Michelangelo Gennaro (1864 - abt. 1924)

Born 18 Dec 1864 in via S. Elena, Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Ancestors

Husband of Biagia Jovino — married 17 Oct 1884 in Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Died about 1924 at about age 59 in Corleone, Palermo, Sicilia, Italia

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Biography

Michelangelo Gennaro is born on 18 December 1864 in his parents' home in via S. Elena, Corleone. The midwife, Francesca Paola De Luca, age 59, reports his birth. His mother is Lucia Cascio, age 28, and his father is Luciano Gennaro, age 35, villico.^[1]

He is baptized the same day as Michalangelum, named after his paternal grandfather. His godparents are Vincenzo Guarino and Anna Maria Ligotino, a married couple.^[2]

Note: There is another Michaelangelo Gennaro, born in 1856. They are first cousins.

On 20 October 1884 Michelangelo, borgese (middle class), called Michael in the Church record, marries Biagia Jovino, age 20 (b. 1864) daughter of Filippo Jovino and Maria Di Palermo. His parents are both still living at this time.^[3][4][5]

Michaelangelo and Biagia have at least six children: Lucia (1885), Luciano (1889), Filippo (1892), Maria (1894), Giovanni (1896), and Maria Antonia (1899).

Lucia is born on 18 December 1885 in Corleone and baptized the next day. Her godparents are Calogero Gulotta and Maria Concetta Marino (actually, di Miceli: Marino is her mother’s name), a married couple. ^[6] She is named after her paternal grandmother.

Luciano is born and baptized on 19 January 1889 in Corleone. His godfather is Giuseppe Vaccaro, who is unmarried.^[7] He is named after his paternal grandfather.

Filippo is born 8 January 1892 and baptized three days later, named after his maternal grandfather. His godfather is the unmarried Calogero Majuri^[8], who is one of those named in leadership of the Fratuzzi around 1900, by Dino Paternostro.^[9]

Maria's birth is reported by the midwife, Carmela Cerniglia, in her parents' home at via Birtone, #19. Her father, a borgese, is far from the city and could not report the birth himself. Witnesses are Leoluca d’Anna, 35 (b. 1859), contadino (peasant), and Ignazio Cortimiglia, 47 (b. 1847), murifabbro (bricklayer).^[10]

Maria is baptized the next day. Her godparents are Michelangelo Birtone and Gaetana Rao, a married couple.^[11]

Giovanni is born 3 September 1896 and baptized on 12 September. His godparents are Giovanni Puccio and Maria Riina, a married couple.^[12]

Maria Antonia is born 9 April 1899 and baptized three days later. Her godfather is Michaele Moscato.^[13]

Maria marries Francesco di Palermo on 30 July 1911.^[10]

Corleone “Fratuzzi” capomafia Giuseppe “Piddu” Battaglia was in 1920 replaced by Michelangelo Gennaro (the nephew of former boss Salvatore Cutrera, who was his uncle). Another important member in those years was Angelo Gagliano (he was an uncle by marriage of the later capomafia Michele Navarra). Filippo Gennaro, the son of Michelangelo Gennaro, was the killer of Vincenzo Collura, the nephew of former capomafia Calogero Lo Bue.

"Michelangelo Gennaro had been the capo of Corleone’s Mafia until his death in 1924. Born in 1864, he was, like so many of his peers across western Sicily, an estate manager. In 1920, he created the Corleone Agricultural Club, ostensibly where like-minded farm managers could meet and discuss business. It was in fact a social club for the local mob until Cesare Mori closed it down on December 17th 1926.

