Palumbo

&
Caffarini/Caffarina
Genealogy

writtenby
RichardCharlesGretzinger
ItalianResearchby
ReginaCarolineCaffarina-Gretzinger

Dedication
This genealogy is dedicated to my wife,
Regina (a.k.a. Jean) Caroline Caffarina.
For her Italian research, notes and interviews with her Italian
ancestors here in America and in Italy, without which, this
publication would not have been possible.
With much appreciation and love forever, I dedicate this work
on the occasion of her birthday the 19th of May.
Richard C. Gretzinger

PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FirstEditionMay2016
SecondEditionJune2016

ii

Table Of Contents
Foreword

Chapter 1

Palumbo Genealogy 1st Generation Belisano Palumbo

Chapter 2

2nd Generation Vincenzo Palumbo

Chapter 3 3rd Generation Antonio Palumbo

Chapter 4

4th Generation Vincenzo Palumbo

6
11

Chapter 5 4th Generation Caroline Maria Palumbo

14

Chapter 6 Descendants of Belisano Palumbo

20

Chapter 7 Caffarina Genealogy 1st Generation Domencio Caffarini 24

Chapter 8

2nd Generation Liberatore Caffarini

27

Chapter 9 2nd Generation Concetta Caffarini

31

Chapter 10 3rd & 4th Generations Edumnd Caffarina & Family

33

Chapter 11 5th Generation Carolyn & Richard Gretzinger

44

Chapter 12 Descendants of Domenico Caffarini

53

Appendix A The Four Aces Connection

56

Appendix B Diary of Lena (nee Palumbo) Caffarina - Visit to Italy

58

iii

Foreword
My wife, Jean, is a third generation of Italian immigrants in America. Both her
maternal and paternal grandparents immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s and both
settled in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jean's paternal grandfather was a tailor and her maternal grandfather owned a
restaurant where her mother, Lena, learned her culinary skills, especially baking and
decorating cakes.
In 1982, her parents, uncle and his wife visited relatives in Italy. They rented a car in
Rome and drove about 180 miles due east to her father's ancestral hometown of
Roseto and met her father's cousin. Next, they visited her uncle's wife's (Yolanda's)
ancestral hometown of Arielli and met Yolanda's aunt who was living in the house
where Yolanda's father was born. Their last visit was to my wife's uncle's and her
mother's and father's hometown, Montelapiano. They met with her mother's 1st cousin
once removed and her family. They toured the house where Jean's grandmother had
lived and stood on the second floor balcony overlooking the courtyard and the valley
below.
My wife's mother kept a daily diary while they visited Italy.
Twenty-five years later in 2007, our family also visited Jean's maternal grandparent's
hometown in Italy, Montelapiano. We met with many of the same relatives her parents
had seen in 1982. In addition, we were in her grandparent's hometown to attend our
son's wedding. He was married in the courtyard outside Jean's grandmother's house
on a warm and sunny day in September. After the wedding, our son and his wife
stood on their great-grandfather's balcony and toasted the relatives and friends who
attended the wedding. A reception was held in the courtyard.
Jean's 2nd cousin took us to the Town Hall to show us the marriage register her
grandparents had signed when they wed on 3 June 1909. Our son and his wife also
signed the register.
In the following chapters, I briefly describe each of my wife's ancestors that I have
been able to identify with the research provided by my wife. The first six chapters
cover her mother's family (the Palumbos) and the remaining chapters cover her
father's family (the Caffarinas). At the end of each of these two sections, I included a
genealogy report listing all of the descendants that have been identified to date. Each
family member in the narrative is numbered. The number corresponds to the number
listed in the genealogy report. For example, in Chapter 3, Antonio Palumbo is
numbered "3." In the genealogy report in Chapter 6, he is also numbered "3."
Appendix A includes the family connection to the popular singing group, The Four
Aces. My wife's mother's handwritten daily diary describing her 1982 trip to visit
relatives in Italy is reproduced in Appendix B.

PALUMBO GENEALOGY
Chapter 1
1st Generation
1.BelisanoPalumbo
Belisano Palumbo is my wife's maternal 2nd great-grandfather. He
wasborninItalyin1801andmarriedAngelaRosaPiccore. Angela
wasbornin1803,presumablyinItaly.
Belisano was probably born in the area around Montelapiano, Italy
locatednear the Adriatic coast. The village of Montelapiano existed
inthe15thcentury. Itbelongedtoalonglineoflords. Todayitisa
town (municipality) in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzi region of
Italy. Itselevationisabouthalf amileabovesealevel. Because of
itselevation,thetownisvulnerabletoheavysnowinthewinter.
Theparish church, St. Anthony'sRoman Catholic Church, is located
near the top of the mountain. The church has fine wooden statues
thatdatetothe17thcentury.
LagodiBomba,alsocalledLagodiSangro,isalakeintheProvince
ofChieti,Abruzzi,Italy.Thelakecoversanareaoffoursquaremiles.
TothenorthofthelakeistownofBombaandtothesouthofthelake
is Villa Santa Maria, situated at the foot of the mountain where
Montelapianoislocated.
By today's population (80 inhabitants), Montelapiano is the smallest
nonalpinemunicipalityinItaly.
On the next page is a map of Italy showing Montelapiano and other
selectedlocationsfollowedbyaphotoofSt.Anthony'sChurch.

MapofItaly

St.Anthony'sChurch

Chapter 2
2nd Generation
2.VincenzoPalumbo
Regina's maternal great-grandfather, Vincenzo Palumbo, son of
BelisanoandAngela,wasborninItalyon17September1828. It is
believed that-like his parents- he was born in the area around
Montelapiano. Vincenzo married Carolina DiRienzo. Carolina was
bornin1835inItaly.
Vincenzoand Carolina hada son, Antonio. I havenot been able to
determinethedeathdatesforVincenzoorhiswife,Carolina.
MontelapianoStreetView

Chapter 3
3rd Generation
3.AntonioPalumbo
AntonioPalumbowasbornon21October1872inMontelapiano(intheProvince
of Chieti), Italy (see map in Chapter 1). Under pressure from his parents,
Antonio married Clorete DiRinzo about 1900 in Naples. Clorete was born in
1875inItaly.Shediedatchildbirthalongwithherfirstchildsometimebetween
1900and1909.BelowisapictureofAntoniofromabout1909.

AntonioPalumbo,circa1909
AfterClorete'sdeath, Antoniomarriedhisfirstlove,Fortunata,(a.k.a.Fortuna)
Ciampaglia.Theyweremarriedon3June1909inMontelapiano,Italy.Antonio's
daughter,Caroline(mywife'smother),saidthatAntonioleftforAmericatheday
afterheandFortunaweremarried. Fortuna,however,remainedinItalytocare
forherhusband'smotherwhowassick.Antoniosaidhewouldsendforhiswife
afterhefoundajob.
Antonio immigrated to New York in 1909. I estimate that Fortuna emigrated in
1910orearly1911tojoinherhusband. Theirfirstchild,Vincenzo(Vincent-my
wife'suncle)wasborntherein1911. Asecondchild,Caroline(a.k.a.Lena--Jean'smother),wasalsoborninNewYorkin1913.
The1930Census,however,listedtheimmigrationdateforAntonioas1914and
Fortunaas1915,butthenlistedthebirthdatesfortheirchildrenVincent,1912in
6

Fortunaas1915,butthenlistedthebirthdatesfortheirchildrenVincent,1912in
NewYork,andLena1914inNewYork.Weknowthatthechildrenwerebornin
New York in 1911 and 1913, therefore, the census immigration dates are
incorrect. CopiesofVincent'sandLena'sbirthcertificatesappearinChapter4
and5,respectively.
BelowarepicturesofAntonioandFortunatakenaftertheyweremarried.The
picturesweretakeninPhiladelphia,Pennsylvaniaabout1920.

