Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[PolackTony]

Jasper Campise was born 1916 to Gaspano "Jasper" Campisi and Vincenza Bella, of Sambuca di Sicilia (Sambuca Zabut), Agrigento. There are documents stating that he was born in Kansas City or Chicago, variously. The family lived in Kansas City in 1910, where some older siblings were born, and sometime around 1920, they had moved to Chicago, where they settled in the Near Northside Little Sicily community. While I haven't been able to confirm a birth record for him (likely due to misspelling of the surname) his WW2 draft registration states that he was born in KC.

Campise stated to the FBI that he was born in Kansas City. The FBI has his date of birth as 15 March 1915.

Thanks. There may have been two Jasper Campises in Chicago — records for a Jasper Joseph and a Jasper George — with birthdates in 1915 and 1916. There seems to have been another Jasper Campise who died later, after Jay Campise, who may have been born 1915. The FBI may have confused the records. Jay Campise also may have used different dates or middle names in different records. His WW2 draft record and SSDI for his death both state that he was born in 1916.

The FBI also has his father's name as Anthony but I don't know how accurate that is.

I don't believe that's correct. Based on my review of a number of documents his father was named Gaspano/Gasparo and died in 1939. Jay Campise did have an older brother named Anthony who had a son also named Jasper Campise (Jay had many siblings and several of them had sons named Jasper). I think that the FBI may have been mixed up on that.

[Snakes]

Jasper Campise was born 1916 to Gaspano "Jasper" Campisi and Vincenza Bella, of Sambuca di Sicilia (Sambuca Zabut), Agrigento. There are documents stating that he was born in Kansas City or Chicago, variously. The family lived in Kansas City in 1910, where some older siblings were born, and sometime around 1920, they had moved to Chicago, where they settled in the Near Northside Little Sicily community. While I haven't been able to confirm a birth record for him (likely due to misspelling of the surname) his WW2 draft registration states that he was born in KC.

Campise stated to the FBI that he was born in Kansas City. The FBI has his date of birth as 15 March 1915.

Thanks. There may have been two Jasper Campises in Chicago — records for a Jasper Joseph and a Jasper George — with birthdates in 1915 and 1916. There seems to have been another Jasper Campise who died later, after Jay Campise, who may have been born 1915. The FBI may have confused the records. Jay Campise also may have used different dates or middle names in different records. His WW2 draft record and SSDI for his death both state that he was born in 1916.

The FBI also has his father's name as Anthony but I don't know how accurate that is.

I don't believe that's correct. Based on my review of a number of documents his father was named Gaspano/Gasparo and died in 1939. Jay Campise did have an older brother named Anthony who had a son also named Jasper Campise (Jay had many siblings and several of them had sons named Jasper). I think that the FBI may have been mixed up on that.

Maybe I misread and it actually said "brother's name."

[PolackTony]

Jasper Campise was born 1916 to Gaspano "Jasper" Campisi and Vincenza Bella, of Sambuca di Sicilia (Sambuca Zabut), Agrigento. There are documents stating that he was born in Kansas City or Chicago, variously. The family lived in Kansas City in 1910, where some older siblings were born, and sometime around 1920, they had moved to Chicago, where they settled in the Near Northside Little Sicily community. While I haven't been able to confirm a birth record for him (likely due to misspelling of the surname) his WW2 draft registration states that he was born in KC.

Campise stated to the FBI that he was born in Kansas City. The FBI has his date of birth as 15 March 1915.

Thanks. There may have been two Jasper Campises in Chicago — records for a Jasper Joseph and a Jasper George — with birthdates in 1915 and 1916. There seems to have been another Jasper Campise who died later, after Jay Campise, who may have been born 1915. The FBI may have confused the records. Jay Campise also may have used different dates or middle names in different records. His WW2 draft record and SSDI for his death both state that he was born in 1916.

The FBI also has his father's name as Anthony but I don't know how accurate that is.

I don't believe that's correct. Based on my review of a number of documents his father was named Gaspano/Gasparo and died in 1939. Jay Campise did have an older brother named Anthony who had a son also named Jasper Campise (Jay had many siblings and several of them had sons named Jasper). I think that the FBI may have been mixed up on that.

Maybe I misread and it actually said "brother's name."

Maybe. But maybe not. Now I'm reviewing more records. The death record for "Jasper George" Campise states that he was born 1915 in KC and died 1999. The other Jasper Campise was "Jasper Joseph" and some records state that he was born in either 1915 or 1916 in Missouri. One of them had a father named Gaspano/"Jasper" and one had a father named Antonino. But this other Campise family had their surname misspelled as "Campsie" in the Census so I didn't come across it before. They also lived by the other Campises in Little Sicily. So you had two families with kids the same age named Jasper Campise both born in Missouri.

[PolackTony]

If anyone could verify the name of Jay Campise's wife, then I think I could verify which Jasper Campise he actually was.

