Welcome to the Quagliata Genealogy Project

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WELCOME

"According to the story my parents told me, the place of origin of all the Quagliata's is a little village south of Messina called Sant'Alessio Siculo on the east coast of Sicily. I agree with Narcissus Quagliata in considering all the Quagliata's are related: we are too few and we all come from Sicily. The painters Narcissus talks about: Giovanni Quagliata and Giovan Battista Quagliata (1603-1673) worked in Messina in the sixteenth century. Almost all their works were lost in the great earthquake that destroyed Messina on December 28th, 1908. There are still three paintings by Giovan Battista (I think he was the son) in Messina. One is in the church of Santa Rita, the other two are in the local museum. In Messina there is also a little street called Via Giovanni Quagliata." The preceding quote was from a 1999 email sent from Vittorio Quagliata of Italy to Richard Quagliata of St. Louis, Missouri. It's just one of the interesting pieces of information that we have gathered doing research for this genealogy project. I've also heard the story about all Quagliatas being related through the little town "south of Messina" from my father, Joseph Quagliata (b. 1930) and his father, Mario Quagliata (1907-1995), and after many years of research we can now say the story appears to be true. Previously, there appeared to be two lines of Quagliata ancestry - one based in Sicily and one based in southern Italy. The map below, from a study done by LABO, shows the distribution of the family name in Italy - note the high concentrations in southern Italy and Sicily. In 2007, we discovered some information that ties the two lines together with a reasonable degree of certainty. My name is Michael Quagliata (b. 1953) and I'm the webmaster of this site. With this site, we are attempting to document our family lineage as completely as possible. After years of gathering pieces of information on my own, I got an email one day in 1999 from Richard Quagliata (b. 1955), who was also researching family history. Between us we had quite a bit of information, and after a couple more years of piecing things together, we published our information on this website in 2001. Since then we've had many visitors email in information to help us put together a lineage chart. The following narrative, which has grown some since we first published it, is to help you determine if you might be a relative of my family. It follows the patriarchal line into my immediate family. If your last name is Quagliata, or if you are descended from a Quagliata, I'd like to hear from you - if you have any information that would possibly be useful, have corrections, or just want to send a message, please email me.

The Town of Quagliata's - Sant'Alessio Siculo

Quagliata surname distribution in Italy.

Quagliata surname distribution in the United States.

KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION

How did we arrive at the current state of our knowledge? Originally, second cousins once removed, Richard Quagliata (b. 1955) and Michael Quagliata (b. 1953), combined efforts to document their family's lineage. According to oral history as told by family members, and collected prior to 1980, Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??), had 16 sons and a daughter by two wives. When this website was first published in 2001, we knew of Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??), his second wife and three of their children, as well as Louis Quagliata's (b. 1937) family from Rome, and John Quagliata's (b. 1940) family in Cleveland. Over the next couple of years, information began to trickle in as our website was added to the data bases of many ancestry websites and internet search engines like Yahoo! and Google, eventually making us easier to find. In 2003, the pace of incoming contributions began to pickup. Visitors were donating genealogical listings, documents, photos, family narratives and providing us with corrections. A fairly complete list of all those who have contributed can be found on the Contributors page. Richard's Chart, a complete genealogical listing of our current state of knowledge, began to grow as more and more visitors added their lineages - currently it is over 50 pages long. The linkages of some of the listed lineages are based on documentation, while others are guess work based on names, dates, hometowns and family relationships. In 2005, John Quagliata (b. 1940), of the Cleveland, Ohio family, provided us with a detailed and documented listing of his family. He is one of the few contributors who gained his knowledge by researching marriage, birth and death records from Sicily. John was able to take his family's listing all the way back to the late 1700s. He has also spent many hours researching for other lines, including mine. Thanks to John's work in 2006, we now know Mario Quagliata was born about 1843, Mario's parents names, the names of eight of the children from his marriage to Maria Barcellona, as well many other names and dates. Then in May of 2007, our long time contributor Vittorio Quagliata of Milan emailed us our most exciting news to date. Vittorio discovered a booklet researched and written by Professor Iana Quagliata of Monza about the life of Giambattista Quagliata (1603-1673, aka Giovan Battista Quagliata). Iana's booklet contained a wealth of information about Giambattista, pushing our family tree back to the 1500s. As our contributors provide more information, our knowledge continues to grow. The information presented here and in the family narratives is only as accurate as our current knowledge and information, and we welcome any help our visitors might provide. From time to time, changes in the narratives are made as newer and/or more accurate information is acquired.

A NARRATIVE HISTORY

The farthest back we've been able to take our research is the 1500s. During this period, Sicily was part of the Spanish Aragon empire and was ruled by the King of Spain via governors and viceroys. Thanks to the work and research contributed by Professor Iana Quagliata of Monza, Italy, in 2007, we can now say with a reasonable amount of certainty that the Sicilian lineage of the family goes back to the artist Giovan Domenico Quagliata (1570?-16??). Much of the following information is from Professor Iana Quagliata's book "Giambattista Quagliata Painter and Architect of the 1600s". Professor Quagliata often refers to a reference work on the painters of Messina from the 1600s written by Francesco Susinno in 1724. Giovan Domenico was a painter who lived in Rome in the late 1500s. He was an artist of talent, but not greatness. Unfortunately, we currently don't know the details of Giovan Domenico's birth. Using the birth year of his son Andrea (1594 or 1599) for a reference point, Giovan Domenico was probably born about 1570. His birth place remains a mystery. If he was born on the mainland, it's highly likely he was part of the Quagliata family located in Balvano. Possibly looking for a better market for his talent and art, Giovan Domenico moved to the growing trade center of Messina, arriving in Sicily in the late 1500s. Unfortunately Susinno does not cite the works of Giovan Domenico. Sometime before 1600, Giovan Domenico married a woman from Messina named Francesca LeDonne and together they had children. We know of two sons: Andrea Quagliata born in 1594 (or in 1599, and died in 1660) and Giovan Battista Quagliata born in 1603 (1603-1673). Andrea became a student of his father and was a capable painter. Giovan Battista was directed by his parents to study letters, but his studies were interrupted by the premature death of the father, Giovan Domenico. Andrea, by that time a professional painter, convinced his younger brother to attend his school where Giovan Battista does well. Andrea married, but apparently did not have children.

