Revisiting Detroit (genealogy)

[Angelo Santino]

Bro Antonino



1960's sources appeared to be confused and thought that Antonino and Luigi were sons of Antonino rather than Antonio. Can't blame them if we're being honest. When they say "the father" was a capo I'm concluding they meant Antonino (the uncle who raised them) and not Antonio (the father who died in the 30's).

[B.]

Noticed the manifest has a Cusenza and Vultaggio (Cusenzas married into the Vultaggios) along with Ruggirello.

[Antiliar]

Looked up a little on Joe Massei on Mary Ferrell, unfortunately today's not a good day since the Mary Ferrell site is having issues. Every document is coming up with a "404 - Page Not Found" error. Hopefully they get this fixed soon.

Anyways, Massei was part of the Detroit "grand council" until he moved to Miami around 1938. Pete Licavoli and Pete Corrado were under him. After Pete Corrado died, Massei partnered with his son Dominic on several ventures. His lieutenant in Miami was "Scarface Joe" Bommarito. Massei was close friends with Dave Yaras of the Chicago Outfit (former partner of Lenny Patrick) and "Trigger Mike" Coppola of the Genovese Family. He probably knew the Fischetti brothers since they lived down there too. Seems like his health declined around the same time Bommarito's did, and but Massei outlived him by about six years. As Massei's health declined so did his power. So the evidence is that not only was he a made guy, but a capo. "Scareface Joe" was probably a soldier. Don't know if there was anyone else around to take over, so maybe Massei's crew ended with him.

[PolackTony]

Looked up a little on Joe Massei on Mary Ferrell, unfortunately today's not a good day since the Mary Ferrell site is having issues. Every document is coming up with a "404 - Page Not Found" error. Hopefully they get this fixed soon.

Anyways, Massei was part of the Detroit "grand council" until he moved to Miami around 1938. Pete Licavoli and Pete Corrado were under him. After Pete Corrado died, Massei partnered with his son Dominic on several ventures. His lieutenant in Miami was "Scarface Joe" Bommarito. Massei was close friends with Dave Yaras of the Chicago Outfit (former partner of Lenny Patrick) and "Trigger Mike" Coppola of the Genovese Family. He probably knew the Fischetti brothers since they lived down there too. Seems like his health declined around the same time Bommarito's did, and but Massei outlived him by about six years. As Massei's health declined so did his power. So the evidence is that not only was he a made guy, but a capo. "Scareface Joe" was probably a soldier. Don't know if there was anyone else around to take over, so maybe Massei's crew ended with him.

good info. Massei definitely seems to have been a major figure.

On the topic of Detroit guys in Florida, anyone familiar with Danny Kaye? He was described as a hoodlum operating in Detroit and Miami who was linked to some Chicago guys as well. Maybe he was one of Massei's associates?

[Antiliar]

The only Danny Kaye I'm familiar with is the late comedy actor. Maybe Scott, Jimmy or Adam knows about him.

I can add that Mike Rubino was also under Massei according to the docs. One strangely claimed that "Black Bill" Tocco was under him. So it seems that when Yonnie Licavoli took over Toledo, he was working for Massei.

EDIT: Mary Farrell is fixed.

[PolackTony]

Looked up a little on Joe Massei on Mary Ferrell, unfortunately today's not a good day since the Mary Ferrell site is having issues. Every document is coming up with a "404 - Page Not Found" error. Hopefully they get this fixed soon.

Anyways, Massei was part of the Detroit "grand council" until he moved to Miami around 1938. Pete Licavoli and Pete Corrado were under him. After Pete Corrado died, Massei partnered with his son Dominic on several ventures. His lieutenant in Miami was "Scarface Joe" Bommarito. Massei was close friends with Dave Yaras of the Chicago Outfit (former partner of Lenny Patrick) and "Trigger Mike" Coppola of the Genovese Family. He probably knew the Fischetti brothers since they lived down there too. Seems like his health declined around the same time Bommarito's did, and but Massei outlived him by about six years. As Massei's health declined so did his power. So the evidence is that not only was he a made guy, but a capo. "Scareface Joe" was probably a soldier. Don't know if there was anyone else around to take over, so maybe Massei's crew ended with him.

good info. Massei definitely seems to have been a major figure.

On the topic of Detroit guys in Florida, anyone familiar with Danny Kaye? He was described as a hoodlum operating in Detroit and Miami who was linked to some Chicago guys as well. Maybe he was one of Massei's associates?

On the question of Massei’s father’s origins, I note that there were also several Mazzeis in Wayne Co from Cosenza and Catanzaro provinces (including Rende, Cosenza, which was strongly connected to Chicago). I don’t see anything linking any of them to Massei, but the fact that his father had been in OH before Joe was born would at least be consistent with a Calabrese origin.

[Angelo Santino]

Looked up a little on Joe Massei on Mary Ferrell, unfortunately today's not a good day since the Mary Ferrell site is having issues. Every document is coming up with a "404 - Page Not Found" error. Hopefully they get this fixed soon.

Anyways, Massei was part of the Detroit "grand council" until he moved to Miami around 1938. Pete Licavoli and Pete Corrado were under him. After Pete Corrado died, Massei partnered with his son Dominic on several ventures. His lieutenant in Miami was "Scarface Joe" Bommarito. Massei was close friends with Dave Yaras of the Chicago Outfit (former partner of Lenny Patrick) and "Trigger Mike" Coppola of the Genovese Family. He probably knew the Fischetti brothers since they lived down there too. Seems like his health declined around the same time Bommarito's did, and but Massei outlived him by about six years. As Massei's health declined so did his power. So the evidence is that not only was he a made guy, but a capo. "Scareface Joe" was probably a soldier. Don't know if there was anyone else around to take over, so maybe Massei's crew ended with him.