Sometimebetween1913and1920thefamilyrelocatedtoPhiladelphia,Pa.
whereAntonioopenedarestaurant,the"CircoloDanteAlighieri",locatedat
1226S.BroadStreet,Philadelphia.Dinnerswere75cents($15today)and
wereservedAlaCarte.AClubLuncheonwasalsoavailablefor35and50
cents($7and$11today,respectively).
AntoniobecameanaturalizedAmericancitizeninPhiladelphiaon1May1924.
A copy of his naturalization certificate can be found on the next page. The
documentrecordedhisheight-5feet3inches,hiseyes-brownandhishair-grey.
It listed his children--Vincent 12 years and Lena 10 years. The certificate has
his age as 49; however, since Antonio was born in October 1872 and he was
naturalized in May 1924, he was 51 years of age, not 49, when he was
naturalized.
7

naturalized.

The1940CensusforPhiladelphialistedAntonioandFortunaPalumboresiding
at1524ClarionStreet,Ward26.Thecensusalsorecordedthattheylivedatthe
sameaddressin1930. The1940Censusrecordedhisoccupationas"cook"in
theBar/Saloonindustry.Hissalaryfor1939waslistedat$800.Withthecostof
inflationfrom1939to2016,Antonio'ssalarywouldbeabout$15,000in2016.
Antonio died at age 76 in Philadelphia on 5 July 1948. He is buried at Holy
Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, Delaware County, Pa. Two days after Antonio's
death,hiswife,Fortuna, purchasedherburialpermitatHolyCrossfor$40. A
copy of the document is on the next page. It shows the location of her burial
graveintheSouthLot,Number100,Range14,Section47.
After her husband's death, his wife, Fortuna, came to live with her daughter,
Caroline (a.k.a. Lena). Fortuna died 17 years later on 20 October 1965 in the
homeofherdaughterinWynnewood,Pennsylvania.Shewas84yearsold. As
noted,shewasalsoburiedatHolyCrossCemetery.
8

Antonio and Fortuna had two children, Vincenzo Salvatore and Caroline Maria
Theresa. Vincenzo wasborn on 21December 1911 at230 Mulberry St., New
YorkandCarolineon6December1913alsoinNewYork.Followingisapicture
ofVincenzoandCarolinewhentheywereabouttheagesof9and7years.

About1930,Antoniohadapicturetakenofhimselfandhistwochildren,Vicenzo
andCaroline.Thatpictureisfoundbelow.

10

Chapter 4
4th Generation
4.VincenzoSalvatorePalumbo
Asrecordedonhisbirthcertificate,Vincenzo(a.k.a.Vincent)Palumbowasborn
onbornon21December1911at230MulberrySt.,NewYork.

Vincent's birth place, 230 Mulberry Street, is three blocks east of Broadway in
LowerManhattan.Ofinterest,IworkedinLowerManhattanat"195Broadway."
MyofficewasaboutonemilefromVincent'sbirthlocation.
On 30 June 1934 Vincent married Yolanda R. DiFabio, born 16 September
1910. Hewas23yearsoldwhenhemarriedandYolandawas24. Theywere
marriedinSt.Rita'sChurchinSouthPhiladelphia,Pa.
Vincent'sfather,Antonio,diedon5July1947.Onthedateofhisfather'sdeath,
Vincenthad a ticket to the Philadelphia Phillies National League Club baseball
gameatShibeParkwiththeBrooklynDodgers(theDodgerswonthegamebya
scoreof4to3).Vincenthadtheunusedticketinhis scrapbook.Theticketwas
foraseatinSection24,Row1,Seat5.
11


Vincent and Yolanda had three daughters: Constance who married Robert
Zophi, Dolores who married Paul Vetter and Antoinette (a.k.a. Netta) who
married Gary Gardner. Constance and Robert are in picture below taken in
1999.

LefttoRight:RobertZophi,Constance(neePalumbo)Zophi,
Yolanda(neeDiFabio)Palumbo,VincentPalumboand
hissister,Lena(neePalumbo)Caffarina

12


The following picture of Vincent and his sister, Caroline Maria Plaumbo, was
taken on 10 December 1999 at the wedding of Lena's granddaughter, Karen
CaffarinatoTimothyLong,atSt.Andrew'sChurchinDrexelHill,PA.

Yolanda, Vincent's wife, died at age 91 on 28 September 2001. Four years

later,Vincentpassedawayatage94.

13

Chapter 5
4th Generation
5.CarolineMariaPalumbo
CarolineMaria wasbornon6December1913at24562ndAvenue,
Brooklyn, New York (see birth certificate below). The occupation
listedonthecertificateforCaroline'sfather,Antonio,was"cook."Her
mother's given name was listed as Teresa with the name "Fortuna"
writtenabove.

As noted in Chapter 4, Caroline's brother was born at 230 Mulberry

StreetinLowerManhattan.ThefamilymovedfromMulberryStreetto
Brooklynbetween1911and1913,adistanceofabouttwomiles.
Sometime after Caroline's birth in 1913, the family relocated from
New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where her father opened a
restaurant and social club, the "Circolo Dante Alighieri." The literal
translation of the name is, "Cicole"-Social Club, "Dante Alighieri"-an
Italianpoet. Caroline(a.k.a.Lena)developedherculinaryskillsfrom
herfatherandfromworkinginhisrestaurant.

14

ThefollowingphotoofLena,approximateage15,wastakenin1928

On 11 July 1936, Lena at the age of 23, Lena married Edmund

Rudolph Caffarina in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their wedding
pictureisbelow.

15

Edmund(a.k.a.Ed)wasalinotypeoperator*workingforanewspaper
in Philadelphia where they resided. He and his wife purchased a
houseat1163GerrittStreetinSouthPhiladelphia.Theretheyraised
a daughter, Regina (my wife), and a son, Anthony. Regina was a
twinbuttheotherfemaletwindiedatbirth.
As previously mentioned, Lena was an excellent cook and baker.
Below is one example of her cakes. In addition to the large sheet
cakeinthephoto,thereisacakedecoratedonthesmallpianostand.
Thebirthdaycakewasforherbrotherwhoplayedthepiano.

___________________________________________________
*Linotype was the industry standard for newspapers, magazines and posters from the
late19thcenturytothe1960sand70s,whenitwaslargelyreplacedbyoffsetlithography
printingand computer typesetting. The name of themachine comes from the fact that it
produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant
improvementoverthepreviousindustrystandard,i.e.,manual,letter-by-lettertypesetting
usingacomposingstickanddrawersofletters.

16

Belowisafamilyphototakenin1947.Theparentsarestandingasis
theirdaughter,Regina,mywife.Herbrother,Anthony,isstandingon
abench.

17

In 1950, Lena and Edmund decided to relocate from South

Philadelphiatothesuburbs.Theyfoundanewhousingdevelopment
inWynnewood,MontgomeryCounty, Pennsylvaniaandpurchased a
newtwostorybrickcolonialwiththreebedroomsandtwobaths.After
construction delays, the family finally moved to Wynnewood in June
1951.
Asnotedabove,oneofLena'stwinsdiedatchildbirth(thisbabywas
unnamed). The family was under the impression that the still born
babywasburiedatHolyCrossCemeteryinYeadon,Pa.In1997,my
wife contacted the administrative office of the Holy Cross Cemetery
and was advised that there was no record of a burial of a "Baby
Caffarina"inMayof1937.
She next obtained a copy of the baby's death certificate which
recorded the burial site as the American Mechanics Cemetery,
Philadelphia.Noneofthefamilymemberscouldrecallthisburialsite
orwhereitwaslocated.
ThroughthehistorianatCityHallinPhiladelphia,mywifelearnedthat
the American Mechanics Cemetery in Philadelphia was closed in
1951andtheremainsweremovedtothePhiladelphiaMemorialPark
CemeteryinFrazier,Pennsylvania.
JeancontactedtheadministrativeofficeofthePhiladelphiaMemorial
ParkCemeteryanddiscoveredthat"BabyCaffarina"was disinterred
on 12 June 1951 from the American Mechanics Cemetery and
reinterred on 18 June 1951 at the Philadelphia Memorial Cemetery.
TheremainswereburiedinDivisionC,Section31,Lot30,Grave 2.
Becausethis was amass grave fornine other bodies,there was no
gravemarker.
The family decided to place a marker. The baby was named
"Fortuna"afterhermaternalgrandmother.Thenameappearsonthe
markerwhichwasplacedinJuneof1998.
It is interesting to note that when "Baby Caffarina" was moved from
18

It is interesting to note that when "Baby Caffarina" was moved from

Philadelphia to the suburbs (Frazier) in June 1951, the Caffarina
familymovedfromSouthPhiladelphiatothesuburbs(Wynnewood)in
June1951.
In 1982, Lena and Edmund along with her brother, Vincent and his
wife,Yolanda(a.k.a.Yoly)wenttoItalytovisitrelatives.Theyrented
acarinRomeanddrovefirsttoRosetoandthentoLena'srelativesin
Montelapiano. The following picture was taken during the visit to
Montelapiano.

