Connellsville A Family History
Carmine Russo
Naturalization certificate issued by the Common Pleas Court of Fayette County at Uniontown on July 2, 1920. Military Discharge from the American Army issued by the Commanding Major USA at Camp Dix N.J. on May 12, 1919. Foglio di Viaissued by Italian consolate at Philadelphia on August 7(3?), 1920 Certified photograph of Carmine and wife and self issued by the Mayor of Perdifamo, on April 6, 1921 Marriage certificate issued by the Comune of Mar. 29, 1921 Pending for certified photograph recieved April 9, 1921 Arrived in Naples, Italy September 15, 1920 Reference in the US:(Uncle) Sam Russo 146 State Wilmarding, PA
New York US Arriving Passenger and Crew List (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island) Arrival Date October 30, 1921 Port of Departure: Naples, Italy Port of Arrival: New York, New York Ship name Palermo
Notes on Carmine Russo
Carmine (Carl) Russo
World War I
Registration cards from Ancestry.com
Carmine was in Co. A-319 Machine Gun Battalion, 82nd Division
Battles Carl took part in (provided by Aunt Helen):
Toul, July 17-28, 1918
Marbache, August 18 – September 11, 1918
Meuse Argonne, October 4 – November, 1918
From Internet research:
82nd Airborne Division
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/82nd_Airborne_Division#World_War_I
82nd Airborne locations during WW1 mapped on Google Maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/Yp9XvcPvy4fQVNPH6
Brief Histories of Divisions, U.S. Army, 1917-1918
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438001.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/travel/30footsteps.html
Detailed battle maps:
https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/ww1/
I have attached electronic copies of the 2 sets of documents that I think we all have in hard copy. The first three Russo Botti
docs are Aunt Helen’s effort. The last two docs are Loredana’s (one of the cousins in Italy).
A few things to note;
1) on the Russo Botti docs there is duplication of page one on page two. The first part of page one is not duplicated. It shows
the 8 brothers and sisters of Grandfather Russo (Carmine del Russo).
2) Loradonna’s docs are her updates. I apologize for the quality of the copies, but it’s the only copy of the original I have.
While Aunt Helen’s docs trace the family back to the parents (Caterina Matarazzo and Felice Russo) and grandparents of our
grandfather, the focus to me is on our grandfather’s siblings.
Carmine del Russo’s siblings are: Joanna (aka Giovanna), Gennaro (he married Grandma Russo’s sister Carmela Botti),
Antoinette (aka Antonia, aka Aunt Zinetta), Alessio, Pasquale (aka Uncle Patsy, who came to the US, but we don’t know
where), Giuseppe (who went to Argentina, not sure why his family stayed in Italy), Fonzina (aka Alphonsina), and Amedeo (all
of the people Geri and I met on this trip on the Russo side came from Amedeo’s family which included 9 children).
Amedeo’s children we met who are of mom’s generation (Catherine Lightburn), included Caterina (94 years old), Sara, and
Antonietta. We met one of Sara’s children Gioncarlo and his wife Rosamaria and his two daughters Sara (23 years old) and
Ada (8 years old). We met Antonietta’s daughters Stephania and Emiliana, as well as Antonietta’s husband Gerardo Rizzo The
third daughter is Loradana, who lives in Trieste. None of the daughters are married.
There are 6 more children of Amedo to account for: Olga with 4 children who lives/lived in Uraguay; Ada (who died in 1977);
Felice, who lives in Perdifumo, near Agropoli; Orazio who moved the family to Brazil and died in 2002; Tullio, who lives in
Milan; and Bruno, who also lives near Milan.
Sorry for the detailed note, but I will forget most of this even with the attached documents to help us remember. There is a
photo in the online gallery that Geri posted which has a huge group of family members. There are 5 siblings seated in the front
row including Caterina, Sara, and Antoinetta. The two men are Tullio and Bruno we think. The occasion for the reunion was
Caterina’s 90th birthday, 4 years ago. Those people in the photo are our family peeps!! Best I can tell, none of the relatives we
met on the Russo side stay in touch with any US family members. Most are in touch with the Uraguay wing (Olga and family,
rich plantation owners) and the Brazil wing (Orazio’s family).
I’ll update the Botti side of the family later.
That’s all for now. I’ll arrange a call for all of us to particpate if you are interested.
Bob
Catherine Russo Lightburn Obituary
Catherine Lightburn, of Sterling, VA, formerly of Connellsville, PA, died on Sunday, 6 August in Sterling. A graduate of Connellsville High School, Catherine worked as a legal secretary for thirteen years in Connellsville, and later worked at Rack Engineering. As a member of Immaculate Conception R.C. Church, she served on the Church Council in the early 1980’s. Catherine later volunteered her time as a tutor with the Fayette Literacy Council, and as a volunteer at Highland Hospital.
Catherine leaves three children: Charlotte Brooks-Lathrop, of Phoenix, AZ, Robert Lightburn of Centreville, VA, and Cathleen Bailey of Chantilly, VA; nine grandchildren, and a sister, Helen Garrity, of Connellsville. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles Lightburn in 1979, a sister Lauretta Donnelly, and her father Carl Russo.
The family requests, that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., 1501 N.W. 9th Avenue, Bob Hope Road, Miami, Florida 33136-1494.
Helen Russo Garrity Obituary
Interview with Carmine Botti
Date of Interview: March 15, 2004
Interview with Carmine A. Botti, as part of the Italian American World
War II Veterans oral history project, sponsored by the National Italian American
foundation, and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. It is March 15,
2004 and we are in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania.
https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Botti-Carmine.pdf
(Note from Bob- Just read the interview. Quite a story. I tend to agree with Steve, who says that the Carmine Botti being interviewed was the son of Grandma Russo’s brother (who, surprise, was named Carmine!). Grandma Russo also had a sister named Carmela, one of Grandma Russo’s husband’s (our grandfather) brothers named Gennaro. That’s according to the Loredana summary who put together the family information that she gave to Aunt Helen. So it looks like the Botti’s ended up there in Wilmerding, not the Russo’s.)
Botti-Carmine.pdf