I need to get back on this one...I think everyone looks good except the Fillipo and Montana pieces.

Edit to remove info and add comment..............

John you're probably right that the manifests I posted for LaBarbera's going to uncle Filippo Montana are incorrect for your family.

What pieces are we missing for this thread.

I just need to find some mikssing relatives (living) to see if they can verify what we found, no doubt the manifest for Antonio/John is correct he is my uncle.

I found the birth record of Agnese , my cousins sent it from Sicily also. There is no annotation that she got married. The cousins do not know anything about her and think she may have died without being married. I need to follow-up with the civil aoffice to see if John indeed went back to Bagheria and married Buttita and had sons. My mom says she clearly remembers meeting Uncle John in circa 1956 and he stated to my Mom he had a daughter named Bessie. Can you PM me any living relatives info you find?

John this may or may not be something. I've been checking on coal mining in Chicago and all mining was in suburban Chicago areas. This link has a town that had a macaroni factory AND was big into coal mining also. If you scroll to the bottom of the first page you will see a picture of the macaroni factory and there is also a listing of every vein for mining in that town. I believe you can contact via email and have them check records for John. I'm going to try and search for a census in that town to see if we can locate him.

www.braidwood.us/

Elizabeth, this is really cool....I sent an email with fingers crossed....I also have sent letters to LaBarbera's in Denver and Las Vegas to see if there is any connection...will let you know!!!

I think, based on the obituaries that Laura found, you'll probably have some luck in Vegas. Fingers and toes crossed for you.

img100.imageshack.us/i...ionnu8.jpg

This article says he had 6 children, the obits said he had 5 when he died so it is close, and maybe one of his other children passed before him.

On page one of this thread, Laura had posted info from the IG forum listing deaths and names etc. These are the names of the 6 children I believe...........John Jr., Tom, Vito, Anthony, Bessie and Nina. Back check me and see if it's correct.

yep u got it...

Today I received a letter from a cousin in Springfield, Il, she was married to John LaBarbara (sic) son Thomas Patrick, who died in 1973. In the letter she pretty much confirmed everything we discovered above! I also received from a Springfield researcher in the same mailbox (unbelievable coincidence) all the obits for the Springfield names we listed, and there is addtional confirmation about what we stated above. Laura you were right, John married twice, his second wife Mary was a Buttita, she left nehind a brother in Sicily named Anthony, and his first wife Catherine was a Prinzavalli(?). Vito LaBarbera's obit syas his garndparents were M/M Vito Prinzavalli who lived in Springfield at the time of his death.

More later!

Great news John. A few more pieces of the puzzle. I browsed the manifests for Prinzavalli's and there were several plus a few that were misspelled. What year would Catherine have been born?

Elizabeth

Catherine was shown as 22 on the 1910 Census that Laura found. So I guess that puts her at born 1888. Also I am sure that on that census is John's brother Tony. The birth date for Tony based on the census age matches the birth record I have for Tony.

On her son John's obit (sept 1974) it lists the following surviving relatives: sister Mrs Bessie McFadden, Springfield,IL; 2 brothers Anthony of Carson City NV and Thomas of Denver CO; 2 aunts Mrs Grace Herndon of Springfield and Mrs Josephine Combs of Jensen Beach FLA. one uncle Sam Prinzavalli of Springfield.

On her son Vito's obit (dec 1940) surviving relatives are: 2 sisters Bessie and Nina, 4 brothers Thomas (CO), John, Tony and Mouse of Springfield. Grandparents M/M Vito Prinzivahli of Springfield, and several aunts and uncles.

On Bessie McFadden obit (Sept 1982) it says she was the dauther of John and Nancy Buttitta LaBarbara. Maybe Ignazia Buttitta became Nancy Mary but her obit say Mary. Bessie lists: deceased husband Claire Eldon McFadden; 2 deceased brothers John LaBarbara Jr and Thomas "Mas" LaBarbara. One deceased sister Nina LaBarbara. Surviving are: 1 daughter Mrs Richard Nancie Gray of Springfield; 2 grandsons; 2 brothers Anthony "Tony" LaBarbara Carson City NV and Thomas LaBarbara Denver CO.

Possible manifests for Caterina
www.ellisisland.org/EI...&line=0012

This one is the text manifest.......the wrong manifest comes up for her name........can someone with a subscription to ancestry please try to find the actual manifest
www.ellisisland.org/se...2485160393

www.ellisisland.org/EI...&line=0007

This one she didn't sail but says she was a wife (age 17)
www.ellisisland.org/EI...&line=0008

Do any of these look like possibilities John?

Billie, on Ancestry I find her seven times:

Caterina Prinzivalli 15 Oct 1903 abt 1886 Palermo Italian (South) (Italian) Città Di Napoli

Caterina Prinzivalli 9 Jul 1903 abt 1886 Palermo Italian (South) (Italian) Citta di Napoli

Caterina Prinzivalli 2 Sep 1905 abt 1886 Palermo Italian (South) (Italian) Calabria

Caterina Prinzivalli 18 Dec 1905 abt 1886 Palermo, Italy Italian (South) (Italian) Algeria


Caterina Prinzivalli 9 Jan 1910 abt 1909 Palermo, Italy Italian (South) (Italian) Perugia

Caterina Prinzivalli 9 Jan 1910 abt 1909 Palermo, Italy Italian (South) (Italian) Perugia

Caterina Prinzivalli 21 Mar 1911 abt 1905 Palermo, Italy Italian (South) (Italian) San Giorgio

I don't know if this is useful or not!
Skype me if you want me to look at each entry!