Morello Family Circa 1910

[Pogo The Clown]

Recent posts by Christie and B. have gotten me more interested in the early Corleone family. I realize that an accurate chart will just be guessing but can we compile a list of the members of this group before Morello was locked up on the counterfitting thing? My knowledge of this period is lacking but here are some names I've been able to put together. I'm sure there are more.


Boss: Giuseppe Morello

Members:
Michale Coniglio
Paolo Frisella
Angelo Gagliano
Ippolito Grecco
Stefano Lasala
Salvatore Loiacano
Fortunato Lo Monte
Gaetano Lomonte
Francesco Moscato
Giovanni Peccorado
Antonio Rizzo
Angelo Valenti
Bernardo Terranova


We're Nicolo Morello and Ciro and Vincenzo Terranova members by this time?


Pogo

[Angelo Santino]

Recent posts by Christie and B. have gotten me more interested in the early Corleone family. I realize that an accurate chart will just be guessing but can we compile a list of the members of this group before Morello was locked up on the counterfitting thing? My knowledge of this period is lacking but here are some names I've been able to put together. I'm sure there are more.


Boss: Giuseppe Morello

Members:
Michale Coniglio
Paolo Frisella
Angelo Gagliano
Ippolito Grecco
Stefano Lasala
Salvatore Loiacano
Fortunato Lo Monte
Gaetano Lomonte
Francesco Moscato
Giovanni Peccorado
Antonio Rizzo
Angelo Valenti
Bernardo Terranova

Dude here:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKBydmEAZ-s/U ... Sicily.jpg

1 Bottom blue are Morello network members
2 If I could go back in time I wouldn't have labeled this as a list of Mafiosi because we can't confirm that everyone was made. I've grown more conservative with who I label as members. As for who you have labeled, there's no one on there I'd argue who wasn't. If I were to split hairs, we don't know if Loiacano was a member yet, he was there since the 1890's but hey he could have joined up later. Ippolito Greco, nothing confirms he was a member. Again I'm splitting hairs, presenting a counter argument that I don't fully agree with.

If you guys want, I can try and make a theoretical and highly speculative Morello chart. I could do the same for the Bonannos and Gambinos for this time but... the information doesn't exist and I'd be putting forward my best guestimation. And for that I'll avoid giving people ranks because I don't want Giovanni Pecoraro called consigliere on account of me. Saverio Virzi being called capo I'm somewhat ok with though.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKBydmEAZ-s/U ... Sicily.jpg

[Angelo Santino]

Actually, by 1910 Morello was in prison and the guy who appeared to be directing things was one Giovanni Pecoraro, who was either questioned or arrested in Barrel Murder (not to be confused with Domenico Pecoraro) and was noted by Comito to always be with Morello whenever Comito stopped by. In any event, in 1911 Pecoraro accepted Clemente's transfer from Chicago to NY, Clemente had previously been in NY in the 1890's working with Vito Cascio Ferro. Clemente and his wife Stella Frauto were Corleonese were the 3-4 others they were arrested with.

In 1912, Fortunato Lo Monte is elected boss, as for who was Under, Consig, capos, no idea. I could guess but... Stefano Magaddino brought up Lo Monte in the 1960's wiretap which was interesting, he must have been someone significant to have succeeded Morello.

[B.]

Another name is Andrea Oliveri who I mentioned in another thread recently. He was from Corleone and showed up in the counterfeiting investigation. His daughter married Tom Reina and his nephew Sam was a member in Chicago/Rockford. His son was also around the Reina-Gagliano family later.

Calogero Majuri (also used spellings Maiuri / Maggiore) is another possibility. He was picked up in the early 1900s with Morello and in another instance claimed Morello was an in-law. A Corleonese genealogist believes this is the same Calogero as Frank Majuri's father, whose age, background, and residence line up with this one.

In 1912, Fortunato Lo Monte is elected boss, as for who was Under, Consig, capos, no idea. I could guess but... Stefano Magaddino brought up Lo Monte in the 1960's wiretap which was interesting, he must have been someone significant to have succeeded Morello.