Immaculate Mary by Giovan Battista Quagliata

The Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Saint Paul by Giovan Battista Quagliata c.1647

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Paintings of
Giovan Battista
Quagliata

Click for a larger view with details.

Giovan Battista helped his brother with household income by painting small pictures and portraits. Giovan became so attracted by the art of painting that he decided to journey to Rome to attend the prestigious school of Pietro Berrenttini from Cortona. As Giovan Battista continued his studies, it soon became clear that he was more talented than both his father and his brother, Andrea. About age 24, he married a Roman woman named Cinzia Conticelli. During those years in Rome he created many works documented in the registers of the parish of San Nicola in Arcione, and he became a member of the Academy of Saint Luke - an association of artists in Rome, founded in 1593 for the purpose of elevating the work of "artists" above that of craftsman, and it is still active today. At age 37, perhaps enticed by lucrative commissions, Giovan Battista returned to Messina in 1640. There he enjoyed the patronage of the Viceroy of Sicily, Don Juan José of Austria. The Viceroy became a student of Giovan's and the two became friends. Then, Giovan's first wife, Cinzia, died and sometime later he married Flavia Alias, sister of the famous mathematician of the Company of Gesu Vincenzo Alias. Giovan produced many famous works during this period. In time, Viceroy Don Juan José granted Giovan Battista Quagliata a noble title with a coat of arms (seen on the right, click for a larger view) and some land in the countryside area of Forza D'Agro, Sicily, between the city and the sea, where the new city of Sant’Alessio Siculo later developed. It is certain that some of Giovan's family settled there. Giovan's works - paintings, frescos and large canvasses - were famously displayed in the galleries and churches of Messina, but due to earth quakes from Mt. Etna and wartime bombings, few have survived to the present day. Giovan had at least two children - we know of two sons.

Coat of Arms of Giovan Battista Quagliata c.1650

Coat of Arms granted to
Giovan Battista Quagliata
(1603-1673)
by Don Juan José
Viceroy of Sicily

Click for a larger view with details.

Below is a chart that depicts the more ancient portion of the Quagliata lineage. Using our current knowledge, we hypothesize that the mainland and Sicilian branches split in the 1500s. At that time, a Quagliata family, probably originating from Balvano, had moved to Rome. A member of that family named Giovan Domenico Quagliata moved to Messina and his son Giovan Battista Quagliata was granted lands near Forza D'Agro and Sant'Alessio Siculo. Thanks to the work of John Quagliata of Cleveland, we have well documented Quagliata lineages that trace back to those lands in the 1700s - a mere one hundred years after Giovan Battista Quagliata's death we have records of family births leading to our currently known lineages. It is now certain that the Quagliata family lines that trace back to Sant'Alessio and Forza D'Agro are related to Giovan Battista Quagliata. These lines include the Sant'Alessio patriarchs Pasquale Quagliata (with branches in Rome, Milan, Mexico City and New Brunswick, New Jersey), and Carmelo Quagliata (with branches in Cleveland and Rome); and the Forza D'Agro patriarchs Giuseppe Quagliata (with a branch in Hartford Connecticut), Carmelo Quagliata (the father of Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??), with branches in St. Louis, Chicago and Michigan), and Angelo Quagliata (with branches in Pennsylvania and who was also tied to the Sant'Alessio families). It is also most likely that the Quagliata family lines that trace back to the north side of Mt. Etna are also related to Giovan Battista, including the lines from Piedimonte Etneo (the Lyons/Rochester family and the Tully/Sidney, Australia family), and Fiumefreddo (the Ayr, Australia family). Furthermore, it's possible that the rest of the Quagliata families in Sicily are related to the Sant'Alessio area and Giovan Battista. So it seems the old family stories about all Quagliatas being related through the little town "south of Messina" are true. Many thanks to Professor Iana Quagliata, originally from Forza D'Agro and currently residing in Monza, Italy, who researched Giovan Battista Quagliata and contributed her work to our project. Also, thanks go to our long time contributor Vittorio Quagliata of Milan for his efforts in acquiring this information for our project.

All the lineages we know of are mapped to the town their earliest known ancestor on the map below; listed by town and patriarch. The Quagliata family that originally formed the basis of the genealogical listing we are developing is descended from the two marriages of Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??), the son of Carmelo Quagliata (1781?-18??) from Forza D'Agro (listed in the chart above). Since then, we have widened the scope of our project to include all Quagliata lineages. It should be remembered that these listings are just branches of the global Quagliata family tree.

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Quagliata Origins
Towns of origin are shown along with patriarchs and the places to where their descendants immigrated.
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The narratives of lineages with unknown linkage to Mario's line can be found on the More Quagliata Narratives page. Below is a small lineage chart that shows the known children of Mario (as our current information shows them to be) and where they or their descendants immigrated to from Sicily (unknown names and dates, or possible destinations are indicated by a question mark "?"). The chart is based on information we've gathered, including names, dates, hometowns, family relationships and written documentation. And now, we'll continue with the narrative, which presents the story of Mario's children and their descendants, following the birth order of Mario's children.

