Home | Valente and DiRenzo Family History - From Our Correspondent in Geneva - Donato Valente of Gambatesa, Italy, and Rochester, New York
Home | Valente and DiRenzo Family History - From Our Correspondent in Geneva - Donato Valente of Gambatesa, Italy, and Rochester, New York
Donato Valente (born 1874) was the older brother of Luca Valente of Gambatesa (1894-1955). Donato and Luca had two sisters: Antonia Maria Valente (born 1872, called Antonietta) and Serafina Valente (born 1888).
When Luca Valente came to America, he lived at 34 Scranton Street in Rochester, New York, in the same house as his brother Donato (See Luca's Ship Passenger Manifest). Unlike Donato, however, Luca returned to Gambatesa after a few years in America.
In Rochester, Luca worked as a window washer in a nest like on the arm of a fire engine -- called la nacelle ("the gondola") in French.
It was in Donato Valente's old house in Gambatesa that Luca's son Francesco Valente (1917-1980) set up a store in Gambatesa after the war.
Donato Valente was also a first cousin of Giovanni Valente of Gambatesa and Camden, N.J. Giovanni visited Donato and his family in Rochester in 1953 and 1963. Like Giovanni, Donato's wife Domenica had red hair. She bent over to touch her toes to show Giovanni she was in good health. And when everyone was concerned by this, she said, "Well, if I die now, at least I will die having a good time."
The grandfather of Donato Valente was also named Donato Valente and he was married to Serafina Pudetti in Gambatesa:
| Donato VALENTE (1817-1902) married Serafina PUDETTI |
|
|---|---|
| Their children: | |
| Francesco VALENTE married Filomena Incoronata IADAROLA | Nicola VALENTE married Carmina IACOVELLI |
| Their children: | Their children: |
| Antonietta, Donato, Domenico, Giuseppe, Serafina, Luca | Michele, Donato, Giovanni, Salvadore, Maria Vittoria |
Donato's wife, who was from Tufara, was named Domenica, and people called her Domenicuccia; her family name was FERRUCCI, and she was born about 1876.
VALENTE Donato Antonio
FERRUCCI Domenica Maria Giuseppa
Io sottoscritto Luigi Ferrara Assessore delegato funzionato pel Sindaco impedito, Uffiziale dello Stato Civile, avendo oggi ricevuto dall'Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Tufara, copia autentica di atto di matrimonio, ho per intero ed esattamente trascritto la copia, che è del tenore seguente:
Provincia di Molise
Circondario di Campobasso
Comune di Tufara
Married 31 May 1900 at 4:30 PM in the Casa Comunale of Tufara by Cavalier Emidio TORO Sindaco:
1.º Donato Antonio VALENTE, age 26, celibe, possidente, born in Gambatesa, resident of Gambatesa, di età maggiore, son of Francesco, possidente, resident of Gambatesa, and of Filomena Incoronata IADAROLA, donna di casa, resident of Gambatesa;
2.º Domenica Maria Giuseppa FERRUCCI, age 24, nubile, donna di casa, born in Tufara, resident of Tufara, di età maggiore, daughter of Giuseppe, possidente, resident of Tufara, and of Luisa NARDACCHIONE, donna di casa, resident of Tufara.
Testimoni: Giuseppe FREZZA, 34, possidente, and Giovanni IACONIANNI, 34, possidente, both residents of Tufara.
Source: Gambatesa, Civil Register, Matrimoni 1900 Parte II #2; Pubblicazioni 1900 Parte II #5
![[Official Seal of Tufara, 1900]](val-img/TufaSeal.gif)
Seal of the Municipality of Tufara (Campobasso) that was used in 1900. (Image from the Civil Register of Gambatesa)
Home | Site Map | Site Search | Map showing Gambatesa, a village in central southern Italy | Valente and DiRenzo Family History - More From Our Correspondent in Geneva