Donata Menecola was born Oct 10th, 1853 in Roseto Valfortore, Italy. Her father Giuseppe Menecola was an older brother of my great-great grandfather Filippo Menecola. Donata married Nicola Finelli in Roseto Valfortore around 1870. Brenda Solarzano Marks is a descendent of Donata Menecola – she provided the following history on the family.
Nicola and Donata Finelli immigrated to the US and settled in Roseto, PA. They had their sons Donato Michele and Filippo Antonio with them. Their eldest Giuseppe seems to have come separately and settled in Washington DC. Nicola and Donata had two more children, Teresa and Leonardo, once in the US. Nicola and Donata lived in Roseto, PA all their lives.
Their son Giuseppe was a tailor who lived in Washington DC. He married Elenora Bargagni whose parents were from Florence, Italy. He lost his only daughter as a small child and his wife to the flu epidemic.
Right: Nicola Finelli b. 1849 and his wife Donata Menecola b. 1853
Another son, Donato Michele, worked in the slate quarries in PA until he sustained an injury (broken hip). It is said he went to Washington DC for medical treatment and stayed in the home of his brother, Giuseppe’s in-laws. It was then that he met his wife, Ezilda Fioravanti who had immigrated from Florence, Italy. She was a midwife. They built a nice life for themselves owning a small grocery store in Washington DC. They had one son, Nicola (who went by Nicholas/Nick). Nick’s father died when he was a teenager and when he married he and his wife (Elizabeth Via) subsequently lived with his mother since she was alone. They had two children, Donald and Judith Finelli.
Filippo Antonio Finelli left Rosteo, PA for Iowa and married and lived out the rest of his life there.
Leonardo Finelli married Rosie Comunale in Roseto, PA and they had one son, also Nick. There was a Finelli grocery store in Roseto, PA in operation until the 1990’s that had originally started with Rosie and Leonardo which was later run by their son Nick until he passed away.
Teresa Finelli also made Roseto, PA her home. She married Frank DelGrosso and they had 7 children including a set of twins, who were named after her sister-in-laws, Elenora and Ezilda.
There is also Leonardo Menecola that got married with Lucia Finelli. They had a son called Matteo Menecola born in 1874 at Roseto Valfortore as well.