Saviano · Nola · Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Furino & Dascole Family Records

What the public records say about Dad's side of the family and Italian citizenship, with the records themselves. Gathered from free archives in October 2026 for Dad, and for everyone who comes after him. Mom's side has its own page.

Status: preliminary read, research copiesNot legal adviceUpdated: 2026-10-10

dotted link = jumps to that record on this pageQ1 = an open question; the number leads to the list of them

In short

Grandpa Frank Francis Furino, our grandfather

Grandma Emily Emily Dascole, our grandmother

Dad Sal, their son

Salvatore Furino (born Saviano, near Naples, 1896) landed in New York in November 1912, was still an Italian subject when the Army registered him in 1917, fought in France, and became an American citizen on 25 August 1919, sixteen days after marrying Frances Catapano. Grandpa Frank was born years later, to two Americans. The Furino line carries no Italian citizenship, under the old rules or the new.

On Grandma Emily's side the story is the reverse. Her grandfather John D'Ascoli came from the Naples countryside to Brooklyn around 1889, raised a family on Jackson Street, took out first papers before 1910, and was still an alien in 1920 and in 1930. He died at 34 Jackson Street on 25 July 1934, before Grandma Emily was born. If he never finished naturalizing, she had a grandfather who was only Italian on the day that counts, and she meets the 2025 law's test in her own right Q1.

Under Italy's 2025 law, none of this passes by descent to Dad, or to Sal and Stephanie: Dad's parents and grandparents were born in America or had become American.

It can open the two-years-of-residence route: a foreigner whose parent or grandparent was an Italian citizen by birth can naturalize after two years of legal residence in Italy. If Grandma Emily's case holds, that fits Dad through her, and Sal and Stephanie through her as a grandparent, on top of what Mom's side already gives them.

The 2025 law is before the EU Court of Justice. If it is reversed (decision expected late 2027 or 2028), the Dascole line would qualify by descent all the way down, through John, James and Grandma Emily. The Furino line would not, either way.

The 2025 law, briefly

Until March 2025 Italy recognized citizenship by descent with no limit on generations: you only had to show an unbroken line from an Italian-born ancestor, with nobody in the line having naturalized elsewhere before the next child was born. Decree-law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025, added article 3-bis: a person born outside Italy who holds another citizenship is treated as never having been Italian, unless an exception applies. The exception that matters for families like ours: a parent or grandparent held exclusively Italian citizenship on the day the person was born (or on the day that ancestor died, if earlier).

Italy's Constitutional Court upheld the law in March 2026. In July 2026 it asked the EU Court of Justice whether taking citizenship away retroactively is compatible with EU law (case C-816/26). Until that court rules, the law applies in full. Separately, the law cut the residence requirement for naturalization from three years to two for anyone with a parent or grandparent who "is or was a citizen by birth".

The two things a consulate or court asks for are the same under both sets of rules: civil records for every link in the chain (birth, marriage, death), and proof of whether the Italian-born ancestor ever naturalized abroad. That is what the records below are for. On this side of the family the first question is answered twice over: Salvatore Furino did naturalize, with the papers to show it, and John D'Ascoli, as far as the records go, did not.

The Furino line

From Saviano, a farming town between Nola and Vesuvius, to Jackson Street and Skillman Avenue in Williamsburg. Each step below is backed by a record on this page unless marked otherwise.

Father to son, Saviano to Brooklyn

Luigi Furino and Maddalena Napolitano

Saviano · names from their son's 1919 marriage certificate; nothing else is known of them yet

Saviano's registers after 1865 are not online, so their records, and Salvatore's own birth act, are a request to the town hall Q4.

Salvatore Furino and Frances Catapano

Salvatore: born Saviano 21 Feb 1896, died Brooklyn 25 Jan 1955 · Frances: born 9 Oct 1898, "Caserta", died Brooklyn Feb 1985 Q5

Landed at Ellis Island on 21 November 1912, seventeen, a mason, bound for his uncle Francesco Napolitano on Jackson Street (the manifest spells him "Turino"). Registered for the draft in June 1917 as an alien, "citizen of Italy", from 40 Jackson Street; enlisted that September; Private, Company L, 327th Infantry, 82nd Division, in France by the end of 1918, where he petitioned for citizenship at Champlitte on 30 December 1918. Discharged in May 1919; married Frances at Borough Hall on 9 August 1919; admitted a citizen on 25 August 1919, certificate 1166313. A laborer and bricklayer's helper; six children by 1930, eight by 1940; at 80 Skillman Avenue in 1942, working for a Manhattan contractor. Frances, by the law of the time, became an American automatically when her husband did.

