Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[Antiliar]

Vincent Charles Aiello married Vita Tripoli, as you noted. There was a G. Tripoli who died on April 27, 1922, in San Jose. He was the brother-in-law of Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello. Could be a connection.

[PolackTony]

The Sciortino brothers from Bagheria were San Jose leaders circa 1940s. Onofrio Sciortino was boss. The Aiellos/Ajellos are hard to untangle -- I tried in Utica/Frankfort and there are a ton of the same names and everyone ran in the same circles. They used both the Aiello/Ajello spellings so if you don't find something for one check the other.

Good info. The Sciortinos may explain how these Aiellos wound up in San Jose.

[B.]

I know the infamous Joe Aiello lived in Frankfort. In 1917 a John Aiello was killed by a violent mafia figure named Salvatore Polizzi (might have been from San Giuseppe Jato like other Frankfort guys given his surname). John Aiello's murder was allegedly the result of an argument between Polizzi and John's brother Joe Aiello. Was never able to figure out if it was the Chicago Joe Aiello. Polizzi fled to Wisconsin and then California so the same areas show up in his network.

The Frankfort colony was also connected to Rockford/Springfield.

[Antiliar]

Going through the San Jose Mercury News, it appears that a Gioacchino Speciale, who died at 68 in February 1922, was an important person. He probably came from Alcamo (a daughter lived there) and was considered a pioneer in San Jose. He came to San Jose around 1890 and opened up a grocery, and was an orchardist. His son O. H. Speciale became an attorney. Pallbearers at his funeral included Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello, Joseph Barsuglia, Anthony Gangi, and others.

A Pietro Aiello (31 Dec 1852, Bagheria-?), son of Francesco Paolo Aiello and Vincenza Domenica Maria Alioto, was the father of Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello of San Jose. Pietro married Concetta Tripoli of Bagheria.

[B.]

Great info.

According to Tony Lima the boss of San Jose when he moved to the Bay Area in the late 1920s was Alfonso Conetto from Alessandria della Rocca and the underboss was also from Agrigento. Makes sense there were more Bagheria connections than the Sciortino brothers alone. Early SJ is still mostly a mystery.

[PolackTony]

Vincent Charles Aiello married Vita Tripoli, as you noted. There was a G. Tripoli who died on April 27, 1922, in San Jose. He was the brother-in-law of Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello. Could be a connection.

Nice. Good find.

On another note. There was a 1927 naturalization record in Chicago for a Salvatore Aiello, born 1896/02/11. His address was at Chicago Ave and Milton and his witnesses were M. Aiello and George Puleo. I believe that the Puleos were relatives or otherwise connected to the Aiellos from back in Bagheria. The address for M. Aiello was given as 224 Locust St, which earlier was an address associated with Andrea Aiello, so I think M. was probably Mariano Aiello. He stated that he arrived at NYC in 1915. This matches a Salvatore Aiello who arrived from Bagheria in 1915 bound for his cousin Angelo Puleo in NYC but listed his father as Giuseppe Aiello, so he may be another cousin.

Also, regarding the Salvatore Aiello naturalized in Milwaukee. When he died in Chicago in 1958 his obituary had his late wife Nina's maiden name as Aiello. In 1946 Antonina "Nina" Aiello, Joe Aiello's younger sister, died in Chicago. Her parents were listed as Carlo Aiello and Antonina Aiello (confirming that Joe's mother was named Antonina, also confirmed by brother Carlo's death document). Her husband was Salvatore. So I think it's possible that this guy was both a cousin of some sort and brother-in-law of Joe Aiello. I was able to locate the Bagheria birth record for Carlo Aiello (the son, not the father) from 1895. It lists both parents under the surname Aiello, suggesting that Antonina's maiden name was Aiello. So it seems like the Aiellos were prone to marrying each other. There are also tons of Aiellos and Mineos married to each other.

I also note that an Antonino Aiello arrived at NYC in 1920 bound for his brother Andrea Aiello in Chicago, living on Locust St. A different Antonino Aiello arrived from Bagheria in 1920 also (father Antonino Aiello), bound for his brother Salvatore living at Erie and Damen in Chicago. These guys were like an army, no wonder Capone wanted to take them out, lol. If he hadn't won the war we'd still be calling the Outfit the Aiello family to this day.