Good find. I seen the reference before about Massei being on the council but I only seen it a few times compared to the usual suspects. Scarface Joe was already a former captain by 1963 so Massei had to have been before him even if that's the case.

[Angelo Santino]

The only Danny Kaye I'm familiar with is the late comedy actor. Maybe Scott, Jimmy or Adam knows about him.

I can add that Mike Rubino was also under Massei according to the docs. One strangely claimed that "Black Bill" Tocco was under him. So it seems that when Yonnie Licavoli took over Toledo, he was working for Massei.

EDIT: Mary Farrell is fixed.

Rubino took over from Pete Licavoli who succeeded Yonnie. If Massei was a leader in that it makes it that much more interesting. He was part of the Terrasinese faction whether his parents were from there or not.

[Antiliar]

Here are the links:

Massei AND Bommarito on the council of elder statesmen:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... %20council

This has Bommarito, Rubino, Pete Licavoli, and Black Bill Tocco (!) under Massei:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

Massei and Bommarito are elder statesmen and are also in different operational groups:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

Funeral of Massei's stepmother and Bommarito near death:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

Massei ailing; he and Bommarito associate with Trigger Mike Coppola:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

Here, Massei is a consigliere along with Pete Licavoli and Angelo Meli, and Bommarito is a capo:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

The "Favarotados" control the Detroit mob, and Pete Licavoli is one of them; his group is headed by Rubino and includes Bommarito and Massei:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0bommarito

Massei background info:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... _massei%22

Licavoli is a "Don" and Massei and Bommarito are "Big Men"; Massei lost his power:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... _massei%22

Massei no longer handling things for Detroit:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... D%20Rubino

Bommarito succeeded Pete Corrado, Massei's former partner:
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... D%20Rubino

[Antiliar]

This is Joe Massei's father's death certificate. Joe's father Daniel lists his parents as Joseph Masseie [sic] and Rosa Filippine, which could be the more common Filippone. Filippone is most common in Sicily (primarily Palermo) followed by Calabria (mostly Reggio), Piemonte and Abruzzo. Filippine is rare and is most common in the U.S. with a couple of examples in Brazil and Nicaragua, so we can probably safely rule it out as the correct spelling.

Massei, Daniel (fa of Joseph) - Death certificate.jpg

[PolackTony]

Great find. “Filippine” could also be Filippini, which is a Northern surname common in Tuscany as well as across the North.

BTW, found a 1894 marriage record in Chicago for a Daniel “Mossei”, born 1867, and Maggie Daly. Later records state that they were married around 1895, and I don’t see any marriage records for them in MI or OH, so I think it was them.

[Antiliar]

Great find. “Filippine” could also be Filippini, which is a Northern surname common in Tuscany as well as across the North.

BTW, found a 1894 marriage record in Chicago for a Daniel “Mossei”, born 1867, and Maggie Daly. Later records state that they were married around 1895, and I don’t see any marriage records for them in MI or OH, so I think it was them.

Filippini is definitely possible.

Have the Chicago marriage record and I agree that it's them.

[Angelo Santino]

Got about 30 names left to finish.

One thing I can confirm about early Detroit is that there were two factions- Trapanese and Palermitan (Terrasini). If they were two separate groups this ended in the early 1920's. (I think 1919-1920 was more significant in national mafia history than 1931 ever was).

Frank Fiordillano was a Bonanno associate but what's interesting is his direct connections to the Mafia in Trapani based on his Castellammarese roots, he knew or was socially connected to Alcamo, Santa Ninfa and Salemi. He has no connections to Terrasini. Jump to New York, the Terrasinese are with the Gambinos, not the Bonannos. Detroit married with NY via the Profacis who were Villabatese (Palermitan).

detroit sicily.PNG

After the Giannolas of Terrasini (Palermo) there was allegedly John Vitale of Cinisi (Palermo). Following that there was Ignazio Caruso (Salemi, Trapani), Sam Catalanotto (Alcamo, Trapani) and then Gaspare Milazzo (CDG, Trapani). Masseria tried to install mainlander Chester LaMare, then it went to the Terrasinese Zerilli-Toccos who led the group since 1930.

There were very few CDG members in Detroit which is a head scratcher because its identified as a faction. I'd argue this "faction" likely included people beyond CDG as Trapani as a whole. Since they were in power for most of the 1920's, they were probably the ones who brought in LaMare who was one of the few mainlanders, something the Terrasinese didn't do. Interesting the divide given that CDG and Terrasini are 20 miles down the coast from each other.

[Angelo Santino]

Is this the right Vincent Mazzola?

NAME: Vincent Mazzola Jr
BIRTH DATE: 10 Mar 1935
DEATH DATE: 27 Jan 2013

[Angelo Santino]

Do I have this right? Is Luigi the uncle or is he the father and I went wrong somewhere?

Anhonino Ruggirello Tony 67 1/19/1896 Monte San Giuliano 1205 Waldimar, Detroit, MI "Giusseppe Ruggirello
" Monte San Giuliano Antonina Lovasco Monte San Giuliano Single Atlas Extermination and construction companies.

Antonio Ruggirello Toto 66 4/28/1897 Monte San Giuliano 4415 Canton, Detroit, MI "Giusseppe Ruggirello
" Monte San Giuliano Antonina Lovasco Monte San Giuliano Rose Construction and landscaping business

Luigi Ruggirello Louie 82 Monte San Giuliano Margherita Zagone Construction and landscaping business