Gibellina Society
The Polito, Cascio, Ippolito Story
by "John
Polito" <gib4trap@swbell.net>
This Society is dedicated to our ancestors who
were born or lived in Gibellina, Trapani Province, Sicily, Italy. The purpose
of the Society is to share information about Gibellina and our ancestors
so that others might also learn more about their families also.
Pleaase consider contributing information or links
to home pages with Gibellina surnames, Gibellina information, pictures
of Gibellina ancestors and the city. See Joe Guirreri's address below.
- September 19,1998 By John Polito # (2129) & Teresa J. Polito
- This article is dedicated to my father, ANTONIO (TONY) POLITO. He was
the first American-born child of Sicilian immigrants. When he was five,
his father died of influenza epidemic in 1918, which forced him to become
the man of the house, helping his mother, Margarita, raise him and his
two sisters. As a young man, he became a boxer and did many other odd jobs
to raise money for the family. As an adult, he did construction and foundry
work. This article is also dedicated to his sisters, Elizabeth, who died
at the age 34 of Hodgkin's Disease, and Margaret.
- It is also dedicated to my grandparents, JOSEPH POLITO and MARGARET
(CASCIO) POLITO and to my great-grandparents, FILIPPO CASCIO (CASHIO) and
ELIZABETH (BONINO) CASCIO (CASHIO) and ANTONIO IPPOLITO and MARGARITA (CALAMIA)
IPPOLITO. A special dedication to my great-uncle AUGUSTINO (AGOSTINO) IPPOLITO,
for whom I have searched for many years.And our youngest son carries part
of his name and that being CHRISTOPHER JOHN - AUGUSTINO POLITO.
- The Cascio Family
- FILIPPO CASCIO was born in 1856. His parents were LEONARDO CASCIO and
ANTOINETTE (BONANNO) CASCIO. ELIZABETH BONINO was born in 1863. Her parents
were CARLO BONINO AND MARGARITA (BUNNELLO)or {BONNELLO} BONINO. Filippo
and Elizabeth were married in 1882. A daughter, ANTOINETTE CASCIO, was
born in 1883 and died ion 1891. A second daughter, MARAGARITA CASCIO, was
born in 1886, she died in 1888, A third daughter MARGARITA CASCIO, was
born in 1889. In 1892 a son, LEONARDO CASCIO, was born. Another son, CARLO
CASCIO, was believed to have been born and died between 1900-1902. The
last child born to this family was ANTOINETTE (LENA) CASCIO, born in America
in 1904. On October 20,1902, the first immigrant of the Cascio family entered
the port of New Orleans. He was FILIPPO CASCIO (45) and with him was his
daughter, MARGARITA CASCIO (12) and son LEONARDO CASCIO (9).
- Arriving on the same ship as GIUSSEPPE IPPOLITO (14). It is not known
if Giusseppe was acquainted with the CASCIO family. They all came from
Gibellina (Trapani) Sicily and arrived on the S.S. Algeria, which was of
the Cunard line. Giusseppe was met by his father ANTONIO IPPOLITO (45),
who is believed to have arrived four years earlier (October 25,1898) on
the S.S. Bolivia of the Anchor Line. FILIPPO CASCIO was a gardener for
a private homes in his earlier years in America. It is believed that he
was once a sheep herder in Gibellina. On October 7,1910, SALVATORE BONINO
(44) arrived in America. Salvatore was the brother of Filippo Cascio's
wife, ELIZABETH (BONINO) CASCIO. The Cascio family first settled in Lutcher,
Louisiana, working on plantations such as Mount Airy Plantation. The Census
of 1920 shows Flilippo and Elizabeth Cascio to be on this plantation, along
with their American born daughter, LENA (ANTOINETTE) CASCIO, who was born
March 26,1904, in Gramacy, Louisiana. The family moved westward and settled
in Los Angeles, California, about 1925. Leonardo remained a bachelor until
his death at the age of 83 in 1975. Lena married PETER FIEDA on June 29,
1930, and they had three children: ANTOINETTE FIEDA, NICK FIEDA, AND ELIZABETH
FIEDA. Lean passed away at the age of 79 in 1983. In California, the name
was spelled CASHIO. ELIZABETH (BONINO) CASCIO died on January 26,1933.
