The other "Gambino family": A very Chicago story

[PolackTony]

In 1910, Giuseppe Gambino was killed in his grocery store on W DeKoven St near Jefferson, in Chicago's burgeoning Taylor St Patch Italian colony (this was the same block where the Great Chicago Fire was started back in 1871 by Mrs. O'Leary's cow. Evidently, the block was hot). The Tribune gave his name as "Peter Gambino", as they were apparently thrown off by his nickname, Peppino. The shooter was Salvatore Martino, who himself owned a grocery store around the corner at Taylor and DesPlaines (near Manny's Deli today). Per the Tribune, Martino told CPD that he killed Gambino over a dispute where Gambino refused to take his check. In a 1911 article, the Tribune reported that Martino (who they then called "Martini") had his trial dismissed after it was discovered that one of the jurors was a felon; Peppino Gambino's daughter Jennie Gambino registered her dismay. Not for nothing, but "grocery store owner by Taylor St" was a very dangerous occupation in those days.

I'm still not sure who "Salvatore Martino" was. A possibility could be Salvatore Di Martino/"Sam Martino", who was born ~1889 in Santa Caterina Villarmosa, Caltanissetta and died in Chicago in 1951, as this guy was living in the Taylor St Patch in the 1910s around the corner from where the Martino store was located.

Peppino Gambino was born ~1862 in Mazara del Vallo, Trapani province. His wife was Giuseppina "Josephine" Gagliano, born ~1872 in Partanna, Trapani. I'm not sure exactly when they arrived in Chicago, but based on the birthplaces of their children, it was between 1900 and 1905. Son Ascenzio Gambino was born ~1892 in Mazara del Vallo (he later married Mary Raimondi, born in Baltimore to Louis Raimondi and Rose Silvestri, both of Palermo province). Antonino Gambino, born ~1893 in Mazara (married Amy Wakefield, born in Canada; more about her later). Sebastiana, born ~1895 in Mazara (more about her later), Giovannina, born ~1897 in Mazara (i.e., the "Jennie" mentioned above; married Luigi Antonucci of Altomonte, Cosenza, Calabria). Nicola "Cola/James", born 1900 in Mazara. Then Michael, Rose (married Pietro Canzoneri, of Palazzo Adriano), and William Vito all born between 1905 and 1908 in Chicago. Giuseppina Gagliano died in 1946 in Chicago, by which time she had been living on Monticello and Chicago Ave in the Italian part of Humboldt Park (Joe Gagliano's turf, though apparently no relation).

A year after Peppino's slaying, Sebastiana "Emma" Gambino married Francesco Pasquale Liparota, born 1888 in Sambiase, Catanzaro, Calabria. Not that Francesco Liparota of Sambiase (who was born 1901 to Saverio Liparota and Maria Teresa Falvo), though I would strongly suspect that they were related in some way. Liparota had arrived in the US in 1901, and at the time of his marriage in 1911 was living on Desplaines around the corner from where Salvatore Martino's grocery had been. On his 1901 passenger manifest, he stated that his "uncle" Gabriele Colao, living on Ewing St in the Taylor St Patch, was his contact. Gabriele Colao was apparently born in 1836 in Soveria Manelli, Calabria. While it is in Catanzaro province, Soveria is only several kilometers away from Colosimi, Cosenza, where Jim Colosimo was from. When Francesco Liparota died in Park Ridge in 1968, his parents were listed as "Charles" and "Mary" Liparota. These correspond to Pasquale Liparota (who went by "Charles" on some documents) and Maria Fato, both of Sambiase. Pasquale and Maria arrived with their daughter Rosina Liparota (born ~1892) on the same 1901 trip as Francesco and also stated that their contact was Gabriele Colao on Ewing st, their "uncle". Oddly, although Francesco was only ~13 and headed to the same "uncle" in Chicago, he was listed separately as traveling by himself. In 1910, the Liparotas (appearing as "Charles and Mary Labrado") lived on DesPlaines, with son "Frank" and two children born in Chicago -- Natalina "Dolly" and Salvatore. Daughter Rosina "Rosie" had married Fabio "James" Esposito (born ~1885 in Caserta, Campania to Giuseppe Esposito and Giovanna Catanese) in 1907, and the couple was living with the Liparotas in 1910. Francesco Pasquale Liparota, along with some others in his family, also used the "LaPorte" version of the surname in some documents. In January 1921, the Tribune reported that a "Frank LaPorte", with an address on S Sangamon in the Taylor St Patch, was one of four "mysterious armed men" that they apprehended, apparently on a mission. Also, worth noting that Frank and Emma seemed to have absconded from Chicago briefly in the early 1930s (whatever happened there) as their daughter June Liparota was born in Milwaukee in 1932, though they otherwise don't seem to have any connections to Milwaukee. By 1940, they were back in Chicago living at Sayre and Bloomingdale in the Italian Galewood neighborhood on the NW side.