LefttoRight:Rosina(neeD'Amelio)Palumbo,
Lena(neePalumbo)Caffarina,EdmundCaffarina,
GiuseppePalumboandNicolaPalumbo
RosinaisLena's1stcousinonceremoved(mywife's2ndcousin).Rosina's
grandmother, also named Rosina, was a sibling to Fortuna, Lena's mother.
Giuseppe Palumbo is Rosina's husband and Nicola is their son. Giuseppe
Palumbo's ancestors do not connect with my wife's Palumbo ancestor,
Belisano.
As noted above, their first visit was to Roseto, the home of Ed's
ancestors, a distance of 180 miles from Rome. My wife does not
know any of the relatives they visited or have any pictures she can
identify from Roseto, other then a church her mother visited in
Roseto. After Roseto, they visited Arielli the ancestral hometown of
Yolanda(neeDiFabio)Palumbo,VincentPalumbo'swife.
Thenarrativeofmywife'sCaffarinaancestorsbeginswithChapter7.
19

Chapter 6
Descendants of Belisano Palumbo
Generation 1
1.

BELISANIO1 PALUMBO wasbornin1801.Hemarried ANGELA ROSA PICCORE.Shewasbornin1803.

BelisanioPalumboandAngelaRosaPiccorehadthefollowingchild:
2.

i. VINCENZO2 PALUMBO was born on 17 Sep 1828 in Italy. He married CAROLINA DIRIENZO. She was
bornin1835inItaly.Shediedafter1909.

Generation 2
2.

VINCENZO2 PALUMBO (Belisanio1)wasbornon17Sep1828inItaly.Hemarried CAROLINA DIRIENZO.

Shewasbornin1835inItaly.Shediedafter1909.
VincenzoPalumboandCarolinaDiRienzohadthefollowingchildren:
3.

i.ANTONIO3PALUMBOwasbornon21Oct1872inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Hediedon05Jul
1947inPhila.,PA.Hemarried(1)FORTUNACIAMPAGLIA,daughterofGaetanoCiampagliaand
TeresaSambuco,on03Jun1909inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shewasbornon12Mar
1881inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shediedon20Oct1965inWynnewood,Pennsylvania.
Hemarried(2)CLORETEDIRINZAabout1900inNaples,Italy.Shewasbornabout1875inItaly.

ii.ARMILINAPALUMBOwasbornabout1874.
Generation 3
3.

ANTONIO3 PALUMBO (Vincenzo2,Belisanio1)wasbornon21Oct1872inMontelapiano,(Prov.of Chieti)

Italy.Hediedon05Jul1947inPhila.,PA.Hemarried(1)FORTUNACIAMPAGLIA,daughterofGaetano
CiampagliaandTeresaSambuco,on03Jun1909inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shewasbornon
12Mar1881inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shediedon20Oct1965inWynnewood,
Pennsylvania.Hemarried(2)CLORETEDIRINZAabout1900inNaples,Italy.Shewasbornabout1875inItaly.
AntonioPalumboandFortunaCiampagliahadthefollowingchildren:
4.

i.VINCENZOLABERATORE4PALUMBOwasbornon21Dec1911in230MullberrySt.,NewYork,

NY.Hediedin2005inNJ.HemarriedYolandaR.DiFabio,daughterofDaniel
DiFabioandIsabellaMarcavecchio,on30Jun1934inSt.Rita'sCh.,Phila.,Pa..She
5.

wasbornon16Sep1910in1324MoleSt.,Phila.,Pa.Shediedon28Sep2001inNew
Jersey.
ii.CAROLINEMARIATHERESAPALUMBOwasbornon06Dec1913inNewYork,NY.Shediedon06Apr2004
in1719BenjaminDr.,Ambler,PA.ShemarriedEdmundRudolphCaffarina,sonofLiberatoreCaffarini
andReginaDiSantis,on11Jul1936inPhila.,PA.Hewasbornon25Apr1913inPhila.,PA.Hedied
on13Apr1984inWynnewood,Pennsylvania.

AntonioPalumboandCloreteDiRinzahadthefollowingchild:
i.

CHILDPALUMBOwasbornabout1900.
Notes for Child Palumbo Died in
childbirthwithmother,Clorete.

20

Generation 4
4.

VINCENZO LABERATORE4 PALUMBO (Antonio3,Vincenzo2,Belisanio1)wasbornon21Dec1911in 230MullberrySt.,

NewYork,NY.Hediedin2005inNJ.HemarriedYolandaR.DiFabio,daughterofDanielDiFabioandIsabella
Marcavecchio,on30Jun1934inSt.Rita'sCh.,Phila.,Pa..Shewasbornon16Sep1910in1324MoleSt.,Phila.,Pa.
Shediedon28Sep2001inNewJersey.

VincenzoLaberatorePalumboandYolandaR.DiFabiohadthefollowingchildren:
6.

i.CONSTANCEV.5PALUMBOwasbornin1935.ShemarriedRobertL.Zopfiabout1958.Hewasbornon

7.

ii.DOLORESPALUMBOwasbornabout1938.Shediedin2015inFL.ShemarriedPaulVetterabout1965.He

8.

iii.ANTONETTEF.PALUMBOwasbornon06Mar1939.ShemarriedGARYT.GARDNER.Hewasbornon23Jul

20Mar1933.Hediedon08Dec2007.
wasbornabout1939.
1939.

5.

CAROLINE MARIA THERESA4 PALUMBO (Antonio3,Vincenzo2,Belisanio1)wasbornon06Dec1913 inNew

York,NY.Shediedon06Apr2004in1719BenjaminDr.,Ambler,PA.ShemarriedEdmundRudolph
Caffarina,sonofLiberatoreCaffariniandReginaDiSantis,on11Jul1936inPhila.,PA.Hewasbornon25
Apr1913inPhila.,PA.Hediedon13Apr1984inWynnewood,Pennsylvania.
EdmundRudolphCaffarinaandCarolineMariaTheresaPalumbohadthefollowingchildren:
9.

i.REGINACAROLINE5CAFFARINAwasbornon19May1937inSt.AgnesHospital,Philadelphia,PA.She
marriedRichardCharlesGretzinger,sonofWilmerH.GretzingerandGraceBoyer,on16Sep1961
inMontgomeryCo.,PennWynne,Pa..Hewasbornon01Jan1934inQuakertown,BucksCo.,PA.

10

ii.TWIN CAFFARINAwasbornon19May1937inPhila.,PAandiedon20May1937.
iii.AnthonyJOHNCAFFARINAwasbornon17May1942inPhila.,PA.Hediedon5Aug2010in

_______________________________________________________________
Generation 5
6.

CONSTANCE V.5 PALUMBO (VincenzoSalvatore4,Antonio3,Vincenzo2,Belisanio1)wasbornin 1935.She

marriedRobertL.Zopfiabout1958.Hewasbornon20Mar1933.Hediedon08Dec2007.
RobertL.ZopfiandConstanceV.Palumbohadthefollowingchildren:
i.RICHARDS.6ZOPFIwasbornabout1960.Hediedon01May1976inNJ.
ii.STEVENZOPFIwasbornabout1965.Hemarried(1)KATHRYNLEHMANN.Shewasbornabout

7.

DOLORES5 PALUMBO (VincenzoLaberatore4,Antonio3,Vincenzo2,Belisanio1)wasbornabout 1938.She died

in2015inFL.ShemarriedPaulVetterabout1965.Hewasbornabout1939.

PaulVetterandDoloresPalumbohadthefollowingchildren:
i.DAVID6VETTERwasbornabout1966.
ii.BRIANVETTERwasbornabout1968.

21

8.

