In the last post we find that the murder of Luigi Luponio created the opportunity for Catarina Bartolomeo to get remarried to Nicola "Nick" D'Alio. If the newspaper accounts are to be believed then it is quite probable that Martino D'Alio's death was hastened by Luigi's murder as the newspaper articles imply that Catarina was the driving force behind the murder of Martino.
This story begins with the meeting between Catarina and Nicola. We do not know how or when they met, but it is likely that they met in Utica as both were residents of the area. However, it is also possible that they met in Italy as Nicola's birth town was not far from Alife (town that Luigi and Catarina got married in). In fact, San Potito Sannitico is less than 7km (~4 miles) from Alife so it is possible that they knew each other and that Nicola and Catarina met there (and even got married there). More research needs to be done in this regard.
What we do know is that Nicola and Catarina had a daughter together. Her name was Amalia and she was born in Utica NY in 1892 (according to her headstone). She first married Antonio Festa in 1908 (living on 2nd St from at least 1910 through 1930 ... and most likely until Tony's death in 1937). She then married Albano Quattrociocchi in 1939 and they moved to 705 W. Thomas St (1940 census).
So how did Martino D'Alio end up dead? From the newspaper accounts it seems that Nicola (a fruit peddler in Utica) was summoned to Italy by his father who had suddenly come into some wealth. The father made it sound like he was frail and needed Nick to manage his affairs. Nick and Catarina sailed for Italy in the Fall of 1895. When they arrived in Italy, they found that things were not what they were expecting. For one, Martino was much healthier than reported and had many good years ahead of him and for two, Martino hated Catarina and would not let her live in the house. Nick had to find new quarters for her. With the animosity of Martino and the prospects of it being many years before Nick and Catarina would inherit his money, a plan was hatched to kill Martino.
The first attempt failed as Martino survived being poisoned. Knowing that Nick had poisoned him, Martino decided to change his will but before he got the chance Nick laid in wait and shot him several times. Unfortunately for Nick, he did not die right away and his body was discovered by some of the town folks who brought him back home where Martino had enough time to write a new will before he died. Nicola was arrested and charged with his father's murder. It is unknown how long he served, but what we do know is that Catarina and Nick are later found to be living in Rome NY on McAvoy Street in 1926. What became of Nick and Catarina is unknown. Obituaries were not found for either one. There is a Catarina Bartolomeo buried in St. John's Cemetery in Rome NY although it is not known if this is her.
Given that Catarina was quite likely part of the plan to kill Martino it is likely that the death of Luigi Luponio indirectly lead to the death of Martino D'Alio.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Murder of Luigi Luponio
My mom knew her grandmother (Antoinetta Luponio Fazio) was raised in an orphanage, but knew very little else about her history. Grandma Fazio died when mom was 18 years old, so it is doubtful they had many conversations about her upbringing. There were family rumors that Antonietta's mother (Catarina Bartolomeo Luponio) had longed to go back to Italy, but could not afford to pay for her two kids' trip so she dumped them into an orphanage and went back to Italy. No mention of what happened to Catarina's husband (thought to be Joseph).
In doing some research on the excellent website fultonhistory.com, the mystery of how Antonietta (and her sister Concetta) ended up in an orphanage is now clearer. The story, although an unhappy one, is very compelling and raises as many questions as it answers. The short version is that Luigi Luponio was murdered and his body was buried in a shallow grave in the Montezuma Swamp (just outside Savannah NY). There is no evidence that his murder (or that of his traveling companion Pasquale Iannucelli) was ever solved.
However, the longer story begins around noon on Dec 31, 1884 in a tangled thicket 2 miles east of Savannah NY when two boys hunting rabbits discover a passport, various papers, and other personal items; and eventually a shallow grave. In this shallow grave were buried the bodies of Luigi Luponio and Pasquale Iannucelli (husband of Maria Teresa Nassa).
After several weeks of investigation it was discovered that the two deceased men were traveling around the northeast with three other men. The last known location for Luigi and the others was Brockwayville, Pennsylvania in August 1884. They had eventually made their way to the Montezuma Swamp area where it was thought that these three men had murdered Luigi and Pasquale (crushing their skulls and slitting their throats while they slept) and then robbed them. The theory is that these murders were committed around September 1884. The three men were reported to be named Peppino Bachuccia, Pasqualino Lustroglio and Giovanni Pucinalla. An arrest in the case was made in New Haven Connecticut of Pasquale Ferrino, but more information could not be found as to how he was related to the traveling companions or if he was ever tried in a court of law. The three traveling companions were never found either in the U.S. or back in Italy as far as I can tell. Luigi is buried in Potters Field (most likely in an unmarked grave) in Herrington Cemetery just north of Savannah NY. I plan to visit the cemetery this summer on my trip back to NY.
So how does the grisly murder of Luigi Luponio end with his daughters in an orphanage? It is my belief that Luigi's wife, Catarina, may have been in the country (or in route) when her husband was killed. Her brother Giuseppe was already in Utica, so I imagine that there were plans for the family to join Luigi and Giuseppe in Utica. If we follow Luigi's path, it is likely that he was on his way to Utica when he was killed ... Brockwayville to most likely Buffalo/Rochester (old train route) and then heading east. Now, here is where it gets a little dicey. We know that Catarina was remarried to Nicola D'Alio after Luigi died and we know that they both headed back to Italy together (around 1895 or so). Did these two separate events combine to become the family story of Catarina throwing her kids into an orphanage and heading back to Italy? I think the more likely possibility is that Catarina found herself in America with no money and no job and had no choice but to put her kids in an orphanage until she could sort things out. We do not know when Nicola D'Alio comes into the picture, but we do know that Amalia D'Alio was born to them around 1891 (in Utica). Given the 7 year gap it is doubtful that she had already met Nicola when the kids went into the orphanage, but it is entirely possible that they were not immediately placed in the orphanage in 1885, but some time later after she had met Nicola.
