Roots Detective: 9/7/08

With the help of a great Italian genealogy website I was able to find the marriage record index for Italia Guarini (the Aunt who died in the Spanish Influenza outbreak in 1918). I found out that she was married to Nicolo Muscara and they lived on 181 Bay 17th St, Brooklyn, NY. After finding her married last name I was able to find her death record. I ordered the record online at the NY Dept. of Health Archives. The record was in fact for Italia Guarini Muscara. She died of influenza on Oct. 26, 1918. She was only 23 years old. She is buried at St. John's Cemetery in NY. I also searched for records for Nicolo Muscara. His WWI registration record showed the same address and showed that he was married with two children. It turns out that the names of the children were Concetta and Mary. There is evidence in the 1920 census that two small girls, Concetta and Mary Muscara were wards of a Catholic orphanage in Westchester NY, Dobbs Ferry. I can only assume that those two girls are Italia's orphans. They are listed in the 1930 census but Nicolo appears to be married with several more children by then and living in Nassau County, NY. So now, I am adding another surname to my family tree. Any Muscara's are welcome to comment on these findings.