ANTONETTE F.5 PALUMBO (Vincenzo Laberatore4, Antonio3, Vincenzo2, Belisanio1) was born on 06 Mar
1939.ShemarriedGARYT.GARDNER.Hewasbornon23Jul1939.
GaryT.GardnerandAntonetteF.Palumbohadthefollowingchildren:
i.DONNAMARIE6GARDNERwasbornon13Jan1967.Shemarried(1)RAYMONDJOHN
ii.LEIGHANNGARDNERwasbornon10Jul1970.ShemarriedGlennArthurCourtney,sonof

11
9.

REGINA CAROLINE5 CAFFARINA (CarolineMariaTheresa4 Palumbo,Antonio3 Palumbo,Vincenzo2 Palumbo,

Belisanio1Palumbo)wasbornon19May1937inSt.AgnesHospital,Philadelphia,PA.ShemarriedRichard
CharlesGretzinger,sonofWilmerH.GretzingerandGraceBoyer,on16Sep1961inMontgomeryCo.,Penn
Wynne,Pa..Hewasbornon01Jan1934inQuakertown,BucksCo.,PA.
RichardCharlesGretzingerandReginaCarolineCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.
ii.

10.

CAROLYN MARIA5 GRETZINGER was born on 18 Aug 1963 in Montgomery Co., Bryn Mawr
Hospital,BrynMawr,PA.
RICHARD WILMER GRETZINGER was born on 18 Nov 1967 in Misericordia Hospital,
Philadelphia,PA.HemarriedLeslieBarbaraBirch,daughterofRichardA.BirchandPatsy
(nee?)Birch,on08Sep2007inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shewasbornon21
Jul1964inBaltimore,MD.

ANTHONY JOHN5 CAFFARINA (CarolineMariaTheresa4 Palumbo,Antonio3 Palumbo,Vincenzo2 Palumbo,

Belisanio1Palumbo)wasbornon17May1942inPhila.,PA.Hediedon05Aug2010inExton,Chester
Co.,PA(athisdaughter'shome).HemarriedBeatriceE.Saulle,daughterofAnthonySaulle,on30Aug
1965inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon22Feb1944inPhila.,PA.Shediedon29Jul2000inHahenmann
Hospital,Philadelphia,Pa..
AnthonyJohnCaffarinaandBeatriceE.Saullehadthefollowingchildren:
12.

i. CHRISTINE6 CAFFARINA was born on 22 Oct 1968. She married Brendan Michael Murray on 20 May

13.

1995inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1967.
ii.KARENMICHELLECAFFARINAwasbornon23Feb1970.Shemarried(2)TIMOTHY

14.

MICHAELLONGon10Dec1999inSt.Andrew'sCh.,3500SchoolLane,DrexelHill,Pa..He
wasbornabout1970.Shemarried(1)RONALDSTONEinAug1994inSpringfield,PA.Hewas
bornabout1970.
iii. GINA CAFFARINA was born on 04 Aug 1975. She married (1) ROBERT CHIN about 1998. He was born
about1975.Shemarried(2)GLENNRUTHafter2001.Hewasbornabout1975.

Generation 6
11.

LEIGH ANN6 GARDNER (AntonetteF.5 Palumbo,VincenzoLaberatore4 Palumbo,Antonio3 Palumbo,

Vincenzo2Palumbo,Belisanio1Palumbo)wasbornon10Jul1970.ShemarriedGlennArthurCourtney,
22

Vincenzo2Palumbo,Belisanio1Palumbo)wasbornon10Jul1970.ShemarriedGlennArthurCourtney,
sonofGlennA.Courtney,on01Jun1996inPeaceChurch,TrindleRd.atSt.John'sRd.,CampHill,Pa.He
wasbornabout1970.
GlennArthurCourtneyandLeighAnnGardnerhadthefollowingchildren:
i.OwenReidCourtneywasbornon06Jan1999inPA.
ii.DORARYANCOURTNEYwasbornon02Feb2001inPA.
CHRISTINE6 CAFFARINA (AnthonyJohn5,CarolineMariaTheresa4 Palumbo,Antonio3 Palumbo, Vincenzo2
Palumbo,Belisanio1Palumbo)wasbornon22Oct1968.ShemarriedBrendanMichaelMurrayon20May
1995inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1967.
BrendanMichaelMurrayandChristineCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.Brenden(Sonny)MichaelMurrayJr.wasbornon09Aug2000.
ii.STEVENANTHONYMURRAYwasbornon04Nov2002inPaoliMemorialHospital,
12.

iii.JOSEPHCAFFARINAMURRAYwasbornon14Feb2005.
13. . KAREN MICHELLE6 CAFFARINA (Anthony John5, Caroline Maria Theresa4 Palumbo, Antonio3 Palumbo,
Karenwasbornon23Feb1970.Shemarried(2)TIMOTHYMICHAELLONGon10Dec1999inSt.Andrew's
Ch.,3500SchoolLane,DrexelHill,Pa..Hewasbornabout1970.Shemarried(1)RONALD STONE inAug
1994inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1970.
TimothyMichaelLongandKarenMichelleCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.JILLIANBEATRICE7LONGwasbornon16Nov2000.
ii.ABIGAILHOPELONGwasborninDec2001.
iii.TIMOTHYMICHAELLONGwasbornon24May2005.
iv.SEANPATRICKLONGwasbornon24May2005.
RonaldStoneandKarenMicheleCaffarinahadthefollowingchild:
i.ALEXANDRAHAILEYSTONEwasbornon19Dec1994.
14.

GINA CAFFARINA (AnthonyJohnCarolineMariaTheresa Palumbo,Antonio Palumbo, VincenzoPalumbo,

BelisanioPalumbo)wasbornon04Aug1975.Shemarried(1)ROBERTCHINabout1998.Hewasborn
about1975.Shemarried(2)GLENNRUTHafter2001.Hewasbornabout1975.
RobertChinandGinaCaffarinahadthefollowingchild:
RYAN ROBERT7 CHIN was born on 21 Nov 2000 in New Hanover Co. Hospital,
Wilmington,NC.
GlennRuthandGinaCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
iii.

ii.
iii.

MARISSA7RUTHwasbornabout2002.
MykaylaRUTHwasborninSep2006.

23

CAFFARINA GENEALOGY
Chapter 7
1st Generation
1.DomencioCaffarini/Caffarina
Domencio Caffarini was born about 1855 in Italy. The surname in Italy
ended with an "i," not an "a." The spelling change was made when
Domencio's grandson, Edmund Caffarina, was enrolled in school by his
half-sister, Jean. It is presumed that Domencio was born in
Montepagano* (now known as Roseto d'Abruzzi) as his descendants
were living there in 1982 when Edmund Caffarina visited his relatives in
Roseto.
Domenciomarriedabout1880butthenameofhiswifeisunknown. He
and his wife had two children. Their son, Liberatore was born on 06
August1880 inMontepagano, Italy. Their daughter,Concetta, was also
bornthereon28February1885.
Domencio died on 12 Dec 1912 in Montepagano. Prior to his death,
LiberatoreimmigratedtoAmericain1904andConcettaimmigratedin1909.
____________________________________________________________
* Roseto is located on the Adriatic Sea (see map in Chapter 1).

The town emanated

from the medieval village of Montepagano (see photo page 26). The numerous
archaeological findings show that the territory of current Roseto degli Abruzzi was already
inhabited in the Roman Age. For centuries, Montepagano was the main center in the
area. It is mentioned in several documents both for the presence of the Emperor Lotharius
(Holy Roman Emperor 817-855) and because it was part of the possessions of the Abbey
of San Giovanni in Venere. Remains of the ancient medieval fortifications can still be
identified in the four entrance doors and in the Romanesque-Baroque bell tower built in
red bricks, belonging in the past to the now lost church of Sant'Antimo.
In 1251 Montepagano was included in the newly established Diocesis of Atri. In 1424 the
Acquaviva family obtained lordship over the territory of Montepagano, which they were to
keep up to the French occupation in 1806 and consequent abolition of feudal rights. .
In 1887, after the inauguration of the railway station, Montepagano took the name of
Rosburgo by decree of King Umberto I of Italy. Rosburgo became an established tourist
resort with beach facilities on the Adriaticc Sea.
The name, Rosburgo, fell into disfavor, especially in military circles, because it sounded
Austrian, a bitter enemy of Italy during World War I, and in 1927 the city was rechristened
with its current name, Roseto. The name derives in part from the large numbers and
varieties of roses and oleanders (see photo page 26) which grace the byways and
balconies of the city's residents.
24

Today, Roseto is a popular beach resort on the Adriatic Sea with 42 beach
facilities, 37 hotels and 10 campsites to welcome tourists. The city's
population is about 24,000, the second largest city in the Province of
Teramo.
Below are two present day photos of Roseto.

