NameAngelina Maria Caterina Margherita CHIESA 71,347
Birth16 Nov 1813, Romaggi, Italy71
Death15 Aug 1896, Cor Alt Miss, Atlantic City, Atlantic Co., New Jersey
Burial16 Dec 1896, Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, Pennsylvania
FatherGiacomo CHIESA (1786-~1846)
MotherAngela Maria NOCE (~1786-~1846)
Spouses
Birth14 Oct 1815, Romaggi, Italy71
Deathabt 1857, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania71
OccupationMusician; Grocer/ Gardener; Macaroni Maker
FatherGiovanni Battista RAGGIO (1765-~1825)
MotherAnna Maria RAGGIO (1777-~1837)
Marriage20 Oct 1835, Romaggi, Italy71
ChildrenAngela Maria (1836-1891)
 Maddalena (1838-1903)
 Antonio (ca1842-~1902)
 Angelina (ca1844-~1904)
 Maria Nicoletta (1846-~1906)
 Antonietta (ca1846-~1906)
 Rosa (<1848-~1908)
 Catherine (1853-1923)
Notes for Angelina Maria Caterina Margherita CHIESA
DEATH: Died from heat stroke, 4 day duration. Widow at time of death. Living at 1151 Charles Street in Philadelphia at time of death. Attended by A. W. Baily, MD.348

BURIAL: Buried in Holy Cross cemetery, section 3, range 2, lot 2, on 12/16/1896, four months after her death in Atlantic City. It is noteworthy that the cemetery records list interments on the same date, in the same lot for the following: Sebastian Ravani, John Raggio, and John Ravani. Angeline Arata, infant daughter of John and Theresa Arata was also interred on this date in lot 4. She was buried 7/15/1895 (Phila. City Archives, cert. 1223, 1895). The undertaker for Angelina's burial was J. Gormley, Atlantic City, NJ.

Angelina’s surname was derived from the baptismal record of her daughter, Catherine. Catherine was baptized at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Boston, MA, on 25 Jun 1853. Her parents were John Rogers (Raggio) and wife, Angelina Keiser. The spelling of “Keiser” is speculative.71

The Letter of Administration for Angelina, dated Sep 1896, lists only the following as heirs and next of kin (exactly as written):
Maddalina Ravani, daughter, Philadelphia, Pa
Rosa Raggio, daughter, Philadelphia, Pa,
Catalina Arata, daughter, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Antonietta Malatesta, daughter, Atlantic City, New Jersey
John Antonio Raggio, grandson, Vineland, New Jersey
Children of Maria Castagnetto, dec'd, daughter, Mariposa County, California

Alias surnames: Rogers, Rodgers and Keiser71
Notes for Giovanni (John) T. (Spouse 1)
John T. Raggio was often known as John Rogers. He worked as a musician in Boston and Philadelphia, and later as a grocer in Philadelphia. He is also believed to have been a macaroni manufacturer in Boston. He is listed in the 1850 federal population census, living in Boston with thirty-seven other musicians from Genoa. There is a John Raggio, musician, listed in the Philadelphia City Directory in 1851.
John T. Raggio purchased a three-story tenement and store at 619 Federal Street - Northeast corner of Charles and Federal streets, Philadelphia, PA, - for $2400 in 1854. John T. Raggio purchased a brick end-of-row house at 1151 Charles (South Marshall) Street, Philadelphia, PA, in 1855 for $750. This house was located directly behind the Raggio building on the northeast corner of Federal and Charles streets, and was occupied by his widow, Angelina, until her death in 1896.
John T. Raggio died without a will. Angelina declared she was his wife and filed the Letters of Administration on 18 Feb 1857.71

Immigration: About 1848
Alias surnames: Rogers and Rodgers71

PIER FELICE TORRE, the man who provided the information below is an acquaintance of Jeanne Torre (Pointers) of California. He has transcribed many church records in the villages near Romaggi.
This genealogical research (shown below) has been carried out, exclusively by consulting the registers that are kept in the Parish Archive of S.Maria Assunta di Certenoli from 1585 to 1795 and the registers of S. Michele di Romaggi from 1795 to 1850 and by verifying the information found. We must also advise that several pages of the Christening registers are missing, some are very hardly readable and that there are no registrations of marriages or deaths between 9/1674 and 6/1680 while the age indicated in the death registrations are very often very approximate.71