It is said that she longed to return to her native home of Gilbellina.
FILIPPO CASCIO died on March 16,1938. Both are buried in Los Angeles, California.
- The Ippolito Family
- Sicilian records show that the parents of ANTONIO IPPOLITO were GIUSSEPPE
IPPOLITO and IGNAZIA DI GIOVANNI. These same records show that the parents
of MARGARITA CALAMIA were NUNZIO CALAMIA and MARIA BONINO. Antonio married
margarita in 1880. Of this marriage a daughter, IGNAZIA IPPOLITO, was born
and died in 1881, followed by IGNAZIA IPPOLITO (1882) and GIUSSEPPE, who
was born and died in 1884. In 1888 their second son was born and also was
given the name GIISSEPPE IPPOLITO. Other children were NUNZIO IPPOLITO
(1890), MARIA IPPOLITO (1892) died 1896 and AUGUSTINO (AGOSTINO) IPPOLITO
(1895) As stated earlier, Antonio came to America in October 1898, and
his son, Giusseppe arrived in 1902. On October 13,1908, Antonio's wife,
MARGARITA (CALAMIA) IPPOLITO (48) and another son, AUGUSTINO (AGOSTINO)
IPPOLITO (13) arrived on the S.S. Liguria.
- The Ippolito - Cascio Family
- On April 8,1905, GIUSSEPPE IPPOLITO, now 17, and MARGARITA CASCIO,
now 15, were married in what, at the time, was called Washispago, Louisiana.
Three children were born of this marriage: MARGARITA (MARGARET) POLITO
(MARCH 3,1909, in Lutcher, Louisiana), ELIZABETH POLITO (January 13,1911,
also in Lutcher, Louisiana) and ANTONIO (TONY) POLITO (February 11,1913,
in Garyville, Louisiana). GIUSSEPPE IPPOLITO, the father of this family,
made his living by working on the railroad in Garyville. It is believed
that he worked on the Garyville Northern Railroad, which was owned by the
Lyon Cypress Lumber Company. The Company made some changes in 1915, costing
men jobs. Because of this, sometime between 1915 and 1918, Giusseppe moved
his family to Kansas City, Mo. where he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad
until his death in 1918 of the influenza epidemic that hit the country.
Giusseppe's brother, AUGUSTINO (AGOSTINO) IPPOLITO, was said to have come
to his brothers funeral, but nothing is known of him since that time. It
is not known if he ( perhaps along with his parents) may have returned
to Gibellina, where there were other brothers and sisters. In 1997 W.W.I.
records were found showing that Agostino Ippolito went into W.W.I. from
Kansas City MO. in 1918 he was living at 1105 E. Missouri Ave.. Kansas
City, MO. With his discharge in May of 1919 he went to Louisiana his wife
was Bridget Giuffre Ippolito. They had three children Margaret, Anthony,
and Vincent. Agostino died February 16,1980. Margarita, Guisseppe's wife,
raised three children MARGARET, ELIZABETH, AND ANTHONY (TONY) alone. Her
daughter Margaret married FRANK CASCAIRO on January 30,1929. They had three
children: AGNES, JOHN, AND JOSEPH. Following in her mothers footsteps,
Margaret was forced to raise her children alone when she became a widow
with her husbands Frank's passign at the age of 26 in 1934. Margarita's
second daughter, Elizabeth, married ANTONIO SANTORO in 1930. They had one
child, FLORENCE SANTORO, who died at six months of age of meningitis, and
a second child PHYLLIS SANTORO. Elizabeth passes away at the age of 34
in 1945. Margarita's son, Tony, married FINIS ELIZABETH CROSS in 1951 and
they had two sons, JOSEPH POLITO and JOHN POLITO. Tony passed away at the
age of 68 in 1982. Margarita died on November 2, 1960. With the passing
of Leonard Cascio in 1975, the surname CASCIO has faded from the family
here in America, but there are many CASCIO descendants bearing other names.
The IPPOLITO surname has been shortened to POLITO, and there are many descendants
carrying that surname forward. IPPOLITO is however still carried by descendants
in Louisiana of Agostino Ippolito. This is not the end.
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