The Children of Mario Quagliata
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According to the current state of our information, Mario Quagliata (pictured on the left, click for a larger view) was born about 1843 in Forza D'Agro - northeastern Sicily, in the area just north of Mt. Etna. Mario's parent's names were Carmelo Quagliata (1781?-18??) and Rosa Pagano (1808?-18??) and they had five known children - Mario (1843?-19??), Francesco (1845-1847), Pasquale (1847-19??), Giovanni (10/1848-12/1848) and Francesco (1852-19??). Mario died sometime after 1900 - we know this because mail and photos were still going back and forth between Sicily and the United States after that date, but we have no confirmed date of death. Mario was married twice and both marriages produced children. Indications are that Mario married his first wife around 1860. Together they lived in the area just north of Mt. Etna, possibly in the area of Linguaglossa and had five children. The children's identities are unconfirmed, but our current information indicates: Salvatore (1860?), Giuseppe (1862?), Leonardo (1865?), Joseph? (1867?), and one other son whose name is unknown. Mario's first wife died around 1868. Mario married his second wife, Maria Christina Barcellona (1850?-19??), in 1875, in Catenanuova, Sicily, on the southwest side of Mt Etna. Maria's parents were Pietro Barcellona (18??-18??) and Paola Congati (18??-18??), but we're not sure if Maria's family was from Catenanuova. It's possible she was part of the Barcellona family from the area of Termini Imerese. After Mario remarried, he stayed in the Mt. Etna area for awhile. Mario and Maria had 12 children, six of which we know were born in Catenanuova - Rosa (1872-1874), Carmelo (1874-1881), Pietro (1876), Giovanni (1878), Rosa (1881), and Carmelo (1883). Giuseppe's (1885) birth place is unknown and Angelo's (1887) is listed as Catania on his marriage certificate. Back at this time, when a child was given an important name and died when the parents were still having babies, it was not unusual to see the important name given to a new baby. In this case, Rosa (1872-1874) was named after her paternal grandmother - a very important name to Sicilians. Rosa died at 2 years old, so the next female baby born in 1881 was also given the name Rosa to carry it on. This same situation happened with the name of the paternal grandfather. After a time, Mario and Maria moved to the northwest, in the Palermo area, where it is thought Mario and Maria lived in Castellammare Del Golfo for a time and then eventually moved to Termini Imerese. Mario resided in Sicily for his whole life and towns that figured into Mario's family history include Forza D'Agro, Catenanuova, Randazzo, Piedimonte Etneo, Fiumefreddo, Linguaglossa, Catania, Palermo, Castellammare Del Golfo, and the town of his last known residence: Termini Imerese. On the marriage certificate of Mario and Maria, Mario's occupation is listed as a stone cutter. This might explain how so many towns are in Mario's history - moving to work on big buildings like churches and government buildings. We also know that Mario served in the military. According to Mario's grandson by his second wife - Mario Quagliata (1907-1995), Mario was a decorated war hero. In the photo seen above and to the left (which is a section taken from a photograph of Mario and his second wife) Mario is wearing the medal he was awarded (click the photo for a larger view). Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what the medal was for or in what war it was won, but we do know there were plenty of opportunities for Mario to join a militia. In the 1800's, Italy was not a country, but simply a peninsula consisting of individual states and kingdoms. During this time period, Italians went through many conflicts as people struggled to unite Italy and install more responsible leadership. In 1852, Camillo Benso Cavour, a Sardinian statesman, maneuvered an alliance with France that helped him in his efforts toward unifying Italy. In 1860, a revolt was underway in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which included all of continental southern Italy (from Abruzzi, to Calabria and Puglia), and the island of Sicily. The conflict would turn into a bloody, ten-year civil war claiming about one million lives. Giuseppe Garibaldi and his troops from Genoa, along with Sardinian troops sent by Cavour, went to aid in the conquest of The Two Sicilies. Garibaldi soon took control of Sicily, and in August he attacked the Neapolitan mainland, entering Naples on September 7. The next year, on March 17, 1861, the kingdom of Italy was proclaimed and Victor Emmanuel II was installed as the first king, with Cavour as prime minister. However, Rome, under the control of France, and Venice, under the control of Austria, remained outside the kingdom. The next year, in 1862, Garibaldi went to Sicily and organized a march on Rome which was unsuccessful. In 1867, Garibaldi once more announced his intention to march into Roman territory. On October 14, Garibaldi led his promised march on Rome with 5,000 volunteers. The Garibaldians defeated the papal troops, but on November 3 they were attacked by a superior force of French troops. Four years later, in 1871, France relinquished control of Rome and the unification of Italy was completed - Rome was made the capital of a united Italy. Eventually, in 1960, through the efforts of The Italian Historical Society of America, the US Post Office released a stamp honoring Giuseppe Garibaldi as the general who unified Italy. Regarding Mario's medal - it was more likely won in Garibaldi's 1862 or 1867 march on Rome, or less likely in the Sicilian Revolt of 1860. Also, the many years of war and military actions wreaked havoc on the Italian economy, as well as the day to day life of Italians and Sicilians. The very difficult situation helped fuel a large wave of southern Italian/Sicilian emigration in the late 1800's to 1920's.

The first line of descent that we have knowledge of is from Salvatore Quagliata, born about 1860, who is possibly a son of Mario Quagliata's (1843?-19??) first marriage. Salvatore is the patriarch of a large family in the Lyons and/or Rochester, New York area. We have received information from, and are very grateful to, several members of this family, including: Linda [Quagliata] Kenney, Jeff Quagliata, Michael Quagliata, Jennifer Quagliata, Andrew Quagliata and Brenda L. Smith. Linda [Quagliata] Kenney supplied a lot of detailed information on this lineage, along with a great narrative of the family history which follows: In the late 1860’s to early 1870’s Salvatore Quagliata and Giovanna Raciti were teenagers in the rural farm community of Randazzo, Sicily. They met, married in approximately 1880 and then bought a farm in Randazzo or Piedimonte Etneo and worked hard to earn enough money to start a family. Their first child was a boy named Angelo, born Feb 7, 1882. Another son, Rosario, was born on October 27, 1887 (his birth certificate is on the right, click for a larger view). Three years later, another son, Pietro (Peter) was born on December 2, 1890. A daughter, Maria (Mary or possibly Anna), was born November 30, 1893. Years later, Maria died when giving birth to her first and only child - we do not know if that child survived. Those times were very difficult for Salvatore and Giovanna, with four children, a farm, and many military actions in the kingdoms that resided on the Italian peninsula. Salvatore was forced into military service, leaving behind his wife and children. In 1897, both Salvatore and Giovanna died and all 4 children were placed in a home with their aunt and uncle. Not treated well by their aunt and uncle, the boys decided that some day they would all go to America. They sold their parents' farm and used the money to move to America. Before moving Angelo married Grace Currenti and had daughters Jane (1903) and Ann (1904). The boys set sail in 1905 and went to America.

