Newark family revisited

[B.]

Great info. All of that is why I'm wondering if Russo came from a group of Casertani or mainland guys within the Newark family, including his possible townsman Santagata.

[The Greek]

5. Wouldn't be a reference to Boiardo, as the Genovese were already covered. Must be a reference to Joe Profaci (who had just died 6 months earlier), as he isn't mentioned otherwise and ended up with a large number of former Newark members, including relative(s) of former Newark boss D'Amico. Could also be a reference to Nick Delmore, who was still alive at this point but fading fast. However, Bruno may specifically be talking about NEWARK and is deliberately leaving the Elizabeth family out of it.

Is it possible that Boiardo was affiliated with Newark before being made into the Genoveses? He wasn't made until 1947 but was a major player for 20 years before that.

[Angelo Santino]

Great info. All of that is why I'm wondering if Russo came from a group of Casertani or mainland guys within the Newark family, including his possible townsman Santagata.

And Russo is such a common name. Do you believe there's an FBI file on him which may contain his origin?

The First Ward consisted of people from Avellino, Teora, Caposele, Calabritto, Lioni, Conza, Muro Lucano, Castelgrande, San Fele, Ricigliano, Atripalda, Monocalzati, Ariano Irpino. Given this, there is most likely links with the First Ward to Downtown Brooklyn, Coney Island, Greenwich Village, East Harlem, Port Chester, Stamford and Springfield Ct. Castelgrande sounds familiar to me and I believe I came across it on Coney.

When we say Napolitan' or of descent, we're speaking of the whole Compagna region in and around Naples itself extending far inland to the countryside. The amount of people that actually came from within the city limits of Naples are much smaller in number. Ironic actually given the disputes of yesteryear between the urbans and the countryboys. Naples city since the mid 1700's has been a metropolis with Greeks, Sicilians, Chinese, English and German residents. A very different world from the hinderland. But nonetheless, the geographical location of Napolitani is quite large. When we discuss Palermitani, Corleonesi, Castellammaresi etc, these are cities (with their smaller sub-cities in a 5-10 mile radius) in western Sicily whereas 'Napolitani' applied towards everyone from the entire Compagna region (roughly 50 miles in diameter). Just to give an idea.

I did some genealogical research for Willy Chicchi and his ancestors had the same name and born around the same year as his was which lead to some confusion. While going through manifests, it's not uncommon to see 10-20 people arriving from places in Sicily and Calabria whereas in the Compagna region it's like 2-3 maybe 5, never came across 10. I don't think as many people left Naples or the Compagna region in the 1890's throughout the 1920's. They were there, just not in as many numbers. But they left their mark, especially in New York City. Mulberry St remains Little Italy's last vestige, it was never a Sicilian street and it was the Neapolitans that created pizza. G. Lombardi's (a Napolitan) opened America's first pizzeria on Spring St in 1905.

I do commend David Chase for drawing upon this aspect of the Italian segment rather than the Sicilian one when he created The Sopranos. I understand some were disappointed or found it unrealistic. He came from Newark and that's the background he used more than anything. As we now know, Newark wasn't heavily Sicilian.

[Pogo The Clown]

I thought we were Napoli-Daboli or whatever.


Pogo

[B.]

Is it possible that Boiardo was affiliated with Newark before being made into the Genoveses? He wasn't made until 1947 but was a major player for 20 years before that.

Definitely possible. We know he had a conflict with Stefano Badami and Maranzano sent Valachi to help Badami. He could have been brought in as an associate of Newark after that or maybe the Genovese stepped in and put him on record with them at the time. I don't know much about Boiardo aside from what's in the DeCav books.

[Frank]

Didn't Boiardo say he was behind the Anthony Strollo hit on the DeCav tapes.

[Raven]

I believe he implied he burned the body, but I could be mistaken.

[Raven]

Edit: Your correct the NY times said Bioardo did take credit for the hit.

[Cheech]

i never read the decav tapes. are the online?

[Pogo The Clown]

The whole village of Avellino settled in this area.

I thought we were Napoli-Daboli or whatever.

These were lines from the Sopranos by the way.


Pogo

[Raven]

i never read the decav tapes. are the online?

Never seen them online, but a long time ago I was able to order the transcripts of the wiretaps in book form from the library. I cannot recall what it was titled as. I can try and track it down if your interested in trying to get a hold of it.

[Cheech]

i never read the decav tapes. are the online?

Never seen them online, but a long time ago I was able to order the transcripts of the wiretaps in book form from the library. I cannot recall what it was titled as. I can try and track it down if your interested in trying to get a hold of it.

i am interested. appreciate it!

[B.]

i never read the decav tapes. are the online?

Never seen them online, but a long time ago I was able to order the transcripts of the wiretaps in book form from the library. I cannot recall what it was titled as. I can try and track it down if your interested in trying to get a hold of it.

i am interested. appreciate it!

There are also a couple of old books you might be able to find for cheap that are made up of basically nothing but select transcripts.

"Sam the Plumber"
"The Mafia Talks"

There is some crossover in the transcripts they use but both are worth checking out if you can't get a hold of the full transcripts.

[Cheech]

Thank you sir

[B.]

Side note, but a source said that DelMore's group had been helped financially by Jerry Catena, who the source says was an old associate of theirs in Union County during prohibition. Seems to be saying Catena was originally an associate of the DeCavalcantes (or the Newark family)?

Along these lines, I was reading up more on Nick Delmore's trial in the early 1930s for the murder of a prohibition agent and found that three men were busted for bribery related to the trial -- two of them were non-Italians I haven't heard of and the other was Jerry Catena. We know Catena wasn't a made member then, so this is a sign that he may have been an associate of Delmore or whatever group Delmore was affiliated with, whether it be Newark, the Decavalcantes, or some combination of them.

Related to Delmore's 1930s trial, an article described him as a "politician racketeer" which is an interesting phrase. He is also mentioned in articles as owning three expensive cars, one of which he took when he went on the lam to Minnesota following the agent's murder. Seems he was wealthy and the phrase "politician racketeer" would point to him being something of a leading figure, at least in certain rackets, even back then.