DeAngelo/Bellone Genealogy Page

Introduzione 

CIAO!

My name is Tom DeAngelo, and I was born in Brooklyn in 1958. I live in Staten Island, NY, with my wife Maureen and our two children, Michelle and Thomas. I am a 2^nd, 3^rd AND 4^th generation Italian-American, which will be explained further within these pages.

The main goals of this site are:

For many years, I have regretted not learning more about the history of Italians and Italian-Americans, my ancestors. I have especially regretted not learning to speak Italian while my maternal grandfather, Antonino Bellone (1908-1991), was alive.

It was also my wish that there would be some Continuing Education program offering courses in Italian History, Culture and Language. When it did not appear this would ever happen, I decided to scour the directories at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and the N.Y. Public Library to learn on my own. Reading books like 'Blood of My Blood', 'La Storia', 'Christ in Concrete' and 'Unto the Sons' made me wonder: who were these people that came before me, and how did their journeys contribute to who I am?

This led me to the Internet, where I began a search that took me nearly two years, and ultimately led me to visit long-departed places and unlock many of the secrets of who I am, and why I'm here.

My father's family hails from a town of about 300 in the central Italian region of Abruzzo called Castel Di Ieri, in L'Aquila province. The town is approximately 75 miles east of Rome, although it was inaccessible from the capital until the railroads were built in the early 20^th century. My grandfather, Rocco DeAngelis (1894-1979) came to America at the age of 17. He initially emigrated to Braddock, PA (near Pittsburgh) and worked at the Edgar Thomson Steelworks. His surname was changed to DeAngelo when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during W.W.I. (Ironically, the name had apparently been changed from D'Angelo in the late 1600's.) During a return trip to his birthplace in 1922, he met and married Anna DiGiovanni (1904-2001). They settled in western Pennsylvania and later moved on to Brooklyn, where he set up a cobbler shop. They had 6 children, the youngest of whom was my father, Thomas DeAngelo.

My mother, Josephine (née Domenica) Bellone, was born in 1939 in the Sicilian/Arbëresh town of Mezzojuso, about 20 miles south of Palermo. Although their story gets a little complicated, her paternal grandfather, Vincenzo Schillizzi (1875-1936) came to America at the age of 16, settling in New York's Little Italy, where he worked primarily as a laborer on the construction of the New York City Subways, as well as a fruit peddler. He made several trips across the Atlantic, and finished his life in his birthplace. His eldest daughter, Florence (née Providenza; 1915-2006) was born in a tenement on Chrystie Street in New York. She returned to Mezzojuso with her parents in 1922, and married Antonino Bellone in 1938. As an American citizen, she was able leave post-war Sicily with her seven-year old twin daughters [Jean (née Giovanna) and Josephine] in 1946. She settled in Brooklyn, where she gave birth to her son, John.

Both Rocco and Vincenzo entered the United States via Ellis Island, and have been commemorated on its Wall of Honor.

I'd like to thank the following individuals without whose assistance these pages would have been unlikely, if not impossible: Pierangela Badia at Abruzzo2000, who conducted the research in Castel Di Ieri, and Emilio Terrazzino of Agrigento, who did the same in Mezzojuso; I highly recommend their services… 

the good folks at the Family History Center and National Archives in New York, who assisted me greatly with various microfilmed records…

my fellow Mezzojusari, Tony Schiro and Sal Lagatutta, whose pages both got me the start I needed, provided me with a standard to try and attain, and whose guidance has been indispensable...

the rest of our friends at Il Circolo Mezzojusaro, our fellow POINTers (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together), and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). These have been invaluable resources in tracing my Family History and gaining a better understanding of the Italian experience in America...

my friend Alberta Gulotta, now my son's High School Italian Teacher, for the months of Italian lessons at The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum on Staten Island, which enabled me to communicate with my family in Abruzzo and Sicilia.

To my relatives, please note: the Family Tree I have included specifically traces Me, and My Family. However, I have recently tried to expand the scope to include more relatives. Please feel free to use the information in these pages and 'connect the dots' on your own.

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This Abruzzo World WebRing site owned by Thomas A. DeAngelo.

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