Yep, it was in the context of a mentor telling him "who's who" at the time Magaddino came of age in the mafia.

[DPG]

Another name is Andrea Oliveri who I mentioned in another thread recently. He was from Corleone and showed up in the counterfeiting investigation. His daughter married Tom Reina and his nephew Sam was a member in Chicago/Rockford. His son was also around the Reina-Gagliano family later.

Calogero Majuri (also used spellings Maiuri / Maggiore) is another possibility. He was picked up in the early 1900s with Morello and in another instance claimed Morello was an in-law. A Corleonese genealogist believes this is the same Calogero as Frank Majuri's father, whose age, background, and residence line up with this one.

In 1912, Fortunato Lo Monte is elected boss, as for who was Under, Consig, capos, no idea. I could guess but... Stefano Magaddino brought up Lo Monte in the 1960's wiretap which was interesting, he must have been someone significant to have succeeded Morello.

Yep, it was in the context of a mentor telling him "who's who" at the time Magaddino came of age in the mafia.

Is there a link to the Magaddino wiretap transcripts?

[Pogo The Clown]

Thanks guys. I completely forgot about that chart you made. Great stuff. TWe probably got the majority of the members listed as I remember one of the early era researches saying that the Morello family was so small during time that the entire membership could fit in a small room.


Pogo

[Angelo Santino]

Thanks guys. I completely forgot about that chart you made. Great stuff. TWe probably got the majority of the members listed as I remember one of the early era researches saying that the Morello family was so small during time that the entire membership could fit in a small room.


Pogo

That was Dave making that statement over a meeting conducted on Prince Street. It was a meeting between Lupo and Morello, two seperate bosses and likely didn't represent the membership of either group. It would be like saying the US mafia had 60 members and citing Appalachin.

[Pogo The Clown]

Ah thanks for that clearing that up. Do we have an idea of how many members these groups had back then? Did Clemente ever give estimates on how many members in his own family? Thanks.


Pogo

[DPG]

Dash’s book, which I enjoyed, has basically been turned into a novel.

[Angelo Santino]

Ah thanks for that clearing that up. Do we have an idea of how many members these groups had back then? Did Clemente ever give estimates on how many members in his own family? Thanks.


Pogo

Nope. They never asked him nor did they ask the groups' history. Law enforcement was not that advanced, to them "gangs" were groups of people associated for the purpose of committing a specific crime, anything larger than that was still questionable. In 1900 world law enforcement were still asking the question- what is organized crime? And the generally accepted narrative was any crime that is planned in advance. Getting mad and murdering someone isn't organized wheras planning to kill someone by getting a gun and digging a hole for the body would be.

The largest Sicilian demographic in NYC was Palermo so it was like the Gambinos who were the largest, that as well as that faction being the oldest in NY, since 1860.

One thing to consider is that NYC was like 5 streams having 10-15 different pools of people flowing in. If a mafioso from Sicily were to move to NY, in order for him to be involved he has to go through a transfer to a NY Family. And they have to be recognized, someone wouldn't be refused because "the books were closed." With immigration being what it is, the mafia in 1905-1925 probably didn't have the hold on membership that they would post-1930. During this period more Palermitans arrived than Corleonese and Castellammarese so chances are the streams coming in float disproportionately towards the Gambinos (hence the need for two Palermitan groups). You might have seen more Cast members in Williamsburg than there were in CDG itself. The Corleonese might have made more American-associated Sicilians and Italians early on.. It's all speculation.

I hold open the possibility that there were alot of members who escaped identification. Had it not been for Gentile we would have never have known Conte was a boss, he would have been just another Sicilian businessman who may or may not have been shady. Conte (and even D'Aquila's) newspaper coverage should be very concerning for people who rely heavily on the papers as neither men's underworld significance was mentioned. How many other things escaped scrutiny? Gentile, Clemete, Bonanno and Valachi could only go so many places and meet so many people, it would be foolish to think we know everything.