Italian by birthAlien, June 1917 US citizen, 25 Aug 1919Frances: US citizen through him, 1919

Grandpa Frank (Francis)

born Brooklyn, years after his father's naturalization · married Grandma Emily at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Union Avenue

US citizen by birthNot Italian by birth: both parents already American

Dad, and Sal and Stephanie

and Grandpa Frank and Grandma Emily's other children and grandchildren, who are in the same position

US citizens by birthNothing by descent through the Furino line

Why this side is closed

Under the old rules an Italian who naturalized abroad lost his Italian citizenship that day, and children born afterwards were not Italian. Salvatore naturalized in August 1919; Grandpa Frank was born years later. Under the 2025 law the test is whether a parent or grandparent was exclusively Italian on the day you were born: Salvatore had been an American for years, and Frances had become one with him. So nothing passes through this line, and the records here settle it rather than open it.

One question stays for a lawyer, and only if the EU court restores the old rules: Italian courts have recognized descendants of women who lost citizenship involuntarily before 1948, as Frances did when her husband naturalized. Whether that would reach Grandpa Frank, born after she had become American, is doubtful, but it is the kind of thing a specialist should say Q9.

Still to find on this side: Salvatore's birth act in Saviano and Frances's birth and arrival, all requests rather than searches now Q4 Q5; and the family's 1920 census page, which the name index has lost Q6.

The Dascole line

D'Ascoli in Italy, Dascolo and Dascole in Brooklyn's records, D'Ascoli again on the papers the family signed itself. From the countryside east of Naples, probably Nola Q2, to Jackson Street and Keap Street.

Father to son to daughter

John (Giovanni) D'Ascoli and Caroline Allocca

John: born Italy 1851 or 1854 Q2, died 34 Jackson Street, Brooklyn, 25 July 1934 · Caroline: born Italy March 1858, died 434 Keap Street, 3 Feb 1946

Married in Italy in the early 1880s. Came to Brooklyn about 1889 with Minnie, Rose and Alfonso, born in Italy; Andrew, James, Felix and Lucy were born in Brooklyn. A day laborer in 1900, a cement contractor who owned his house by 1920, with his sons working for him. Alfonso married in 1914 and Rose in 1919, both at Our Lady of Mount Carmel; both certificates name their parents. John's son was Grandma Emily's father. Caroline outlived him by twelve years, in James's house on Keap Street, still an alien.

Italian by birth"Na" in the 1900 census · Q1 "Pa", first papers, 1910 Alien, 1920 Alien, 1930 Caroline: alien at death, 1946

James V. Dascole and Amelia Bencivenga

James: born Brooklyn 5 Dec 1897, died 1963 · Amelia: born 418 Grand Street, Brooklyn, 20 Feb 1898, died 15 Feb 1939

Registered as Vincenzo, called James. On his 1918 draft card: twenty, a native-born citizen, a contractor working for his father at 34 Jackson Street. Married Amelia on 2 March 1919 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as "Vincenzo D'Ascoli", and signed the certificate; Amelia's parents, Pasquale Bencivenga, a barber, and Mary Louise, were both Italian-born. They lived at 434 Keap Street; she died there of pneumonia in February 1939, leaving a son and five daughters, the youngest Grandma Emily. In 1942 he was a coal dealer on his own account at the same address. His own birth certificate has never surfaced Q3; two draft cards in his hand give the date.

US citizen by birthItalian by birth too, if John was still Italian in 1897 · Q1

Grandma Emily

born Brooklyn, after her grandfather John had died · married Grandpa Frank at Our Lady of Mount Carmel

A small child when her mother died; raised on Keap Street by her father and sisters.

US citizen by birthItalian by birth under the old rules; under the 2025 law, if John never naturalized · Q1

Dad, and Sal and Stephanie

US citizens by birthNot Italian by descent under the 2025 law; residence route through Grandma Emily, if Q1 holds

Why this side matters

Under the old rules the line John → James → Emily is unbroken if John was still Italian in December 1897, which the 1910 census ("first papers", not yet a citizen) says he was; James, born American, never had to naturalize, so he kept whatever Italian citizenship he had, and so did his daughter. Under the 2025 law, Grandma Emily needs a parent or grandparent who was exclusively Italian on the day she was born, or on the day that ancestor died, if earlier. Her father was American-born. Her grandfather John died before she was born: the question is his status on 25 July 1934, the day he died. Every record after 1900 says alien.

What hangs on it: Grandma Emily's own standing as an Italian citizen by birth, and through her, the two-year residence route for Dad (as her son) and for Sal and Stephanie (as her grandchildren). It would not give any of them citizenship by descent while the 2025 law stands.

Still to find on this side: proof that John never completed naturalization Q1, the town he came from and his own birth and marriage records Q2, and James's birth certificate Q3.