The more famous Frank Laporte arrived in Philly in 1913 with his mother and younger sisters, bound for Chicago Heights where Saverio "Sam" worked at the Calumet Steel Company. Worth noting that when Saverio Liparota died in 1932, his parents were listed as Sam Liparota and Theresa Fato; the Fato surname is not common, further suggesting that there was a connection between both Liparota families.

For several years, the Taylor St Patch had been rocked by bombings and shootings as Chicago rappresentante and Unione Siciliana President Tony D'Andrea challenged incumbent John "Johnny De Pow" Powers (an Italian's Irishman) for the office of 19th Ward Alderman. In the spring of 1921, Powers won by a small margin, but -- unsurprisingly -- the violence didn't stop. On March 9th, 1921, alleged Powers enforcers Paul Labriola and Harry Raimondi were gunned down in separate attacks, and the police believed that Angelo Genna, Salvatore Amatuna, Frank Gambino, and John Guardino were responsible for both murders. Worth noting again that Ascenzio Gambino, son of Peppino Gambino, married Mary Raimondi. While she did have a brother named Harry, he was younger and not the Harry Raimondi murdered in 1921. That guy was born in 1874, and his parents were listed as Biaggio Raimondi and Rose Palmisano on Harry’s death record. Harry Raimondi's wife was Marianna La Mantia of Termini Imerese, and I think it's almost certain that Raimondi himself was from Termini, as there were a bunch of Raimondis and Palmisanos in Chicago from Termini. Harry's son Biaggio Raimondi, born in Chicago in 1896, subsequently married an Antonina "Lena" Lamantia, born in Chicago to Termitani parents. As noted above, Mary Raimondi Gambino's parents in Baltimore were from somewhere in Palermo, and it's unclear to me how Mary wound up in Chicago in the first place, as her family seems to have remained in Baltimore. According to info that I've seen on Italian genealogy forums, the majority of Sicilians in Baltimore in the 1890s appear to have been Termitani.

Amatuna and Frank Gambino were indicted for the Labriola murder, though the charges were quickly dropped. I have very little info to go by for Frank Gambino, apart from the fact that the Tribune stated that he was a saloon-keeper and that he was a flashy-dresser known in the streets as "Don Chic" ([sic], obviously Don Cicciu). I think that a good clue comes from a murder that occurred in 1933, when Edward Gambino, 25 years old, had his brains blown out in the hallway of a building on Grand Ave and Western by Smith Park (my home turf) in the Grand Ave Patch. He was born Eduardo Gambino in Cibali, Catania province, in 1908 and arrived in NYC in 1912 with his mother Giuseppina Napoli, bound for Chicago where his father Francesco Gambino was already living. In 1930, Frank, Josephine, and Edward "Gambina" were living on Ohio St near Lawndale in the Italian section of Humboldt Park; Frank (born ~1881) was the proprietor of a gas station/auto repair. There are a couple of Francesco Gambinos in Chicago who were born around 1890 in Ciminna, though these guys seem to have worked as manual laborers, while the Catanian Francesco Gambino was a business owner. Seems that after Eduardo was murdered, the family left town, as Francesco died in 1957 in Santa Clara County, CA (same destination that we see with the Aiellos who skipped town in the 30s). Worth noting that at the time of his slaying, the Tribune reported that Eduardo Gambino was allegedly living at Roosevelt and Sacramento in Homan Square, essentially a western extension of the Taylor St Patch, so his family may have had ties to the area.