[PolackTony]

Going through the San Jose Mercury News, it appears that a Gioacchino Speciale, who died at 68 in February 1922, was an important person. He probably came from Alcamo (a daughter lived there) and was considered a pioneer in San Jose. He came to San Jose around 1890 and opened up a grocery, and was an orchardist. His son O. H. Speciale became an attorney. Pallbearers at his funeral included Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello, Joseph Barsuglia, Anthony Gangi, and others.

A Pietro Aiello (31 Dec 1852, Bagheria-?), son of Francesco Paolo Aiello and Vincenza Domenica Maria Alioto, was the father of Joseph, Frank and Carl Aiello of San Jose. Pietro married Concetta Tripoli of Bagheria.

Nice. I saw some documents for those other Aiellos in San Jose and noted that they were from Bagheria but were not the Chicago Aiellos.

[B.]

Others from Bagheria area in SJ were the Marinos, father and son who were both captains and lived in Pittsburgh before SJ. The Chicago->Pittsburgh ties seem unexplored... Bagheria, Trabia, and Termini show up in both places and Gentile's friend Paolinello (part of a "Palermitani" youth gang) fled from Chicago to Pittsburgh for protection where he was made. Gentile sought the Bagherese Guardalabene in Milwaukee for help with Paolinello in Chicago.

[PolackTony]

Others from Bagheria area in SJ were the Marinos, father and son who were both captains and lived in Pittsburgh before SJ. The Chicago->Pittsburgh ties seem unexplored... Bagheria, Trabia, and Termini show up in both places and Gentile's friend Paolinello (part of a "Palermitani" youth gang) fled from Chicago to Pittsburgh for protection where he was made. Gentile sought the Bagherese Guardalabene in Milwaukee for help with Paolinello in Chicago.

Again, great info. Another Chicago-Pittsburgh parallel was the Caccamesi.

[PolackTony]

Francesco "Frank" LaGalbo, former Milwaukee member who subsequently transferred to Chicago as a soldier in the LaPorte crew in the 1950s after opposing John Alioto as boss, was born in 1908 in Bagheria. His parents were Giuseppe LoGalbo and Francesca Crupi of Bagheria. When Giuseppe LaGalbo arrived in Boston in 1913, he listed his brother-in-law Pasquale Crupi as his contact in Milwaukee. Francesca Crupi and son Francesco arrived on a later voyage to Boston in 1913, bound for Giuseppe who was living on Buffalo St in Milwaukee. Francesca Crupi died in 1918 and Giuseppe subsequently remarried Gaetana, who was the mother of Frank's half-brothers Rosolino "Russell" and Serafino LaGalbo, I believe also Milwaukee members (?). The LaGalbos moved to Madison, where Frank was living at home with the family in 1930. In 1940, Frank was living with his wife Angeline in Milwaukee, where he seems to have remained for the rest of his life, even as a Chicago member (in accordance with Maniaci's statement about him). Frank LaGalbo died in 1976 in Milwaukee from a gunshot owund to the head. According to the MilwaukeeMafia blog, LaGalbo committed suicide following an earlier stroke: https://milwaukeemafia.com/frank-lagalb ... ile-notes/

[Antiliar]

Has anyone ever confirmed Joey Aiuppa's birth record? It's always stated that he was born 1907 in Melrose Park, and I know that his parents were Simone Aiuppa and Rosalia Greco of Lascari, Palermo province, but I was never able to locate his birth record. It's my belief now that Aiuppa was actually born in Lascari himself. In 1909, Rosalia Greco arrived in NYC bound for her husband Simone Aiuppa, then residing at 382 S Clark St in Chicago. With Rosalia were her two young sons, Giuseppe (2 years old) and Salvatore (less than 1 year). Both sons were listed as born in Lascari.

Meant to get back to this. The passenger manifest has Rosalia Greco arriving with her two sons and what appears to be her younger brother Orazio Greco and states that they were all born in Lascari. However, there is a delayed birth certificate from 1943 that states he was born in Melrose Park. I know that might not be convincing, but there's also a Roman Catholic baptism record dated 8 December 1907 from Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park.

Aiuppa, Joseph - Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (Melrose Park) Baptism edit.jpg

Oops, forgot that you already responded, B:

There's a 1943 record for Cook County where they log his birth certificate, saying he was born December 1st 1907 in Melrose Park but no access to the certificate itself online.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park has a record for his baptism taking place on December 8th 1907. Says his baptism took place in Chicago.