25

26

Chapter 8
2nd Generation
2.LiberatoreCaffarini/Caffarina
Liberatore Caffarini was born on 06 Aug 1880 in Montepagano
(nowknownasRosetod'Abruzzi),Italy.In1904attheageof23,
Liberatore left Montepagano and went to Naples where he
boardedashipforAmerica.
The ship was the Manual Calvo was built in 1892 by the
Armstrong,Mitchell&CompanyinNewcastle,England.Itweighed
5,617gross tons and was poweredby a steam turbine engine. It
sailedat13.5knotsandheld84-firstclasspassengers,32-second
classpassengersand1,000-thirdclasspassengers.Theshipwas
originally built for the North German Lloyd Company of Germany
and was named Lucania. In 1901 it was sold to the Compania
TranstianLineandsailedunderaSpanishflagandwasrenamed
Calvo.
Liberatore boarded the Manual Calvo in early March 1904,
probably as one of the third class passengers. Sailing at 13.5
knots, the ship left Naples about March 5th and arrived in New
Yorks Ellis Island nine days later on Monday, 14 March 1904.
Theship'smanifestliststhefollowing(originalishandwritten).
IMMIGRATION: Caffarini, Liberatore 1904
LAST RESIDENCE Montefagano (1. see note)
MARITAL STATUS Married
GENDER Male
AGE AT ARRIVAL 23y
ETHNICITY Italian South
DATE OF ARRIVAL March 14th, 1904
SHIP OF TRAVEL Manuel Calvo
PORT OF DEPARTURE Naples
ARRIVAL PORT Philadelphia
OCCUPATION Tailor
IN TRANSIT TO MEET (2. see note)
_______________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: 1. Last Residence misspelled. Should be Montepagano.
2. Name of the person Liberatore was to meet appears to be Felix Caffarini, an
uncle, who paid for his passage. Liberatore arrived with $12.00 ($330 today).
27

LiberatoresettledinPhiladelphia, Pa. His firstwifewas Carlotta

Delucca. Their first child, Jean, was born on 11 February 1904.
Based on his immigration date (March 1904), Jean would have
beenborninItaly. TheManuelCalvomanifestforthearrivalson
14March1904hadnolistingforCarlottaorJean.Itappearsthey
may have immigrated after Liberatore sometime between 1904
and1908.
LiberatoreandCarlottahadtwoadditionalchildren.Amerigowas
born in November 1908 in Philadelphia. He died less then two
yearslateron8May1910. Theirthirdchild,Rosina,wasbornin
Philadelphiaon3January1910andshediedsevenmonthslater
on13August1910.
Carlottadiedbetween1910and1912.LiberatoremarriedRegina
DiSantisin1912,ShewasbornonThursday,22January 1880,
in Italy. It is not known when she immigrated. Liberatore and
Reginalivedat1163GerrittStreet,Philadelphia,Pa.Asnotedon
his immigration record, he was a tailor by trade. Below is the
weddingphotoofLiberatoreCaffariniandReginaDiSantis.

28

In 1919, Liberatore was naturalized as an American citizen. A

copy of his naturalization record follows. Note the spelling of his
givenname.
Naturalization Petitions to the U.S. Circuit and District Court for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Liberatore and Regina had a son, Edmund Rudolph Caffarini,

born on 25 April 1913 in Phila., PA. When Edmund was old
enoughforschool,hishalf-sister,Jean,wasaskedtoregisterhim.
Jean registered him as "Edmund Caffarina." She changed the
spelling(replacedending"i"withan"a")ofthesurnamebecause
shefeltitwasmore"American."

Thefollowingpictureis ofLiberatoreandhis son,Edmund. The

picturewastakenabout1930.

29

Edmund Caffarini married Caroline Maria Theresa Palumbo,

daughterofAntonioPalumboandFortunaCiampaglia,on11 Jul
1936in Phila., PA. Shewas born on 06Dec 1913 in New York,
NY(seeChapter5formoredetailaboutthismarriage).
On Wednesday, 29 August 1945, at the age of 65, Liberatore
died. His death certificate listed the cause of death as coronary
occlusion. Two days later, his wife, Regina, died. She was also
65yearsold.Herdeathcertificaterecordedhercauseofdeathas
coronaryocclusion. After their death, one of the relatives came
tothehouseandtoldtheirson,Edmund,thatalltheclocksinthe
house had to be stopped. All the clocks were stopped and they
werenotrestartedforanumberofweeks.
BothLiberatoreandReginawereburiedatHolyCrossCemetery
inYeadon,DelawareCounty,Pa.TheywereburiedonTuesday,
4 September, the day after Labor Day. Liberatore's death
certificate,however,recordedtheburialdateas1September,but
hisdaughter-in-law(mywife'smother)saidthathewasburiedon
thesamedayashiswife,4September.

30

Chapter 9
2nd Generation
3.ConcettaCaffarini/Caffarina
Concetta Caffarini was born on 28 February 1885 in Montepagano
(now known as Roseto), Italy. Concetta's brother, Liberatore, was
alsoborninMontepagano,Italy.
SinceConcetta'sfather,Domenico,diedin1912,heundoubtedlydied
inMontepagano.
Concetta married Giovanni Serpentini in 1904. Their first child,
Nicholaswasbornon16November1905inMontepagano,Italy.
Giovanni immigrated to America in 1906. His wife immigrated in
1909. Her immigration record follows (the original record was
handwritten).

IMMIGRATION: Concetta Caffarini 1909

LAST RESIDENCE Montipagano (see note)
MARITAL STATUS Married
GENDER Female
AGE AT ARRIVAL 24y
ETHNICITY Italian South
DATE OF ARRIVAL Sep 21, 1909
SHIP OF TRAVEL Virginia
PORT OF DEPARTURE Naples
ARRIVAL PORT Philadelphia
In transit to join husband, Giovanni Serpentini
____________________________________________________________________
Author'sNote:LastResidencemisspelled.ShouldbeMontepagano

31

Concetta'sson,Nicholas,accompaniedherontheshipVirginiawhen
they immigrated to America. His immigration record is below (the
originalrecordwashandwritten).
IMMIGRATION: Nicola Caffarini 1909
LAST RESIDENCE Montipagano (see note)
MARITAL STATUS Single
GENDER Male
AGE AT ARRIVAL 4y
ETHNICITY Italian South
DATE OF ARRIVAL Sep 21, 1909
SHIP OF TRAVEL Virginia
PORT OF DEPARTURE Naples
ARRIVAL PORT Philadelphia
In transit to join father, Giovanni Serpentini

________________________________________________
Author'sNote:LastResidencemisspelled.ShouldbeMontepagano

After arriving in Philadelphia, Giovanni and Concetta had five sons

and a daughter. The first child, a son, born in Philadelphia on 28
June1910,wasnamedDomenicJ.Serpentini.Thesecondchildwas
Dante(Daniel)bornon12August1911. Thethirdchild,adaughter,
was Inez born on 10 December 1912 and the fourth was a son,
Armana (Monte), born on 21 January 1915. The last two children
were George L. born 12 February 1917 and Thomas born about
1920.
Concetta(neeCaffarini)Serpentinidiedon19December1957atthe
ageof72.ItisnotknownwhenGiovannidied.