In 1908, Angelo was a laborer (carpentry) in Rochester, NY, living with his wife, two daughters and newborn son Samuel (1908). They lived there for four years and had another son Joseph (1910). In the meantime, Rosario had gone back to Sicily to marry his sweetheart, Anna Costa in Castiglione di Sicilia (a little town about half way between Randazzo and Piedimonte Etneo) in 1910 (click here to view a copy of Anna Costa's birth certificate). Both returned to Rochester and Rosario got a job as a box maker. In 1911, Rosario and Anna gave birth to their first child Jennie (1911). The three can be seen in a wonderful photo on the right supplied by Brenda Smith (click for a larger view). Rosario then got a job as a presser. In 1913, Rosario and Anna gave birth to a boy, Samuel (1913). That same year Angelo and Grace gave birth to another girl Rose (1913). Meanwhile, Peter had bought a meat market in Rochester. In December of 1915, Peter married Maria Vecchio of Linguaglossa, Sicily. Her family had also moved to the Rochester area. A few weeks later, Rosario and Anna gave birth to another son Joseph (1915). In 1916, Rosario and Peter decided to buy a farm out in Zurich, NY, and move their families out there. During those years on the farm, 1916 to 1927, Rosario and Anna gave birth to Anna (1919), Frank (1920), Grace (1925), and Lucy (1927). Peter and Mary started their family while on the farm. They had 6 children, Jane (1917), Sam (1918), Lena (1919 or 1920 – she died 9 months later due to stomach problems), Helen (1921), Leo (1923), and Michael (1925). Linda [Quagliata] Kenney sent in an interesting photo of the original Zurich farm house (click for a larger view). Shown below, it was taken about 1921. In the left background, in the shadow of the porch and hard to see are, from the left: Joseph (Rosario's child), Sam (Pietro's child), and Anna (Rosario's child). In the foreground, from the left are Mary (Pietro's wife), Jennie on the horse sidesaddle (Rosario's child), Sam (Rosario's child), Anna (Rosario's Wife), Rosario and Pietro. In 1925 the farm house burned down and that year Peter decided to move his family back to Rochester where he opened another meat market. Rosario decided to stay and rebuild a farm house across the street, which was completed in 1928. Rosario and Anna had their last child, Carl in 1929. Angelo's daughter Jane Quagliata, married Carl Cacciola and they had 5 children - Marie, Grace, Annie, Francis and Janie - four of whom can be seen in the photo on the left (click for a larger view). In Rochester, Angelo passed away of a brain tumor on April 14, 1932.

Rosario Quagliata's
Birth Certificate Copy
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Anna, Jennie & Rosario
Quagliata 1912

.The Quagliata Farm in Zurich, NY c. 1921.
In back, on the porch, from the left: Joseph (Rosario's child), Sam (Pietro's child), and Anna (Rosario's child)
In front: Mary (Pietro's wife), Jennie (Rosario's child), Sam (Rosario's child), Anna (Rosario's Wife), Rosario and Pietro.

More information on the Rochester/Lyons family was supplied by Michael and Jennifer Quagliata (siblings): Their great-great grandfather Salvatore's son Pietro, immigrated to Lyons, New York in 1913 (this conflicts with Linda's 1905 date - to date, no pertinent 1905 immigration records found). Michael and Jennifer believe the Ellis Island Record on the right belongs to their great-grandfather. Pietro was accompanied by his siblings, Angelo and Rosario, and his aunt and uncle. The aunt and uncle subsequently went on to Cleveland where there's another large Quagliata family, probably branching from our tree at some point before Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??). Angelo Quagliata, of the Cleveland Quagliata family has some family information on his website, AngeloQ. To continue, Pietro had a son named Michael S. Quagliata (Sr.), who in turn had a son named Michael S. Quagliata (Jr.). Michael S. Quagliata (Jr.) is Michael and Jennifer's father. Michael and his father work at Q-Tech Engineering. Jennifer sent us the marvelous family photo on the left, that was taken about 1927 (click for a larger view). More information about this lineage was contributed by Andrew Quagliata (b. 1979): Rosario and Anna Quagliata's third child, Joseph Quagliata, married Sophie Yasko and they had three children: (from oldest to youngest) David, Terry and Patricia. Terry Quagliata has two sons: Andrew (b. 1979) and Jason Quagliata. David had a son named Daniel and the extended family lives in the Rochester, NY area. Andrew says that some retired Quagliata's from the Lyons/Rochester group are living in Florida. Also, Jeff Quagliata supplied more information on the Rochester, NY family: Jeff's grandfather, Francis Quagliata was a son of Rosario Quagliata, the fifth child mentioned above. Francis married Flora DeJohn and they had six children: Francis (Buddy), Janie, Linda (whose contributions helped fill out the Rochester/Lyons family tree), Barbara, Becky and Lori. Francis (Buddy) is Jeff's father.

Ellis Island Record for
Pietro Quagliata
from the first marriage of
Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??)