A margin note on his baptismal record says that Luciano marries in Milan, to the Signora Prida Armida, daughter of Giacomo, in the church of Santa Maria del Rosario on 25 February 1926.^[7]

"When Gennaro died, his place was taken by Angelo Gagliano, (another suspect in the murder of Bernardino Verro) who in turn was followed by another doctor of medicine, Marcellino Benenti, who fled Corleone in 1930 to avoid arrest by the carabinieri, and he himself, was replaced by 41 year old Calogero Lo Bue, who had been capo of the Mafia cosca in Prizzi before taking over Corleone."^[14]

The 1962 Italian Senate hearing on the mafia names Michelangelo and his son, Filippo, as known associates of the mafia in Corleone.^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Estratto d'atto di nascita, Michelangelo Gennaro, record no. 468, 19 December 1864, "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32378-33203-77?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-F68:351055601,352253401,352366601 : accessed 09 Jun 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1883-1887 > image 793 of 2998; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.
2. ↑ Baptism of Michalangelus Gennaro, 18 December 1864, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11610-137327-45?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-K66:351041801,351041802,351131001 : accessed 16 Jun 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1864-1871 > image 105 of 576; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.
3. ↑ Certificato di defissione, Michelangelo Gennaro and Biagia Jovino, 17 October 1884, "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32378-32890-40?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-F68:351055601,352253401,352366601 : accessed 09 Jun 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1883-1887 > image 791 of 2998; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.
4. ↑ Marriage of Michelangelo Gennaro and Biagia Jovino, 18 October 1884, "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32358-19737-34?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-DTL:351055601,352253401,352269501 : accessed 24 Mar 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Nati, pubblicazioni, matrimoni, cittadinanze, morti 1882-1893 > image 783 of 3063; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.
5. ↑ Marriage of Michael Gennaro and Blasia Jovino, record no. 93, 20 October 1884, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11622-20005-28?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-L29:351041801,351041802,351107101 : accessed 4 February 2015), Corleone > San Martino > Matrimoni 1872-1887 > image 427 of 535; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo [Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo].
6. ↑ Baptism of Lucia Gennaro. (1885, December 19). Record no. 718. "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LSS-K4T?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SP6%3A351041801%2C351041802%2C351287601 : 20 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1884-1888 > image 171 of 398; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Baptism of Lucianus Gennaro. (1889, January 19). Record no. 29. "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LSS-LW8?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPD%3A351041801%2C351041802%2C351292901 : 20 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1889-1895 > image 7 of 427; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
8. ↑ Baptism of Philippus Gennaro, record no. 28, 11 January 1892, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-70655-44?cc=2046915 : accessed 30 November 2015), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1889-1895 > image 180 of 427; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
9. ↑ Paternostro, Dino. «Fratuzzi», antenati di Liggio e Riina, La Sicilia, August 8, 2004. Accessed online 16 November 2014.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Atti di nascita, Maria Gennaro. (1894, April 24). Record no. 183. "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32361-5262-21?cc=2051639 : accessed 26 February 2016), Palermo > Corleone > Nati, pubblicazioni, matrimoni, cittadinanze, morti 1893-1895 > image 186 of 743; Tribunale di Cagliari (Cagliari Court, Cagliari).
11. ↑ Baptism of Maria Gennaro. (1894, April 24). Record no. 177. "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LSS-V7D?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPD%3A351041801%2C351041802%2C351292901 : 20 May 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1889-1895 > image 358 of 427; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
12. ↑ Baptism of Joannes Gennaro, record no. 386, 12 September 1896, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12350-77611-30?cc=2046915 : accessed 22 October 2015), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1895-1899 > image 111 of 309; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
13. ↑ Baptism of Maria Antonia Gennaro, 12 April 1899, "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12350-69942-17?cc=2046915 : accessed 21 February 2016), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1895-1899 > image 293 of 309; Archivio di Arcidiocesi di Palermo (Palermo ArchDiocese Archives, Palermo).
14. ↑ Jones, Thom L.La Primula Rossa: The story of Luciano Leggio (Part 1) Accessed 27 February 2015
15. ↑ Senato della Repubblica, V Legislatura, Doc. XXIII. "Commissione Parlamentare d'inchiesta sul fenomeno della mafia in Sicilia." 20 December 1962. Accessed online 29 February 2016.