Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Cipollo & Lagrosa Family History on the Map!

NOTE: LAST UPDATED 4 MAR 2023

Many of the homesteads and important addresses for Felix Cipollo (born Felice Cipolla), Domenica "Minnie" Lagrosa (born D'Agrosa) and their families are found in the maps below. If you have anything  you'd like to add (addresses, stories, pictures, etc.), send an email to russdath@gmail.com. 

ON THE MAP: PHILADELPHIA REGION, USA (1880s-1950s) 
With data from a range of historical records we are able to identify many of the places the Cipollo and Lagrosa families called home in the decades that followed their late 1800s arrival in Philadelphia. With custom interactive mapping available from Google Maps, we can see how members of both families came together and drifted apart over the decades.   

Upon arriving in Philadelphia from southern Italy, the Cipollo and Lagrosa families would have found many different immigrant groups from Italy and beyond in the area where most Italian families were settling. Among Italian immigrants, those from southern Italy dominated the scene in a neighborhood bordered by 8th Street, 9th Street, Christian Street and Carpenter Street. You can see this in census documents. US Census takers often noted when someone was "Southern Italian" rather than simply "Italian".  Italy had only unified into a single state in 1860 and a united Italian identity wouldn't solidify in the minds of many until the next century. 

According to an "Italians and Italy" article in the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, the majority of Italians moving to Philadelphia from the late 1880s to the 1920s came from Abruzzi. Philadelphia's Italian-born population and their children grew from about 10,280 in 1890 to 136,793 in 1920.   

Because of social and economic dynamics southern Italian immigrants to Philadelphia often settled nearby people from their own towns and regions. This proved fortuitous for generations yet to come since it brought together the Cipollo and Lagrosa families from the region of Basilicata. As shown on the maps below, the Lagrosa family from Marsico Nuovo and the Cipollo family from Muro Lucano became close neighbors in Philadelphia almost immediately.   

The early South Philadelphia neighborhoods that hosted the Cipollo and Lagrosa families and their legacies have gone by different names over the years. Early family addresses are found in neighborhoods now called Bella Vista and Queen Village. Most other addresses that played host to families in the 1940s and 1950s are found further south in neighborhoods identified as Passyunk Square, Point Breeze, West Passyunk, Melrose, and Southwest Philadelphia's Elmwood Park. Some family members married and found themselves in University City and on the move to Northeast Philadelphia's Fair Hill neighborhood. Family could also be found across the Delaware River in Collingswood and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Beyond the 1950s families would spread across the region and country. 

How do you read the interactive map? 

  • Addresses tied to the Cipollo (Cipolla) family are identified with RED icons (houses, crosses, etc).  
  • Addresses tied to the Lagrosa (D'Agrosa) family are flagged with GREEN icons.
  • Use the "legend" to toggle different decades on/off from your view. 
What can be learned from the map?
Click on any of the icons to learn more about who lived at the address and to view pictures such as snippets of old maps that place the address in the context of a relevant time period.  

How can you view the map? 
You can look at the map embedded in the page below or click one of the links provided. 


PHILADELPHIA HOMESTEAD HIGHLIGHTS 
The Google Map above shows a wide range of addresses that hosted members of the Cipollo and Lagrosa families over the decades. A few addresses are spotlighted below. If you want some context for what life was like at the turn of the century in the neighborhood, I recommend reading "Housing conditions in Philadelphia" by Emily W. Dinwiddie from 1904 (see free eBook). It paints a detailed and vivid picture of the Italian quarter and the often difficult conditions families found themselves in. We can be grateful that the Cipollo and Lagrosa families overcame significant economic adversity and established roots in Philadelphia. 

South 8th Street Addresses
We don't know exactly where Felix Cipollo lived in 1893 after he arrived with his sister, Rosamaria and her husband Vincenzo Crusco. However, when Rosamaria arrived in the US for the second time in 1900 onboard the S.S. Werra with both her son Michael Crusco and her mother Maria Vincenza (née Trotta) Cipollo, we get our first address for Felix. Both Rosamaria and Maria Vincenza indicated they would be joining Felix Cipollo and Vincenzo Crusco at 914 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia.  We don't find them at this address in the 1900 US Census, which suggests that maybe they moved out of that location in the summer of 1900. It seems probable that Felix, Rosamaria and Vincenzo lived there for a period in 1899 and possibly earlier. While living there, they might have become well accustomed with the bank that operated on the first floor according to Emily Dinwiddie's 1902 "Italian District" map. It appears that the current house at that address is from 1920 (according to Zillow).

