DeCavalcante family - 1963

[JoelTurner]

This was Vincent Amari

VINCENZO AMARI
(Vincent)
DOB: Jan 5 1897
POB: Ribera, IT
F: Giuseppe Amari
M: Carmela Truncale
W: Mary Masapolli
Occupation: Labor foreman - Local No. 394, Hod Carriers Union
Address: 195 2nd Ave, NYC, NY
Previous Addresses: Box 40 - RD#2, Rahway Rd, Middlesex, NJ
Death: Apr 11 1990 in Sun City, AZ

[PolackTony]

- JD found DiMaria's family was from Ribera and he spent time in Chicago.

There was a James DeMaria who killed in a guy in Chicago in 1927. Don’t know anything about Vincenzo DiMaria except that you previously stated that he had an uncle in Harvey. When was DiMaria born and do you know the uncle’s name (there were some Agrigentini in Harvey from Ribera, Calamonaci, and Aragona, so they had a little colony there).

[JoelTurner]

Here’s what I have on Vincent Dimaria so far:

VINCENZO DI MARIA
(Vincent)
DOB: Jul 22 1904
POB: Benvenuto - Ribera, IT
F: Giuseppe Di Maria
M: Lucy Valenti
W: Josephine Aquilina
Occupation: Barkeep
Address: 2318 36th St, Queens, NY
Death: Aug 5 1991 at Union, NJ

————

Related to Harvey:

On Dec 31 1921, he immigrated to the US, moving to his father in Harvey, IL.

(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6V3-5J6)

[lennert]

I have been trying to locate Francesco DeCavalcante's birth, but it has been a hassle... How sure are we DeCavalcante was really his last name? Might it have been just a title? Reason I ask is that in some newspaper articles, he is mentioned as Marquis, a title for noblemen.

Anyway, going by the available records, which really is not much, he lists his date of birth as October 6, 1888, in Palermo, Sicily. Census records indicate his first son was named Gaetano, his second son Simone (Sam) and his third son Salvatore. Now Simone is obvious, he is named after Dr. Simone Occhipinti, Maria Antonia's father. Taking it for granted Frank followed tradition, it would mean Gaetano was named after his father, and Salvatore after his grandfather.

Now there is a Francesco Paolo Rosario Rizzo born in the city of Palermo on October 6, 1889, to Gaetano and Concetta Pernice. Gaetano, in turn, was the son of Salvatore and Rosaria Sevasta. Although the year of birth is off, the date itself matches, and so do the names of his father and grandfather. I strongly suspect this is him.

What's your thoughts?

[B.]

I have been trying to locate Francesco DeCavalcante's birth, but it has been a hassle... How sure are we DeCavalcante was really his last name? Might it have been just a title? Reason I ask is that in some newspaper articles, he is mentioned as Marquis, a title for noblemen.

Anyway, going by the available records, which really is not much, he lists his date of birth as October 6, 1888, in Palermo, Sicily. Census records indicate his first son was named Gaetano, his second son Simone (Sam) and his third son Salvatore. Now Simone is obvious, he is named after Dr. Simone Occhipinti, Maria Antonia's father. Taking it for granted Frank followed tradition, it would mean Gaetano was named after his father, and Salvatore after his grandfather.

Now there is a Francesco Paolo Rosario Rizzo born in the city of Palermo on October 6, 1889, to Gaetano and Concetta Pernice. Gaetano, in turn, was the son of Salvatore and Rosaria Sevasta. Although the year of birth is off, the date itself matches, and so do the names of his father and grandfather. I strongly suspect this is him.

What's your thoughts?

Might be him! Great find.

Sam's brother told the FBI their true name was Rizzo, which makes finding a "Francesco Rizzo" difficult but I have found US records saying he was born in "Palermo" but I've seen nothing linking them to Monreale like some say. His father was definitely named Gaetano Rizzo.

The obituary for Sam's mother says she was a Marquess and Sam's son indicated both of his parents were descended from noble/royal lineage. The family maintained two large homes in Westfield and Trenton and one census shows a live-in servant. Sam said on the FBI tapes they had seven servants. Definitely an "alta mafia" family. Frank's second wife was his first wife's sister and his father-in-law (also the grandfather of Bobby Basile Occhipinti) was a doctor.

Sam's brother also said he didn't know of any relation to Nick Delmore who was from Nicosia, Enna, though apparently Delmore's mother was a Rizzo so maybe there is some connection though it's a very common name. The brother himself claimed he didn't know Delmore and based on how forthcoming he was in the interview I can't see him lying. He acknowledged Sam and Frank's involvement in the mafia and said Sam followed his father into it due to the "honor" and tradition.

One of Frank DeCavalcante's closest friends was Angelo Caruso of the Bonannos.

[lennert]

An older brother of Frank (The only born in Palermo in 1889) was baptized in Monreale, the record stating the parents were from Palermo… So there is some kind of Monreale connection…

[JoelTurner]

Now there is a Francesco Paolo Rosario Rizzo born in the city of Palermo on October 6, 1889, to Gaetano and Concetta Pernice. Gaetano, in turn, was the son of Salvatore and Rosaria Sevasta. Although the year of birth is off, the date itself matches, and so do the names of his father and grandfather. I strongly suspect this is him.