Carmelo & Carmela Quagliata
And their children: Mariano, Pietrina, Paolino & Salvatore c.1940

Thanks to Sam Quagliata and his cousin Joanne Curro, we've added another piece to the puzzle. Sam and Joanne's great grandfather, Giuseppe Quagliata married Santa Cardillo and the couple lived in Piedimonte Etneo, Sicily - the very town mentioned above where Salvatore and Giovanna Quagliata lived. From the information we have, it appears that Giuseppe was probably born in the 1860s. The coincidence of the family name and the town indicates there is probably a family link. Also, the dates we have line up. Now, our current information has Mario's first marriage producing a third son, Giuseppe Quagliata. Giuseppe and Santa had six children: Cirino, Carmelo, Salvatore, Caterina, Paolo and Concetta. Caterina married Giuseppe Petrocitto and they had four children. Paolo married, but unfortunately, we have no further information on him. Carmelo Quagliata (1884-1956) married Carmela Rinaudo and together they had seven children: Santa, Giuseppe, Ignazio, Salvatore, Pietrina, Mariano and Paolino. In the 1950s, six of those children immigrated to Australia; Paolino stayed in Sicily and lives in Linguaglossa - once again another town mentioned above. Ignazio is Sam's father and Pietrina is Joanne's mother. Most of the large family lives in Sydney, Tully North QLD and Brisbane. Recently, in March 2005, Sam Quagliata took the time to provide us with a couple of great family photos, for which we are very grateful. The photo on the left shows Carmela and Carmelo Quagliata with four of their seven children: from left to right -Mariano, Pietrina, Paolino and Salvatore (click for a larger view). The photo on the right shows Ignazio Quagliata and his wife Giuseppina along with Ignazio's uncle, Paolo Quagliata (click for a larger view).

Sara Hughes, born Rosaria Maria Quagliata, supplied more information on this branch of the family and we are grateful for her help. Sara's great grandfather is Cirino Quagliata, one of the children of Giuseppe Quagliata and Santa Cardillo mentioned above. Cirino married and had two sons: Mario and Giuseppe. Mario Quagliata married Rosaria Pagano had they had 4 children: Lucia, Giuseppe Mario, Cirino and Carmela. Sara's father, Giuseppe Mario left Piedimonte Etneo when he was 16. He came to Sydney where he had loads of cousins. He worked a few years and then came to North Queensland where his uncle Joe (Giuseppe Quagliata, brother of his father Mario) had a canefarm. Sara's Uncle Cirino left Piedimonte at age 21 and went straight to his Uncle Joe's canefarm to work. Giuseppe Mario married Maria Dora Nicotra and they had three children: Rosaria Maria (Sara), Mary Ann and Lisa Josephine. Carmela lived in North Queensland for about 13 years and now resides in the city of Brisbane. She married Rosario Gulisano and had three children. Lucia still lives in Piedimonte Etneo. She married Alfio Sorbello and has three daughters. Sara met her Aunt Lucia for the first time in August 2005 while Sara was visiting Piedimonte Etneo on vacation.

Paolo Quagliata (center), Ignazio Quagliata & wife Giuseppina c.1940

Rita Quagliata of Ayr QLD, Australia, sent in a lot of work on another Quagliata branch that immigrated to Australia, and we are very grateful for her help. The patriarch of this family is Leonardo Quagliata who is possibly another son of Mario's (1843?-19??) first marriage. Leonardo was born about 1865, in the area just northeast of Mt. Etna, in the town of Fiumefreddo, Sicily. Leonardo married and had two sons: Guido and Carmelo (1885-1944), both born in Linguaglossa, a few miles west of Fiumefreddo. Guido married and emigrated to New York. There he and his wife (name unknown) had one child, a daughter named Antonina (photo on right supplied by Mary Trovato, click for a larger view). Antonina married a man named Travota, but unfortunately, we have no further information. Carmelo married a girl named Pietra Maugeri who was from a town just a couple miles west of Fiumefreddo - a town named Piedimonte Etneo. Once again, the very same town mentioned above; where Salvatore and Giovanna Quagliata lived, and Carmelo Quagliata (1884-1956, mentioned in the paragraph above) and his wife lived. Rita Quagliata sent us a photo, seen on the left, and a great narrative of the family history which follows: In 1886, in the quaint town of Linguaglossa (Catania) in Sicily, Carmelo Quagliata was born. Carmelo had no schooling and as a youngster picked fruit in the orchards around his hometown. As he grew up, he began to travel around Europe looking for work and a better way of living. In 1908 Carmelo married Pietra Maugeri in Linguaglossa. In 1918 he left for Australia, leaving his wife and young children Leonardo, Antonina (Nina), Rosario and Alfia, behind in Sicily. After weeks at sea on his adventurous voyage, the ship finally docked at Fremantle, Australia. He then had to board another ship to bring him to North Queensland where he started work cutting sugar cane in Ingham. This was all done by hand back in those days. The hours were long and hard, and people weren't to kind to immigrants. Six years later, in 1924 Carmelo returned to Sicily to see his family. Soon Carmelo went back to Australia to cut cane, leaving Pietra pregnant with another child, a boy named Carmelo Quagliata Jr. In 1927 Carmelo returned to Sicily again and Giuseppe was born. Then, once again, Carmelo went back to Austalia. This time, when he arrived back in Australia, he went to a small town called Home Hill, just south of Ayr. The following year he went in a partnership with Andrea Rizzo. They bought the Watts cane farm at Groper Creek Road, which is currently Populin's farm. One year later his son Leonardo, who was 15 years of age at the time, came to Australia to help his father on the farm. In March 1931, after selling everything that they had and owned in Sicily, Pietra set sail for Australia with Rosario, Alfia, Carmelo Jr. and Giuseppe. Nina, the eldest sister, stayed in Sicily and married Concetto Trovato (marriage certificate, supplied by Mary Trovato, on the left, click for a larger view). Above, on the left, is a photograph of the family taken in Ayr, Australia in 1931 (click for a larger view; Nina, the eldest sister, wasn’t in this photo). In 1937 Carmelo and two of his older sons Leonardo and Rosario bought a farm in Airville. In 1942, Carmelo sold his share to his son, Carmelo Jr. who had married Giuseppina Corica of Ingham, AUS. Together they had four children: Particia and John, and twins Paul and Joseph. Joseph married Rita Patti, who provided this information. Both Carmelo Quagliata Sr. and his wife Pietra died in 1944 - Carmelo died in December from injuries incurred in a car accident. Near the end of 1949, the children of Carmelo Sr. and Pietra Quagliata gathered in Ayr with their spouses and children for a family get together. Mary sent us the great group photo seen below that was taken on the occasion. For a complete listing of the family members in the photo, and a larger view, click here. Many thanks to Mary Trovato, the wife of Leonardo Carmelo (Charlie) Trovato (seen below on the bottom left) for her help with this branch of the family tree. In 1986, Carmelo Jr. sold the farm to his son Joseph and his wife Rita. Joseph and Rita are still on the farm with their children Kristina, Christopher and Carmelo Ross.