If Felix lived at 914 S. 8th Street when he arrived in 1893, his future wife Domenica "Minnie" Lagrosa (born D'Agrosa) might have been his neighbor at 912 S. 8th Street. That property is listed in an 1894 directory as the home of Saverio Lagrosa (Minnie's father).  At this time we don't know exactly when Minnie arrived, so we can't know for sure that she was Felix's neighbor on 8th Street. We do know that Saverio purchased the property in October of 1891 and that he sold it in October of 1901 for $5,000. The transactions indicate that the property was 16 x 53.6 feet, so it was far from spacious if the whole family was living there at any one time. 

Emily Dinwiddie's 1902 map indicates that there was a cobbler business on the first floor of 912 S. 8th Street.  The housing was described as "tenement housing" (often characterized by low-quality, run-down and/or cramped living conditions). Like the Cipollo address from that period, it appears that the current house at 912 S. 8th Street is from a later period (1920 according to Zillow). 

The Cipollo and Lagrosa families would have been separated by about 35 miles in Italy, but their homes on 8th Street in Philadelphia made them neighbors and maybe nurtured some important relationships. This wouldn't be the last time the Cipollo and Lagrosa families were neighbors. Both families arrived on Montrose street next and maybe at about the same time. 

Montrose Street Addresses
The most notable family connections to Montrose St. (formerly Marriott St.) are 829, 831 and 833. In 1900, around the time the "Italian District" map below was compiled, Felix was with his mother, Vincenza, at 829 Montrose. They were hardly alone. Forty-eight (48!!!) other people were also documented living at that address in the US census.  Vincenza was a new immigrant and was without work while Felix worked as a bootblack (shoe shiner). It had been seven years since he arrived with his sister, Rosamaria and her husband Vincenzo Crusco. 

In a 1902 marriage record Felix Cipollo identified the "rear" of 829 Montrose as his home. As seen in the map image below (click image to enlarge) there are multiple three-story dwellings found behind 829 Montrose in what is called "Cassidy's Court".  The "court" lifestyle was a communal one. Dozens of people would share a courtyard and "privy" outside their small overcrowded dwellings. The individual dwellings did not include running water.  In all likelihood others in the court were from the same general region as Felix and Vincenza. 

The earliest documented family record for Montrose Street belongs to Saverio Lagrosa (born Francesco Saverio D'Agrosa) in an 1890 city directory which captures him being at 831 Marriott (which would eventually be known as 831 Montrose). Who he resided with is still to be determined. It is believed that most of his family followed him a few years later and that he may have arrived in the US for the first time as early as 1875. For sure he traveled to and from Italy more than once. His last journey to the US may have been in 1898 where he references that he is returning to the US from Marsico Nuovo and that he would be residing at 833 Montrose. 

Domenica "Minnie" Lagrosa (born D'Agrosa) was among fifteen people living at 833 Montrose in 1900. Her parents, siblings, in-laws and possibly some extended family shared the same address.  This address was adjacent (to the east) of a large vacant lot that stood next to "Donnelly now Darrien St." captured in the map below.  The vacant spot was eventually occupied by a public bathhouse to help improve the health and hygiene of the local community. The Lagrosa homestead appears to be outside of the court environment, but it was just around the corner.

Source: Map accompanying report by Emily W. Dinwiddie detailing building usage in the “Italian District.” The Octavia Hill Association commissioned Dinwiddie to investigate housing conditions in the neighborhood. Map. 1904. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

A few other things standout in the Dinwiddie map. The reference to "St Paul R.C. School" identifies the exact location of Our Lady of Good Counsel church and school.  The map above seems to be a bit behind the times since the church opened in 1898. St. Paul's school was converted into a church on two floors while the third floor served as a school. The sacristy and back of the church was on Montrose according to Michael DiPilla's book, "Images of America, South Philadelphia's Little Italy and 9th Street Italian Market".  The parish was established to serve the growing southern Italian population of the neighborhood. Minnie and Felix married there in 1902.  

Kaufman Street
The 1910 Census captures Felix (age 33) and "Minnie" (age 28) living at 526 Kaufman Street, just around the corner from future homesteads on Passyunk Avenue.  The immigrants in this neighborhood were more diverse and there would have been an interesting mixture of languages on the street (Yiddish, German, etc.). By 1910 Felix and Minnie were joined by four children (Mary, Luigi, Samuel and Nancy) as well as Felix's mother, Maria Vincenza (age 54). We don't know exactly when they left, but it appears their next address would first serve as a business venture before it became their home.   

East Passyunk Avenue Addresses
The first documented connection between the Cipollo family and Passyunk Ave is for 811 E. Passyunk Ave..  Business directories connect Felix to the address as early as 1904. So, while the family lived at 526 Kaufman, Felix ran a retail liquor business (probably a saloon) at 811 E. Passyunk Ave. Various records confirm the family was living there in 1920.  Oddly enough, no 1920 US Census for the family has been found. Having combed through all available records for that neighborhood, I'm resigned to the fact that the record no longer exists, and possibly never did.  