Grandma Emily's question Q1

Everything on the Dascole side rests on one fact: that John D'Ascoli never became an American citizen. Seven records are listed below; six speak to it, and the 1934 death certificate is silent.

Year	Record	What it says	Who gave the answer
1900	Federal census	"Na", naturalized	Someone in the household, eleven years after arrival
1910	Federal census	"Pa", first papers only	Someone in the household
1918	James's draft card	James "native born"; nothing claimed through his father	James himself
1920	Federal census	"Al", alien	Someone in the household
1930	Federal census	"Al", alien (overwritten, but reads so)	Someone in the household
1934	Death certificate	No citizenship question on the 1934 form	—
1946	Caroline's death certificate	His widow: not a US citizen	Her granddaughter

A man who had first papers in 1910 and is an alien in 1920 and 1930 is a man who let his declaration lapse; the 1900 "naturalized" is an answer given about a recent immigrant who could not yet have qualified. The free court indexes (the federal courts in Brooklyn and Manhattan; the Kings County court 1907–1924) have no naturalization for him. But an absence in indexes is not proof. Two things would settle it:

A USCIS Genealogy index search ($30, about nine months): it returns any naturalization file from 1906 on, and would also show the court and the town of birth from his first papers.
Anything the family kept: his declaration of intention, a naturalization certificate (which would cut the other way, and we would want to know), his or Caroline's alien registration card from 1940–41.

What it means

	Dad	Sal and Stephanie
Citizenship by descent, today	No. His parents were born in America; his grandparents were American-born or had naturalized.	No. Same reason, one generation further on (and the same on Mom's side).
Naturalization after two years of legal residence in Italy	Possibly, through his mother. If Grandma Emily's case holds Q1, she is "a parent who was a citizen by birth". Not through Grandpa Frank. Needs a basis to live in Italy; at the government's discretion.	Possibly, through Grandma Emily as a grandparent, on the same condition. Mom's side already gives them this route through Papa and Nana; this would be a third basis. A lawyer has to say how an ancestor who was never recognized is proven Q9.
If the EU Court of Justice reverses the 2025 law Q10	By descent through the Dascole line (John → James → Emily → Dad), if John never naturalized. Not through the Furinos.	By descent through the Dascole line, and through either of Mom's lines.

All of this is a careful reading of the records against the law as published, not a legal opinion. Before anyone files, pays for certified copies, or relies on it, it goes to an Italian citizenship lawyer or the consulate.

Open questions

Everything on this page that is not settled, in one list. The Q marks in the text point here. Each one says what hangs on it, what would settle it, and who can help.