Since Genna and Amatuna were Trapanesi Taylor St mafiosi, and I suspect that Giuseppe Gambino had been a Trapanese Taylor St mafioso, I was looking to find a connection between the Mazara del Vallo/Partanna Gambinos and the guy alleged to have been a Genna/Amatuna ally, but to no avail. I was unable to identify a Frank/Francesco Gambino linked to those Gambinos, or to Mazara del Vallo/Trapani. I suppose that it’s also possible that “Frank Gambino” was Francesco Pasquale Liparota’s alias, as his in-laws were the Taylor St Gambinos and he seems to have been a gunman.

In 1930, Walter Wakefield, Frank Delre, and Joseph Special were shot to death in a bar at 29th and Wentworth in Armour Square. The bar was owned by Wakefield and Delre, and Special worked there. The Tribune reported that the three victims were “Capone gang” members and that the police suspected that the three had been attempting to defect from the “Capone gang” and take over the Bread Wagon Drivers Union. The Tribune stated that Wakefield was the protégé of the infamous 1st Ward boss Daniel Serritella (described by the Trib as a “general in the Capone army”) and that Special was a cousin of "Capone gang" affiliate “Phil Special”. Now, Frank Delre was born in Chicago to parents from Molise, but on his WW1 draft card, a Phil Speciale was listed as his nearest relative. Joseph Speciale (the actual spelling), meanwhile, was born in Chicago in 1902 to Filippo Speciale of Termini Imerese and Ida Nelson. Looks like after she died in 1907, Filippo Speciale then later remarried Clara Delre, Frank’s older sister. Not sure which “Phil Special” was the “Capone gang” affiliate, as there were a number of other Filippo/Phillip Speciales from Termini in Chicago. Lastly, the Tribune noted that Walter Wakefield had a sister named Eva Gambino. There aren’t any records for an “Eva Gambino”, but as there weren’t exactly a lot of Gambino-Wakefield marriages happening in Chicago back then, it was pretty easy to figure out. “Eva” was actually Walter Wakefield’s older sister Amy Wakefield (the Wakefields had immigrated from Canada to Chicago, where Walter was then born), who, as noted above, married Antonino Gambino (who had also witnessed Francesco Pasquale Liparota’s naturalization).

[B.]

Great work. Been interested in early Trapani guys since reading about Pietro Montalbano a couple years back.

The Gambinos of Utica were mafiosi from Bagheria and intermarried with Aiellos. Doesn't sound like these ones were though.

[PolackTony]

Great work. Been interested in early Trapani guys since reading about Pietro Montalbano a couple years back.

The Gambinos of Utica were mafiosi from Bagheria and intermarried with Aiellos. Doesn't sound like these ones were though.

Not sure if I've seen any Gambinos from Bagheria in Chicago, though I wouldn't be at all surprised if some wound up there, of course. The Taylor St Gambinos here were from Trapani, while the Eduardo Gambino murdered in 1933 was from Catania province.

[Ed]

You're an excellent writer, and your detailed knowledge of the genealogy of Chicago's underworld figures is tops. You should be a contributor to the PBS show "Finding Your Roots."

[Newyorkempire]

Great work. Been interested in early Trapani guys since reading about Pietro Montalbano a couple years back.

The Gambinos of Utica were mafiosi from Bagheria and intermarried with Aiellos. Doesn't sound like these ones were though.

Any further info of the Utica Gambinos? Thanks

[Antiliar]

According to the March 15, 1921 issue of the Trib, Frank Gambino lived at Morgan and Congress Streets. No exact address and no directional markers. Aside from that, I wonder if he could be the FG born in 1886 in Catania since he was a grocer, which is the same one you seem to think is the most likely. His saloon was at 745 Taylor Street, but I didn't see any records with that address.

Interestingly, there was a Frank Gambino in Rockford who had been found guilty of a booze charge in 1917 and was known to take trips to Chicago. Don't know if he's the same guy, but it's worth mentioning.