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Quagliata Group Photo Taken in Ayr North Queensland 1949
(Click the photo for a complete listing of the family members in the photo, and a larger view)

Information on yet another linkage was supplied in 2003 by Carlo Quagliata of Pennsylvania: Carlo's father's name is Anthony, his grandfather's name is Carlo, his great-grandfather's name is Joseph and they believe their great-great grandfather's name was Mario. Because of the coincidence of the names, it's possible, but unconfirmed, that they are related. In 2004, J. Quagliata also sent in lineage information: His grandfather Carlo was born in Sicily, married Antonia and they had three sons and one daughter. The family lives on Long Island which is where they immigrated to years ago. We didn't put the Carlo Quagliata and J. Quagliata lines together until Antoinette Quagliata provided a more complete genealogical listing in 2005. Carlo Quagliata and Antonia Vernaci married and lived in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. They had four children: Vita, Joseph, Anthony and Lenny. The family immigrated to New York City in the 1950s and eventually ended up in Valley Stream, Long Island, NY. With the new listing, we can see that these lines are related to each other.

A photo of Mario and Maria Quagliata, c. 1895.

Mario and Maria Quagliata
Taken in Termini Imerese c. 1895

Mario's second marriage was to Maria Cristina Barcellona (1850?-19??) and was documented in Catenanuova, Sicily, in 1875. Catenanuova is a small town on the southwest side of Mt. Etna. Mario's parents were Carmelo Quagliata and Rosa Pagano. Maria's parents were Pietro Barcellona and Paola Congati. According to Mario's grandson Mario Quagliata (1907-1995), Mario and Maria had 12 children. Of the 12 children, we have the names of eight: Rosa (1872-1874), Carmelo (1874-1881), Pietro (Peter, 1876/7-19??), Giovanni (John, 1878-1945), Rosa (1881-19??), Carmelo (1883-19??) , Giuseppe (Joseph, 1885-1971) and Angelo (1887-19??). Sicilian families following traditional naming practices would name their oldest son after the grandfather on the father's side, so Mario named his first son after his father, Carmelo Quagliata. But, Carmelo (1874-1881) died very young, so the baby born in 1883 was given the name Carmelo to carry it on. Following Sicilian tradition, Mario named his second son after his wife's father, Pietro Barcellona and his first daughter after his mother, Rosa. Baby Rosa died at the age of 2, so the next female baby was also named Rosa. In my immediate family, using the names Mario and Joseph, we can trace this type of traditional naming back six generations to Mario Quagliata (1843?-19??). Through documentation, we know that Pietro, Giovanni, both Rosas and both Carmelos were born in Catenanuova, and it's most likely their siblings were also born there. Giuseppe's birth place is still unknown, but Angelo is listed as being born in Catania, but that actually might have been Catenanuova in the Province of Catania. Mario and Maria eventually settled in the area around Palermo, in the city of Termini Imerese - Maria's family apparently owned a lot of land in the area of Termini. Mario and Maria can be seen in the photograph on the left, taken in Termini Imerese, Sicily around 1895. I obtained the great photograph in 1981 from my grandfather, Mario Quagliata (1907-1995). The copy previously displayed here was made years ago using traditional photographic methods: a negative was taken of the original photo which was in faded and browned condition. Recently, in July of 2004, with the help of my aunt, Rose [Quagliata] Petrella, I obtained a new copy of the photograph by scanning the original into a computer and cleaning it up. The new scan contains the original border which includes the name and address of the photography studio (click for a larger view, click here for a 5x7 view of the photo without border).

Mario's son Giovanni (1878-1945) immigrated to the US January 5, 1904. A passenger list that Richard Quagliata (b. 1955, Giovanni's grandson through Giovanni's son John Quagliata) obtained, shows that Giovanni arrived in New York aboard the S.S. Sardegna at the age of 24 (the complete record is on the left, and Giovanni's entry is shown below). The record also lists Termini (Termini Imerese in Sicily) as Giovanni's last town of residence in Italy. The record continues, showing St. Louis, Missouri as his final destination where, according to the record, Giovanni's brother in law, Francesco Scozzia(?) lived at 820 Morgan Street. Francesco was most likely married to Giovanni's sister, Rosa. Other than this, we have no other information on Rosa. On December 26, 1903, Agostina Restivo (1886-1963, alternate spelling: Augustina) immigrated to the US at the age of 17. Both Giovanni and Augustina entered the US through Ellis Island. Giovanni married Augustina in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1904 and eventually moved to St. Louis, Missouri. The first record of Giovanni and Agostina living in St. Louis, Missouri is the birth record of their daughter Mary who was born at home on Washington Street in 1906. Their second daughter Antonina (we knew her as Lena), was born at home in St. Louis in 1907. In 1914 Giovanni's name appears in the St Louis city directory as John Quagliata. The family is pictured on the right, about 1920, in a section taken from a great photo sent in by Richard Quagliata (b. 1955) (click for a larger view). On the left is another photo Richard sent in that was taken in 1981 picturing six of Giovanni and Agostina's seven children (click for a large color view). Thanks to Richard Quagliata's research in 2005, we have information from Peter's and Angelo's marriage certificates. Peter married Michela (Josephine?) Pusateri on August 25, 1902, in Sicily, but the town is unknown. Peter immigrated to the US in March 22, 1907, entering through the port of New York. Peter may have moved to and/or stayed in New York for a time as Joseph's son Mario Quagliata (1907-1995) remembered his father going to New York to visit one of his brothers. Angelo married Enrichetta Iacono on April 15, 1910 in Palermo. They lived in Termini and had some children (Maria, a son and at least one other child), the total number of children is unknown. Unfortunately, we have no information on Carmelo.