Q1
Did John D'Ascoli ever complete his naturalization?
First papers by 1910, alien in 1920 and 1930, his widow an alien in 1946; only the 1900 census says "naturalized". Grandma Emily's standing as Italian by birth under the 2025 law, and the residence route for Dad and for us through her, turn on this.
What would settle it: A USCIS Genealogy index search ($30, about nine months). Or his papers, if anyone kept them: a declaration, a certificate, an alien registration card.
Family can helpRecords search
where it comes up ↑
Q2
Where did John and Caroline come from, and when were they born and married?
Every record says only "Italy". His parents were Alfonso D'Ascoli and Rosa Pinto; hers, Felice Allocca and Giuseppina. The lead: a Dascoli of the same street and generation, almost certainly a relative, was born in Nola in 1888. Nola is next to Saviano, where the Furinos came from. Any application needs John's birth act and the marriage act.
What would settle it: A letter to the Comune di Nola (free) asking for Giovanni D'Ascoli's birth of about 1851–54 and his marriage to Carolina Allocca of about 1880–85; the USCIS file, which repeats the town from his first papers; and Grandma Emily's memory of where the family said it came from.
Family can helpRecords search
where it comes up ↑
Q3
Where is James's birth certificate?
Born in Brooklyn on 5 December 1897 by his own two draft cards and the 1900 census, but no certificate is indexed under any spelling of the name, and the archive's own name search has none. His brother Felix's 1900 birth was registered late, so James's may never have been filed at all.
What would settle it: A search by date and parents at the Municipal Archives (a small fee), including the delayed registrations; his baptism at the parish; or a copy the family kept. For an application, the draft cards, the 1900 census and the marriage certificate together may have to stand in.
Family can helpRecords search
where it comes up ↑
Q4
Salvatore Furino's birth act, Saviano, 1896
Three records agree on 21 February 1896 in Saviano; the act itself is not online (Saviano's registers after 1865 are neither on FamilySearch nor on the Antenati portal). Family history only: the Furino line carries no citizenship.
What would settle it: A letter to the Comune di Saviano, free or a few euros, asking for the act and his parents' marriage.
Records search
where it comes up ↑
Q5
Where was Frances Catapano born, and when did she arrive?
"Caserta" on the marriage certificate (Saviano was in Caserta province then); born 9 October 1898 by the Social Security index; parents Ferdinando Catapano and Annunziata, surname read as "Juvina" or Iovino. Her ship manifest has not been found, and no naturalization of her own exists, as expected: she became American with her husband in 1919.
What would settle it: The Ellis Island index under her name and spellings, with her parents' names to match; then the comune of birth. Grandma Emily or Dad may remember what town she called home.
Family can helpRecords search
where it comes up ↑
Q6
The Furinos' 1920 census page
They married in August 1919 and lived at 562 Metropolitan Avenue; the January 1920 page would show Frances's first year in America and her citizenship column. The name index has them under no spelling.
What would settle it: The enumeration district for that address, then the district read page by page, as was done for Stefano Bonina's 1920 page.
Records search
where it comes up ↑
Q7
Amelia's parents: Pasquale Bencivenga and Mary Louise
Her 1898 birth certificate says both were born in Italy; her 1939 death certificate said "USA". The mother's surname is spelled three ways (Coutrell, Courtnelli, Cortinella). Their marriage, about 1896–97, is in no index under Bencivenga. Family history only.
What would settle it: The marriage under the bride's name once it is read right; the 1900 census for 418 Grand Street.
Records search
where it comes up ↑
Q8
Grandpa Frank and Grandma Emily's own papers
Their marriage certificate (it is in the Brooklyn license index) and their birth certificates are the links from them to Dad. Nothing can be ordered by anyone but them or their children, and consulates want recent copies.
What would settle it: Ordered when a route is chosen; Grandma Emily's long-form birth certificate is the one that matters for her own case.
Family can help
where it comes up ↑
Q9
What a lawyer has to say
How a grandparent who was Italian by birth but never recognized (Grandma Emily, if Q1 holds) is proven for the two-year residence route; whether the "exclusively Italian grandparent" exception is read as we read it; and, only if the old rules return, whether Frances Catapano's loss of citizenship by marriage in 1919 opens anything for her descendants.
What would settle it: One consultation with an Italian citizenship lawyer, with this page and Mom's as the brief.
Lawyer
where it comes up ↑
Q10
Will the EU Court of Justice reverse the 2025 law?
Case C-816/26, referred July 2026. If the retroactive part falls, the Dascole line qualifies by descent all the way down (if Q1 holds); the Furino line does not in any case.
What would settle it: Nothing to do but watch; a decision is expected late 2027 or 2028. Keep the document file ready.
Watch
where it comes up ↑

Timeline

1851 or 1854: John D'Ascoli born in Italy, to Alfonso D'Ascoli and Rosa Pinto. 1900 census; death certificate Q2
Mar 1858: Caroline Allocca born in Italy. 1900 census.
early 1880s: John and Caroline marry in Italy; Minnie (1883), Rose (1885) and Alfonso (about 1889) born there. 1900 census; Rose's marriage certificate.
about 1889: The D'Ascolis arrive in Brooklyn. Censuses ("1890", "1891", "1884"); "45 years in the US" at his death; "57 years in New York" at hers.
21 Feb 1896: Salvatore Furino born in Saviano, to Luigi Furino and Maddalena Napolitano. Veterans card; petition.
5 Dec 1897: James (Vincenzo) D'Ascoli born in Brooklyn. 1918 draft card; 1942 draft card; 1900 census Q3
20 Feb 1898: Emily Florence (Amelia) Bencivenga born at 418 Grand Street, Brooklyn. Birth certificate 7839.
9 Oct 1898: Frances Catapano born, "Caserta". Social Security index Q5
Jun 1900: Census: John a day laborer, "naturalized". 1900 census.
Apr 1910: Census: John "Pa", first papers only. 1910 census.
21 Nov 1912: Salvatore Furino lands at Ellis Island from the Madonna, bound for Jackson Street. Manifest, list 12, line 24.
29 Nov 1914: Alfonso D'Ascoli marries Antonetta Banghi at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Marriage certificate 13916.
Jun 1917: Salvatore registers for the draft at 40 Jackson Street, an alien. Draft card.
Sept 1917 – May 1919: Salvatore in the US Army, 327th Infantry; in France. Veterans card; petition.
12 Sept 1918: James registers for the draft: native-born, a contractor working for his father at 34 Jackson Street. Draft card.
30 Dec 1918: Salvatore petitions for naturalization at Champlitte, France. Petition.
2 Mar 1919: James marries Amelia at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, from 34 Jackson Street. Marriage certificate 2375.
9 Aug 1919: Salvatore marries Frances at Borough Hall. Marriage certificate 9454.
25 Aug 1919: Salvatore Furino becomes a US citizen, certificate 1166313; Frances with him, by the law of the time. Order of court.
14 Dec 1919: Rose D'Ascoli marries Domenico Fiorentino. Marriage certificate 16426.
Jan 1920: Census: John, 70, an alien, at 34 Jackson Street; the Furinos not found Q6. 1920 census.
26 Feb 1920: Alfonso Dascoli of 14 Jackson Street, born Nola 1888, declares his intention to naturalize. Declaration Q2
Apr 1930: Census: John, 79, an alien; the Furinos with six children. 1930 census, Jackson Street; 1930 census, the Furinos.
25 Jul 1934: John D'Ascoli dies at 34 Jackson Street; buried at Calvary. Death certificate 15553.
15 Feb 1939: Amelia Dascole dies at Greenpoint Hospital, of 434 Keap Street. Death certificate 4323.
1942: Draft registrations: James, a coal dealer at 434 Keap Street; Salvatore, at 80 Skillman Avenue. James's card; Salvatore's card.
3 Feb 1946: Caroline D'Ascoli dies at 434 Keap Street, an alien, after 57 years in New York. Death certificate 3126.
25 Jan 1955: Salvatore Furino dies in Brooklyn; buried at Calvary. Veterans card; Find a Grave.
1963 · 1985: James Dascole and Frances Furino die. Find a Grave; Social Security index.
28 Mar 2025: Italy's decree-law ends unlimited citizenship by descent; Law 74/2025 follows on 23 May.
Mar 2026: Italy's Constitutional Court upholds the law.
Jul 2026: The Constitutional Court refers the retroactivity question to the EU Court of Justice (C-816/26). Decision expected late 2027 or 2028 Q10

