Children of Michelarcangelo and Maria Giuseppa

Michelarcangelo Ambruso and Maria Giuseppa Iula had six children.  Information on these children was compiled by searching microfilm town records from Salandra available through the Latter Day Saints genealogy library, and through written request directly to the town clerk in Salandra.

Francesco Domenico was the first son.  He was born in Salandra in 1845; two years after MIchele and Maria were married.  As was the custom in those days, he was named after Michele’s father, who was also named Francesco Domenico.  Francesco married Giovanna Maria Garaguso in Salandra in 1870.  Francesco, later called Frank, was the first Salandra Ambruso to come to America.  He and Giovanna, later called Jeanie or Jennie, came to America and settled in Philadelphia.  Giovanna gave birth to 9 children, but only three grew to adulthood.  Descendants of Frank and Jennie still live in the Philadelphia area today.

Records show that Michele and Maria then had a son named Michele with no middle name.  Michele Ambruso was born in Salandra in 1847.  He married Antonia Maria Lauria in 1872.  Michele had three daughters and one son.  It is not clear whether Michele ever came to the United States.  It is very unusual that this second son was named after his father and not his mother's father, as would be the naming convention at the time.  Maria's father's name was Francesco Antonio.  Perhaps they were just trying to avoid confusion since they couldn't name both sons Francesco.  But why not name him Antonio?  Did it have something to do with possible bad relations with Maria's father?  We will probably never know.

We don't know if Michele's daughters came to America, but his son, also named Michele, did come to America and settled in the Hartford area.

Michelarcangelo and Maria Giuseppa then had two daughters: Angela Maria (b:1850) and Anna Maria (b:1853), named for their grandmothers, but for some reason, in reverse order of the common naming convention (?).  Angela married Donatantonio Notarfrancesco (How’s that for a name?) in Salandra in 1870, and Anna married Francesco Daria in Salandra in 1878.  We have no indications that they ever came to the United States. 

The next child was Giuseppe Maria.  He was born in 1855.  He married Maria Giuseppa DiDeo in Salandra in 1883.  He followed his older brother to Philadelphia and all of his six children and most of their children settled in the greater Philadelphia area.

Rocco Vincenzo was the youngest child of Michele and Maria.  He was born in 1858.  He married Pasquarosa Corrado in Salandra in 1885.  They had 10 children.  They settled in New Jersey and the New York City area.