ANCESTOR OF THE WEEK

(She knew Frank Sinatra's mother!)

Concetta Scotti-Ferrara

(1892-1946)

Allow me to introduce you to another great-grandmother, Concetta.  She is the mother of my maternal grandfather, and let me tell you, she is a TOUGH ancestor to trace.  As a matter of fact, I really don't know much about her past.  

Frustration is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel when I look back over the years of research into hers and her husband's early years.  It's almost as if they don't want me to find things out because I keep hitting that brick wall every time I try to hunt down their information.  This is what I know for certain about Concetta...

About two years ago, my uncle, agreed that I should take possession of the family records.  More than willing to oblige, I drove over to his house to retrieve them, but unfortunately, they were not in the drawer they usually were.  I went on a searching frenzy trying to locate the documents, when I came across a shirt box at the bottom of my grandmother's dresser drawer.  When I opened the lid, the first thing I saw was a stack of photos taken during my grandparents' honeymoon in 1936.  I was mesmerized, and wanted to continue looking.  My aunt told me to take the box home and let's continue looking for the documents.  We eventually found the documents and I gingerly brought them and the shirt box home. 

As I was sitting in my dining room perusing the contents of the box, I came across many interesting and historical items.  At the very bottom of the box, I found the above passport.  Needless to say, I was beyond excited and I recall screaming rather loudly.  Up until this point, I had no idea of Concetta's birthday or parents' names.  Thanks to this lucky find, I discovered that her birthday was December 2nd--either 1891 or 1892 and that her parents' names were Vincenzo Scotti and Serafina Olino.  WOW!  This was a major find and I rushed to enter the information on Ancestry.com.

Then, my grand-uncle Johnny lent me the following document...my great-grandmother's Alien Registration Card complete with her photo and finger print.  Another fab find!

Unfortunately, the trail goes very cold.  It says she was born in Naples, but there are so many towns within Naples, that I have not struck gold yet.  There are rumors that she was born in Melfi, but my grandfather's birth certificate says, Mercato.  It will be the death of me, I just know it.

I did find her Ellis Island information though and that was a wonderful discovery.  Here is a photo of the ship she traveled over on.  

The name of the ship was the Calabria.  You can find a lot of pertinent information on the Ellis Island website, but be prepared to spend some money.  It's a great researching tool and I recommend visiting Ellis Island if you are ever in the New York City area.  It truly is a wonderful and historical site.

Ellis Island Passenger Search

I don't know if I will ever be able to trace my great-grandmother Concetta Scotti, or my great-grandfather Vincenzo Ferrara for that matter, but I will keep hunting.  I do know for certain that they were the parents of six children.  I also know that she used to be friend's with Frank Sinatra's mother in Hoboken.  

Rest in peace bisnonna!  I will find you eventually!  

Thanks for reading and happy hunting!