The records

Every image here is a research copy pulled from a public archive; click one for the full-size file. For an application, certified copies are ordered from the archive named under each record. The 1940 and 1950 census pages for both families are on file but not shown: they list living relatives.

Furino

Salvatore Furino lands at Ellis Island, 21 November 1912

SS Madonna from Naples, list 12, line 24, the capital F written so that it reads as a T (FamilySearch indexed him as "Turino"): Furino Salvatore, 17, single, mason, reads and writes, Italian, of Saviano and born there; nearest relative at home "his father Luigi Napolitano" (the clerk's slip: his father was Luigi Furino, his mother Maddalena Napolitano); never in the US before; going to his uncle Francesco Napolitano on Jackson Street, Brooklyn. Line 23, above him, is Giacoma Furino, 29, a returning resident, going to the same address, to her husband Francesco Napolitano. The second image is the right-hand half of the sheet. His own 1918 petition remembered the arrival as December 1911 and the 1930 census as 1914; the manifest settles it.

NARA T715, roll 1979, list 12 (page 28); FamilySearch, New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892–1925.

full image 1 · full image 2 · FamilySearch (free sign-in)

Salvatore Furino's WWI draft card, June 1917: an alien, "citizen of Italy"

Registered in Brooklyn at 21: Salvatore Furino, 40 Jackson Street; born March 1896 at Saviano, "Cassetta" (Caserta), Italy; a laborer for Vincenzo Allocca of 236 Union Avenue; single; citizenship: alien, a citizen of Italy. The record that names his town in his own words, which explains the "Caserta" of his marriage certificate and the "Naples" the family remembered. His birth month drifts between records: March here and on the petition, 21 February on the Veterans card and the 1942 card.

NARA M1509; FamilySearch, United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.

full image · FamilySearch

Salvatore Furino's Veterans Bureau index card

"Furino Salvatore, Pvt Co L 327 Inf, 65 Richardson St Bklyn NY"; serial number 1 908 130; born 21 February 1896; enlisted 21 September 1917; discharged 27 May 1919; died 25 January 1955. The same unit, serial number and enlistment date as the petition sworn in France, which ties that petition to our Salvatore beyond doubt; the birth and death dates match the family's record. Richardson Street is where his bride lived in 1919.

NARA; FamilySearch, United States Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917–1940.

full image · FamilySearch

Salvatore Furino's petition for naturalization, sworn in France in 1918, granted 25 August 1919

Military petition (form 2205-M), US District Court, Eastern District of New York, the Fort Hamilton series: "Salvatore Furino, a soldier in the military service of the United States, now serving in Company L, 327th Infantry, 82nd Division, American E.F."; born 21 March 1896 at Saviano, Caserta, Italy; arrived about 12 December 1911; of 40 Jackson Street, Brooklyn; not married; blue eyes, brown hair, a scar on a finger of the left hand; renounces allegiance "particularly to Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy". Sworn before an Army officer at Champlitte, France, on 30 December 1918, two comrades swearing that he had served since 21 September 1917; sworn again before the court clerk on 25 August 1919. The second image is the order of court: "admitted to become a citizen of the United States of America, this 25th day of August, A.D. 1919", certificate of naturalization no. 1166313. The record that closes the Furino line: Grandpa Frank was born years later, to a citizen.

