Arcadipane

The Family Line

Our surname was originally Arcadipane. In 1969, Tony's father — Antony Cosmo Arcadipane — legally changed the family name to Arcadi, and dropped the H from his own first name (Anthony became Antony). His sister Marianne kept the original Arcadipane surname. The family came from Pietraperzia, a small hilltop town in the Province of Enna, in the interior of Sicily.

Tony’s Mother’s Side — The Passalia Family

Saveria “Vera” Passalia was born December 3, 1941 in Santa Caterina dello Ionio, a small town on the Ionian coast of Calabria — but the family was not originally from there. Her father Alberto Passalia, a railroad worker, had been posted to Santa Caterina for work. The Passalia family is believed to be originally from the Reggio Calabria area, at the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, though the exact town has not yet been confirmed.

Vera’s mother was Carmela Lugarà, Alberto’s first wife. Carmela died (date unknown), and Alberto later remarried. Vera was baptized at the Parrocchia di S. Giovanni Battista in Acconia, a frazione in the Comune di Curinga, Catanzaro province.

At just nine years old, around 1950, Vera emigrated to the United States by herself — a nine-year-old girl traveling alone from post-war Calabria to America. After Vera left, Alberto relocated from Calabria to Varazze, a coastal town in Liguria on the Italian Riviera.

Every firstborn son's name follows strict Sicilian tradition: named for the paternal grandfather. Filippo named his son Cosimo (after his own father). Cosimo named his son Phillip (Filippo, after his father). Anthony Cosmo carries his grandfather Cosimo's name as his middle name. And Tony — Antony Philip — carries his grandfather Phillip's name.

The Trades

In Pietraperzia, trades passed through families. Filippo Arcadipane became a shoemaker and passed the trade to his son Cosimo — though Filippo's own father (also named Cosimo) had been a farmer. On the Di Dio side, Antonino was a barber. These were artisan trades — a step above the landless laborers who worked the wheat estates, but not wealthy. You had a shop, tools, and customers. It was enough to live on in Sicily, but not enough to build on — which is why they left.

The Crossing

Cosimo, 1907

Cosimo Arcadipane left Pietraperzia at 23 years old. He sailed aboard the SS Algeria from Palermo, arriving at Ellis Island on June 3, 1907. He settled in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan — 413 West 40th Street — and continued his trade as a shoemaker.

Maria, 1911

Maria Calogera Di Dio crossed alone at thirteen years old. She sailed on the SS Sant'Anna from Naples, arriving November 28, 1911. Her father Antonino had died when she was an infant. The ship manifest listed her destination as her mother, Rosaria Carieri, at 229 Elizabeth Street — the heart of Manhattan's Sicilian enclave.

Rosaria, before 1911

Maria's mother Rosaria Carieri must have emigrated before November 1911 — she was already living at 229 Elizabeth Street when Maria arrived. Her ship and exact date are unknown, but she made the journey first and then sent for her daughter.

Timeline

The Arcadipane Siblings

Cosimo and Maria had a large family. Besides Phillip Salvatore, who continues the direct line above, they had at least four other confirmed children — and possibly more. These are Phillip's brothers and sisters, Tony's great-aunts and great-uncles.

Confirmed by family

In Social Security records, not yet confirmed

Serafina (“Sally”) married Al Gianeri and lived in Valley Stream, Long Island. Phyllis married Philip Puccio and lived in Bensonhurst (1468 West 8th Street) before moving to Staten Island (436 Atlantic Avenue); her relatives include Dennis Puccio and Annette Frevola. Anthony served in the armed forces and spent his later years in Billings, Montana, estranged from the family. Fannie may correspond to “Emma Arcadipane” (b. March 10, 1907) found in public records.

Neither Serafina nor Phyllis appears in the Social Security records search — they likely filed under their married names. A woman named Sadie Arcadipane (b. 1918, d. 1979) also appears in the NUMIDENT death files; her relationship to the family is unclear.

The DelMastro & Festa Families

Tony’s paternal grandmother, Carmela DelMastro, was born February 22, 1917 in Brooklyn. She married Phillip Salvatore Arcadipane and raised their children — Antony Cosmo and Marianne — in Brooklyn.

Carmela’s parents were Gaetano Delmastro, who worked for the NYC Parks Department, and Emilia Festa. The Delmastro and Festa families came from the Naples area of Campania.

According to the 1920 U.S. Census, the Delmastro household in Brooklyn included several children. The family had six children in total — two brothers, three sisters, and Carmela — though not all names have been confirmed. The children identified so far:

Carmela died on March 25, 2006 and is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York — not far from Saint Charles Cemetery, where her in-laws Cosimo and Maria rest.

Where They Rest

Cosimo and Maria are buried together at Saint Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York — Section 32, Row W, Grave 108. Cosimo was interred on June 12, 1962. Mary joined him on April 30, 1980.

Carmela DelMastro Arcadipane (Feb 22, 1917 – Mar 25, 2006) is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park, also in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County. Two generations of the family rest within a few miles of each other on Long Island.

Phillip Salvatore lived his final years in Brooklyn, ZIP 11236 (Canarsie/Mill Basin area), and died December 29, 2001.

Antony Cosmo Arcadi died March 2, 2002, at age 59 — just over two months after his father Phillip.

What We Know So Far

This page is a work in progress. Research is ongoing using free federal databases (NARA, Ellis Island, FindAGrave, Social Security records) and Italian civil records obtained from the State Archive of Enna through genealogist Marcello D'Aleo.

Open questions

NYC death certificates for Cosimo and Mary — these would provide exact addresses and causes of death. Census records from 1920 and 1930 are linked on FindAGrave but behind the Ancestry.com paywall. Rosaria Carieri’s immigration record — her ship and exact date are still unknown.

The Passalia family (Tony’s maternal line) is taking shape: Vera’s mother Carmela Lugarà died (date unknown), and Alberto remarried — making Silvana a half-sister while Lina is Vera’s full sister. Vera emigrated alone at age nine (~1950), and Alberto later relocated to Varazze, Liguria. The family is believed to originate from the Reggio Calabria area, but the exact town is unconfirmed. Immigration details for Vera’s solo crossing — the ship and exact date — remain unknown. The Delmastro/Festa families (Tony’s paternal grandmother’s side) came from the Naples area — more specific origins and two of Carmela Delmastro’s six siblings remain unidentified.

Carmela, Ralph, and Beatrice appear in SSA records with the Arcadipane surname but have not been confirmed by family. Sadie Arcadipane’s relationship to the family is unclear. Anthony’s NUMIDENT record (SSN 098-09-6075, b. Jul 18, 1918, d. March 1970) may be a different person from the Anthony validated via public records (b. Feb 2, 1920, d. Apr 13, 2002, Billings, MT).

Antony Cosmo’s death date of March 2, 2002 is from family knowledge and has not yet been verified against public records.