Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[PolackTony]

BTW, in reference to the naturalization index card for Nick De John's mother, the address for Joseph DeLaurentis of 825 S. Racine is the same address Joseph Esposito gave for himself when he ran for office in 1922. DeLaurentis probably worked for Esposito.

Whoa. Good possibility then that this points to Solly D’s family back then. They were from Acerra Napoli and his grandfather was clearly a mobster on Taylor St. Seems to me that the ties between these Napolitani and the mafia were already well underway at this time.

Just did some followup. The Frank DeLaurentis killed in 1926 was reported to be a cousin of Joe Esposito. Mary DeLaurentis, Franks's aunt, said she was Diamond Joe's sister. The April 17, 1926, issue of the Tribune reported that Frank was a kinsman by marriage of Esposito.

Oh wow. Awesome find. When DeLaurentis was killed the papers claimed that he was a Genna affiliate, so I had suspected that he was one of Esposito's guys, but the fact that he was a relative is a big deal. I wonder if Solly D knows this history.

The Frank DeLaurentis killed in 1926 was not Solly D's grandfather, just to be clear. Solly D's grandfather was Salvatore DeLaurentis (who may have also gone by Frank), who was murdered on Laflin near Taylor in 1924. At the time, he was the suspect in a prior murder. Here's a great quote from his wife, Teresa DeSeno (Solly's nonna), also of Acerra:



Francesco DeLaurentis was born in 1897 in Acerra to Francesco DeLaurentis and Maria Samarco. Salvatore DeLaurentis was born in 1886 in Acerra to Gennaro DeLaurentis (who Solly D's father, Gerry, was named after) and Lucia Mazzia.

[Antiliar]

This is Frank's aunt (I believe): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167 ... elaurentis

She was married to Giovanni (John) DeLaurentis, who was born around 1848 in Acerra. Before Mary DeLaurentis lived in Chicago she lived in Yonkers with her husband. I don't have his DOD, but I would guess he died in Yonkers.

[PolackTony]

This is Frank's aunt (I believe): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167 ... elaurentis

She was married to Giovanni (John) DeLaurentis, who was born around 1848 in Acerra. Before Mary DeLaurentis lived in Chicago she lived in Yonkers with her husband. I don't have his DOD, but I would guess he died in Yonkers.

Interesting, see above also.

[B.]

Gentile said Esposito was close to Mike Merlo and spent time with both of them, so Merlo and an Esposito relative witnessing DeJohn's mother's naturalization makes sense.

On DeJohn, stands out DeRose said Nick DeJohn was linked with Chicago Heights in the Benevento/Accardo dispute given Sam DiGiovanni's apparent stature in the Heights.

[Antiliar]

We'll have to see if Francesco and Gennaro are brothers.

[PolackTony]

Gentile said Esposito was close to Mike Merlo and spent time with both of them, so Merlo and an Esposito relative witnessing DeJohn's mother's naturalization makes sense.

On DeJohn, stands out DeRose said Nick DeJohn was linked with Chicago Heights in the Benevento/Accardo dispute given Sam DiGiovanni's apparent stature in the Heights.

Agreed on both counts.

[PolackTony]

Marcello/Marshall Caifano I have as born in Brooklyn, NY to Domenico Caifano from Potenza, Basilicata and Antonia LaViola of Pisticci, Matera, Basilicata.

Just wanted to add a few details. Per his 1914 naturalization papers, Domenico Caifano (original spelling was Caivano) was born in Potenza in 1887. When he first entered NYC in 1906, he listed his most recent residence as Pisticci, Matera province, where his wife Antonia LaViola was from. Domenico then returned to Pisticci and subsequently re-entered NYC in 1909 with Antonia. The passenger manifest states that both Dominic and Antonia were born in Pisticci, but this is almost certainly incorrect as several other documents state that Domenico was born in Potenza (further, the Caivono surname is much more common in Potenza province than in Matera, where it is quite rare). Per his birth certificate, Leonard "Leonardo" Caifano was born in NYC in 1909 (specifically in Brooklyn, per later records in Chicago). Marcello Caifano's wikipedia entry claims that he was born in Sicily in 1911, which is obviously untrue, as he wasn't even Sicilian. I haven't been able to locate Marcello's birth record in NYC (presumably due to some weird spelling error), but several documents (including his WW2 draft card and SSDI) concur that he was born 1911/07/19 in NYC. As kids, Leonardo and Marcello went back to Italy, where younger brother Rocco Caifano was born in 1914 in Pisticci. In 1919, the three boys re-entered the US with their mother Antonia, bound for Chicago, where Domenico had moved. In 1920, the Caifanos lived in the Taylor St Patch, on Sholta (forgot what this street was renamed to) near Taylor. Leonard Caifano was of course killed in 1951/06/19 (death record states that he was born in 1910, contradicted by his birth record), at which time he was living at 2122 W Taylor (near Hamilton Ave, where the VA Hospital is today). Leaonard's wife was Teresa Sciaraffa, who was born in 1910 in Senerchia, Avellino (same comune that Vito Marzullo was from). Worth noting also that their son John Anthony Caifano married a Susan Nappi, while their other son Donald married Carmelita Pope, whose mother was also named Sciaraffa.