[PolackTony]

According to the March 15, 1921 issue of the Trib, Frank Gambino lived at Morgan and Congress Streets. No exact address and no directional markers. Aside from that, I wonder if he could be the FG born in 1886 in Catania since he was a grocer, which is the same one you seem to think is the most likely. His saloon was at 745 Taylor Street, but I didn't see any records with that address.

Interestingly, there was a Frank Gambino in Rockford who had been found guilty of a booze charge in 1917 and was known to take trips to Chicago. Don't know if he's the same guy, but it's worth mentioning.

Thanks for the further info. Worth looking into the Rockford angle as well (maybe Cavita will have come across him). The Ciminnesi Gambinos that I looked at seem to have all been located on the Near Northside and at least officially declared that they were manual laborers. I still haven’t confirmed where the Catanesi Gambinos were living in 1910/1920. In 1930, that Frank Gambino was living in HP, which was a secondary area of settlement for Italians moving on up out of (mainly) the Grand Ave slums. There were, however, Italians from Taylor St who moved there as well (as noted, Peppino Gambino’s widow Giuseppina Gagliano moved to that same section of HP in that time period). While Catanese Frank Gambino owned a gas station in 1930, he was at least a business owner and more befitting I thought of the stature of an alleged “Don Cicciu” than the Ciminnesi Gambinos that I looked at. May turn out to not be the same guy as the Genna Frank Gambino. But the apparent story with his son getting popped and then him apparently moving to the San Jose area is an interesting one and puts him on my radar as high suspicion for being at least connected.

[cavita]

According to the March 15, 1921 issue of the Trib, Frank Gambino lived at Morgan and Congress Streets. No exact address and no directional markers. Aside from that, I wonder if he could be the FG born in 1886 in Catania since he was a grocer, which is the same one you seem to think is the most likely. His saloon was at 745 Taylor Street, but I didn't see any records with that address.

Interestingly, there was a Frank Gambino in Rockford who had been found guilty of a booze charge in 1917 and was known to take trips to Chicago. Don't know if he's the same guy, but it's worth mentioning.

There was a Frank M. Gambino from Rockford who died there in 1968. He had taken liquor and gambling arrests over the years and the only thing I can find as a birthplace was simply Italy.

[cavita]

According to the March 15, 1921 issue of the Trib, Frank Gambino lived at Morgan and Congress Streets. No exact address and no directional markers. Aside from that, I wonder if he could be the FG born in 1886 in Catania since he was a grocer, which is the same one you seem to think is the most likely. His saloon was at 745 Taylor Street, but I didn't see any records with that address.

Interestingly, there was a Frank Gambino in Rockford who had been found guilty of a booze charge in 1917 and was known to take trips to Chicago. Don't know if he's the same guy, but it's worth mentioning.

There was a Frank M. Gambino from Rockford who died there in 1968. He had taken liquor and gambling arrests over the years and the only thing I can find as a birthplace was simply Italy.

Ok, I just found that this Frank M. Gambino's mother was born in Vicari, SIcily but no maiden name for her was given. Her husband, Giuseppe, I assume was also from Vicari as well. Additionally there was an Ignazio Gambino who died in Rockford that was from Marsala, Sicily.

[PolackTony]

According to the March 15, 1921 issue of the Trib, Frank Gambino lived at Morgan and Congress Streets. No exact address and no directional markers. Aside from that, I wonder if he could be the FG born in 1886 in Catania since he was a grocer, which is the same one you seem to think is the most likely. His saloon was at 745 Taylor Street, but I didn't see any records with that address.

Interestingly, there was a Frank Gambino in Rockford who had been found guilty of a booze charge in 1917 and was known to take trips to Chicago. Don't know if he's the same guy, but it's worth mentioning.

There was a Frank M. Gambino from Rockford who died there in 1968. He had taken liquor and gambling arrests over the years and the only thing I can find as a birthplace was simply Italy.

Ok, I just found that this Frank M. Gambino's mother was born in Vicari, SIcily but no maiden name for her was given. Her husband, Giuseppe, I assume was also from Vicari as well. Additionally there was an Ignazio Gambino who died in Rockford that was from Marsala, Sicily.

Great info, thanks.

