Evolution of US Mafia Families + More Families Discussion

[stubbs]

Great thread!

This was asked by someone in another thread, but do we know if the Bisacquino family still exists or if it died out? It would be under the Corleone mandamento if still active, due to it’s proximity.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was no longer active due to the amount of people who have moved away from there over the years, through either immigration or through people moving across Italy to bigger cities to find work.

I guess that brings up another question: Can families in Sicily die out due to attrition like in the US?

[PolackTony]

Given that Buscetta stated that a family only needs one extant member to still be recognized as such, I’m sure in theory it can happen, but at least formally families that seem to be moribund could still be recognized.

Per Buscetta’s account, Pittsburgh only just went caput.

[B.]

Given that Buscetta stated that a family only needs one extant member to still be recognized as such, I’m sure in theory it can happen, but at least formally families that seem to be moribund could still be recognized.

Per Buscetta’s account, Pittsburgh only just went caput.

Yeah, I'd say it depends on recognition. Pittsburgh could be said to have existed until the last member died if they were still a recognized Cosa Nostra family, like Pittston was under D'Elia, but unless Rochester was consolidated back into Buffalo, I wouldn't say that's a family even if a so-called member is living because they never had recognition.

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Funny you ask about Bisacquino, I'm working on something fairly substantial about it. No ETA yet and it won't necessarily answer the question of whether they exist but I believe it will be interesting.

[Chaps]

Given that Buscetta stated that a family only needs one extant member to still be recognized as such, I’m sure in theory it can happen, but at least formally families that seem to be moribund could still be recognized.

Per Buscetta’s account, Pittsburgh only just went caput.

Yeah, I'd say it depends on recognition. Pittsburgh could be said to have existed until the last member died if they were still a recognized Cosa Nostra family, like Pittston was under D'Elia, but unless Rochester was consolidated back into Buffalo, I wouldn't say that's a family even if a so-called member is living because they never had recognition.

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Funny you ask about Bisacquino, I'm working on something fairly substantial about it. No ETA yet and it won't necessarily answer the question of whether they exist but I believe it will be interesting.

Looking forward to it B.

[stubbs]

Given that Buscetta stated that a family only needs one extant member to still be recognized as such, I’m sure in theory it can happen, but at least formally families that seem to be moribund could still be recognized.

Per Buscetta’s account, Pittsburgh only just went caput.

Yeah, I'd say it depends on recognition. Pittsburgh could be said to have existed until the last member died if they were still a recognized Cosa Nostra family, like Pittston was under D'Elia, but unless Rochester was consolidated back into Buffalo, I wouldn't say that's a family even if a so-called member is living because they never had recognition.

--

Funny you ask about Bisacquino, I'm working on something fairly substantial about it. No ETA yet and it won't necessarily answer the question of whether they exist but I believe it will be interesting.

Agree with Chaps, looking forward to it B!

Would be interesting to know if the reason the Bisacquinesi in the US all went with the Gambinos was due to Vito Casio Ferro originally being from Palermo. The Gambinos power base has obviously always been those guys from Palermo, as well has having strong Agrigento factions.

There has to be a reason guys with ancestors from Bisacquino ended up with the Binos and not aligned with the Lucchese or Genovese, which both have their origins with the Morello gang and others from Corleone, which is fairly close to Bisacquino.

That’s what I’ve always wondered: How did Bisacquino guys not end up with guys from Corleone, given their proximity? For example, how did Michael DiLeonardo’s grandfather end up under D’Aquila as opposed to being with the Morello/Terranovas? Michael testified that his grandfather or great-grandfather was specifically sent to New York by Cascio Ferro, so there has to have been a reason he aligned with who he did.

[B.]

Thanks to Ed for discovering that Tony Lima confirmed a distinct Family once existed in Johnstown PA:

According to an informant (Tony Lima,) "an independent Borgata existed in Johnston, PA., until 1952, at which time the territory again came under the jurisdiction of the Pittsburgh Borgata."

This widens this discussion even further. As this thread indicates I've been of the belief there were many more historic Families than we know.

However, Lima placing the Johnstown Family's merging with Pittsburgh in 1952 is way later than the other examples I've discussed and could tell us some of the other speculative Families we know of weren't merged until later. Utica for example may have still been a Family after 1934 given Valachi identified them as their own borgata and a Utica source still called them a de facto "Family" in the 1960s even though they had by then joined Buffalo.

In Philadelphia it happened by 1919/1920 and other locations were probably before the 1940s if not much earlier but who knows based on this Johnstown anecdote. Lima was in a position to know given his blood relatives were older members in Johnstown and 1952 wasn't ancient history during his cooperation which means his estimation of the year probably isn't radically off.

[JoelTurner]

This is one of the most fascinating things that I've ever read!

Here's a possibile one: Marion, Illinois

I mentioned this in the Chicago Outfit Places of Origin thread; I once met a woman who told me that there was a mafia presence in this area during Prohibition. There was a Black Hand presence over there in the 1910s (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3089977 ... ily-times/).

It's possible that this was an outpost of St. Louis (116 miles - 2Hrs), Springfield (184 miles - 3Hrs), Chicago (320 miles - 5Hrs) but they weren't exactly right next door. Additionally, it's possible that these were non-mafia Italians.

[B.]

Thanks, Joel. Great to know there are people who had an anecdotal belief the mafia was there.

This is a good place for Tony to jump in if he sees it.