US District Court, Eastern District of New York, petitions for naturalization filed at Fort Hamilton during WWI; NARA; FamilySearch, New York U.S. District and Circuit Court Naturalization Records, 1824–1991, film 106254980, images 378–379.

full image 1 · full image 2 · FamilySearch (free sign-in)

Salvatore Furino and Frances Catapano's marriage certificate, Brooklyn, 1919

Married 9 August 1919 at Borough Hall, Brooklyn, by a deputy city clerk. Groom: Salvatore Furino, 562 Metropolitan Avenue, 23, laborer, born "Caserta, Italy", son of "Luigio" (Luigi) Furino and Maddalena Napolitano. Bride: Frances Catapano, 67 Richardson Street, 21, born "Caserta, Italy", daughter of Ferdinando Catapano and Annunziata "Juvina" (the surname written first; probably Iovino). Witnesses Jennie and Frank Boccia. Page two: both spouses' signatures. Sixteen days later he was an American citizen, and by the law of the time so was she.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County marriage certificate no. 9454 (1919), M-K-1919-0009454.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

1930 census, Brooklyn: Salvatore "Na", Frances still written "Al"

Lines 76–83: Salvatore, head, 34, born Italy, citizenship "Na" (naturalized), laborer, odd jobs; "Francis" (Frances), wife, 32, born Italy, marked "Al" (alien), whoever answered not knowing that a wife naturalized with her husband in 1919 (the 1940 census, not shown here, has her "Na"); six children, all born New York, from nine years to three months.

1930 US Census, Brooklyn, ED 24-1539, sheet 11B, lines 76–83 (NARA T626).

full image · FamilySearch

Salvatore Furino's WWII draft card, April 1942

The fourth registration, for men born between 1877 and 1897: Salvatore Furino, serial U 257; 56 Eckford Street struck out and replaced by 80 Skillman Avenue, Brooklyn; 45; born 21 February 1896, Italy; the person who will always know his address, Frances Furino; employer Charles Herman Contracting Co., 364 West 34th Street, Manhattan. Signed "S. Furino".

NARA; FamilySearch, United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942.

full image · FamilySearch

Dascole

1900 census, Brooklyn Ward 15: the D'Ascolis ten years after arrival, "naturalized"

Sheet 6A, lines 47–50 (written "Dascolo"): John, head, born November 1851, 48, married 18 years, born Italy, immigrated 1890, naturalization column "na"; day laborer; reads, writes and speaks English; owns the house, with a mortgage. Caroline, wife, born March 1858, 42, eight children born, five living, immigrated 1890. Minnie, 17, and Rose, 14, both born in Italy, working at a rope mill. Sheet 6B, lines 51–53, continues the household: Alphonso, 12, Andrew, 5, and James, born November 1897, 2, all born New York. The only record that calls John naturalized; every later one says otherwise.

1900 US Census, Brooklyn Ward 15, ED 212, sheets 6A–6B, lines 47–53; enumerated 5 June 1900 (NARA T623).

full image 1 · full image 2 · FamilySearch

1910 census, Brooklyn: John "Pa", first papers only

Lines 57–64, at house 434 on a street the enumerator wrote in the margin (it reads like Leonard Street): John Dascole, 57, married 25 years, born Italy, immigrated 1891, citizenship "Pa" (declaration of intention filed, not naturalized); laborer, odd jobs, out of work on 15 April; cannot read or write; owns the house. The wife is written "Irene", 50, ten children born, six living; Rose, 22, and "Alfred", 20, born Italy; Andrew 14, James 12, Felix 10 and Lucy 7, born New York. "Pa" is an answer nobody gives by accident: read with 1900, the better conclusion is that John had declared his intention but was not a citizen.

1910 US Census, Brooklyn Ward 15 (part), ED 308, sheet 2B, lines 57–64; enumerated 16 April 1910 (NARA T624).

full image · FamilySearch

1920 census, 34 Jackson Street: John an alien at seventy

Lines 48–50: John Dascole, head, owns the house free of mortgage; 70; immigrated 1884; citizenship "Al" (alien); reads and writes; born Italy; cement worker, contractor, an employer. Carrie (Caroline), 60, immigrated 1886, "Al", cannot read or write. Andrew, 23, born New York, truck driver. Lucy and Philip continue on the next sheet. Ten years after "first papers": an alien.