[Antiliar]

Frank Michael Gambino was born Sept 22, 1899 in Italy. His mother was Maria (Mary) Grazia (Geraci). Father was Giuseppe Gambino, born in 1877, and his parents were Francesco Gambino and Vicenza Duvo. There's a 1905 passenger manifest that could be Giuseppe Gambino who came from Torretta and moved to Philadelphia (however the 1910 census for them says he arrived in 1900).

[PolackTony]

But the apparent story with his son getting popped and then him apparently moving to the San Jose area is an interesting one and puts him on my radar as high suspicion for being at least connected.

Looks like Eduardo Gambino's widow and in-laws ended up in San Jose also. Eduardo married Grace Gangitano in 1930 in Chicago. Her parents were Carmello Gangitano, of Piazza Armerina, Enna province, and Luigina Malandrino of Valguarnera Caropepe, Enna province. In 1915, the Gangitanos were living on Oak near Hudson in Little Sicily, but in 1930 were living on Sacramento by Roosevelt in Homan Square, which was the address that the Tribune reported for Eduardo at the time of his murder in 1933. They later moved to West Humboldt Park, near Iowa and Kostner, before decamping to San Jose, where Grace was reported to live when both parents died there in the 60s.

Also looks like these Catanese Gambinos were already living in HP by 1922 at the latest (per death record for an infant daughter that died that year), though still don't have a 1920 address for them.

[PolackTony]

Frank Michael Gambino was born Sept 22, 1899 in Italy. His mother was Maria (Mary) Grazia (Geraci). Father was Giuseppe Gambino, born in 1877, and his parents were Francesco Gambino and Vicenza Duvo. There's a 1905 passenger manifest that could be Giuseppe Gambino who came from Torretta and moved to Philadelphia (however the 1910 census for them says he arrived in 1900).

Nice, I was actually about to post after looking into Frank M Gambino of Rockford. Seems very unlikely that he was the Taylor St Frank Gambino, as he was almost certainly too young (based on photo in the Trib of Frank Gambino) and in 1920 was living in Rockford and working in a factory.

There were Gambinos in Chicago from Torretta, however. There was actually a Francesco Gambino, born about 1863 in Torretta, who arrived in NYC in 1910 for Chicago bound for Chicago. Unable to confirm any later records in Chicago for this guy, though. Then, in 1914, another Francesco Gambino from Torretta arrived bound for Chicago, but this guy subsequently lived on May St in the Grand Ave Patch and stated that he was employed as a laborer, so again, unlikely to be the Taylor St Frank Gambino.

[PolackTony]

Great work. Been interested in early Trapani guys since reading about Pietro Montalbano a couple years back.

The Gambinos of Utica were mafiosi from Bagheria and intermarried with Aiellos. Doesn't sound like these ones were though.

As a follow-up, there is a record for a Francesco Gambino, born about 1866 in Bagheria, who arrived in 1909 in NYC bound for Chicago where he listed his nephew Giuseppe (LNI) as living on Oak St in Little Sicily. Unable to find any record for a guy who matches him later on anywhere in the Chicagoland or Rockford areas, so I have no idea what became of him. The ship that he arrived on was full of Bagheresi, so the majority of them were bound for Milwaukee (including a bunch of Balistrieri), Chicago, and Utica (as well as Buffalo), unsurprisingly.

Completely tangential to the questions raised in this thread, but also interesting to note that a Francesco Gambino from Bagheria settled in Chicago in the 70s; there were also Gambinos from Caccamo arriving during the same period. Just goes to underscore, again, that some of these places continued to have links to Chicago decades later, during the wave of Italian settlement that came in the 60s/70s/80s.

[PolackTony]

Photo of Frank Gambino published by the Tribune following the Raimondi/Labriola killings. Doesn't look like a guy born in the 1890s, which rules out the Torretta and Ciminna Francesco Gambinos that I've looked into (who also didn't reside by Taylor St and seem to have been employed in manual labor):




Photo from grave (Mt. Carmel in Hillside) of Giuseppe "Peppino" Gambino, born ~1863 in Mazara del Vallo and murdered in Chicago in 1910: