The Radice Family
of San Fele.
From San Fele to Washington, D.C., 1880–1910.
The story of Donato and Rosa Radice, their eleven children, and how the family came from San Fele to America.
Read the story ↗See the family tree →✦RADICE · FABRIZIO
The Radice and Fabrizio families
The Radice and Fabrizio families
ITALIA2,850FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL
San FeleNaplesNew YorkWashington, D.C.
01 / THE FAMILY TREE
The family tree
Start with the direct line from Donato to Pop to Big George. The full tree brings the Italian families together, one generation at a time.
SAN FELE · MARRIED 1876
m. 1876
Their son Domenico was known as Pop.
WASHINGTON · MARRIED 1910
m. 1910
Their son Daniel was known as Big George.
WASHINGTON · MARRIED 1940
m. 1940
Living family members are not shown.
02 / THE CROSSING
Coming to America
The Radice family came over a few at a time between 1890 and 1905. Francesco Fabrizio had arrived earlier.
SS ALLER · AN ATLANTIC PASSAGE
- c. 1880
Francesco Fabrizio
[family research] Came from San Fele through the port of Naples.
- 1890AGE 11
Pietro “Peter” Radice
[family research] Crossed alone at 11, the first of the children to leave.
- 1898AGE 14
Saverio “Sam” Radice
[family research] Followed in 1898, age 14.
- 1902AGE 16 · SS ALLER
Domenico “Pop” Radice
[record] From Naples to New York.
Ellis Island index: 19 Nov; his petition: 15 Nov. - 190410 MARCH · AGE 15 · KÖNIGIN LUISE
Vito Vincenzo Radice
[record] Arrived from Naples a year before his mother.
- 190521 APRIL · SS GALLIA
Rosa & three of her children
[record] Rosa came with Francesco, Mamie and Antonio, joining Pietro and Saverio in Washington. The manifest lists their ages as 45, 14, 9 and 5.
- 19396 JANUARY · WASHINGTON
Big George & Peggy meet
[family papers] Daniel Radice met Laurel Katherine “Peggy” Taylor on a blind date.
- 19406 JANUARY
Big George & Peggy marry
[family papers] They married exactly one year after their first date.
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE PERIOD
New York and Washington, D.C.
Two views from the years the family came to America.
Ellis Island
Ellis Island’s immigration station, 1905.
A. Loeffler. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania Avenue, looking from the U.S. Treasury toward the Capitol, c. 1902.
William Henry Jackson / Detroit Publishing Co. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.03 / DOMENICO’S BROTHERS & SISTERS
Domenico’s brothers and sisters
The children of Donato Maria Radice and Rosa Fortannascere, married in San Fele on 16 November 1876.
ALL BORN IN SAN FELE, ITALYKnow more about
any of them?
Get in touch ↗SAN FELE FAMILY NAMES
Radice · Fortannascere · Lorenzo · Frascella · Fabrizio · Pietropinto · Ricigliano · Gerardi
04 / THE RECORDS
Family records
Birth, naturalization and immigration documents, family recipe cards, and arrival details from passenger indexes.
Arrival details
UNITED STATES · NATURALIZATION
Naturalization certificate, 1923
Domenico became a United States citizen on 8 January 1923, more than twenty years after arriving in New York.
RECORD DETAILS 1923 / 08
- Name on record
- Dominick Antonio RadiceRecord
- Certificate
- No. 1759348Record
- Citizenship
- 8 January 1923Record
- Residence
- Washington, D.C.Record
- Description
- 5 feet 3 inches; brown eyes; brown hair; scar on left cheekRecord
- Former allegiance
- King Victor Emmanuel IIIRecord
Each detail is marked by its source. Interpretations are readings of the evidence, not established facts. This is not a full verbatim transcription.
USCIS Genealogy Program · case GEN-10308143. Original scan supplied by the family.
05 / THE PHOTO ARCHIVE
Family photos
Photographs from the family collection.
See all photos ↗The full collection includes 25 photographs and record scans, with dates, captions and credits. See all photos ↗
RECIPE
Nonna’s Sauce
The handwritten family recipe, its seasoning list and a version for cooking today.
06 / SAN FELE TODAY
San Fele today
San Fele is a mountain village in Basilicata, in the province of Potenza.
The Radice name in San Fele today ↓
THE VILLAGE
The village
A mountain village in the province of Potenza, set among the hills of Basilicata.
MADONNA DI PIERNO · 15 AUGUST
Madonna di Pierno festival, 15 August
The festival takes place at the Madonna di Pierno sanctuary on 15 August.
LE CASCATE DI SAN FELE
The San Fele waterfalls
Woodland paths lead to the waterfalls known locally as U Uattënniérë.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Plan a visit.
Begin with San Fele’s official visitor information.
SAN FELE TODAY
The Radice name in San Fele today
In San Fele stands a bronze Monument to Lucanian Emigrants, honoring everyone who left Basilicata to build lives abroad. It was inaugurated on 31 July 2016, during the feast of San Giustino de Jacobis, San Fele's saint and 'Protector of Lucanians around the world.' The monument was promoted by Joe Di Giacomo, president of the Associazione Lucania of Sydney, and made by the artists Antonio Masini and Minerva.
To be replaced with our own photos after our visit.
The dedication
ITALIANO
A tutti gli emigranti lucani nel mondo, portatori di una nobile civiltà, per l'inestimabile contributo dato all'immagine della Basilicata all'estero e per i successi raggiunti nei paesi di adozione.
ENGLISH
To all Lucani migrants in the world, bearers of a noble civilization, in recognition of the invaluable contribution to the homeland and of the outstanding achievements in their adopted countries.
THE DONORS’ PLAQUE
Radice names on the plaque
- RADICE Laura, Sydney, Australia, 1961
- RADICE Nicola e Angelina, Sydney, Australia, 1964
- RADICE Aldo Michele, promotore del gemellaggio San Fele–Drummoyne, 1985 (promoter of the twinning between San Fele and Drummoyne, Sydney)
[not established]
The 1961 and 1964 entries record Radices who emigrated to Australia in the 1960s. The 1985 date refers to Aldo Michele’s work on the twinning; it is not an established immigration date.
We have not yet established how they are related to Donato and Rosa's family. Radice was one of the most common surnames in San Fele. If you know, please get in touch.
Get in touchFor our family, who left between 1890 and 1905 for Washington, D.C., the monument is a place to stand on our first visit.
07 / ARE YOU FAMILY?
Are you family?
If you’re connected to the Radice, Fabrizio or Pietropinto families of San Fele, we’d love to hear from you. Photos, stories and corrections are all welcome.