By 1930 the family owned and occupied 801, 803, 805 and 807 E. Passyunk, but no longer occupied 811. Salvatore Pascale and his family had moved into that address and opened a candy store.  So, how and when did the Cipollo family move into 801-807 E. Passyunk? If we look back at the 1920 census, we find 801-803 occupied and rented by Christian Pfaff's family who immigrated from Germany. 805 was occupied and rented by the Yiddish-speaking Weitzenbrod family from Russia and Poland. They supported themselves as tailors, possibly onsite.  807 was occupied and rented by the Yiddish-speaking Winegrad family who were also from Russia and ran their own upholstery business. It might be that all of the properties from 801-807 were primed for retail businesses on the first floor by the time the Cipollo's moved in and established their own enterprises. 

The transfer of properties to the Cipollo's for business purposes was likely gradual. Christian Pfaff was a "liquor dealer" who passed away in 1920 at the age of 78. It has occurred to me that maybe he was a mentor to Felix Cipollo. It has been suggested that a German businessman took an interest in Felix when he was a young man working as a bootblack. No way to know. Christian's family would continue to live at 801 for several years, but Felix applied for a liquor license applicable to both 801 and 803 by no later than December 1921 while he resided at 811 Passyunk. It seems likely that Felix and family took over a pre-existing bar/saloon at that time. However, it is not yet clear why Felix along with dozens of others can be found applying for liquor licenses during prohibition which began in January 1919. Maybe there was some hope that Prohibition wouldn't be enforced or that it would be repealed.  

While the Cipollo family lived on the 800 block of E. Passyunk, Minnie was just a block away from her mother and father (Annunziata and Saverio) in 1910.  The census for that year finds them living with Minnie's married sister Josephine (née Lagrosa) Cianciarula and her unmarried sister Carmela. It was a full house at 901 E. Passyunk with a total of 12 people from multiple generations (ages 1-78) of Cianciarla and Lagrosa calling it home. The house from their era is no longer standing. It's worth noting that both Saverio and Josephine's husband Domenic report that they are working in a saloon. Maybe they worked with Felix Cipollo just down the street? 

BASILICATA REGION, ITALY (1800s)

What can be learned from the map?
The Cipollo (Cipolla) and Lagrosa (d'Agrosa) families lived in rural towns in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The distance between them is about 27 miles, but there isn't a direct road given the mountainous terrain. It seems highly unlikely that the families ever crossed paths before they arrived in Philadelphia. 

Several addresses have been identified for the Cipollo family in Muro Lucano. Among them are Stratda Castello,  13 Via Raia Superiore and 19 Strada Torrine.  Thus far we haven't been able to precisely plot them on a modern map of Muro Lucano. However, after consulting with local experts in 2018 we can reasonably place them near the famed castle that still stands today.  Earthquakes have severely damaged the area that would have played host to the Cipollo family. You can read more about this in a blogpost covering a visit to Muro Lucano. 

We also have addresses for the Lagrosa family in Marsico Nuovo. Via Sant Elia (possibly 8 Via Sant Elia) is listed as the home of the D'Agrosa family in the 1887 birth record for Carmela "Millie" Lagrosa (born D'Agrosa). 78 via Sant Elia is listed as the home of the D'Agrosa family in the 1881 birth record for Domenica Lagrosa (born D'Agrosa), future wife of Felix Cipollo.  Via Sant Elia (possibly 4 Via Sant Elia) is listed as the home of the D'Agrosa family in the 1871 birth record for Gianuario D'Agrosa, one of two brothers that don't appear to have made it to the US. The exact addresses for Via San Elia aren't found in Google Maps today, but it does place us on the street that may have hosted them. It suggests they were living on the outskirts of the town. 

There is also a 1 Via Vittorio Emanuele address. It is listed as the home of the D'Agrosa family in the 1876 birth record for Josephine Lagrosa (D'Agrosa). The exact address isn't found in Google Maps today, but we can find a street with that name. This address was likely in the heart of the town. 

How do you read the interactive map? 

  • Addresses tied to the Cipollo (Cipolla) family are identified with RED icons (houses, crosses, etc).  
  • Addresses tied to the Lagrosa (D'Agrosa) family are flagged with GREEN icons.
  • Use the "legend" to toggle different decades on/off from your view. 

What can be learned from the map?
Click on any of the icons to learn more about who lived at the address and to view pictures such as snippets of old maps that place the address in the context of a relevant time period.  

How can you view the map? 





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