Great grandfather lied about his entire backstory. Found person who might be him. Need help determining.
Inviato: giovedì 30 luglio 2020, 20:03
My great grandfather Joseph Abbo/Ebbo (he interchanged between both until the Abbo name stuck) has no documents before his 1918 marriage record and no findable manifest. The earliest info I have on him is from a lawsuit here where he sued his employer: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Re ... frontcover the above states he started working there in 1915. So the earliest record of him could be considered 1915.
I have several documents of him but it was determined over the years by knowledgable/helpful people that much of the info in them was false. I believe his declared birthdate, birth location, parents' names, and the story of him immigrating in 1914 as a 17 year old are all false. Nonetheless these documents can be found here: https://www.rootsfinder.com/tree/70988/ ... -W2P7-C7N2
Reasons why I believe my g grandfather fabricated his backstory are:
-Over the years several people, many of them very skilled/knowledgable have tried to find his birth record or arrival manifest to no avail. Family story is that he changed his surname after arriving to the US and nobody knows what the original surname was.
-His birth is nowhere to be found in the frosinone military archives or birth registers, nor anywhere in Rome city, despite both his wife's nat papers and his SS card AP stating he was born in Alatri, and his obituary stating he was born in Rome.
-His manifest is unfindable. The only one with a close sounding name arriving in Niagara Falls arrived in 1911 and was a few years older than him. I believe this person to be him. More info will be posted further down below.
- He claimed in the lawsuit papers to never have heard from anybody after leaving Italy and not know anything about his family. To me this is suspicious as from other documents he supposedly knows his parent's names.
-All of my Italian DNA matches have some Sicilian. My father's side has Sicilian, but I should show some DNA matches from around Frosinone or Roma if Joseph's story is true and I do not. MY DNA is on all the big sites.
I believe Joseph Abbo was actually born in Palermo, like his wife, Josephine Congelosi. She was born in Cerda and I believe he was born in Brancaccio, Palermo to parent's Pietro Ebbole and Rosalia Bajamonte on 21 APR 1892 and given the name Giuseppe Ebbole.
Reasons why I think this Giuseppe Ebbole is mine:
- My Joseph Abbo lived in Niagara Falls, NY all his life after 1915. Pietro Ebbale appearenly settled in Niagara Falls as well, tho sometime shortly before 1920 he left. Giuseppe Ebbale and his sister Doretha seem to have traveled to and from Italy a few times. This is the last manifest of them. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJKF-8MJ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG5S-46K8 They were nearly deported but it looks like an inquiry was held and they were issued a stay, likely because they had parents in the US.
- This Joseph Ebbale cannot be found in any records after that 1911 manifest. His siblings all have a papertrial, but he does not. The papertrial/info for my Joseph Abbo begins around 1915 and the papertrial for the Joseph Ebbole ends around 1911. This is either an amazing coinsidence or imo they are the same person.
- My Joseph Abbo in the ww1 draft reg I believe is him uses the name Joseph Abol. My Joseph Abbo also used the surname Ebbo in all his early documents. I was not able to determine the ww1 draft was mine for sure as the birthdate differed by month, date and year from his later declared December 23, 1896 birthdate, however the place of employment matched.
- Joseph Ebbale is found in no documents after his 1911 immigration, but all of his siblings are.
Pietro Ebbale lived in the falls in the early 1900s and moved out sometime after Rosalia died in 1914 so there are def ties to Niagara Falls.
It's either a weird coincidence that this Joseph Ebbale disappears after 1911, and my Joseph Abbo has no records before 1915, or they are the same person. All of Joseph Ebbale's siblings have a paper trail, he doesn't.
Also, I did find this marriage record here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ9Q-JRJ of a Pietrina Ebbole marrying in Rochester, NY in 1922. Witnesses were a John Congelosi and a Justina Congelosi, I don't know if these Ebbale's relate to the ones in Niagara Falls or not or if these Congelosi's relate to Joseph Abbo's wife any but I thought it was worth mentioning.
My Josephine Congelosi's parents were Guiseppe Congelosi and maria Battaglia. Giuseppe immigrated when Josephine did and I think Maria died in Italy. She had siblings Maria Congelosi born 1885, baltista Congelosi 1888–1960 and Francesco Congelosi 1895–. She may have had more siblings but these are the ones I know of. I know nothing of Franceso. For Maria I know that she married a Rosario Sciarrino . They lived in Niagara. Battista Congelosi married a Josephine Magero. So this Justine and John are likely cousins if at all related or could be siblings I didn't find.
For Josephine's father Guiseppe his parents were Giovanbattista Cancelosi 1830–1865 and Maria La Scala 1827–? He may have had a brother named Domenio born about 1853 as their is one in census in Niagara Falls 1925 census. Oddly enough this Domenio Congelosi also appears to have sons who changed their surname as his sons are listed as having the surname Calato.
I am asking for help with either connecting the two Joseph's, or since that might be impossible, possibly ruling out the Joseph Ebbale as being my Joseph Abbo (not opinions or referrals to websites about name change info please). Finding a record of this Joseph Ebbale existing elsewhere or marrying or dying in Italy would do this and such records not being found I think if nothing else make it likely they are one and the same. As far as connecting the Ebbole's to mine I feel that marriage record with the Congelosi witnesses may be the best chance but there may be something else I have not thought of.
