Free Genealogy Resource Leads to Fun Research

I was looking into a free genealogy resource to share with you when I spotted one heck of a coincidence.

First the resource. The Library of Congress has a large collection of images you can use for free. While scrolling through the collection I noticed there is a genealogy category. It's a very eclectic group of items, including blank family tree charts, maps, photos, and more.

Now the coincidence. I noticed one photo labeled "Italian family living 428 E. 116th St." in New York City. My grandfather's cousins lived around 116th Street, so I took a look.

Searching this free genealogy photo collection, I discovered my great grandparents' neighbors depicted in 1912.

When I clicked this photo, I found a "More items like this" section at the bottom of the page. One of the images shown there has a label that includes the address 259 E. 151st Street. What? Hey! 259 E. 151st Street, Bronx, New York, was across the street from the building where my mother was born and raised.

The photo's full description: Cutting out embroidery on the dirty kitchen floor. Battista family, 259 E. 151 St. N.Y. On the right is the married daughter, who lives down stairs and usually works there. On her right next to the boy is Flora, said to be 9 years old and very much stunted in size. 'Been sick.' Next to her is the mother and next is Linda, 11 years old. The baby, dirty and covered with sores, was being handed about. Probably has impetigo."

Many of the women in my family did this type of "home work" in the early 1900s. Sewing, stitching, trimming. So it's especially interesting to see what that process might have looked like.

Start With the Census

The date on this image is January 1912. I'll bet I can find this family in the 1910 census.

I went to my family tree to get the URL for my great grandparents' 1910 census. They were living at 258 E. 151st Street. Then I went page by page through the census until I found the Battista family. Husband Paolo, wife Maria, and seven children were all born in Italy except for the 4-year-old boy Guido. The baby with impetigo must belong to the married daughter who lives downstairs.

I've found that people living in this Bronx neighborhood came from the same towns as my ancestors. It's worth some research time to try to find out where this Battista family lived in Italy. Finding this family's ship manifest will be the best way to learn the name of their hometown.

I searched on Ancestry for Paolo Battista, born about 1872, arriving in New York in 1903. A quick glance at the search results told me his birth date, and that he's buried in Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery. That's where you'll find my grandparents and all my Bronx relatives. His U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index record (an excellent resource) includes his parents' names.

Look for an Immigration Record

When I couldn't find Paolo's 1903 ship manifest, I searched for the rest of his family. The 1910 census says they arrived in New York in 1904. I found them! The maiden name of Maria Battista is Carfagna. (Italian women don't change their name when they marry, so a ship manifest is also a great place to find her last name.) And the family came from Casalciprano. I'd never heard of Casalciprano before, but I see on the map that it's a little north of some of my ancestral hometowns.

Scour the Vital Records

With the name of their hometown, I could search for their Italian birth records on Antenati. I found Paolo Antonio Battista's 1872 birth record with no trouble. The names of his parents and his date of birth match what I saw on U.S. documents.

In the 1873 birth records I found Anna Maria Carfagna. She was a foundling baby; parents unknown. Left in the "foundling wheel" a day after she was born, her birth record describes the items that were with her. Officials made note of a foundling's belongings in case the mother wanted to claim the baby later. Anna Maria Carfagna is the name a town official gave to her. Wrapped in linen cloth with a white stripe, she wore a cotton headband.

Then I found a surprise for the undersized Flora named in the Library of Congress photo. Her age is correct on the census. She was born in Casalciprano on 8 Apr 1902. Flora somehow wound up back in Italy, in Napoli, to marry Giuseppe Pisani on 28 Aug 1955. (These details are in the column of her birth record.) Yes, she was 53 years old when she married in Italy. It's nice to see that the stunted child who had "been sick" grew up and married.

The boy called Carlo on the 1910 census appears to be Arno on the 1904 ship manifest. I found his 1895 birth record, and his given name is Arno Filippo. I found birth records for the Battistas' children Virginia in 1897, Linda in 1899, and Entimio in 1903. I also found their son Guido's 1905 birth record on the New York Municipal Archives website.

I couldn't find a birth record for the oldest daughter from the 1910 census, Ida. Then I noticed she didn't come to New York in 1904, but in 1908. When I found her ship manifest, I saw that her mother went back to Italy to bring her to America. (Usually the father does this, not the mother.) Her parents left her behind in Italy for four years. Hospitalized on arrival, Ida and her mother stayed at Ellis Island for four days. (These details come from the ship manifest page for detained passengers. This tip came in very handy!) Still, I could not find a birth record for her—even checking under another first name.

I wanted to find the name of the Battistas' married daughter seen in the photograph. While searching for her and Ida, I worried I was going back too far. Their parents were born in 1872 and 1873. I found their marriage record in July 1892. The couple are only 20 and 21 years old. The two missing daughters should have a birth record in 1892, 1893, or 1894. I looked at the birth record of every Battista child in those years. I even looked at earlier years' birth records in case they had a child when they were teenagers.

I tried searching immigration records for anyone named Battista from Casalciprano. I found only Ida's 1908 arrival and a woman who had different parents.

Return to the Census

I found the Battista family in other censuses, hoping to find their eldest daughter. I noticed one woman on the 1915 census, Immacolata, who's also listed beside the family in the 1910 census. She's a possibility, but she's a bit too old, and I didn't see any Battistas named Immacolata in Casalciprano.

In the 1925 census, the Battista family lives around the corner in the same building as some of my cousins. They're also at that address in the 1920 census. But Immacolata is no longer near them.

Broaden the Search

Next I did a broad search for Immacolata Battista, the potential daughter. This led me to a family tree with documentation for Ida. It includes her 1893 date of birth (taken from U.S. documents), but there is no such record in her hometown. It is possible that Paolo and Maria didn't report the births of their first two children. This would result in a fine for the parents in Italy, and it can prevent the child from getting permission to marry. (My great grandfather's 1876 birth wasn't reported until 1898, the year he married.)

I found Ida's 1910 New York City marriage record on the NYC Municipal Archives website. It's possible her delayed birth record is in the 1909 or 1910 records in Casalciprano. Unfortunately, those years are not available online. It's too bad the family tree I found on Ancestry has no mention of another, older daughter.

What other search techniques would you have used?

Granted, these people are not related to me. But I'm quite sure my great grandparents and my grandmother knew them. Bringing this historic photo to life is one of many superpowers we have as genealogists. What discoveries does this photo collection hold for you?