Mario's son Joseph (Giuseppe) married Grace (Grazia) Militello (1886-1940?). Grace Militello’s family was from Montemaggiore, an inland town about 25 miles east of Corleone, Sicily. Joseph and Grace had a son, Mario (1907-1995), born in Termini Imerese, Sicily, a coastal town just east of Palermo and northeast of Corleone. Current information indicates they soon moved to Castellammare Del Golfo, on the coast in the northwest corner of Sicily. Since Termini Imerese was listed as Giovanni's last residence in Italy and Joseph was known to have lived there, it's likely their parents, Mario and Maria also lived there, making it the best candidate for the family's home town.

Mario Quagliata age 4, 1911
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Joseph and Grace's immigration is a confusing story. We have an Ellis Island record for Joseph from January of 1906, but his name is crossed off, indicating he may have not made the journey, or was sent back. Then, a passenger list for May 6, 1906 that shows both Joseph and Grace. This lines up with information provided by some of the older members of the family who have said Joseph and Grace came over together, but for some reason, Grace returned to Sicily. The last record for Joseph shows he immigrated to the US, May 30, 1906. You can find his immigration entry on the ship's passenger manifest on the left (see line 28) - his Italian name, Giuseppe, was misspelled as Guiseppe. Unfortunately, now Grace was in Sicily, pregnant with their son, Mario. Apparently, Grace was in Montemaggiore, where she stayed, with her family, until Joseph sent for her. After his arrival in the US, Joseph stayed with his brother, Giovanni in St. Louis while he earned enough money to pay for the passage of his wife and son. Joseph's son Mario was born April 10, 1907 in Termini Imerese, Sicily. The photograph on the left, obtained from my aunt Rose [Quagliata] Petrella in 2004, was taken in Termini around 1911. It shows Mario at approximately age 4 (click the photo for a larger view). Grace probably sent the photo to Joseph, in St. Louis, Missouri, so he could see his son's development. According to Ellis Island records, Grace (27yrs) and Mario (6yrs) arrived in the US on July 22, 1913 with the town of Montemaggiore listed as their place of residence. Eventually, the family ended up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Apparently, Giovanni and his family also resided in Lake Geneva for a time. While living in Lake Geneva, Joseph and Grace had two daughters named Mary and Virginia.

In 1913, Peter Quagliata’s name appears in the St Louis, Missouri city directory as a fruit vendor and continued to appear into the 1920’s. The first record of Giovanni and Agostina living in St. Louis, Missouri is the birth record of their daughter Mary who was born at home on Washington Street in 1906. Their second daughter Antonina (we knew her as Lena) was born at home in St. Louis in 1907. In 1914 Giovanni's name appears in the St Louis city directory as John Quagliata. Giovanni and Augustina’s children are named Mary, Lena, Rose, Josephine, Jenny, Angie and John. Most of Giovanni's family still resides in the St. Louis area.

Ellis Island records for Giuseppe and Pietro Quagliata.

A C&NW Rail Yard Crew in the Proviso Rail Yard, c. 1920. Joseph Quagliata is back row, third from left.

A Chicago and Northwestern Rail Yard Crew in the Proviso Rail Yard
Joseph Quagliata (Giuseppe, 1885-1971) is back row, third from left, c. 1920.

Sometime around 1918, Joseph and Grace moved to Melrose Park, Illinois (Chicago) with their three children. There, Joseph worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad (C&NW, now the Union Pacific Western Line) in the huge Proviso Rail Yard, located in Melrose Park, Illinois. The Proviso Rail Yard was completed in 1929. At the time of completion, it was the largest freight yard in the US with a capacity of 26,000 freight cars. The photograph above, obtained from my Aunt Rose [Quagliata] Petrella in 2004, was taken about 1920. It shows Joseph at work - in the back row, third from the left, with a hammer in his hand (for a larger view click here). Sometime in the 1920's, Joseph was run over by a railroad car while at work. At the time, Joseph was a switch tender. When the long freight trains uncoupled and the individual rail cars were redirected, the switch tender used to run ahead of the cars and throw the switch tracks so the cars would roll to the correct train. One winter, while running ahead of a car, he slipped and fell under the rolling box car. He survived the accident, but lost his left arm. Joseph continued to work for C&NW until he retired at age 65 in 1950 with about 30 years of service. As it would eventually turn out, both Joseph's son Mario and Mario's son Edward would retire from C&NW.
Giovanni, Agostina and Joseph (Joe Lafata in back, 1940's)	Most of Joseph and Grace's family have stayed in the Chicago area. Joseph and John remained close and the families visited each other into the 1940’s and 1950’s. They still correspond via telephone and letters. Grace died in 1940 and Joseph eventually remarried to Doris Jacob. On the left is a photo of Giovanni, Agostina and Joseph taken in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1940's (Giovanni's son-in-law Joe Lafata in the back; click the photo for a larger view). After the 1920's, Peter Quagliata’s family history is unknown and it is believed he and his wife returned to Italy sometime in the 1920’s, probably to Termini Imerese. Angelo Quagliata (1887-19??) stayed in Termini Imerese, Sicily, and we have a letter he wrote from Termini to his brother Giovanni in St. Louis dated 1949. In 1999, Richard Quagliata (b. 1955), sent me the terrific group photograph below. It was taken in St. Louis, Missouri around 1920. (Click the photo for a larger view - for large view printouts select the 'Landscape' setting in 'Page Setup' before printing. To download the full size scan in Jpeg format, click here.)

Quagliata family group photo taken in St. Louis, c. 1920.

Josephine, Mario, Grace, Joseph, Donald, Rose and Edward Quagliata, c. 1938.