[Snakes]

If anyone could verify the name of Jay Campise's wife, then I think I could verify which Jasper Campise he actually was.

Josephine

[PolackTony]

If anyone could verify the name of Jay Campise's wife, then I think I could verify which Jasper Campise he actually was.

Josephine

Thanks. Jasper Joseph Campise married Josephine Tortorici in 1934 (though the marriage record lists his birth year there as 1910). The SSDI for Jasper J. Campise who died in 1983 lists his birthdate as 3/14/1916. The WW2 draft card for JJ (with Josephine as his wife) has his birthdate as 03/14/1915. Given that the FBI had him as born in 1915, maybe the SSDI had an error. But it seems clear that the Campise of interest for us was Jasper Joseph.

Jasper George Campise (born 1915, died 1999) it seems was the son of Gaspano Campisi and Vincenza Bella. He married a Mary Rizzo in 1940. So I think now that the Jasper Campise who was the son of Antonino Campise is most likely the one we want. His mother was named Mary on the 1920 Census in Chicago, which has her as born in Louisiana. In 1910, there was an Antonio Campisi and wife Maria Antonia (born in Louisiana) in the KC census, so this was probably them before Jasper was born. Haven't been able to verify their backgrounds.

Thanks for the pushback. It's not common that I'm unable to find a birth record for someone to check against other sources.

[Snakes]

If anyone could verify the name of Jay Campise's wife, then I think I could verify which Jasper Campise he actually was.

Josephine

Thanks. Jasper Joseph Campise married Josephine Tortorici in 1934 (though the marriage record lists his birth year there as 1910). The SSDI for Jasper J. Campise who died in 1983 lists his birthdate as 3/14/1916. The WW2 draft card for JJ (with Josephine as his wife) has his birthdate as 03/14/1915. Given that the FBI had him as born in 1915, maybe the SSDI had an error. But it seems clear that the Campise of interest for us was Jasper Joseph.

Jasper George Campise (born 1915, died 1999) it seems was the son of Gaspano Campisi and Vincenza Bella. He married a Mary Rizzo in 1940. So I think now that the Jasper Campise who was the son of Antonino Campise is most likely the one we want. His mother was named Mary on the 1920 Census in Chicago, which has her as born in Louisiana. In 1910, there was an Antonio Campisi and wife Maria Antonia (born in Louisiana) in the KC census, so this was probably them before Jasper was born. Haven't been able to verify their backgrounds.

Thanks for the pushback. It's not common that I'm unable to find a birth record for someone to check against other sources.

1915 is almost certainly his birth date (or at least as far as he was concerned) as it is listed on his gravestone.

[PolackTony]

If anyone could verify the name of Jay Campise's wife, then I think I could verify which Jasper Campise he actually was.

Josephine

Thanks. Jasper Joseph Campise married Josephine Tortorici in 1934 (though the marriage record lists his birth year there as 1910). The SSDI for Jasper J. Campise who died in 1983 lists his birthdate as 3/14/1916. The WW2 draft card for JJ (with Josephine as his wife) has his birthdate as 03/14/1915. Given that the FBI had him as born in 1915, maybe the SSDI had an error. But it seems clear that the Campise of interest for us was Jasper Joseph.

Jasper George Campise (born 1915, died 1999) it seems was the son of Gaspano Campisi and Vincenza Bella. He married a Mary Rizzo in 1940. So I think now that the Jasper Campise who was the son of Antonino Campise is most likely the one we want. His mother was named Mary on the 1920 Census in Chicago, which has her as born in Louisiana. In 1910, there was an Antonio Campisi and wife Maria Antonia (born in Louisiana) in the KC census, so this was probably them before Jasper was born. Haven't been able to verify their backgrounds.

Thanks for the pushback. It's not common that I'm unable to find a birth record for someone to check against other sources.

1915 is almost certainly his birth date (or at least as far as he was concerned) as it is listed on his gravestone.

Agreed. What’s funny is the “findagrave” entry for him states 1916 though the attached photo of his grave shows 1915.

So then looks like it’s safe to conclude that he was born 1915 in KC to Antonino Campisi and Mary (probably Maria Antonia), of unconfirmed Sicilian origin. If I turn up anything further on his apparent parents, I’ll update.

[Antiliar]

According to her other son's death record, she was born Mary Paternostra (probably Paternostro). Couldn't find a Mary Paternostro or Maria Antonia Paternostro born around 1885 in Louisiana, but their records are very incomplete.

Name: George F Campisi [George Campisi]
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 28 Jul 1908
Birth Place: Kansas City, Missouri [Kansas City|]
Death Date: 26 Aug 2001
Claim Date: 21 Jan 1974
Father:
Tony Campisi
Mother:
Mary Paternostra

I also found a naturalization that could be a match for the father. If it's the same Antonino/Antonio Campise, then he's from Sambuca Zabut. Same city Mike Merlo came from.

