John  Jerome D'Anna

JOHNJR1

• General Notes
  • Some History
    Added by John D'Anna Jr. on 2 May 2007
    I SPENT SOME TIME GOING THRU SOME OF MY JOURNALS AND FOUND SOME NOTES THAT I HAD TAKEN DURING A MEAL WITH MY DAD:   HE GAVE US ALOT OF INFO AT EVERY MEAL,   BUT ON THIS EVE. HE OUTLINED SOME OF OUR LINAGE (AS HE KNEW IT)   AND SOME INTERESTING STORIES ABOUT OUR GRANDPARENTS .  I HOPE THAT I CAN DECIPHER THEM CORRECTLY.  BIAGGIO AND JOSEPHINE MET ON THE ISOLA PLANA ,AND MARRIED AT 15. SOME OF THE RELATIVES ON JOSEPHINE CANNAMELLA'S SIDE...WE HAD HER FATHER DON GIOVANNI AND HER SIBLINGS AS ANDRE ,. GASPAR, MARCHINO, (BOAT BUILDER AND CAPTAIN) JOHN, (LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER), MARY, AND MATILDA. THOSE APPEAR TO BE JOSEPHINE'S SIBLINGS. ON BIAGGIO'S SIDE, MY DAD SAYS HIS GRANDPA WAS DON PEDRO, SISTERS MOMINA/UNCLE ANTONIA CEASAR,   NUNZIA (A NUN), PHILLIS, AND JULIO.  
    
    BIAGGIO'S BROTHER-IN-LAW, ANTONIO CEASAR, WAS A CIVIL ENGINEER WHOSE EYES WERE LOST IN A MINING ACCIDENT.  HE AND BIAGGIO BUILT THE FIRST MACARONI FACTORY IN TUNIS.  OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:   ANTONIO WAS A COLLEGE PAL OF BIAGGIO'S. OUR MATERNAL GRANDAD, DON GIOVANNI SOMETIMES WOULD HAVE TO SPEND NITES IN HIS SKIFF ROWING OFFSHORE BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE WAVES THAT MADE IT TOO HAZARDOUS TO LAND SAFELY ON THE ISLAND.   HIS WIFE WOULD SPEND THE NITE WITH A LANTERN AND HORN TO HELP HIM KEEP HIS POSITION.   THIS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS TINY ISLAND HAD FISH PONDS, AND ON MANY OCCASIONS HAD TO HOUSE VOYAGERS IN DISTRESS.
    
    THE BOAT THAT DAD FIRST CAME TO AMERICA ON (JULY 4, 1906), THE SS LA MADONNA, ORIGINATED IN TUNIS TO PALERMO TO BOSTON. THEY  STAYED   IN BOSTON THEN MOVED TO NEW YORK (1912) THEN TOOK A SHIP (SS SAN GREGORIO) BACK TO PALERMO (MAY 1912).  SAM, RED, BABE, NANNY, JOHN ACCOMPANIED THEIR MOTHER   BACK TO PALERMO .( MEL WAS BORN IN TUNIS ).  THEY TOOK THE STAGE TO SAN JOSEPI...A 30 MILE TRIP THAT TOOK ALL DAY LONG...THIS WAS GRANDPA'S HOME TOWN.   ACCORDING TO MY DAD, THIS TRIP WAS IN A STAGECOACH COMPLETE WITH ARMED GUARDS, BUT THEY WERE NOT NEEDED AS IT WAS" LA FAMILIA DANNA" TRAVELING. THEY TOOK THE STEAMER "ELECTRA" TO TUNIS. MY DAD SAID WHEN THEY LANDED IN TUNIS THEY LOVED SEEING THEIR GRANDMOTHERS AND ALL THE RELATIVES.  
    
    MORE FACTS: ONE YEAR LATER ON THE TRIP BACK FROM TUNIS TO MARSIELLE S (MAY, 1913) THEY TOOK THE SS JUJURNA AND MET UP WITH THE GIAGANTIC MEDITERRANEAN STORM THAT WE HAVE ALL HEARD ABOUT. MY DAD SAYS THAT WHEN THEY FINALLY LANDED IN MARSIELLES, THEY WERE SERVED THE MOST DELICIOUS BREAD AND SOUP HE HAD EVER TASTED!!!  
    
    THEY STAYED IN MARSIELLES ONE WEEK AND WENT TO PARIS FOR REQUIRED PHYSICAL EXAMS. UNCLE SAM WAS TURNED BACK BECAUSE OF PINK EYE. UNCLE JULIO AND AUNT PHILLIS BROUGHT HIM BACK TO TUNIS...THE FAMILY LEFT PARIS FROM LA HARVE ON THE SS NIAGRA.   THEY LANDED ON ELLIS ISLAND .  
    
    BIAGGIO OWNED THE SYRACUSE IMPORT COMPANY.   THEY LIVED IN SYRACUSE FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS THEN MOVED TO BROOKLYN , THEN BATH BEACH, ROCHESTER, THEN TO SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA TO BUY A WINERY IN 1918.   BIAGGIO WAS A BOOTLEGGER TIL 1925 WHEN HE DIED.  
    
    I KNOW THESE NOTES ARE ROUGH AND PROBABLY HAVE GOTTEN BETTER WITH AGE, BUT THEY WERE TAKEN BETWEEN BITES OF CARAMARI AND PASTA!!!   HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM!!!       JD'