On his WW2 draft registration, Marshall Caifano was living on Leavitt at Polk (essentially around the corner from where Lenny lived) with his wife Lena and stated that he was self-employed, with a work address 4500 W Fillmore (near Kostner), in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of the Westside. Marshall Caifano was of course sentenced to 20 years in FL for selling stolen stock certificates and died in FL in 2003 after being released. John Kass, doing his usual Outfit-trolling schtick, attended Caifano's funeral in Chicago.

Domenico Caifano died in Cook County in 1955 while Antonia LaViola died in Cook County in 1983.

Given that Caifano seemed to have had some marital issues (e.g., the story that Giancana raped his wife in retaliation for Caifano having raped another made guy's wife), worth noting that he and his wife "Susan Darlene" separated in 1957. According to a 1959 Tribune article, Susan was represented by famed Outfit lawyer George Bieber in her divorce suit against Marshall. Caifano had married Lena Paul in 1934, not sure when they had divorced.

[PolackTony]

- Chicago had a large Marsala / Castelvetrano faction but those towns don't show up much alongside the Castellammarese in the national Trapani network under Schiro. Masseria had his own Marsala roots yet was the mortal enemy of the Castellammarese and Castelvetrano is a strange place -- the Family there disbanded in the 1930s yet regrouped and is today the political stronghold of Trapani. Vincenzo Benevento of Chicago was from Partanna which is a town associated with the Bonannos. Curious if the Domingos were associated with the Genna faction.

On this thread, I have Genna affiliate Antonino Spano, aka "Giuseppe Nerone" bka "Il Cavaliero" as born in Marsala. You'll have noticed on the "Gambino family" thread that the Taylor St Gambinos were from Mazara del Vallo/Partanna (and I think it seems very likely that one of them married a cousin of some sort of Frank LaPorte).

On the "Gambino" thread I also stated that I think it is very likely that Giuseppe Ferraro Morici was from Castelvetrano (I don't have it 100% confirmed, but I'd bet good money that he was).

You'll also note that there is a possibility that the Pietro Misuraca who was partnered with Giuseppe Morici (the Termini guy who was probably rappresentante) may have been from Castellammare.

Another guy that I've discussed a while back here on the forums was Giuseppe Accardi aka "Il Spia", who was slated for deportation by US immigration officials in 1929 following a three-year manhunt. In 1926, Accardi was targeted as a criminal alien for deportation after being apprehended as a suspected criminal alien. The authorities reportedly located info in his Fairfield Ave residence (near where Angelo Genna was living when he was killed the prior year) directly linking him to the Gennas, Amatuna, and Orazio Tropea. The Tribune described Accardi at that time as a "lieutenant in the Sicilian Quatro [...] the mysterious force behind Camorra" (apparently the "Quatro" was some name for the mafia they got from their sources). 2 days after Accardi was arrested, authorities conducted a series of raids in Cicero and Chicago Heights for "Sicilian gangsters" in the country illegally (the Tribune stated that Capone's HQ in Cicero, the Hawthorne Hotel was raided as they had info that Capone was being guarded by a group of "10 Sicilians"). Somehow, Accardi escaped custody and went on the lam. There was a Giuseppe Accardi in Chicago, born 1882 in Campobello di Mazara, though this guy died in 1965 in Chicago (so not the same guy, assuming that Accardi was actually deported).