1920 US Census, Brooklyn, Assembly District 14, ED 839, sheet 8A, lines 48–50; enumerated 8 January 1920 (NARA T625, roll 1166).

full image · FamilySearch

1930 census, Jackson Street: "Drascole", 79, alien

Lines 68–70, house no. 34: John "Drascole", head, owns the house, valued at $1,700; 79, first married at 29; reads and writes; born Italy; year of immigration "Un" (unknown); the naturalization column overwritten, reading like "Al". Carolina, 67, married at 21, immigration and naturalization both "Un". Minnie, 48, widowed, born Italy. Weak on its own; consistent with 1920.

1930 US Census, Brooklyn, ED 24-195, sheet 2B, lines 68–70; enumerated 2 April 1930 (NARA T626).

full image · FamilySearch

John D'Ascoli's death certificate, Brooklyn, 1934

Died 25 July 1934 at 1:30 p.m. at 34 Jackson Street, a private house; married, wife Caroline D'Ascoli; born 20 July 1854 in Italy, aged 80 years and 5 days; retired contractor; 45 years in the United States and in New York City; parents Alfonso D'Ascoli and Rosa Pinto, both born Italy; chronic nephritis; buried Calvary Cemetery, 28 July 1934, undertaker Joseph Bellucci of Leonard Street. The 1934 form has no citizenship question, and the birthplace is only "Italy". The same house, wife and trade as the 1920 census; his first son was named for this Alfonso.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County death certificate no. 15553 (1934), D-K-1934-015553.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

Caroline D'Ascoli's death certificate, Brooklyn, 1946: John's widow, not a US citizen

Certificate of death no. 3126: Caroline D'Ascole, of 434 Keap Street, 57 years in New York City; widow of Giovanni Dascole; born in Italy, the date given as 7 March 1878 (the 1900 census has March 1858; the age written, 67, follows the 1930 census); housewife; to the question whether she was a citizen of the United States, "No"; parents Felice Allocca and Giuseppina Esbaria(?), both born Italy; died 3 February 1946 at 2 a.m. at 434 Keap Street, her son James's house, where she had lived seven years; pneumonia and heart disease; buried Calvary Cemetery, 6 February 1946, funeral director Joseph Bellucci. The informant was a granddaughter living in the house. Her maiden name, Allocca, is the key to John and Caroline's Italian marriage; her status, an alien at death, is one more sign that the household never naturalized.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County death certificate no. 3126 (1946), D-K-1946-0003126.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

Alfonso D'Ascoli and Antonetta Banghi's marriage certificate, Brooklyn, 1914

Certificate and record of marriage no. 13916: Alfonso D'Ascoli, 434 Keap Street, 25, mason, born Italy, son of Giovanni D'Ascoli and Carolina Allocca, marries Antonetta Banghi, 22, born Italy, on 29 November 1914 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel; witnesses Michele Brevetto and Raffaela D'Ascoli. James's elder brother (the "Alphonso" of 1900 and "Alfred" of 1910), and the first record to give their mother's maiden name. The archive's name index has him as "D'Arcoli", which is why the certificate had to be reached by its number.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County marriage certificate no. 13916 (1914), M-K-1914-0013916.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

Rose D'Ascoli and Domenico Fiorentino's marriage certificate, Brooklyn, 1919

Certificate no. 16426: Domenico Fiorentino, 34 Skillman Avenue, 28, laborer, born Italy, marries Rosa Dascoli, 34 Jackson Street, 30, born Italy, daughter of Giovanni Dascoli and Carolina Allocca, on 14 December 1919 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel; witnesses Michele Cavallo and Antonietta D'Ascoli, her brother Alfonso's wife. James's sister, the Rose of the 1900 and 1910 censuses (born 1885 by the first; "30" here). Indexed as "Rosie Dascili"; found by certificate number.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County marriage certificate no. 16426 (1919), M-K-1919-0016426.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

James Dascole's WWI draft card, 12 September 1918: "native born"

Registered with Local Board Division 51 at 144 Devoe Street, Brooklyn: James Dascole, 34 Jackson Street; 20, born 5 December 1897; white; native-born citizen; contractor, employed by John Dascole, 34 Jackson Street; nearest relative John Dascole, father. Signed "James Dascole". Grandma Emily's father, giving his birth date and his citizenship in his own hand.

