I have Ralph Tropiano as born in 1912 in New Haven to Biagio “Jerry” Tropiano and Lucia Vingiano, both of Castellammare di Stabia, Salerno. George Tropiano was born in 1915 in New Haven.
By 1925 the family had relocated to Brooklyn, where Biagio ran a barber shop. In 1930, they lived on the northern border of Dyker Heights near Boro Park, at 1114 65th St; worth noting that a Scarpa lived on this block at the time, whose family was from Nocera Inferiore, Salerno.
Was talking to B about this, but Wikipedia erroneously claims that Greg Scarpa’s parents were both from Veneto province. He was born Gregorio Scarpa in 1928 in Brooklyn to Salvatore Scarpa of Nocera Inferiore, and Maria Palmetti of Terlizzi, Bari. Salvatore arrived in the US in 1913, bound for New London, CT; on his WW1 draft card he was living and working in Philadelphia. In 1918, he married Maria Palmitti in New London; in 1920, they lived in Waterford, CT. The Scarpas relocated to Brooklyn around the same time as the Tropianos, in the early 1920s. In 1930, the Scarpas lived at 837 44th St in Boro Park (by happenstance, Frankie Yale was killed in 1928 on the next block of 44th St, across 9th Ave. Perhaps baby Gregorio heard the gunshots from his crib, kindling a lifelong blood lust).
Based on the shared origins in Salerno and connections to CT, I’m wondering if it’s coincidence that both Scarpa and the Tropianos wound up in the Profaci/Colombo Family.
Also perhaps not coincidence:
PolackTony wrote: ↑Thu Nov 03, 2022 10:39 pm
JoelTurner wrote: ↑Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:05 pm
Where was Persico's family from?
Carmine John Persico Sr was born in 1909 in BK to Marco Persico and Angelina Granaldi of San Fele, Potenza, Basilicata (near Muro Lucano, where a bunch of Chicago members like the Cerones were from
edit: Genovese member Swats Mulligan Ciaffone was also from Muro Lucano). His wife, Assunta Plantamura (the Persico brothers’ mother), was born in 1911 in BK to Michele Plantamura of Nocera Inferiore, Salerno, Campania, and Caterina Lauro of the neighboring comune of Nocera Superiore (DeCav member Louie Consalvo, Genovese members Nick Buffania and Edward Lanzieri, and Chicago capo Joe Ferriola also had ancestry from Nocera Inferiore).
Worth noting also that Nocera Inferiore borders Pagani which in turn borders Angri; the Capones and Frank Nitto were from Angri while several members of the old Navy St Camorra group were from Angri and Pagani.