Joseph and Grace's son, Mario Quagliata married Josephine Muff (1909-2001) in 1927. Josephine was from Rural Valley, Pennsylvania, but her mother and father immigrated from Italy. Mario met Josephine when she was visiting her married sister Pauline who lived with her husband, Tony Ross, in Melrose Park, Illinois. Mario and Josephine have five children, all born in Melrose Park. Their names are Grace, Joseph, Donald (Tim), Edward and Rose. The family is pictured on the left in a photograph taken in 1938 (click the picture for a larger view). From left to right, Josephine and Mario are in the back, the children Grace, Joseph and Tim are standing, and Rose and Edward are sitting. On the right is another photo of the family taken in 1987 (click for a complete listing of pictured family members and a larger color view). Mario worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in the Proviso Rail Yard from 1924 to 1972, retiring as a locomotive/diesel engineer after 48 years of service. Mario's son Edward also worked for C&NW from 1951 to 1993 retiring as a locomotive/diesel engineer after 42 years of service. The C&NW was absorbed by the Union Pacific in 1995.

Chicago Quagliata Family c.1987
(click for a larger color view with names)

Mario was an avid vegetable gardener. He developed a strain of sweet green, thin skinned frying peppers the family loves (click here for an interesting article on Mario's peppers). Unbelievably, despite the harsh winters in the Chicago area, Mario had a fig tree in his garden that produced figs. Every fall he would bend it down to the ground, cover it with mulch and plywood and in the spring he'd stake the fig tree back up and it would produce great figs. Mario was also a champion pigeon racer. At the time, Chicago was the midwest mecca of pigeon racing. There was plenty of tough competition, but Mario's pigeons were consistent winners. His breeding birds were prized by pigeon racers all over the world. The photograph on the right shows Mario after winning second place in the Racing Pigeon Bulletin's 1973 Big All American Awards given for outstanding loft performance. As you can see, his pigeons won many trophies in Old Bird races during 1973. Click on the photo to view the Bulletin's article on the award.

Mario Quagliata and his 1973 pigeon trophies.

Giovanni and Augustina's son John Quagliata married Joan Selover and continued to live in the St. Louis, Missouri area. John and Joan had six children named Michael Gerard, Richard John, Garry John, Lawrence Phillip, Lori Ann, and Karen Marie. Karen Marie is a freelance writer who's been published in the "Scream Factory" and the "Midnight Sun". John and Joan's son, Richard John Quagliata has contributed a lot of information to this project and we are very grateful. Richard married Lauren Kay Newenhaus of St. Louis in 1977. They have 3 children named Kathy Michele, John Richard and Timothy Richard (John married Melissa Dawn Bahr in St. Louis on October 18, 2003).

Joseph and Ann Quagliata and Family c.2001 .	Mario and Josephine's son, Joseph Quagliata married Ann Plecas (1932-2002) in 1951. Joseph is an excellent accordion player - that's him in the photograph on the right, playing away at 12 years of age. While living in Melrose Park, Joseph and Ann had two sons named Michael and Anthony. Joseph and Ann moved to Saginaw, Michigan in the late 1950’s and had another son named Mark. In 1987, Joseph retired as an engineer from Saginaw Steering Gear, a division of General Motors. The family is pictured on the left in a photo taken in 2001 on Joseph and Ann's 50th anniversary (click for a complete listing of pictured family members and a larger color view). Ann died in 2002. Joseph continues to reside in Saginaw, as does Anthony. Mark now lives in Brighton, Michigan and has two children, Justin and Taylor.
Joseph and Ann's son Michael (that's me) married Susan Salbenbaltt of Saginaw, Michigan in 1975. I was named after my grandfather Mario Michael Quagliata - my parents decided to use Michael as it was a more Americanized substitute for the name Mario and was also my grandfather's middle name. Susan and I moved to Lansing, Michigan in the early 1970’s to attend Michigan State University (MSU). Our children are named Mario and Joseph and we continue to reside in Lansing. Mario graduated from MSU in 2003 with a Master's degree in civil engineering and resides in Lansing, Michigan. Joseph graduated from MSU in 2005 with dual degrees in Spanish and Interdisciplinary Social Science and also resides in Lansing, Michigan. On a business trip to Rochester, New York, in June of 2004, Mario got to spend some time with the Quagliata family living in the area who are related through Mario Quagliata's (1843?-19??) first marriage. Michael S. Quagliata Jr. had Mario over for dinner. Quagliata cousins, Michael, Jennifer, Andrew, Sean and Brendon took Mario out on the town one night and the group went out for dinner on another night. Mario had a great time and really appreciated being treated as family so far from home.

Lastly, we've had the photo on the right posted here for a few years. It's of Maria Quagliata taken in Italy - probably Sicily in the 1940s or 1950s (click for a larger view). The photo belonged to Mario Quagliata (1907-1995) and is labeled 'Cugina Maria Quagliata', which means 'Cousin Maria Quagliata'. We hoped someone might recognize it and provide us with more information. We've finally learned more from a letter written in 1949 to Giovanni Quagliata from his brother Angelo. We now know this is Angelo Quagliata's oldest daughter, Maria. She is named after her grandmother (Mario's (1843?-19??) second wife) and lived in Termini Imerese, Sicily, where this photo was most likely taken.

For brevity's sake, the above narrative does not include all of the family members' names and linkages we have acquired thus far. For a complete genealogical listing of the current state of our information, see Richard's Chart. This information was compiled over many years with the help of family members including Mario Quagliata (1907-1995), Joseph Quagliata (b1930), Ann [Plecas] Quagliata (1932-2002), Rose [Quagliata] Petrella (b1936), John Quagliata (b1940), Linda [Quagliata] Kenney (b1945), Michael Quagliata (b1953), Richard Quagliata (b1955), Joanne Curro (b1956), Sam Quagliata (b1959), Brenda L. Smith (b1966), Jeff Quagliata (b1971), Michael Quagliata (b1976), Jennifer Quagliata (b1978), Andrew Quagliata (b1979), Natalie Quagliata (OH/DC), Rita Quagliata (AUS), Mary Trovato (AUS), Carlo Quagliata (PA) and Antoinette Quagliata (NY) among others. Many thanks to all. – July, 2008

Cugina Maria Quagliata

These pages were last updated 7/24/2008.
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