[PolackTony]

Has anyone ever confirmed Joey Aiuppa's birth record? It's always stated that he was born 1907 in Melrose Park, and I know that his parents were Simone Aiuppa and Rosalia Greco of Lascari, Palermo province, but I was never able to locate his birth record. It's my belief now that Aiuppa was actually born in Lascari himself. In 1909, Rosalia Greco arrived in NYC bound for her husband Simone Aiuppa, then residing at 382 S Clark St in Chicago. With Rosalia were her two young sons, Giuseppe (2 years old) and Salvatore (less than 1 year). Both sons were listed as born in Lascari.

Meant to get back to this. The passenger manifest has Rosalia Greco arriving with her two sons and what appears to be her younger brother Orazio Greco and states that they were all born in Lascari. However, there is a delayed birth certificate from 1943 that states he was born in Melrose Park. I know that might not be convincing, but there's also a Roman Catholic baptism record dated 8 December 1907 from Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park.

Aiuppa, Joseph - Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (Melrose Park) Baptism edit.jpg

Oops, forgot that you already responded, B:

There's a 1943 record for Cook County where they log his birth certificate, saying he was born December 1st 1907 in Melrose Park but no access to the certificate itself online.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park has a record for his baptism taking place on December 8th 1907. Says his baptism took place in Chicago.

Thanks for following up on it and posting the record. I think it's well within the realm of reason that in the 40s the Outfit had the sort of infiltration of the Cook County records office that they could forge a document or make up phony paperwork, but the baptism record makes it pretty clear that he was born in MP, so I chalk it up to a mistake in the records either on the US or Italian side of the voyage.

[PolackTony]

Stone Park cop, suspected Outfit member, and CI (revealed by Ed) Anthony Vincenzo Amatore was born Antonino Amatore in 1926 in Chicago to Vincenzo Amatore and Santa Treppiedi of Vicari, Palermo province. Vincenzo and Santa arrived in NYC in 1914 bound for Chicago, where Vincenzo's sister Rosa Amatore lived on the Westside at Leavitt and Carroll just south of the Grand Ave Patch. Tony Amatore grew up at Arthington and California in the Homan Square neighborhood on the Westside.

[PolackTony]

Nicola Gentile stated that a Domenico Catalano was a "confratello" in Chicago during the time of Tony D'Andrea.

A possible match for him is the Domenico Catalano who was born in 1887 in Ciminna. He arrived in Chicago around 1905 and was naturalized in 1927 at which time he lived near Racine and Webster in Lincoln Park. This Domenico Catalano died in Chicago in 1968.

A better bet may be the Domenico Catalano who was born in 1876, also from Ciminna. There was a Domenico Catalano, born in 1876, who arrived in NOLA in 1890 from Palermo, could be him. On his WW1 draft registration (during D'Andrea's tenure as rappresentante), he was living in Mafia Ground Zero, at Milton and Hobbie in Little Sicily. In 1920, he was still living in Chicago, however in 1923 (per shipping records for his son matteo Catalano, born in Chicago in 1906) he was back living in Ciminna. D'Andrea died in 1921, so it might make sense that Catalano had to flee.

In 1919, notorious robber Santo Orlando, who the Tribune claimed had "squealed on his men", was shot to death in Chicago. At the time, the police found a card for Giuseppe Catalano, who lived in Little Sicily and was allegedly Orlando's brother-in-law, in his pocket. Orlando was also from Ciminna and arrived in NYC in 1907 for Chicago where his brother Giuseppe Orlando already lived. In 1910, Santo Orlando was living at Oak and Milton (the infamous "Death Corner"), a short block from where Domenico Catalano lived.

There was also a Filippo Catalano shot to death at 16th and State in 1910, but he was from Gioia Tauro, Reggio Calabria.

[Antiliar]

I looked into Catalano years ago and thought that the one born in 1876 was the closest match to the friend of Paolinello. I scoured the newspapers for an arrest hoping that he was arrested with someone named Paolo, but not luck. I did find a Domenico Catalano of Chicago who was arrested in New Orleans in 1909 and sentenced to 15 years at Louisiana State Prison the next year, along with Giuseppe Frangiamore and Oscar Ryan, both also of Chicago. It's possible that this is the same person, but aside from being from Chicago the newspapers don't give identifying information like ages or addresses. According to the 1910 census he was in Angola State Prison, was born in 1877 and had been married for 11 years.