32

Chapter 10
3rd & 4th Generation Edmund Rudolph Caffarina
& Family
3rd Generation: 4. Edmund Rudolph
Edmund was born on 25 April 1913 in Phila., PA. He married
Caroline Maria Theresa Palumbo, daughter of Antonio Palumbo
and Fortuna Ciampaglia, on 11 Jul 1936 in Phila., PA. She was
born on 06 Dec 1913 in New York, NY. This marriage is the
connectionoftheCaffarinaandPalumbofamilies.
AsnotedinChapter5,thesurnamewasoriginallyspelledwithan
"i'butwaschangedtoan"a."
Edmund and Caroline had two children, Regina (my wife), and
Anthony (my wife's brother). The narrative for Regina and
Anthonyfollows.
4th Generation: 7. Regina Caroline Caffarina
Regina (a.k.a. Jean) was born on 19 May 1937 in St. Agnes
Hospital,Philadelphia, PA.The followingphoto isof Jeanat age
fivemonths.

ReginaCaffarina,age5months,circaNovember1937

33

The family lived in south Philly at 1163 Gerritt Street. She

attendedgradeschooltherewhereherschoolphotowastakenat
agesevenyears.

Jean,age7years,circa1941

Jean started junior high school in south Philly but the family
moved in 1951 to the suburbs in Wynnewood. In Wynnewood
she attended Lower Merion High School. After graduation she
attendedSt.Joseph'sUniversitywhileworkingforAllen-Bradleyin
UpperDarby,Pa.

34

She was a member of the Drexelbrook Tennis and Swim Club in

Drexel Hill where she meet her future husband (me), Richard
Gretzinger. Jean and Richard (a.k.a. Dick) were married on 16
September 1961 in Presentation BVM Church, Penn Wynne,
MontgomeryCounty,PA.Theirweddingphotographisbelow.

ReginaCaffarina&RichardGretzinger
16September1961

35

JeanandDickhadtwochildren,CarolynMariaborn18August1963
inBrynMawrHospital,andRichardWilmerborn18November1967
inMisericordiaHospitalinPhiladelphia.Followingisafamilyphoto
takenonEasterDayon31March2002.

Ashermother,Jeaninheritedtheskillof"cakebaking."Onthenext
fewpagesaresomeexamples.

36

37

38

39

4th Generation: 8. Anthony John Caffarina

Anthony(a.k.a.Tony)Johnwasbornon17May1942inPhiladelphia,
Pa. As did his sister, Regina, he attended grade school in South
Philadelphia.
Anthony had his first Holy Communion about 1950. See picture
below.

AnthonyJohnCaffarina
Circa1950

40

As discussed previously, the family moved from South Philly in

1951 and relocated to Wynnewood in Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania. Tony attended Lower Merion High School. The
nextpicturewastakenwhenhewas18yearsold.

Anthony Caffarina
Circa 1962
Antony worked as a US Postal supervisor. He was sent to
variouspostofficesto"cleanup"supervisionproblems.
41

At the age of 23, Anthony married Beatrice E. Saulle on 30

August 1965. She was 21 when they married. Following is a
photoofBeatrice(a.k.a.Bea).

BeatriceE.(neeSaulle)Caffarina

42

Anthony and Bea had three daughters. The first was Christine
bornon22October1968. ShemarriedBrendanMichaelMurray
on20 May 1995. Theyhave three sons: Brendan, Stephen and
Joseph.
The second daughter, Karen Michelle, was born on 23 February
1970. She first married Ronald Stone in 1994 and had a
daughter, Alexandra. After Karen and Ronald divorced, Karen
married Timothy Michael Long on 10 December 1999 in St.
AndrewsChurchinDrexelHill,Pennsylvania.KarenandTimothy
had two daughters, Jillian Beatrice and Abigail Hope, and twin
sons,TimothyMichaelandSeanPatrick.
Thethird daughter, Gina, wasborn on 4 August1975. She first
married Robert Chin and had a son, Ryan Robert. Her second
marriage to Glenn Ruth produced two daughters, Marissa and
Mykayla.
Beatrice died on 29 July 2000 in Hahenmann Hospital,
Philadelphia,Pa. She was 56 years of age. Ten years later on
05 August 2010, her husband, Anthony, died at their daughter's
(Christine's)homeinExton,Pa.Hewas68yearsold,
Both Bea and Tony are buried at Calvary Cemetery, West
Conshohocken, PA next to Tony's father and mother, Edmund
andLenaCaffarina.

43

Chapter 11
5th Generation
7i.CarolynMariaGretzinger
CarolynwasbornonSunday,August18,1963.Shegraduated from
Upper Dublin High School in 1981 and continued her studies at
Ursinus College, graduating in 1985 with a BA, majoring in French
withSpanishandBusinessAdministrationminors.
Carolynwasemployedby theOpportunitiesIndustrialization Centers
International(OICI),foundedbythelateRev.LeonSullivan,authorof
theSullivanPrincipalsforSouthAfrica.WhileemployedbyOICI,she
was a member of a team that spent four weeks in Sierra Leone,
Africa where they directed a series of professional development
seminarsforAfricanOICIaffiliateBoardandstaffmembers.
In1989,sherelocatedtoArlington,Virginiatoattendgraduateschool
at George Washington University in Washington, DC. In 1991, she
received her MA in International Affairs with a concentration in
InternationalEconomicsandDevelopment.
Upon graduation, Carolyn was hired by the Council of American
Ambassadors in Washington, DC. She is currently the Executive
DirectorandresidesinArlington,VA.
In 1992, the Council presented its Benjamin Franklin Award for
Outstanding Diplomatic Service to President George H. W. Bush for
hisdistinguishedserviceasPresidentoftheUSandAmbassador to
theUNandasEnvoytoChina.Thepictureon thenextpageshows
Carolyn and two former ambassadors who participated in the
presentationtoPresidentBushatBlairHouseinNovemberof1992.

44

PresentationoftheBenjaminFranklinAwardto
PresidentBush-November1992
Left to Right- Pres. George H. Bush, Carolyn Gretzinger,
Former Ambassador Robert D. Stuart, Jr., and Former
Ambassador and Congressman Ogden Reid

Carolyn was responsible for planning and organizing the Council's

missions to foreign countries. These missions included cities in
China, Russia, Israel, Cuba, Brazil, Turkey, Czech Republic,
Hungary,Ireland,Poland,Argentina,Colombia,Nicaragua,Romania,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ukraine, Mexico, Canada and Belgium.
Thefollowingpagesincludephotosfromthreeofthesemissions.

45

MissiontoChina-September2001
TheTerra-CottaWarriors
Carolyn Gretzinger at the end of the first row on the right

MissiontoCuba-2015
Carolyn Gretzinger Second from the Left

46

MissiontoBudapest,Hungary-April2016
Carolyn Gretzinger and Ambassador Gelb
(Danube River in the background)

47

7ii.RichardWilmerGretzinger
Richard(a.k.a.Rich)Wilmerwasbornon18November1967.Hegraduated
from Upper Dublin High School in 1986 and attended Drexel University's
5-yearCo-OpcurriculumandreceivedhisBSin1991.Heisemployedasan
independent cinematographer in the Delaware Valley and resides in
Philadelphia, PA with his wife. He and his wife own their own video
production business and produce complete video packages from script
writing,tovideoproduction,toeditingtofinalcustomerproduct.
In 1997, as Director of Photography (DP), Rich filmed twentychildrens
choirs from the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, South Africa and their host
country,CzechRepublicduringtheannualInternationalChoirFestivaland
CompetitioninPrague.
Theshootwasheldoveraneight-dayperiodandincludedvideotapingofthe
concerts in the renowned Smetana Music Hall and Museum and in the
historic fourteenth century St. Vitus Cathedral. Richs team was the first
Americanfilmcrewtobegrantedpermissiontoprofessionallyvideotapein
thesetwolocations.

ThepictureonthenextpageshowsRichinfrontofSt.Vituswithhisvideo
gear. In 2000, my wife and I visited Prague and toured both St. Vitus
CathedralandtheSmetanaMusicHall.Theyareimpressivestructures.
In 2016, Rich was awarded a scholarship to attend the Global
Cinematography Institute (GCI) in Sylmar, near Burbank, CA. GCI is
devoted to the educational steps towards the extension of the
cinematographers profession into the digital and virtual based creative
realms.

48

As previously mentioned, Rich and his wife, Leslie Barbara Birch,

were married in Jean's grandmother's hometown of Montelapiano,
Italyon08September2007. Thefollowingtwopagesincludesome
oftheirweddingphotos.

