[Greco]

My great great grandfather, Rosario Greco, reported he came to Canada in 1891 in the 1901 Canada Census. He reported his birth year as 1856 and his name as Rosario Greco, his wife as Santa Christiana and their son as Frank Greco as having immigrated to canada in 1899.

Ellis Island records show a Rosario Greco in 1892 and family tradition holds that he did come from Italy to New York before heading north to Fort William.

In the 1911 census, he reported his name as George Ross, his wife as Mary Ross and his children as Frank Ross, Andrew Ross and Tony Ross (my great grandfather phillip antonio Greco). He reports his immigration date as 1888 and his birth year as 1858.

The family history says Rosario changed his name to George to avoid discrimination, start a new life and fit in better in Canada.

This name change was in my mind proven when I saw his son Frank's marraige certificate from 1919. Frank had written his father in as George Ross but later scribbled it out and wrote in Rosario Greco. He wrote his own name as Frank Ross but then crossed that out and put Greco.

Now my questions for you dear reader are:

1) Any ideas why the Ellis Island Arrival date would be one year later than his reported immigration date to Canada (besides the obvious maybe it was the wrong Rosario Greco)? The issue here is that in searching the Ellis Island Records, I found no other Rosario Greco near the date 1891 or 1888.

2) Any idea why he would report his age as two years old and his immigration year as three years earlier on the 1911 Census?

3) Were there some benefits Rosario would only have been eligible for if he immigrated in 1888?

4) were their any Italian laws for emmigrants that made 1888 important?

5) Why would he feel the need to change his name in Fort William, ON (later Thunder Bay) when the town was at that time out in the middle of nowhere and populated by a bunch of his country men working the coal mines?

I know the info is out there somewhere but I do not know where to look.

Thanks in advance for any help or insights you may have.

Other info:

Rosario's death certificate lists his parents as Fillipo Antonio Greco and Angela Ferraioule. Another death certificate in Thunder Bay showed the same parents. It was for Rosario's sister Elizabetta Greco who married into the Colosimo family.

Elizabetta crossed the border at Niagara Falls on her way to New York in 1920's. She was going to catch a ship to go back and visit Italy. On that border crossing card, she listed her hometown as Colosimi, Italy. The full proper name of Elizabetta's home is Colosimi, Consenza, Calabria, Italia.

[Greco]

All these documenst I found in archives Canada, T Bay archives, Ellis Island website as well as a historian from T Bay gave me the references for my family's history. Her name is Annie and she posts in the Greco Family geneology forum. You can see our convo there if interested. There was even an article in the Thunder Bay paper of me (just born 1979), my father James Ross, my grandfather Jim Ross and his father, my great grandfather, Philip Antonio Greco (Who went by Tony or Anthony Ross). The article was entitled 4 generations of Ross in Thunder Bay or something like that and was a piece on immigrants to the T Bay/rainy River district and some good old Italian pride. T Bay has a big Italian population.

[martin14]

Quote:

4) were their any Italian laws for emmigrants that made 1888 important?

It might help to know which part of Italy he moved out from.


Italy is not a monolithic country.

[Greco]

As I said earlier,

COLOSIMI, CONSENZA, CALABRIA, ITALIA

[Brenda]

Greco wrote:

read the post fully. or are you trolling?

That does not answer his question. The only place in Italy you have mentioned is Calabria, for someone who emigrated 30 years later.

Are YOU trolling?

[Greco]

Brenda wrote:

Greco wrote:

read the post fully. or are you trolling?

That does not answer his question. The only place in Italy you have mentioned is Calabria, for someone who emigrated 30 years later.

Are YOU trolling?

The name of the town is Colosimi

Lets not get off on the wrong foot

[Brenda]

Greco wrote:

As I said earlier,

COLOSIMI, CONSENZA, CALABRIA, ITALIA

That was someone else. A woman, named Elizabeth, crossing the border 30 years later.

Maybe, just maybe, you could adjust your attitude.

[RUEZ]

That's a fine way to ask for help.

[Brenda]

Greco wrote:

Brenda wrote:

Greco wrote:

read the post fully. or are you trolling?

That does not answer his question. The only place in Italy you have mentioned is Calabria, for someone who emigrated 30 years later.

Are YOU trolling?

The name of the town is Colosimi

Lets not get off on the wrong foot

I thought Colosimi was the last name of the family she married into.



I'm confused.

[martin14]

Arent we a polite one.


Nothing special for that region re famine, earthquake, war, cholera, etc. etc.

But the South has always been poor, millions of Italians left from the South.



Might want to rethink your responses to a simple question;
This is your stuff, not mine.

[Greco]

Elizabetta married Joseh Colosimo

The hometown she listed on the border crossing was Colosimi

[Greco]

okay you guys are right. Iwas being rude and I'm sorry.

I hope you will forgive me and choose to help.

[Greco]

martin14 wrote:

Quote:

4) were their any Italian laws for emmigrants that made 1888 important?

It might help to know which part of Italy he moved out from.


Italy is not a monolithic country.

Allow me to rephrase my initial response:

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I beleive Rosario's hometown was the same as his sister's, Colosimi.

[Greco]

martin14 wrote:

Arent we a polite one.


Nothing special for that region re famine, earthquake, war, cholera, etc. etc.

But the South has always been poor, millions of Italians left from the South.



Might want to rethink your responses to a simple question;
This is your stuff, not mine.

Thanks for the response. I was aware that millions of Italians left.

You are right that I should not take a simple question the wrong way. You see, when I post on forums I sometimes get people asking me questions I believed I answered already very cleary in an attempt to troll me. What seemed obvious to me however may not have been obvious to the initial responder.



Of course you are right that this is my stuff. I am in an extremely excited mood right now because this stuff is the most important thing to me (besides my family). So sometimes I act selfish and assume it is everyone else's biggest priority as well. I am only human and like so many others I am my most important person.

[Greco]

Brenda wrote:

Greco wrote:

read the post fully. or are you trolling?

That does not answer his question. The only place in Italy you have mentioned is Calabria, for someone who emigrated 30 years later.

Are YOU trolling?

No I am really not. Just desperate to get answers. Really I need to take my time. Family research takes years.

Thanks for your help so far