Francesca Paola Castro (1878 - abt. 1968)

Born 30 Sep 1878 in Corleone, Palermo, Italia

Ancestors

Wife of Stefano La Sala — married 29 Dec 1902 in Manhattan, New York, New York, United States

Died about Dec 1968 at about age 90 in Bronx, New York, United States

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Biography

Francesca Paola Castro is born 30 September 1878 and baptized the next day. Her parents are Antonino Castro and Luigia Marino. Her godparents are her half-siblings, Giuseppe and Santa Castro, brother and sister.

Her godparents' parents are Antonino Castro and Rosalia Marino. Rosalia is Luigia's older sister, and Antonino's first wife.

Francesca Paola immigrates with her parents and siblings when she is eighteen. They enter the United States at the Port of New York on June 24, 1897 on the S.S. Oregon, port of departure Naples, Campania, Italy.^[1]

Francesca marries Stefano la Sala on 22 December 1902 in Manhattan.^[2] Francesca and Stefano are second cousins. Vincent's history gives Stefano and Francesca's marriage date as being in April 1903.^[1]

Stephen and Francesca have six children^[1]: Domenica/May (1903), Luisa/Louise (1904), Francesco/Frank (1906), Anthony (c. 1907), Andrew "Babs" (1909), and Angelo Stephen (1915).

Domenica, called "Mae," is born 4 December 1903 in Manhattan.^[3]

Luisa is born 30 November 1904 in the Bronx. Stefano is 23, and Francesca is 21.^[4]

In 1905, Francesca and her husband live with two of her unmarried siblings, and the Carmine Marino family. In the 1905 New York State Census, household number 2027 in the Bronx has three heads. The first is her brother Peter Castro, 22, and sister, Jennie Castro, 24. The next head is Francesca's husband Stephen Lasala, 25, with Francesca Paola, called "Nances" in this record, age 26, and their two infant daughters. The first child is called "Margherita" in the transcription, age one year, and is a match for Domenica's age (b. 4 Dec 1903). The second is Louisa (b. 30 Nov 1904), who is less than a year old.

The third family in this household is headed by Carmine Marino, 43, with his wife Concetta, 38, and their children: Mary, 17, Raphaele, 16, Minnie, 14, Joseph, 13, Michael, 10, Janette, 6, Rosa, 2, and John, 1. Mary and Raphaele are silk workers. Concetta and Stephen's wife, and Peter's sister, are housekeepers. Carmine is a confectioner. Stephen is a Builder, and Peter is a Plasterer. Peter, Jennie, and Francesca Paola have been in the us for eight years (1897, a match for other records), Stephen for ten (1895), and Carmine and Concetta for twenty (1885).^[5]

Stefano is naturalized in 1905.

Francesco is born 13 February 1906 in the Bronx.^[6]

Anthony is born in 1907.^[1]

On 12 December 1909, Andrew is born.^[1]

On 13 July 1915, Angelo Stephen, the son, is born.^[1] He appears in the 1920 census under his first name, and is called by his second name as an adult.

At the time of the WWI draft, Stefano is a macaroni manufacturer, at 3225 Arthur, New York, NY, a Bronx address. Peter Castro, who is Stefano's brother-in-law as well as his second cousin, owns a macaroni factory at this time.

Stefano's nearest relative is Francesca La Sala (this is his wife's name), at the same address. He is a naturalized US citizen, 37 years old, born 1 January 1881. Stefano is tall, of stout build, with brown eyes and hair.^[7]

In the 1920 federal census of the Bronx, taken 4 January, Stefano LaSalla heads a household. He is 39 (b. 1881), a building contractor, immigrated in 1893, naturalized in 1902 (actually, 1905). His wife, Frances, is 40 (b. 1880), who immigrated in 1897, and is also naturalized. They were both born in Italy, and their children were all born in New York City. Their children at home are Dominica, 16 (b. 1903), Louise, 15 (b. 1904), Frank, 13 (b. 1906), Anthony, 12 (b. 1907), Andrew, 10 (b. 1909), and Angelo, 4 (b. 1915).^[8]

In 1943, Stefano gives his address as 41 Durst Place, Yonkers. Based on the enumeration district, the family is already living there by the 1930 census. Pietro Castro's family lives nearby, at 57 Soundview Av.

