Fortunato Rosario Lomonte (1883 - 1914)

Born 15 Apr 1883 in Villafrati, Palermo, Sicilia, Italia

Husband of Antonia Lena Cimino — married 17 Dec 1903 (to 24 May 1914) in New York, New York, United States

Died 24 May 1914 at age 31 in New York, New York, United States

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Biography

On 15 April 1883 in Villafrati, Vincenzo Lo Monte, age 40, murifabbro (mason/bricklayer), reports the birth on that day in via Mauro, #21, to Caterina Cappellano, his wife, a baby boy who is named Fortunato Lo Monte.^[1]

He is also known as Charles Lo Monte.

According to Richard Warner et al., Fortunato arrives in New York in 1894 with his parents when he is eleven years old.^[2]

Fortunato arrives alone in New York at age 11 (b. 1883), on the Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm on 14 May 1894. He appears on the manifest between the Tavolacci and Arnone families. His city of origin is not recorded.^[3] His mother and three of his siblings emigrated in 1893, joining his father in New York.

In the 1900 federal census of Manhattan, Vincenzo La Monte, 54 (b. Nov 1846), heads a household on East 109th St with his wife Catharine, 42 (b. Jan 1858)---married in 1876, and children Rose, 10 (b. 1890), Frank, 6 (b. Apr 1894), Thomas, 14 (b. Dec 1886), and Charles (a match for Fortunato’s age, b. Apr 1884), 16. Frank was born in NY, the rest in Italy. Vincenzo, a plasterer immigrated in 1889, and his wife and children in 1893. Charles is also a plasterer. Rose and Thomas are at school.^[4]

Fortunato Lo Monte and Antonina Cimino marry at City Hall in Manhattan on 17 December 1903. Fortunato lives at 2099 2nd Ave. He is 19, white, single, a plasterer, born in Sicily, son of Vincenzo Lo Monte and Caterina Cappellano. Antonina lives at 229 E. 107th St. She is 18 yrs and 2 months old, white, single, born in Sicily, daughter of Sebastiano Cimino and Rosalia Badolato. It is the first marriage for them both. The witnesses to their marriage are Rosalia Cimino, Maria Lo Monte, and Caterina Lo Monte. Rosalia and Caterina make their marks with a cross, the others sign their names. Maria signs hers Maria Lomonti.^{[5] [6][7]}

Lena and Charles have at least three children: Caterina (c. 1905), Rosalia (1906), and Vincenzo (1908).

In the 1905 New York state census, taken 1 June, Fortunato, called Charles, heads a household close to his parents and his wife's family, on East 106th St. Charles is 21 (b. 1884), wife Lena, is 19 (b. 1886), and daughter Catherina, 5 months (b. Jan 1905). Charles is a plasterer. His other close neighbor of note is Giuseppe Morello, who appears as "Joseph Terranova."^[8]

Fortunato is a criminal associate of Giuseppe Morello. After Morello goes to prison, in 1911, Fortunato and his brother, Tom, jointly run his gang in East Harlem.^[9] In late February 1912, a faction led by Sebastiano di Gaetano leaves the Morello gang.^[2]

Fortunato owns a feed store, Gerosa & Lo Monte, on East 108th St., of which Angelo Gagliano is vice president.^[2][9]

Antonina, age 20 (born c. 1886 in Italy), and Fortunato, age 22 (born c. 1884 in Italy), have a daughter, Rosalia, on 20 August 1906 in Manhattan.^[10]

Their son, Vincenzo, is born 28 April 1908 in Manhattan.^[11]

Death of Fortunato

Fortunato is killed^[9] at age 30 on 24 May 1914 in Manhattan, at 213 E. 107th St. He is buried 3 days later in Calvary Cemetery.^[12]

In 1916, Antonia's sister, Biagia, marries Giuseppe Lagumina, who is also a Morello associate.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Atto di nascita, Fortunato Lo Monte. (1883, April 15). Record no. 29. "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9971-SJD?cc=2051639&wc=MCT9-9N5%3A351055601%2C353797501%2C353803301 : 22 May 2014), Palermo > Villafrati > Nati, pubblicazioni, matrimoni, cittadinanze, morti 1878-1902 > image 595 of 2649; Tribunale di Cagliari (Cagliari Court, Cagliari).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Warner, Richard, Angelo Santino, and Lennert Van 't Riet. "The Early New York Mafia: An Alternative Theory." The Informer: May 2014. Accessed online 11 January 2016.
3. ↑ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JXM6-S6N : 30 January 2018), Fortunato Lamonte, 1894.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS2M-VS5 : accessed 10 February 2018), Vicenzo La Monte, Borough of Manhattan, Election District 5 New York City Ward 33, New York County, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 920, sheet 6B, family 124, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,122.
5. ↑ Certificate and record of marriage, Fortunato Lo Monte and Antonina Cimino. (1903, December 17). Cert. no. 25862. https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/8370202
6. ↑ "New York Marriages, 1686-1980," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6H9-6C5 : accessed 28 May 2016), Fortunato Lomonte and Antonia Cimino, 17 Dec 1903; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1,570,991.
7. ↑ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:243W-N1Y : accessed 28 May 2016), Fortunato Lomonte and Antonia Cimino, 17 Dec 1903; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,570,991.
8. ↑ New York State Census, 1905, database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPNZ-MTF : 21 December 2017), Thomas La Monte in household of James La Monte, Manhattan, A.D. 32, E.D. 19, New York, New York; citing p. 22, line 27, county offices, New York.; FHL microfilm 1,433,115.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Dash, Mike. The First Family, Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia. Random House, 2009. P. 20.
10. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WH8-6RT : 20 March 2015), Fortunato Lomonte in entry for Rosalia Lomonte, 20 Aug 1906; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 41224 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,985,142.
11. ↑ "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WCV-S2V : 20 March 2015), Fortunato Lo Monte in entry for Vincenzo Lo Monte, 28 Apr 1908; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 23786 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,992,046.
12. ↑ "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WML-49W : 20 March 2015), Fortunato Lomonte, 24 May 1914; citing Death, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,323,357.