Many thanks to Paul Deame for his efforts in compiling and reporting this data. If anyone has anything to add, please send information/pictures/etc. to Don Deambrogio. Please click on the pictures for enlargements. For more photos click here.
The Deame (Deambrogio) family traces its heritage to a small town in northwest Italy named Popolo in a district called Casale. The Monferrato District of Casale is a nearby city of 40,000 inhabitants on the Po River and contains many abbeys, churches & castles dating back to the tenth century. Casale is a remote agricultural area of hills and valleys with occasional towns loosely connected by small roads and within sight of the Alps.
The Deambrogio family can trace its heritage back to Mattia Deambrogio born about 1780 who had a son Domenico born around 1805 in Casale Popolo. Domenico married Maria Gilardino and had a son Mattia in 1829, in Popolo. Mattia married Marcherita Miglietta and had a son Carlo in 1857, all living in Popolo.
Mattia (Matthew) Deambrogio circa 1857
Carlo Deambrogio married Teresa Dorato in Casale Monferrato, and raised three children in Popolo. The oldest, Pietro, was born in 1884 and married Luigia Venturino in Casale Monferrato. They also lived in Popolo, raising three children. Carlo, born in 1906, Marina and Francesco before sailing for the USA (dad left in 1911 to work and save for his wife and children's trip in 1913). Edward was born in Connecticut while Francis and Josephine were born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. [A little footnote on Francis Deame--He was a career Navy man who was at Pearl Harbor on Dec.7,1941. His ship, the West Virginia, was sunk and he swam ashore. He suffered cuts on his arms and legs from the sharp coral. The next ship was the Arizona!] Josephine is the only living member of that family and lives in Albuquerque New Mexico (baby Francesco died as a two year old in 1912).
Luigia, Pietro, Carl, Eddie & Marina 1914
Pietro sailed to the USA on 12/5/1911 from LeHavre France on the ship Chicago and settled in Bolton, Connecticut. Luigia, Carlo and Marina sailed on the LaProvence from LeHavre on 6/7/1913 and joined Pietro in Connecticut.
Edward, Marina, Francis & Carl
Carl Deambrogio married Edith Kay in Manhasset, New York and raised three boys. Carl Jr. was born in Mineola New York in 1927, Paul in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1930 and David was born in 1934, also in Pittsfield.
Edith, Carl, Carl Jr., Paul & David 1935
The Deame name was a result of an "anglicizing" of the Deambrogio name in 1932, as Carl Deame legally changed his name. During that time frame foreign-born citizens either stayed in their communities, speaking their language, worshipping in their churches, using their schools and stores and marrying someone in that community or changing their name to disguise their heritage or religion, and move to another location to find work reserved for "White Americans".