Stefano La Salto, as he is called in this federal census, is 48, head of household, and owns his home, which is worth $50,000. (This would be more than $700,000 today.^[9] Another comparison is current home sales in the neighborhood. The address of 41 Durst is part of a double lot. On Zillow, neighboring homes are mostly valued around $500,000, with one home at over $1M.^[10]

The La Sala family owns a radio in 1930, as do 40% of American households.^[11] Stefano is a Builder Contractor. His wife, Francesca, is 49. The children are Domenica, 26, Louisa, 24, Frank, 22, Anthony, 21, Andrew, 19, and Angelo, 14. His three oldest sons are bricklayers.^[12]

In 1940, Pietro Castro and Stephen La Sala appear on the same census sheet. Stephen is 58 (b. 1882), his wife Francesca, is also 58. Their children at home are May, 35 (b. 1904), Frank (Francesco), 33 (b. 1906), and A. Stephen, 24 (b. 1915). Only Frank works outside the home, as a building contractor for his own business.^[13]

"Stefano and his four sons were in the mason (brick layer) business. They were one of the most successful mason contractors in New York, subsequently becoming multimillionaires," Vincent di Carlo writes.^[1]

According to Wagner et al, Stephen, who is also known as Steve LaSalle, is a member of Morello's New York City gang, and remains affiliated with the Lucchese crime family as late as the 1970s.^[14]

Vincent records Stefano's death on 18 Oct 1954 in Yonkers, New York.^[1] Wagner gives his death year as 1975.

Death of Francesca

Francesca Lasala, born 29 September 1878, dies at age 90 in the Bronx, in December 1968.^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Di Carlo, Vincent Angelo. 2013. "The Di Carlo Family: From Corleone, Sicily, Italy." Accessed online 11 November 2015.
2. ↑ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2439-ZRK : accessed 17 March 2016), Stephen La Sala and Frances Castro, 29 Dec 1902; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,570,961.
3. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W43-19X : 20 March 2015), Stefano Lasala in entry for Domenica Lasala, 04 Dec 1903; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference rn 52278 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,984,039.
4. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27YX-3T7 : 20 March 2015), Stefano Lasala in entry for Luisa Lasala, 30 Nov 1904; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 5628 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,023,081.
5. ↑ "New York State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSR3-JY3?cc=1463113&wc=Q69N-CGG%3A42719801%2C42719802%2C42983701 : 22 September 2016), New York > Bronx > image 22 of 58; county offices, New York.
6. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W81-JC5 : 20 March 2015), Stefano La Sala in entry for Francesco La Sala, 13 Feb 1906; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 982 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,023,140.
7. ↑ "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6CR-55N : 12 December 2014), Stefano La Sala, 1917-1918; citing New York City no 17, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,754,127.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJP6-HWD : accessed 5 March 2017), Stefano Lasalla, Bronx Assembly District 7, Bronx, New York, United States; citing ED 395, sheet 10B, line 82, family 198, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1141; FHL microfilm 1,821,141.
9. ↑ Inflation Calculator. Dollar Times. http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/dollars.php Accessed 5 March 2017; and CPI Inflation Calculator https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=50000&year1=1930&year2=2017 Accessed 5 March 2017.
10. ↑ Zillow. https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/globalrelevanceex_sort/40.930587,-73.865977,40.928406,-73.869641_rect/17_zm/ Accessed 5 March 2017.
11. ↑ Smith, Steven. "Radio: The Internet of the 1930s". American Radio Works. http://www.americanradioworks.org/segments/radio-the-internet-of-the-1930s/ Accessed 5 March 2017.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RZ5-LPV?cc=1810731&wc=QZFW-PHD%3A649437801%2C651860701%2C651912301%2C1589282313 : 10 December 2015), New York > Westchester > Yonkers > image 13 of 58; citing NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002).
13. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQB4-LSQ : accessed 12 February 2017), Stephen Lasala, Ward 12, Yonkers, Yonkers City, Westchester, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 68-130, sheet 1A, line 33, family 8, 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 2867.
14. ↑
15. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JTY9-MPP : 20 May 2014), Francesca Lasala, Dec 1968; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

Baptism of Francisca Paula Castro, 1 October 1878

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-74161-45?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPX:351041801,351041802,351275901 : accessed 26 Jul 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1877-1879 > image 106 of 182; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.