[PolackTony]

According to her other son's death record, she was born Mary Paternostra (probably Paternostro). Couldn't find a Mary Paternostro or Maria Antonia Paternostro born around 1885 in Louisiana, but their records are very incomplete.

Name: George F Campisi [George Campisi]
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 28 Jul 1908
Birth Place: Kansas City, Missouri [Kansas City|]
Death Date: 26 Aug 2001
Claim Date: 21 Jan 1974
Father:
Tony Campisi
Mother:
Mary Paternostra

Thanks, good info. I tend to have some trouble when dealing with people who arrived via Louisiana, unlike NYC where it’s usually easy enough to find ship manifests for arrivals etc. Still unable to find a birth record for Campise in Missouri, but the spelling of both the surname and first name (could’ve been under an Italian version like Gaspare, etc) may be an issue. I’ve looked under a number of potential spelling combinations and haven’t found anything yet.

Haven’t found anything to confirm Sicilian origin for his father either, but as you know the electronic records for various comuni can be spotty.

[PolackTony]

According to her other son's death record, she was born Mary Paternostra (probably Paternostro). Couldn't find a Mary Paternostro or Maria Antonia Paternostro born around 1885 in Louisiana, but their records are very incomplete.

Name: George F Campisi [George Campisi]
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 28 Jul 1908
Birth Place: Kansas City, Missouri [Kansas City|]
Death Date: 26 Aug 2001
Claim Date: 21 Jan 1974
Father:
Tony Campisi
Mother:
Mary Paternostra

I also found a naturalization that could be a match for the father. If it's the same Antonino/Antonio Campise, then he's from Sambuca Zabut. Same city Mike Merlo came from.

Just saw the update. Would make sense. It’s the same town of course that the other Campisi family (who seemed to have followed the same route of Louisiana to KC to Chicago’s Little Sicily) that I detailed above was from. There were other Campisis in Chicago from Palermo province (Marineo, Caccamo), but maybe both of these families, if both from Sambuca di Zabut/Sicilia, were cousins or something (perhaps explaining all of the “Jaspers”).

I believe the Antonino Campisi in question here was one who born about 1866 and died 1931 in Chicago. His death record lists his wife as “Mary” and his birthplace as Girgenti (Agrigento). Also, the Antonio and Maria Antonia Campisi living in KC in 1910 had a baby named Giorgio, so that should be the same George Campise. I was also able to identify their 1930 Census record in Chicago, where the surname was spelled “Campesia” on the record. Mary is again listed as born in LA and Jasper as MO.

EDIT: As a further note, there was a Mary Campise who died in suburban Chicago in 1982, born 1892 in Louisiana. Her father is listed as Frank Padrenostro. In the 1930 Census record noted above, a Frank “Paternostro” was living with the Campisis and noted as a “grandfather”. In 1935, a Frank Padrenostro (born 1870) died in Chicago, with his wife listed as Vincenza Campisi, perhaps indicating that both families were closely intermarried and from the same comune in Sicily. His birthplace is listed as “Gugleno” and the informant was George Campise, so this was probably Mary’s father. All I have is the digital record, not the image of the original, so maybe “Gugleno” was actually spelled Girgenti on the original.

[Antiliar]

Paternostro is a very common surname in Corleone, and New Orleans had a lot of immigrants from there, so that would be my first guess.

[PolackTony]

Paternostro is a very common surname in Corleone, and New Orleans had a lot of immigrants from there, so that would be my first guess.

Good call. That’s probably it.

[PolackTony]

I believe that Carlo Colianni was born Carmelo Colaianni in Calascibetta in 1905. Per SSDI, the Carlo Colianni who died in 1990 was born 03/24/1905. In his US naturalization document, a Carmelo "Coloianni", from Calascibetta and resident in Chicago, stated that his birthdate was 03/24/1905 and that he entered the US via NYC 03/24/1921. The WW2 draft registration card for "Carl Colianni" states that he was born 03/24/1905 and lists his brother Ralph Colianni as his contact. When Carmelo Colianni, born in Calascibetta, entered the US via NYC on 03/24/1921, the ship manifest stated that he was joining his brother Raffaele Colianni in Rochester. "Colaianni" would be the original spelling in Sicily.

[PolackTony]

Louis Clementi was born either 1902 or 1903 in Italy. His younger brother Pasquale was born 1908 in Chicago. Their parents were Antonio Clemente and Carmella Guglielmo, both born in Italy. Carmella's mother apparently was from Potenza, so she may have been born there. Antonio's gravestone states that he was born 02/05/1881. My best guess is that he was the Antonio Clemente born 02/06/1881 in Gravina, Bari. The father of this Antonio was named Luigi, and Antonio's firstborn son was "Louis". Gravina is very close to the border with Potenza province also.