daughter of Antonino Paparcuri and Nicolina Canale, both of Italy. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, NY.^[3] She was a widow. The executor is her son, Emanuel Soldano.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Census image received from Sheri Provenzano by email on 29 January 2020. ~~~~
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJ1W-DQV : accessed 10 April 2016), Louis Cascio, Manhattan Assembly District 18, New York, New York, United States; citing sheet 8B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,219.
3. ↑ Certificate of death no. 634. Retrieved from https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/12093257
4. ↑ New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Death Certificates; Borough: Queens; Year: 1926 Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: 2020.

Birth certificate of Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri, 15 January 1860 (in her 1884 marriage allegati)

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32379-2579-86?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-F68:351055601,352253401,352366601 : accessed 10 Jun 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1883-1887 > image 1190 of 2998; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Baptism of Maria Gratia Bernarda Paparcuri, 13 January 1860

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11610-136988-22?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-K68:351041801,351041802,351125301 : accessed 01 Apr 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1858-1863 > image 176 of 388; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Certificato di defissione, Paolo Giordano and Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri, 19 February 1884

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32379-2544-61?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-F68:351055601,352253401,352366601 : accessed 10 Jun 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1883-1887 > image 1187 of 2998; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Atti di matrimonio, Record No. 21, Paolo Giordano and Maria Grazia Bernarda Paparcuri, 20 February 1884

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32358-18854-31?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-DTL:351055601,352253401,352269501 : accessed 24 Apr 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Nati, pubblicazioni, matrimoni, cittadinanze, morti 1882-1893 > image 746 of 3063; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Marriage of Paulus Sordano and Maria Gratia Bernarda Paparcuri, 20 February 1884

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11622-19347-54?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-L29:351041801,351041802,351107101 : accessed 16 Oct 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Matrimoni 1872-1887 > image 405 of 535; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Baptism of Nicolina Giordano, record no. 642, 4 December 1887

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-66663-41?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SP6:351041801,351041802,351287601 : accessed 05 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1884-1888 > image 314 of 398; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Baptism of Antonino Soldano, 17 February 1894

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-64945-42?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPD:351041801,351041802,351292901 : accessed 27 Mar 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1889-1895 > image 346 of 427; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

1905 census

• "New York, State Census, 1905," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-159385-46937-96?cc=1463113 : accessed 17 Mar 2014), New York > Manhattan > A.D. 32, E.D. 21 > image 65 of 78.

1920 census

• "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJ1W-DQJ : accessed 16 Mar 2014), Mary Soldano in household of Charles Di Calerno, Manhattan Assembly District 18, New York, New York, United States; citing sheet 8B, family 152, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1821219.

Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931. Taylor and Francis (Routledge): New York, 2009.

Personal interview with Joseph Cascio, October 2001. Conducted by Michelle Cascio.

Ragusa, James M. The Ancestors and Descendants of Vincenzo (James) Ragusa (1870-1952) and Related Sibling Families (Before 1676-Present). Unpublished review copy dated 2015 March.