What's your thoughts?

That’s probably our guy.

His full name is written as Frank Paul Rizzo DeCavalcante. Similarly, Sam’s full name was Simone Paul Rizzo DeCavalcante. In the 1950 Census, Frank’s listed as Frank P Rizzo.

The “DeCavalcante” part may have been an honorific title, like Marquis De Sade for Donatien Alphonse François.

[lennert]

An older brother of Frank (The only born in Palermo in 1889) was baptized in Monreale, the record stating the parents were from Palermo… So there is some kind of Monreale connection…

Where I wrote the only born in Palermo, it should have said the one born in Palermo…

As for Frank’s fifth son, Eugene, his full name appears to be Louis Eugene. Frank’s great-grandfather was named Luigi, so another indication the one born in Palermo is “our” guy…

[B.]

More excellent stuff, thanks Lennert. Glad you found a Monreale tie-in.

Joel -- De Cavalcante is a title according to the son. Not sure what it refers to beyond that. They also spelled it Di Cavalcanti.

He had an office right in Manhattan at one point. Curious if he ever lived in NYC. Sam lived in Brooklyn for a while when he was younger when he was hiding out.

One reason I mention Frank's close friendship with Angelo Caruso is Caruso was from Leonforte right next to Delmore's hometown Nicosia. Makes me wonder if there was some unknown connection to that area. Delmore was considered an "uncle" to Sam and Frank's friendship with Caruso was one reason Sam decided to get so involved in mediating the Bonanno war.

There was a source too who said the DeCavalcantes had known the LoLordos in Sicily. They could have been wrong but maybe a relationship to the Riberesi goes way back.

[Angelo Santino]

- Joseph LaSelva is named as Nicky Delmore’s underboss in Connecticut

- They both acknowledge Majuri and Larasso so it wasn’t a confusion about his role.

Fascinating.

I'm most curious about how a predominantly Riberese Family in Elizabeth with a few spillovers in NYC somehow gained a foothold among Connecticut and Westchester mainlanders to have an Underboss there. This is very strange and you don't generally see this. Between this; Bacino allegedly being boss despite never being in New Jersey and their boast of being the first Family really makes this an interesting group.

Much attention has been given to the Riberese faction and from what I understand, the "modern" family was mostly connected to Local 394 Hod Carriers Union and most were not career criminals, one member became a capo and was amazed to discover how much he could make from bookmaking. The Family doesn't seem to have been a "criminal operation" as much as it had members who dabbled in crime. This makes the "mainland element" in CN all the more interesting. We may never find the answer.

[JoelTurner]

Here's Louis DiGiovanna

Connecticut

LUIGI DIGIOVANNA
(Louis, Lulu)
POB: Hartford, CT
DOB: Dec 26 1915
F: John Digiovanna
M: Pauline Falcetta
Occupation: Never listed; served in Army from 2/19/42 - 10/17/45 as infantry
Address: 321 Main St, Bristol, CT
Previous Addresses: 42 North St, Bristol CT; 126 Maple St, Bristol, CT; 111 Riverside Ave, Bristol, CT
Death May 27 1966

[B.]

Some years ago JD had DiGiovanna with heritage from Agrigento, like the Bonanno DiGiovannas. Might have been Santa Margherita di Belice like them, can't recall the town. As mentioned earlier there was a Ribera/Agrigento colony in Connecticut and DeCavalcante leader Lorenzo Giacobbe lived there in the 1910s so I believe the mainland guys who became members up there branched off from them since an informant knew Giacobbe to still be in contact with the CT guys before his death.

Something interesting is Phil's brother Vincenzo Amari was named for his grandfather and so was their first cousin Vincent Mangiaracina in Birmingham. Mangiaracina's father was from Castelvetrano and I suspect he was a Birmingham member -- his wife was Phil and Vincenzo Amari's father's sister. Vincent Mangiaracina in turn married Alabama mafioso Pasquale Amari's daughter.

[thekiduknow]

An Ancestry tree as John DiGiovanna from Santa Margherita di Belice, and Pauline Falcetta from "Parana", which I assume to be Partanna.

I quickly looked into it just to see, but I don't see a direct connection between these DiGiovannas and the Bonanno DiGiovannas. That name does appear a few times from that same town, so could be a distant relation.

[JoelTurner]

I found that Digiovanna's father was from Sambuca di Sicilia (which is close to Santa Margherita di Belice). However, the birth year listed was off, I wasn't sure if it was the same guy so I didn't include it.

The Birmingham connection is interesting, I don't really know anything about them

[JoelTurner]

Here’s what Harold "Kayo" Konigsberg said about the DeCavalcante family:



He mentions 3 groups outside of Elizabeth describing a presence in Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA. I don’t know who’s Johnny Grande or Frank Castillo.

I think he was probably confusing the Genovese’s crew in Springfield as a DeCavalcante group.