Sam Bongiovanni

Salvatore Bongiovanni
Born: 26 November 1897, Montalbano di Elicona, Messina, Sicilia
Married: January 21, 1936, Buffalo
Died: 15 March 1988, Cheektowaga, New York
Arrived at Ellis Island 19 August 1905

Angela DeGaetano with infant Salvatore Bongiovanni and Gaetano Bongiovanni
~ about 1897 ~ (As the evidence shows: first boy born after four girls!)

Salvatore Bongiovanni's birth record is on two pages in the town register of births. A transciption and a translation follow.

Numero 227
~ _* ~
Bongiovanni Salvatore

^*S'indiche la professione o la condizione.

   L’anno milleottocento novantasette, addi ventinove di Novembre,
a ore ante meridiane undici e minuti trentasette, nella Casa comunale.
    Avanti di me Todaro Sparicio Nicolò Segretario delegato dal Sindaco con atto del diciotto Luglio milleottocentoottanddue, debitamante approvato, Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Montalbano Elicona è comparsa Cernuto Concetta, di anni quarantotto,^* levatrice domiciliatia
in Montalbano, il quale mi ha dichiarato che alle ore ante meridiane sei e
minuti quindici, del di ventisei del corrente mese, nella casa posta in
Via Federico Secondo al numero        , da DeGaetano Angela, casalinga, moglie di Bongiovanni Gaetano murifabbro,
e nato un bambino di sesso maschile che essa mi presenta e a cui da il nome di Salvatore ______________________________________________________________
   A quanto sopra e a questo atto sono presenti quali testimoni Furnari

ATTI DI NASCITA

Filippo di anni quarantasei, ^* pastore, e Terranova Nicolo,
di anni cinquantatre, ^*agricoltore, entrambi residenti in questo Comune.
La dichiaranta ha dichiarata la nascita suddetta per avere nella suindicata qualità prestato sussidi dell'arte nell'atto del parto ed in luogo del marito della DeGaetano per trovarsi assente del comune.

Letto il presente atto agli intervenuti, si è di me sottoscritto dappoiché la dichiaranta e testimoni dissero non sapere scrivere.
L'Uffiziale dello Stato Civile delegato
(S) NicoloTodaro Sparicio

RECORDS OF BIRTH

Number 227
~ _* ~
Salvatore Bongiovanni

^*Indicates occupation or status

Year One thousand eight hundred ninety-seven, on day twenty-nine of November,
at a. m. eleven and thirty-seven minutes, in the Town Hall.
Before me Nicolò Todaro Guarisco Segcretary delegated by the Mayor by the act of eighteen July eighteenseventy-two, duly approved, Official of Civil Records of the Town of Montalbano Elicona has appeared Concetta Cernuto, age forty-eight, midwife living in Montalbano, who has declared to me that at the hour a, m. six and minutes fifteen, on day twenty-six of the current month, in the house located on Via Federico Secondo at number , of Angela DeGaetano, housewife, wife of Gaetano Bongiovanni, stonemason,
Was born a baby of the masculine sex that she presented to me and to whom she gave the name Salvatore_________________
To the above and to the present record are present the witnesses Filippo

Furnari age forty-six, ^*shepherd, and Nicolo Terranova,
age fifty-three, ^*farmer, both residing in this Town.

The declarant has declared the above-recorded birth because of having lent her aforementioned skill and the benefits of her art in the birth, and instead of the husband of DeGaetano because he is far from the town.

I have read the present record to those assembled, and it is signed only by me; the declarant and the witnesses said they don't know how to write.

The delegated Official of Civil Records
(Signed) NicoloTodaro Sparicio

EXTRACT OF BIRTH RECORD
The following was copied from the above Record of Birth,
probably on request from Sam prior to his 21 January 1936 marriage.
(Note that there is much less detail in the extract than in the actual Record of Birth.)

PROVINCE

of

MESSINA
.

TOWN

of

MONTALBANO ELICONA
.