I have several documents of him but it was determined over the years by knowledgable/helpful people that much of the info in them was false. I believe his declared birthdate, birth location, parents' names, and the story of him immigrating in 1914 as a 17 year old are all false. Nonetheless these documents can be found here: https://www.rootsfinder.com/tree/70988/ ... -W2P7-C7N2
Reasons why I believe my g grandfather fabricated his backstory are:
-Over the years several people, many of them very skilled/knowledgable have tried to find his birth record or arrival manifest to no avail. Family story is that he changed his surname after arriving to the US and nobody knows what the original surname was.
-His birth is nowhere to be found in the frosinone military archives or birth registers, nor anywhere in Rome city, despite both his wife's nat papers and his SS card AP stating he was born in Alatri, and his obituary stating he was born in Rome.
-His manifest is unfindable. The only one with a close sounding name arriving in Niagara Falls arrived in 1911 and was a few years older than him. I believe this person to be him. More info will be posted further down below.
- He claimed in the lawsuit papers to never have heard from anybody after leaving Italy and not know anything about his family. To me this is suspicious as from other documents he supposedly knows his parent's names.
-All of my Italian DNA matches have some Sicilian. My father's side has Sicilian, but I should show some DNA matches from around Frosinone or Roma if Joseph's story is true and I do not. MY DNA is on all the big sites.
I believe Joseph Abbo was actually born in Palermo, like his wife, Josephine Congelosi. She was born in Cerda and I believe he was born in Brancaccio, Palermo to parent's Pietro Ebbole and Rosalia Bajamonte on 21 APR 1892 and given the name Giuseppe Ebbole.
Reasons why I think this Giuseppe Ebbole is mine:
- My Joseph Abbo lived in Niagara Falls, NY all his life after 1915. Pietro Ebbale appearenly settled in Niagara Falls as well, tho sometime shortly before 1920 he left. Giuseppe Ebbale and his sister Doretha seem to have traveled to and from Italy a few times. This is the last manifest of them. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJKF-8MJ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG5S-46K8 They were nearly deported but it looks like an inquiry was held and they were issued a stay, likely because they had parents in the US.
- This Joseph Ebbale cannot be found in any records after that 1911 manifest. His siblings all have a papertrial, but he does not. The papertrial/info for my Joseph Abbo begins around 1915 and the papertrial for the Joseph Ebbole ends around 1911. This is either an amazing coinsidence or imo they are the same person.
- My Joseph Abbo in the ww1 draft reg I believe is him uses the name Joseph Abol. My Joseph Abbo also used the surname Ebbo in all his early documents. I was not able to determine the ww1 draft was mine for sure as the birthdate differed by month, date and year from his later declared December 23, 1896 birthdate, however the place of employment matched.
- Joseph Ebbale is found in no documents after his 1911 immigration, but all of his siblings are.
Pietro Ebbale lived in the falls in the early 1900s and moved out sometime after Rosalia died in 1914 so there are def ties to Niagara Falls.
It's either a weird coincidence that this Joseph Ebbale disappears after 1911, and my Joseph Abbo has no records before 1915, or they are the same person. All of Joseph Ebbale's siblings have a paper trail, he doesn't.
Also, I did find this marriage record here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ9Q-JRJ of a Pietrina Ebbole marrying in Rochester, NY in 1922. Witnesses were a John Congelosi and a Justina Congelosi, I don't know if these Ebbale's relate to the ones in Niagara Falls or not or if these Congelosi's relate to Joseph Abbo's wife any but I thought it was worth mentioning.
My Josephine Congelosi's parents were Guiseppe Congelosi and maria Battaglia. Giuseppe immigrated when Josephine did and I think Maria died in Italy. She had siblings Maria Congelosi born 1885, baltista Congelosi 1888–1960 and Francesco Congelosi 1895–. She may have had more siblings but these are the ones I know of. I know nothing of Franceso. For Maria I know that she married a Rosario Sciarrino . They lived in Niagara. Battista Congelosi married a Josephine Magero. So this Justine and John are likely cousins if at all related or could be siblings I didn't find.
For Josephine's father Guiseppe his parents were Giovanbattista Cancelosi 1830–1865 and Maria La Scala 1827–? He may have had a brother named Domenio born about 1853 as their is one in census in Niagara Falls 1925 census. Oddly enough this Domenio Congelosi also appears to have sons who changed their surname as his sons are listed as having the surname Calato.
I am asking for help with either connecting the two Joseph's, or since that might be impossible, possibly ruling out the Joseph Ebbale as being my Joseph Abbo (not opinions or referrals to websites about name change info please). Finding a record of this Joseph Ebbale existing elsewhere or marrying or dying in Italy would do this and such records not being found I think if nothing else make it likely they are one and the same. As far as connecting the Ebbole's to mine I feel that marriage record with the Congelosi witnesses may be the best chance but there may be something else I have not thought of.
