The Riccia Clans

Fanell / Fanelli  -  Santella  -  Ponderendolph / Pantelandolpho  - Evangelisto

All of these families were from  Riccia, Campobasso, Molise, Italy which is northeast of Naples very near the Adriatic Sea. Domenico Fanelli came to this country in about 1901 at the age of sixteen. The oral history says that he was living with his grandfather who mistreated him ( another story says that he hit his grandfather with a hoe) so his brothers sold a horse and sent him to America where he walked to New Jersey and found work in a truck garden. But not being able to speak English, he got into trouble and left ( he may have bit the farm owners ear off is another version). He then walked west until he came to Crabtree, PA which is about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Being cold and seeing the coke ovens he went there to warm up. He heard men speaking his Italian dialect and one of then,  Joseph Santella, took him to his farm. Since these people were from his home town in Italy he probably knew about where they lived. At the age of eighteen he got Joseph's oldest daughter,  Philomena "Minnie" Santella, pregnant and my mother, Mary Fanell, was born in 1905. Near this time Minnie's mother, Incoronate Ponderendolph, died and Minnie who was aged thirteen and the oldest child in the family eventually raised her three siblings and thirteen of her own children and and later cared for four or five grandsons, for a time, after my mother died in 1932. Needless to say that Minnie ruled with an iron hand until the day she died in 1981 at the age of 89. Dominic died in 1940 at the age of 55.  My Aunt Catherine, until her death a few years ago, lived on that part of the farm overlooking the barn where my mother and probably my oldest brother were conceived, and most likely several others.

Antonio Evangelisto and his daughter Mary Evangelisto were my god parents and I did stay with them after my mothers death until my father relocated to the nearby village of Luxor. Tony was the husband of Anna Congette Santella, my great aunt.  Anna was the daughter of Guiseppi "Joseph" Santella and Incoronate Pantelandolpho, my great grand parents.   -  Dominic Noel

Those who are buried at St. Vincent's, Latrobe, PA are:

Santella, Caroline M. 1903-1963
Santella, Daniel 1898-1963
Santella, Frank A. 1899-1997
Santella, Incoronata 1865-1905
Santella, Joseph 1863-1934
Santella, Mary I. 1915-

Ponderendolph, Anthony 1929-1954
Ponderendolph, Joseph 1891-1972
Ponderendolph, Mary 1906-19??
Ponderendolph, Michael 1860-1946
Ponderendolph, Philomena 1864-1946

                             Others may be at Calvary Cemetery, Unity Township, Westmoreland County, PA



 Riccia, Campobasso, Molise, Italy
 

          Registration Europe Film Area
 
 

        RECORDS AT THE FAMILY

               HISTORY CENTER
 

Riccia (Campobasso).  Ufficio dello stato civile.
Stato civile, 1809-1910. -- Salt Lake City: Filmati dalla Genealogical
Society of Utah, 1984 - 1991. -- in 51 bobine di microfilm; 35mm.

                                                                             Microfilm dei registri originali nell'Archivio di Stato, Campobasso.
                                                                             Births, deaths, miscellaneous documents, marriages, banns, marriage
                                                                             documents, citizenship records Include indici annuali.

                Nati    1809-1816               1331924, item 2-5.
                Nati    1817-1825               1331925
                Nati    1826-1834               1331926
                Nati    1835-1842               1331927
                Nati    1843-1850               1331928
                Nati    1851-1857               1331929
                Nati    1857-1865               1331930
                Nati    1865                           1331931  

                Morti, diversi  1809-1814                               1422625, item 5-6.
                Morti, diversi  1815-1826                               1422626
                Morti, diversi  1827-1837                               1422669
                Morti, diversi  1838-1846                               1422670
                Morti, diversi  1844-1854                               1422671
                Morti, diversi  1855-1861, 1863-1864      1422672
                Morti, diversi  1862, 1865                               1422673, item 1.

                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1809-1816               1608423, item 4-5.
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1816-1821               1608424
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1821-1824               1608425
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1824-1827               1608641
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1827-1831               1608642
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1831-1838               1608643
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1837-1840               1608644
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1841-1843               1608645
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1843-1847               1608853
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1847-1849               1608854
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1849-1851               1608855
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1851-1855               1608856
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1855-1856               1608857
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1856-1858               1608858
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1859-1861               1608859
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1861-1864               1618298
                Matrimoni, publicazione, processetti    1864-1865               1618299, item 1-2.

                Nati    1866-1868               1761861, item 3-4.
                Nati    1869-1874               1761892
                Nati    1875-1880               1761893
                Nati    1881-1885               1761894
                Nati    1886-1890               1761895
                Nati    1891-1896               1761896
                Nati    1897-1903               1761897
                Nati    1904-1910               1762068

                Pubblicazioni   1866-18743                               1762069
                Pubblicazioni   1874-1886                                  1762070
                Pubblicazioni   1887-1900, 1906-1907         1762071

                                                                    Matrimoni               1866-1881                             1762072
                                                                    Matrimoni               1881-1885, 1887-1898    1762073
                                                                    Matrimoni               1899-1910                             1762074
                                                                    Cittadinanze    1869-1910
                                                                    Morti           1866-1867
                                                                    Morti           1868-1876                       1762075
                                                                    Morti           1877-1885                       1762076
                                                                    Morti           1886-1895                       1762077
                                                                    Morti           1896-1908                       1762078
                                                                    Morti           1909-1910                       1762079, item 1-2.
                                                                    Indici          1866-1885