49

MontelapianoTownHallMarriageRegister

RichandLeslieLeavingTownHall

50

RichandLeslieToastfromtheBalconyof
Fortuna(neeCiampaglia)Palumbo'sHome

WeddingPartyLefttoRight:TomRyan(familyfriend),Carolyn
Gretzinger,RichardC.Gretzinger,LeslieBirch,ReginaGretzinger,
RichardW.GretzingerandHollyBirch(Leslie'ssister-in-law)

51

ReceptionDinnerCenterpiece

ReceptionDinner

52

Chapter 12
Descendants of Domenico Caffarini

1.

Generation 1
DOMENICO1 CAFFARINI wasbornabout1855inItaly.Hediedon12Dec1912.HemarriedMrs. Domenico
(nee?)Caffariniabout1880.Shewasbornabout1855inItaly.
DomenicoCaffariniandMrs.Domenico(nee?)Caffarinihadthefollowingchildren:
2.

i.

3.

LIBERATORE2CAFFARINIwasbornon06Aug1880inRosetod'Abruzzi,Italy.Hediedon29Aug1945in
Phila.,PA.Hemarried(1)REGINADISANTIS,daughterofUnknownDiSantisandRegina(nee?)DiSantis,
about1912inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon22Jan1880inItaly.Shediedon31Aug1945inPhila.,PA.
Hemarried(2)CARLOTTADELUCCAabout1900.Shewasbornabout1882.
ii. CONCETTACAFFARINIwasbornon28Feb1885inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shedied
on19Dec1957inPA.ShemarriedGiovanni(John)Serpentiniin1904.Hewasbornabout1884in
Italy.

Generation 2
2.

LIBERATORE2 CAFFARINI (Domenico1)wasbornon06Aug1880inRosetod'Abruzzi,Italy.Hedied on29Aug

1945 in Phila., PA. He married (1) REGINA DISANTIS, daughter of Unknown DiSantis and Regina (nee ?)
DiSantis,about1912inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon22Jan1880inItaly.Shediedon31Aug1945inPhila.,
PA.Hemarried(2)CARLOTTADELUCCAabout1900.Shewasbornabout1882.
LiberatoreCaffariniandReginaDiSantishadthefollowingchild:
4.

i.EDMUNDRUDOLPHCAFFARINAwasbornon25Apr1913inPhila.,PA.Hediedon13Apr

1984inWynnewood,Pennsylvania.HemarriedCarolineMariaTheresaPalumbo,
daughterofAntonioPalumboandFortunaCiampaglia,on11Jul1936inPhila.,PA.
Shewasbornon06Dec1913inNewYork,NY.Shediedon06Apr2004in1719
BenjaminDr.,Ambler,PA.
LiberatoreCaffariniandCarlottaDeluccahadthefollowingchildren:
5.

i. JEAN CAFFARINA wasbornon11Feb1904.Shediedon01Jul1985inNarberth, MontgomeryCo.,Pa.

ShemarriedGabrielEttorreabout1925.Hewasbornabout1900.Hediedon06Oct1971.

ii.AMERIGOCAFFARINAwasbornaboutNov1908inPhila.,PA.Hediedon08May1910
iii.ROSINACAFFARINAwasbornon03Jan1910inPhila.,PA.Shediedon13Aug1910.
3.

CONCETTA2 CAFFARINI (Domenico1)wasbornon28Feb1885inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti) Italy.She

diedon19Dec1957inPA.ShemarriedGiovanni(John)Serpentiniin1904.Hewasbornabout1884in
Italy(1940Censusage56y).
Giovanni(John)SerpentiniandConcettaCaffarinihadthefollowingchildren:
i.NICHOLAS3SERPENTINIwasbornon16Nov1905inMontelapiano,Italy.
ii.DOMENICJ.SERPENTINIwasbornon28Jun1910inPA.Hediedon30Jan1986.
iii.DANTE(DANIEL)SERPENTINIwasbornon12Aug1911inPA.
iv.INEZSERPENTINIwasbornon10Dec1912inPA.ShemarriedUNKNOWNSILVARI.He
v.ARMANA(MONTE)SERPENTINIwasbornon21Jan1915inPA.Hediedon08Jul1980.
vi.GEORGEL.SERPENTINISR.wasbornon13Feb1917inPA.Hediedon20May1973.
vii.THOMASSERPENTINIwasbornabout1920inPA(1920Censusage5months).
Generation 3

4.

EDMUND RUDOLPH CAFFARINA (Liberatore2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)wasbornon25Apr1913 inPhila.,

PA.Hediedon13Apr1984inWynnewood,Pennsylvania.HemarriedCarolineMariaTheresaPalumbo,
daughterofAntonioPalumboandFortunaCiampaglia,on11Jul1936inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon06Dec
53

daughterofAntonioPalumboandFortunaCiampaglia,on11Jul1936inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon06Dec
1913inNewYork,NY.Shediedon06Apr2004in1719BenjaminDr.,Ambler,PA.
EdmundRudolphCaffarinaandCarolineMariaTheresaPalumbohadthefollowingchildren:
7.

i.REGINACAROLINE4CAFFARINAwasbornon19May1937inSt.AgnesHospital,Philadelphia,PA.
ShemarriedRichardCharlesGretzinger,sonofWilmerH.GretzingerandGraceBoyer,on16Sep
1961inMontgomeryCo.,PennWynne,Pa..Hewasbornon01Jan1934inQuakertown,Bucks
Co.,PA.

ii.TWINCAFFARINAwasbornon19May1937inPhila.,PAanddied20May1937.
iii.ANTHONYJOHNCAFFARINAwasbornon17May1942inPhila.,PA.Hediedon05Aug2010
5.

JEAN3 CAFFARINA (Liberatore2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)wasbornon11Feb1904.Shedied on01Jul

1985inNarberth,MontgomeryCo.,Pa.ShemarriedGabrielEttorreabout1925.Hewasbornabout1900.
Hediedon06Oct1971.
GabrielEttorreandJeanCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.ERNEST4ETTORREwasbornabout1930.Hemarried(1)MARIEGUERRAabout1956.She
ii.ALBERTETTORREwasbornabout1932.
iii.CARLETTORREwasbornabout1934.

6.

GEORGE L.3 SERPENTINI SR. (Concetta2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)wasbornon13Feb1917in PA.He

diedon20May1973inPA.
GeorgeL.SerpentiniSr.hadthefollowingchild:
i.GEORGE4SERPENTINIJR.wasbornabout1940.

Generation 4
7.

REGINA CAROLINE4 CAFFARINA (EdmundRudolph,Liberatore2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)was bornon19May

1937inSt.AgnesHospital,Philadelphia,PA.ShemarriedRichardCharlesGretzinger,sonofWilmerH.Gretzinger
andGraceBoyer,on16Sep1961inMontgomeryCo.,PennWynne,Pa..Hewasbornon01Jan1934inQuakertown,
BucksCo.,PA.

RichardCharlesGretzingerandReginaCarolineCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.
ii.

CAROLYN MARIA5 GRETZINGER was born on 18 Aug 1963 in Montgomery Co., Bryn Mawr
Hospital,BrynMawr,PA.
RICHARD WILMER GRETZINGER was born on 18 Nov 1967 in Misericordia Hospital,
Philadelphia,PA.HemarriedLeslieBarbaraBirch,daughterofRichardA.BirchandPatsy
54

Philadelphia,PA.HemarriedLeslieBarbaraBirch,daughterofRichardA.BirchandPatsy
(nee?)Birch,on08Sep2007inMontelapiano,(Prov.ofChieti)Italy.Shewasbornon21
Jul1964inBaltimore,MD.
8.ANTHONY JOHN4 CAFFARINA (EdmundRudolph,Liberatore2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)was bornon17
May1942inPhila.,PA.Hediedon05Aug2010inExton,ChesterCo.,PA(athisdaughter'shome).Hemarried
BeatriceE.Saulle,daughterofAnthonySaulle,on30Aug1965inPhila.,PA.Shewasbornon22Feb1944in

Phila.,PA.Shediedon29Jul2000inHahenmannHospital,Philadelphia,Pa.
AnthonyJohnCaffarinaandBeatriceE.Saullehadthefollowingchildren:
9.

i. CHRISTINE5 CAFFARINA wasbornon22Oct1968.ShemarriedBrendanMichaelMurrayon20May

10.

ii.KARENMICHELLECAFFARINAwasbornon23Feb1970.Shemarried(1)TIMOTHYMICHAELLONGon10

1995inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1967.