There was a another thread B. was involved in who made the case that family membership sizes may have been consistent (more or less) since 1931 where groups were capped at where they were. In this range it's typically been Genovese-Gambino-Lucchese-Bonanno-Colombo from largest to smallest. That's more or less congruent with the size speculations before the Cast War. There were people switching around after the war as Valachi noted but I'm not sure if this tipped the scale towards any group. Since they were not divided up and equally distributed their members to have an equal number, I think we can conclude that wasn't their focus at the time and there's a strong possibility the 1930's onward may reflect the early 1920's as that's when things were building up, not the 1930's.

Another thing- had Maranzano lost the rebel factions who followed him- parts of the Lucchese and either part or all of the Bonanno family would have been the Orena faction of 1930. Instead they won and they split up their formation to go back to their formal Families- Lucchese and Bonanno. Gentile mentioned the Maranzano group was composed of people who left other groups because they had issue with Masseria's dictatorship, who knows if this included anyone officially leaving the Gambinos/Colombos or Genoveses, it's possible some left rather than lend silent support which we seen with Traina.

[Angelo Santino]

And while we're at it - Morello got fucked over by the legal system too . Yeah true story. Poor guy never had a chance. He was born with a deformed right hand forcing the use of his left hand, which back then carried a sinister connotation (using your left hand was bad lack and showed a lack of character). Despite this he managed to overcome it by rising to the top of a, um, certain Italian subculture. He was accused of committing the Barrel Murder and was able to provide 3rd party collaboration that he wasn't there and was never convicted of the crime. Despite this, his name and that of his chain store brother in law, had their names plastered all over the news as "black hand kings," which likely caused Lupo to lose business and file for bankruptcy and Morello's Ignazio Florio crashed with the stock market and the poor guy had creditors after him. And then some Calabrian gets arrested in a counterfeiting operation and claims, without evidence, that Morello and Lupo were behind it. Comito gets a payday and a free trip to Buenos Aires with his girlfriend, leaving his life in Italy. And Morello/Lupo each get railroaded with 25 years in prison for crimes that typically carry 2-5 years max, two happily married family men had to leave behind their wives and families because of this Calabrese infamia! These men were convicted based on their reputations, not their actual crimes. If I was Joe Morello I would have fucking cried in court over this bullshit too.

FBI- Forever Bothering Italians was preceded by the SS- Stressing Sicilians.

[CabriniGreen]

Recent posts by Christie and B. have gotten me more interested in the early Corleone family. I realize that an accurate chart will just be guessing but can we compile a list of the members of this group before Morello was locked up on the counterfitting thing? My knowledge of this period is lacking but here are some names I've been able to put together. I'm sure there are more.


Boss: Giuseppe Morello

Members:
Michale Coniglio
Paolo Frisella
Angelo Gagliano
Ippolito Grecco
Stefano Lasala
Salvatore Loiacano
Fortunato Lo Monte
Gaetano Lomonte
Francesco Moscato
Giovanni Peccorado
Antonio Rizzo
Angelo Valenti
Bernardo Terranova

Dude here:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKBydmEAZ-s/U ... Sicily.jpg

1 Bottom blue are Morello network members
2 If I could go back in time I wouldn't have labeled this as a list of Mafiosi because we can't confirm that everyone was made. I've grown more conservative with who I label as members. As for who you have labeled, there's no one on there I'd argue who wasn't. If I were to split hairs, we don't know if Loiacano was a member yet, he was there since the 1890's but hey he could have joined up later. Ippolito Greco, nothing confirms he was a member. Again I'm splitting hairs, presenting a counter argument that I don't fully agree with.

If you guys want, I can try and make a theoretical and highly speculative Morello chart. I could do the same for the Bonannos and Gambinos for this time but... the information doesn't exist and I'd be putting forward my best guestimation. And for that I'll avoid giving people ranks because I don't want Giovanni Pecoraro called consigliere on account of me. Saverio Virzi being called capo I'm somewhat ok with though.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKBydmEAZ-s/U ... Sicily.jpg

Is that your article, issue of Informer?

[CabriniGreen]

That's my favorite one so far, I havent actually got around to reading the others I bought yet...

[CabriniGreen]

The early history of NY, I mean...

[Extortion]

So there was only like 15 members at the beginning of the morello family?