CERTIFICATION OF BIRTH

On day twenty-six of the month of November 1897
was born Salvatore Bongiovanni son of Gaetano
and of Angela de Gaetano, as shown on the Record of Birth
inscribed in the registers of this Town at record No. 227.

Released for uses of information

MONTALBANO ELICONA, the 20 SEPT1935 YEAR XIII 193 - A.

The Official of the Civil Record

_Messina	^{The Responsible Employee}
	^AM

Salvatore came to America on the SS Algeria, landing at Ellis Island on 19 August 1905. He was with his mother Angela DeGaetano and his three sisters: Francesca (Frances), Giuseppa (Josephine), Vincenza (Jennie) and Maria (Mary). Their passenger manifest and a ship description from www.ellisisland.org is shown below, click the manifest to enlarge it. Sam's line is underlined in red. The manifest states that the family was going to Angela's husband (misnamed and misspelled) "Giovanni Buongiovanni" at 174 Terrace Street, Buffalo.

The Algeria

Associated Passenger	Date of Arrival	Port of Departure
Bongiovanni, Salvatore .age 8 years.	August 19, 1905	Auc...



	Also on this voyage:
	Angela DeGaetano Bongiovanni, age 42 Francesca Bongiovanni, age 20 Giuseppa Bongiovanni, age 17 Vincenza Bongiovanni, age 13 (misspelled as Vincenzo) Maria Bongiovanni, age 10 .


	Built by Reiherstieg Shipyard, Hamburg, Germany, 1914. 8,156 gross tons; 449 (bp) feet long; 55 feet wide. Steam quadruple expansion engines, twin screw. Service speed 15 knots. 535 passengers (417 second class, 118 third class). Built for German-West Africa Line, German flag, in 1914 and named KIGOMA. Laid up during World War I. Sold to Anchor Line, British flag, in 1921 and renamed Algeria. Glasgow-New York service. Sold to Hamburg-American Line, German flag, in 1922 and renamed Toledo. Scrapped in Scotland in 1934.

Photo: Tom Rayner Collection

                      Vincenza (Jennie)                      Francesca (Frannie)       Giuseppa (Josephine)     Maria (Mary)
.
                                                                 Gaetano Bongiovanni              Angela DeGaetano
.
                                                                                    Salvatore (Sam) Bongiovanni                                       (about 1905)

First Holy Communion
~ about 1905 ~

Violin novice
~ about 1910 ~

With unknown sponsor
~ about 1910 ~

Confirmation
~ about 1912 ~

Sam Bongiovanni at center
They had to let him play, it was his ball!
~ P.S. No. 2, 1915 ~

With unidentified friend
who played with Metropole Jazz
~ about 1916 ~

Sam with his sisters
Jennie and Mary
~ about 1917 ~

Salvatore (Sam) Bongiovanni
Violinist
~ about 1917 ~

The Metropole Jazz Orchestra
~ about 1922 ~

Sam ~~Valentino~~ Bongiovanni
~ about 1925 ~

                                                                                     January 21, 1936
                          Unknown       Unknown                                                                                    Angie Lopresti         Joseph Giullari
                                                        Mary Lanza    Sam Bongiovanni

Sam Bongiovanni
with unidentified friends
~ about 1940 ~

Tony Presti, Joe Lo Presti, Phil and Tom Cernuto
John (son of Joe) Lo Presti and Sam Bongiovanni
~ 1943 ~

Mary Lanza Bongiovanni
& Sam Bongiovanni ~ 1944

Sam and Angela Yvonne Bongiovanni
~ 1945 ~

Mary, Angie & Sam Bongiovanni
~ 19454 ~

Sam and Mary Lanza Bongiovanni
At Angie and Ange's wedding, 1961 1984

Salvatore Bongiovanni married Mary Lanza on 21 January, 1936 in Buffalo

Child

Angela Yvonne Bongiovanni 7 June 1937 ~ (Married Angelo Felice Coniglio)

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Last revision: 06 March 2024 ~ Angelo F. Coniglio, ConiglioFamily@aol.com

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