11.

Dec1999inSt.Andrew'sCh.,3500SchoolLane,DrexelHill,Pa..Hewasbornabout1970.She
married(2)RONALDSTONEinAug1994inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1970.
iii. GINA CAFFARINA wasbornon04Aug1975.Shemarried(1)ROBERT CHIN about 1998.Hewasborn
about1975.Shemarried(2)GLENNRUTHafter2001.Hewasbornabout1975.

Generation 5
9.

CHRISTINE5 CAFFARINA (AnthonyJohn4,EdmundRudolph,Liberatore2 Caffarini,Domenico1 Caffarini)

wasbornon22Oct1968.ShemarriedBrendanMichaelMurrayon20May1995inSpringfield,PA.He
wasbornabout1967.
BrendanMichaelMurrayandChristineCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.BRENDAN(SONNY)MICHAEL6MURRAYJR.wasbornon09Aug2000.
ii.STEVENANTHONYMURRAYwasbornon04Nov2002inMontgomeryCo.,PA.
iii.JOSEPHCAFFARINAMURRAYwasbornon14Feb2005.

10.

KAREN MICHELLE5 CAFFARINA (Anthony John4, Edmund Rudolph, Liberatore2 Caffarini, Domenico1
Caffarini)wasbornon23Feb1970.Shemarried(1)TIMOTHYMICHAELLONGon10Dec1999inSt.Andrew's
Ch.,3500SchoolLane,DrexelHill,Pa..Hewasbornabout1970.Shemarried(2)RONALD STONE inAug
1994inSpringfield,PA.Hewasbornabout1970.
TimothyMichaelLongandKarenMicheleCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
i.JILLIANBEATRICE6LONGwasbornon16Nov2000.
ii.ABIGAILHOPELONGwasborninDec2001.
iii.TIMOTHYMICHAELLONGwasbornon24May2005.
iv.SEANPATRICKLONGwasbornon24May2005.
RonaldStoneandKarenMicheleCaffarinahadthefollowingchild:
i.ALEXANDRAHAILEYSTONEwasbornon19Dec1994.

11.

GINA5 CAFFARINA (Anthony John4, Edmund Rudolph, Liberatore2 Caffarini, Domenico1 Caffarini) was
bornon04Aug1975.Shemarried(1)ROBERTCHINabout1998.Hewasbornabout1975.Shemarried(2)
GLENNRUTHafter2001.Hewasbornabout1975.
RobertChinandGinaCaffarinahadthefollowingchild:
RYAN ROBERT6 CHIN was born on 21 Nov 2000 in New Hanover Co. Hospital,
Wilmington,NC.
GlennRuthandGinaCaffarinahadthefollowingchildren:
iii.

i.
ii.

MARISSA6RUTHwasbornabout2002.
MykaylaRUTHwasborninSep2006.

55

Appendix A
The Four Aces Connection
Mywife'sconnectiontothesinginggroup,TheFourAces,isfromthe
marriage of her 2nd cousin, Margaret Gionta. Margaret's
grandmother, Marietti Ciampaglia was the sister of my wife's
grandmother,FortunaCiampaglia.
Afterthedeathofhermother,Margaret,whowasabout16yearsold,
came to live with my wife's parents, Edmund and Lena Caffarina.
BelowisapictureofMargaret(a.k.a.Marge)whenshewasabout16.

MargaretGionta,circa1948

56

WhenMargeturned20,shemarriedFredDiodatiin1952.Sixyears
later in 1958, Fred replaced Al Alberts as the lead singer for The
Four Aces. Al left the popular singing group to try to make it as a
soloist, but never made the charts. Fred had attended South
PhiladelphiaHighSchoolafewyearsafterAlberts.
AfterAlbertsleft,TheFourAcesconsistedofFredandtwoothernew
members,TonyAlesiandJoeGiglio. LouSilvestrididnotleavethe
groupatthistime,butlaterwasreplacedbyHarryHeisler. About19
yearslater,TonyAlesihadamedicalconditionandhadtoleavethe
group. He was replaced by Danny Colingo. These members
continue to sing many of the songs the original Four Aces made
poplaratonetime.
MywifeandIsocializewithFredandMargebyhostingdinnerateach
other'shome. It isalways "fun"toget togetherwith themand hear
abouttheirdaysinSouthPhilly.
BelowisapictureofthegrouptakenafterDannyColingojoined the
groupin1977.

TopRow:DannyColingo,HarveyHeisler
BottomRow:FredDiodati,JoeGiglio

57

Appendix B
1982 Diary of Caroline (nee Palumbo) Caffarina
Visit to Italy
Author's Diary Notes (city locations shown on map page 3)
DiaryPage1,Sunday19September:DrovefromRometoRosetoinfourhours(about180miles).Visitedwitha
cousin(namenotrecorded)ofEdCaffarina. ThenameofEd'sfather's,LiberatoreCaffarini's,churchwasSanta
Animo. (There isaS. Antimochurchin Roseto.) Stayedthreenights inRoseto. Pictureofthe interiorof the
churchtakenbyLenaattheendofthisappendix.
Diary Page 2, Monday 20 September: Visited again with Ed's cousin who took them to see Ed's father's house
wherehe(LiberatoreCaffarini)wasborn. AlsovisitedthecemeterywereEd'sgrandmotherwasburied. (Sheis
thewifeofDomencioCaffariniwhosenamewasnotrecorded).
DiaryPage3,Tuesday21September:Ed'scousinsaidtheownerofthemotelinRosetowheretheywerestaying
was related to Ed's family. Were given letters by Ed's cousins to deliver to relatives living on 66th Street
(Philadelphia?)andinBroomall.
Diary Page 4, Wednesday 22 September: Left Roseto and drove to Arielli, the hometown of Yolanda (nee
DiFabio)Palumbo'sfather,DanielDiFabio. TheyvisitedYolanda'saunt(namenotrecorded)whowaslivingin
thehousewhereDanielDiFabiowasborn.(ArielliintheProvienceofChieti,50milessouthofRoseto.Driving
timeabout1hour). LeftArielli anddroveto Ortonaandstayedat ahotelthere. Ortonais intheProvience of
Chieti,about12mileseastofArielli.
DiaryPage5,Thursday23September:DrovefromOrtonatoMontelapiano,adistanceof40milesandaboutan
hourdrivingtime.Metmanyrelative(namesnotrecorded).PictureofLena'sfather's,AntonioPalumbo's,house
attheendofthisappendix.
Diary Page 6, Thursday 23 September (continued): In Montelapiano. Stayed in the house of Lena's 2nd cousin
(namenotrecorded*). SawtheTownHall'smarriageregisterwithLena'sparent'ssignatures(wesawthe same
register on our trip in 2007). Relatives said Lena looked and talked like her mother's sister (who was Rosina
Ciampaglia).
DiaryPage7,Friday24September:InMontelapiano.HadbreakfastwithRose(maybeRosina,sisterofFortuna
Ciampaglia)andcoffeeathermother-in-law'shome(maybethemotherofRosina'shusband,FrancescoD'Amlio)
.LeftMontelapiano.Stoppedatamotelabout2hoursfromRome.
DiaryPage8,Saturday25September. LeftthemotelanddrovetotheRomeairportHolidayInn. Haddinnerat
theInnandpreparedfortheirreturnflightonSunday,26September,toPhiladelphia.
________________________________________________________________________
*2ndcousins'grandparents'aresiblings.Lena'smaternalgrandmotherisTeresaSambuco,butnoneofhersiblings
are known. Lena's paternal grandmother is Carolina D'Rienzo, but none of her siblings are known. Thus, the
nameofLena's2ndcousincannotbedetermined.

58

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63

64

65

66

St.AnitmoChurch,RosetoItaly
September1982

AntonioPalumbo'sHouse,Montelapiano,Italy
Inthedoorway,Antonio'schildren,VincentandLenaPalumbo

67