About The Original Blog

First, I hope that all of those family members That I have badgered to get photos and information understand that I am not being a pain in the neck just for my own amusement. I want this to be a resource for your future generations. As I have no children, this is really for all of you that share my heritage if not my name. I have found it a privilege to know each and every one of you, and am so happy to have known so many of the people in this work, even if it was only briefly in some cases. Those I do not know or do not know well, live as long as my memory holds out in stories told by my elders, and I hope that this site will help you all to live on in others' memories and pride of heritage. We are a wonderful, weird, funny and interesting family.


This site contains only photographs. It is better for the original blog to do this separately as the original's flow will be better. Please remember that I can only do so much of this without your help. Please make sure that you send all your old family photos to me as soon as possible in order to preserve them for future generations. The originals will all fade away, but as long as we can get people to maintain this site when I am gone or to transfer them all to new formats as the technology changes, they can be available to generations in the future. Please help me with photos, stories and biographies to be posted on the sites. This photo is me on the quay at Santa Marina Salina where I first came home.

Rosa Cusalito and Giuseppe Cafarella

Giuseppe 1840 - 1923 Rosa 1846 - 1942

Father and mother of the six Cafarella brothers and Sister Josephine See her sister late in the blog Caterina Cusalito. This is seen spelled Cusalito, Cusolito and Cusilito on different documents.

Rosa Cusolito and Maria Giuseppa Cafarella

Rosa and her daughter Josephine.(Maria Giuseppina) Josephine never married. She was quite tall as was her brother Tony.

Bert, Tony, Frank, Joseph, Tom and John Cafarella

Tom(Gaetano) was the first to arrive in New York in 1899. He continued north to the Boston area. The others arrived later as did the parents and Josephine.

Standing left to right: Bartolomeo(Bartolo or Bert), Antonio(Tony), Francesco(Frank). Seated left to right: Giuseppe(Joseph), Gaetano(Tom) and Giovanni(John)(My grandfather)

Gaetano Cafarella arrives in New York

1899

The Six Brothers Pose 2

Left to right standing: Giuseppe(Joseph)(murdered in his store in 1924), Bartolo(meo)(Bert), Gaetano(Tom), Antonio(Tony)notice he is slumped down so as not to tower over the others), Giovanni(John) and seated is Francesco(Frank).
I never saw this version till just the last few years. I had to work on this a lot as there was a large scratch across it.

Three Brothers out of the six

Frank, Bert and Tony

Francesco 1883-1949

Bartolo(meo) 1876-1948

Antonio 1888-1983

This too was new to me until a few years ago.

Maria Giuseppa Cafarella

May 25, 1891- Malfa, Salina - March 15, 1984 Malden, Ma.

Josephine was tall. Can you tell? I am not sure if this picture was in Salina or here in Malden somewhere. Quite romantic looking.

Josephine and Tony Cafarella

I think everyone in the family loved to garden to some extent. Many had grapes, perhaps it was in their blood. Neither ever married.

Tony and his sister Josephine Cafarella

This is more the time period I knew them, but I would have been pretty small.

Antonio Cafarella and his cousin Tom Sangiolo

Antonio Cafarella 1888 - Malfa, Salina - 1983 -Malden, Ma.

There is some debate as to whether this is Tom or some other sibling. It is marked on the back, Tony Cafarella and his cousin Sangiolo. Tony is seated.
Anerio Cincotta recently confirmed that this is Tom Sangiolo.