Either way, the murder of Luigi Luponio is what caused the girls to become orphans and if the accounts are correct, led to another murder thousands of miles away. I will tell that story in my next blog.
The following are the newspaper accounts about the murder of Luigi Luponio and Pasquale Iannucelli:
In doing some research on the excellent website fultonhistory.com, the mystery of how Antonietta (and her sister Concetta) ended up in an orphanage is now clearer. The story, although an unhappy one, is very compelling and raises as many questions as it answers. The short version is that Luigi Luponio was murdered and his body was buried in a shallow grave in the Montezuma Swamp (just outside Savannah NY). There is no evidence that his murder (or that of his traveling companion Pasquale Iannucelli) was ever solved.
However, the longer story begins around noon on Dec 31, 1884 in a tangled thicket 2 miles east of Savannah NY when two boys hunting rabbits discover a passport, various papers, and other personal items; and eventually a shallow grave. In this shallow grave were buried the bodies of Luigi Luponio and Pasquale Iannucelli (husband of Maria Teresa Nassa).
After several weeks of investigation it was discovered that the two deceased men were traveling around the northeast with three other men. The last known location for Luigi and the others was Brockwayville, Pennsylvania in August 1884. They had eventually made their way to the Montezuma Swamp area where it was thought that these three men had murdered Luigi and Pasquale (crushing their skulls and slitting their throats while they slept) and then robbed them. The theory is that these murders were committed around September 1884. The three men were reported to be named Peppino Bachuccia, Pasqualino Lustroglio and Giovanni Pucinalla. An arrest in the case was made in New Haven Connecticut of Pasquale Ferrino, but more information could not be found as to how he was related to the traveling companions or if he was ever tried in a court of law. The three traveling companions were never found either in the U.S. or back in Italy as far as I can tell. Luigi is buried in Potters Field (most likely in an unmarked grave) in Herrington Cemetery just north of Savannah NY. I plan to visit the cemetery this summer on my trip back to NY.
So how does the grisly murder of Luigi Luponio end with his daughters in an orphanage? It is my belief that Luigi's wife, Catarina, may have been in the country (or in route) when her husband was killed. Her brother Giuseppe was already in Utica, so I imagine that there were plans for the family to join Luigi and Giuseppe in Utica. If we follow Luigi's path, it is likely that he was on his way to Utica when he was killed ... Brockwayville to most likely Buffalo/Rochester (old train route) and then heading east. Now, here is where it gets a little dicey. We know that Catarina was remarried to Nicola D'Alio after Luigi died and we know that they both headed back to Italy together (around 1895 or so). Did these two separate events combine to become the family story of Catarina throwing her kids into an orphanage and heading back to Italy? I think the more likely possibility is that Catarina found herself in America with no money and no job and had no choice but to put her kids in an orphanage until she could sort things out. We do not know when Nicola D'Alio comes into the picture, but we do know that Amalia D'Alio was born to them around 1891 (in Utica). Given the 7 year gap it is doubtful that she had already met Nicola when the kids went into the orphanage, but it is entirely possible that they were not immediately placed in the orphanage in 1885, but some time later after she had met Nicola.
Either way, the murder of Luigi Luponio is what caused the girls to become orphans and if the accounts are correct, led to another murder thousands of miles away. I will tell that story in my next blog.
The following are the newspaper accounts about the murder of Luigi Luponio and Pasquale Iannucelli:
Monday, February 3, 2014
Obwalter Surname
The Obwalter surname is one of the most unique surnames in Germany. It is found in only a handful of records mostly around the Ottenhofen area. I have found one set of records in the Strasbourg France area on geneanet and another family in the Ulm area (just north of Ottenhofen). In our family records, the name is just as often spelled Obwalder as Obwalter. In doing a records search using "Obwald*" yields several families with the last name Obwald in Germany and Switzerland. A Google search for "Obwald" yields a canton in Switzerland by that name. It is my belief that our Obwalter/Obwalders were originally from this area of Switzerland and got the name Obwalder in Germany to denote "one from Obwald". This is just a theory that requires more investigation.
Obwald is just south of Lucerne Switzerland. See map below...
https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=off&q=obwalden&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x478ff247dd1f31ef:0x43d1dde7da34da3b,Obwalden,+Switzerland&gl=us&ei=k7nvUoTwBYf4yAGv-IDYDg&ved=0CKkBELYD
It is interesting that Lucerne Switzerland is the most beautiful place on earth that I have ever visited. Perhaps it was in the blood.
Obwald is just south of Lucerne Switzerland. See map below...
https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=off&q=obwalden&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x478ff247dd1f31ef:0x43d1dde7da34da3b,Obwalden,+Switzerland&gl=us&ei=k7nvUoTwBYf4yAGv-IDYDg&ved=0CKkBELYD
It is interesting that Lucerne Switzerland is the most beautiful place on earth that I have ever visited. Perhaps it was in the blood.
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