We both suspect there was an organized mafia presence of some kind in that area, as Johnston City just to the north of Marion was a destination for a few Western Sicilians who later became members in other places. Could have had members of other regional Families like you said but in Sicily a Family only needed ten members to form so who knows.

[cavita]

I'm reminded of the July 1919 arrest of future Rockford LCN boss Tony Musso in St. Louis on burglary and concealed weapons charges- at the time he was living in Lexington, Illinois but also lived in Johnston City and his cohorts were from all listed from Marion, Illinois: Giuseppe Provenzano, who died in Chicago, Jim Curezo, Joe Busan and Joe "Banana Joe" Berti. These men were all Italians but the newspapers butchered a couple of their names. Something was definitely going on in Marion early on.

[B.]

Whoa! News to me that Musso lived in Johnston City too. Future St. Louis boss Pasquale Miceli moved from Johnston City to Chicago then St. Louis so that's two bosses that lived there. Bonanno captain Tony Canzoneri spent part of his childhood there before NYC and I suspect his father "Don Giorgio" was quietly involved in mafia circles but there's nothing definitive on him.

[cavita]

Whoa! News to me that Musso lived in Johnston City too. Future St. Louis boss Pasquale Miceli moved from Johnston City to Chicago then St. Louis so that's two bosses that lived there. Bonanno captain Tony Canzoneri spent part of his childhood there before NYC and I suspect his father "Don Giorgio" was quietly involved in mafia circles but there's nothing definitive on him.

He was living there as early as October 1918 because his son Agostino was born there at that time.

[B.]

Whoa! News to me that Musso lived in Johnston City too. Future St. Louis boss Pasquale Miceli moved from Johnston City to Chicago then St. Louis so that's two bosses that lived there. Bonanno captain Tony Canzoneri spent part of his childhood there before NYC and I suspect his father "Don Giorgio" was quietly involved in mafia circles but there's nothing definitive on him.

He was living there as early as October 1918 because his son Agostino was born there at that time.

That's when Miceli and the Canzoneris were there too.

[cavita]

Whoa! News to me that Musso lived in Johnston City too. Future St. Louis boss Pasquale Miceli moved from Johnston City to Chicago then St. Louis so that's two bosses that lived there. Bonanno captain Tony Canzoneri spent part of his childhood there before NYC and I suspect his father "Don Giorgio" was quietly involved in mafia circles but there's nothing definitive on him.

He was living there as early as October 1918 because his son Agostino was born there at that time.

That's when Miceli and the Canzoneris were there too.

And by July 1919 Musso was in St. Louis when he was arrested and his son Vincent was born there in March 1921. Musso got around- born 1893 Partinico, Sicily to Detroit in 1912, 1917 in New Orleans getting married, Johnston City 1918, 1919-1921 S. Louis, 1923/1924 in Madison, Wisconsin and finally in Rockford by 1926.

[B.]

He should have written a Gentile style memoir to let us know what he was up to.

With the Canzoneris, Tony's father was called "Don Giorgio" which doesn't necessarily have mafia significance but his son-in-law was a cousin named Giambrone, same hometown and surname as suspected St. Louis boss Domenico Giambrone from that period. Giorgio Canzoneri's uncle was a Parrino, surname that produced the Palazzese Parrinos of Pittston and a current member in Palazzo Adriano. Canzoneris were also related to the surname of the current Palazzo boss, Masaracchia. Palazzo is extremely small even for a Sicilian comune so ups the chances there's some level of relation and I don't think Tony Canzoneri was made just because he was a great boxer.

Miceli was from Burgio and his son became a STL member and a cousin was killed in STL shortly after they moved there. Burgio neighbors Palazzo and there's interrelation between those villages.

[PolackTony]

Great info on Musso being in Williamson County. I don’t really have any further info to add to that discussion apart from what we’ve already discussed in the Chicago threads. It could’ve been a Family, a faction or outpost of STL or one of the other IL Families. Based on all of the people who settled there or at least lived there for a time, I personally believe there was mafia activity there, but just don’t know what that meant in terms of formal affiliation.

While they were obviously way closer to STL and Springfield (and that far Southern area of IL, aside from being geographically far, might as well be in a different country from Chicago in cultural terms), the Sicilians there had close links to Chicago. As one example, I have encountered claims that the Chicago Burgio Società was originally founded in Johnston City before relocating to Chicago in the early 20th century. Miceli was very likely affiliated with it, I’d think.

Far South IL, despite being in IL, is culturally “the south” (it borders Kentucky and was settled by Anglo-Southerners from Kentucky, VA, etc, unlike Northern IL which was originally settled by Yankees from NY). We know that there was a very bloody “war” between “Italian bootleggers” and the Klan, which led to widespread public violence (even the mayor of Marion was assassinated). I think that like Birmingham, it wasn’t fertile ground for the mafia to take root enough to persist beyond the initial generation of Italian colonists.

Another area that could’ve had an early colony Family was Peoria and Ladd/Bureau Counties. We’ve talked about Giuseppe “The Crow” Corso before, and there was a Sicilian colony in that area. In later years, the area had definite activity connected to the Chicago and Rockford Families. Maybe they were always an outpost like that, but I think they had at least the conditions present for an early Family to form.

We already know for a fact that IL had 4 Families (and I’d really say 5, as Gary is in Chicagoland and Lake County IN is nothing like the rest of IN, it’s demographically and culturally of the Chicago region). But we don’t know that this was an exhaustive list. It wasn’t until quite recently that we were able to say definitively that Gary and the Heights were absolutely Families in the past.