Marriages & Families – Michael and Catherine Ambruso

Engagement Photo
Michael and Catherine  (1897)

Michele (Michael) Ambruso was born in Salandra in 1874.  He was the first son of Francesco and Giovanna so he was named after his paternal grandfather.  So were three of his first cousins, one of which was my grandfather.  All four Michael’s traveled to the United States and settled there.  (See my blog article from May 10, 2013 entitled: “the Four Michaels”.)  According to U.S. Census records, Michael came to America with his mother, sister and younger brother in about 1885, although the actual ships’ passenger manifest is yet to be found. 

He lived with his parents at 712 South Mildred Street in Philadelphia.  He married Caterina Di Biase in Philadelphia in 1898.  On the 1900 census she gave her name as “Kate".  Michael and Catherine had a large family.  They had ten children, nine of which lived to adulthood.  The list of their children with their year of birth is as follows:  Francis “Frank” 1900, Victor “David” 1902, Leonardo “Leonard” 1904 (died 1907), Vincenzo “James” 1906, Mary Jane 1908, Leonard 1910, Frances 1912, Salvadore 1914, Carmela 1915, Michael Victor 1917.  According to the latest count, there are 45 direct descendants of Michael and Catherine alive today.

About 1917, Michael bought the property at 812 Bainbridge St. which was just up the street at the corner of South Mildred and Bainbridge, and opened a grocery store.  Michael was a grocer at that location for the rest of his life.