RAGGIO John T.
GIOVANNI
son of G.B. of G.B. of Antonio of Lazzaro of Antonio
b. 1815 10 14 in Romaggi.
d. .
X Matr. 1835 10 20 in Romaggi
CHIESA ANGELINA (also Maria Caterina Margherita) daughter of Giacomo of Giuseppe
n. 1813 11 16
m.
SONS and DAUGHTERS
Angela Maria b. 1836 10 24 d.
Maddalena b. 1838 07 30 d.
G.B. b. 1841 03 30 d.
Maria Nicoletta b. 1846 06 06 d.

Ancestors of Giovanni (John) T. RAGGIO and Angelina CHIESA: Research by PIER FELICE TORRE
Pier Felice Torre
Salita Castello, 1-2
16040 Calvari (GE)
Italy

Egregi Signori,

Thank you for your generous offer to examine the church records for
information on the family of John T. Raggio, my 2nd great grandfather. I am
also including the family of John B. Raggio who may be related. Both
families appear to be related based on evidence in baptismal and citizenship
records in the United States.

The Raggio families helped establish the Italian colonies and churches in
the United States and were among the earliest immigrants. In the year 1996,
I counted 300 Raggio listings in telephone directories throughout the United
States. California is home to the largest number (81), followed by
Louisiana, Texas and New York.

I will be happy to reimburse you and the church for any reasonable expense
in searching and recording these records. The relationship among the Raggio
families in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century has been a
problem for researchers, and your help is welcomed. If you wish to
communicate with me over the Internet in the Italian language, my computer
is equipped with a translator that will enable me to read your messages.
Unless you tell me otherwise, I will send my messages to you in both English
and Italian.

Distinti saluti,
Louis Arata

Don:
Here are more links in the Raggio family chain. The family group record
for "John T." Giovanni Raggio shows your Maria Raggio born in Romaggi on
October 24, 1836. This agrees with your records - however, she not born in
Rapallo. Also, please note that her mother's surname is Chiesa, not Keiser.
The records in Boston showed her name listed as both Keiser on my great
grandmothers baptismal record, and Chiesa on her daughter Rose's record. I
suppose when she pronounced her name it may have sounded like Keiser. Chiesa
is common to this area.

The records pertaining to John B. Raggio were obtained because I believed he
was related to John T. - obviously not. They were contemporaries in
Philadelphia.

The man who provided this information is an acquaintance of Jeanne Torre
(Pointers) of California. He has transcribed many church records in the
villages near Romaggi and I find that I have Torres in my ancestry too!

Hope this helps fill in more blanks.

Best regards,
Lou Arata
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: "laratajr" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 7:29 AM
Subject: Re:Raggio Ancestors


Dear Mr: Arata


I am pleased to be able to personally notice your letter dated 9th December,
after having do it through Jeanne Torre, and answer your e-mail of the 11th
of this month. Your thoughts on the relationship between Maria Caterina,
Carlotta and Ottaviano Torre were quite correct. In the photo at the
"Ecomuseum" I am hidden by the "heads" in the first line!

The attachment has all I could find in the registers of Romaggi and
Certenoli on the ancestors of John T and John B and also on Angelina Chiesa.
I have no news of Devoto Maria probably born in Celesia. John T. seems to
have more children than those indicated by you on the list: they may of died
here very young, but for the moment I am not able to look at the death
registrations of Romaggi. When I trace further information I'll let you
know.
Do ask should you need any explanations on the information I sent.
Thank you once more for the offering you sent for the church of Certenoli.
For the work carried out by me now, I personally ask nothing for myself. Of
great help would be an offering for the Church of Romaggi, a real beauty of
architecture and paintings of the 1700,s that is in need of restoration.
Works that the actual 49 residents cannot afford to carry out by themselves.

My best regards.
Calvari, 24 febbraio 2003.
PIER FELICE TORRE
Last Modified 17 Nov 2003Created 17 Jan 2012 using Reunion for Macintosh