Another guy to note was Vincenzo Accardo, who was an alleged Aiello gunman arrested in 1930. His address was given as 816 N Milton, and a Vicenzo Accardo living at that address had been denied a naturalization document, which gave his birth year as 1897. In 1942 Vincenzo Accardo was naturalized. He was born 1897 in Gibellina, Trapani and married Rose Lisciandrello of Campofelice di Roccella (stated as such on Vincenzo's naturalization document). Rose was born 1905 and was the daughter of Michelangelo "Mike" Lisciandrello and Caterina Gualtieri. These were also the parents of brothers Joseph ("Ruffy"), Sam, and Frank ("Hot Dog") Lisciandrello, and in 1920 the family lived on N Milton in Little Sicily. Caterina had arrived in the US in 1906 with young son Giuseppe and infant daughter Rosa, bound for Chicago where her husband Michelangelo Lisciandrello lived. Sam and Frank were born later in Chicago. There is a record for a Michelangelo Lisciandrello from Campofelice who arrived in NYC in 1905. When Michelangelo died in 1920, his occupation was "grocer" and he lived at 816 N Milton, the same address that Vincenzo Accardo gave when he was arrested in 1930. Vincenzo Accardo died in Chicago in 1982.

[B.]

Great info.

Also Pietro Montalbano from Castelvetrano who killed his paesan and the guy's brother told authorities Montalbano was a "member" of the mafia.

Allegra said the boss of Castelvetrano when they disbanded in the 1930s was Nunzio Marotta. Maybe a surname to look for.

[PolackTony]

Great info.

Also Pietro Montalbano from Castelvetrano who killed his paesan and the guy's brother told authorities Montalbano was a "member" of the mafia.

Allegra said the boss of Castelvetrano when they disbanded in the 1930s was Nunzio Marotta. Maybe a surname to look for.

Haven't seen the Marotta name in Chicago, but I'll look out for it (EDIT: by that, I mean that there were plenty of Marottas in Chicago, from Campania mainly, but none that I've seen connected to Trapani province. There was a Francesco Marotta murdered in 1924, who I believe was Sicilian, but no idea where he was from Sicily, and Marotta is more common in other provinces apart from Trapani). Montalbano may also have been connected to Ferraro Morici's uncle Giuseppe Sanacore, from Castelvetrano.

I think I've mentioned it before, but also worth noting again that in 1929, Joe Batters' parents' house was bombed (they'd since moved from the Grand Ave Patch to Diversey and Lavergne in the NW side Belmont-Cragin neighborhood), and father Francesco "Frank" Accardo arrested following the bombing. Francesco was later released and reportedly filed suit against the police for the arrest. Could be that the Aiello/Northside hitters were targeting young Mr. Batters, or could be that Francesco Accardo was also connected.

[B.]

Yeah, I wouldn't rule out anything. His rise was closely connected to the Capone faction but you never know what veered someone in a certain direction. Accardo/Accardi (often used interchangably) shows up a lot in mafia circles from that part of Trapani but also a very common name.

[Antiliar]

In 1915 Angelina Locascio was murdered in revenge for her son killing Pietro Catalanotto. She was actually Antonia Locascio, born in 1864 and married to Carlo Locascio (1849-1932), who may have been from Chiusa Sclafani. Her maiden name was Loverde, which obviously brings to mind Toto Loverde. A Santo Loverde, who could have been Antonia's younger brother, witnessed Carlo's petition for naturalization (which was denied). He was born in 1877 in Altavilla Milicia.

[B.]

Have you guys found where Pietro Barone was from? Catalanotto's apparent right-hand man. Tony found Catalanotto might have been from Agrigento a while back.

[Antiliar]

Have you guys found where Pietro Barone was from? Catalanotto's apparent right-hand man. Tony found Catalanotto might have been from Agrigento a while back.

I have Vito/Victor Barone as his right-hand man. So far no luck finding him in Ancestry.com.

[PolackTony]

In 1915 Angelina Locascio was murdered in revenge for her son killing Pietro Catalanotto. She was actually Antonia Locascio, born in 1864 and married to Carlo Locascio (1849-1932), who may have been from Chiusa Sclafani. Her maiden name was Loverde, which obviously brings to mind Toto Loverde. A Santo Loverde, who could have been Antonia's younger brother, witnessed Carlo's petition for naturalization (which was denied). He was born in 1877 in Altavilla Milicia.

Great find. This was a wild story, Antonina shot up over her son Michele LoCascio killing Pietro "The Silver King" Catalanotto. Catalanotto must've been a big man, given the way the Trib described him and that he was 65 when he was murdered.

Michele LoCascio apparently made it through all of this just fine. I have him as marrying an Eva Bellavia and in 1940 they lived in Humboldt Park; he was working for the City. He died in 1947.

In my info, I also have Pietro's daughter Mariantonia Catalanotto as marrying a Giuseppe LoCascio, born in Chiusa Sclafani, who may have been Michele's brother. If so, they must've had some great family get-togethers.