NARA M1509; FamilySearch, United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.

full image · FamilySearch

James (Vincenzo) D'Ascoli and Amelia Bencivenga's marriage certificate, Brooklyn, 1919

Certificate and record of marriage no. 2375: "Vincenzo D'Ascoli", 34 Jackson Street, 22, driver, born Brooklyn, son of Giovanni D'Ascoli and Carolina (the maiden name is hard to read here; Allocca on his brother's and sister's certificates), marries Emilia Bencivenga, 434 Keap Street, 21, born Brooklyn, daughter of Pasquale Bencivenga and Luisa, on 2 March 1919 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Rev. Peter Saponara; witnesses Mariano Altera(?) and Maria Citera. Page two: the bride's and groom's own signatures, the groom spelling his surname the way the family would. Grandma Emily's parents, and the record that states the John → James link in James's own words.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County marriage certificate no. 2375 (1919), M-K-1919-0002375.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

Amelia (Emily Florence) Bencivenga's birth certificate, Brooklyn, 1898

Certificate of birth no. 7839: Emily Florence Bencivenga, born 20 February 1898 at 4:30 a.m. at 418 Grand Street, in the 15th Ward; her mother's first child; mother Mary Louise Bencivenga, 26, maiden name written "Coutrell", born Italy; father Pasquale Bencivenga, 26, barber, born Italy; attended by Dr A. W. Lawrence of 203 Bedford Avenue; returned 6 June 1898. Grandma Emily's mother. Her 1939 death certificate had both her parents "born USA"; this record, made at the time, says Italy.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County birth certificate no. 7839 (1898), B-K-1898-0007839.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

Amelia (Emily) Dascole's death certificate, Brooklyn, 1939

Died 15 February 1939 at Greenpoint Hospital; of 434 Keap Street; married, wife of James; 39; housewife; born "USA"; parents Pasquale Bencivenga and Louise Courtnelli, both entered as born "USA" (her birth certificate says Italy); lobar pneumonia and diabetic coma; buried Calvary Cemetery, 20 February 1939, undertaker Joseph Bellucci, the same as at John D'Ascoli's funeral five years earlier. Grandma Emily's mother, who died when her youngest was small.

NYC Municipal Archives, Kings County death certificate no. 4323 (1939), D-K-1939-0004323.

full PDF · NYC Municipal Archives

James Vincent D'Ascoli's WWII draft card, 15 February 1942

Third registration, Local Board 193, 197 Havemeyer Street: James Vincent D'Ascoli, 434 Keap Street; 44, born 5 December 1897 in Brooklyn; the person who will always know his address, Andrew D'Ascoli, brother; employer, himself; place of business, coal, 434 Keap Street. Registrar's report: 5 feet 7, 165 pounds, gray eyes and gray hair. The second time he wrote down his birth date, 24 years after the first, with the same answer.

NARA; FamilySearch, New York, New York City, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940–1947.

full image · FamilySearch

Alfonso Dascoli of 14 Jackson Street declares his intention, 1920: born in Nola

Declaration of intention no. 105094, Supreme Court of Kings County, sworn 26 February 1920: Alfonso Dascoli, 32, contractor, 5 feet 6, brown hair and eyes, a scar on the left cheek; born Nola, Italy, 7 January 1888; residing at 14 Jackson Street, Brooklyn; emigrated from Naples; last foreign residence Nola; married, wife Pearl, born Brooklyn; renounces Victor Emanuel III. Not John's son Alfonso (that Alfonso's wife Antonetta was alive and witnessing a wedding in December 1919), but a Dascoli of the same street, trade and generation, almost certainly kin: the first record to name a town for the Jackson Street Dascolis, and the reason a letter goes to Nola.

Kings County Clerk, declarations of intention, vol. 211, no. 105094; FamilySearch, New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791–1980.

full image · FamilySearch

What we have, and what is missing

The chain, link by link, as a consulate or court would want it. "Have" means a research copy is on this page or on file; a certified copy would still have to be ordered. Nothing here needs to be bought until a route is chosen.

Furino line

Person	Record	Held by	Status
Salvatore Furino	US naturalization military petition (30 Dec 1918) and court order (25 Aug 1919), certificate no. 1166313	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore Furino	WWI service Veterans Bureau index card	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore Furino	WWI draft, June 1917 registration card (Saviano; alien)	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore and Frances Furino	censuses 1930, 1940 and 1950 household pages (1930 shown here; the 1940 and 1950 pages list living relatives and are not shown)	FamilySearch; NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore and Frances Furino	marriage 9 Aug 1919, Brooklyn marriage certificate no. 9454	NYC Municipal Archives	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore Furino	birth 1896, Saviano atto di nascita	not on Antenati; FamilySearch Naples-province collections to check; else the Comune di Saviano	Missing
Salvatore Furino	arrival 21 Nov 1912, Ellis Island, SS Madonna from Naples (his 1918 petition said "about 12 Dec 1911"; the 1930 census 1914) passenger manifest, list 12, line 24 (indexed "Turino"): 17, single, mason, of Saviano, to his uncle Francesco Napolitano, 11(?) Jackson St, Brooklyn; line 23 Giacoma Furino, 29, returning to her husband Francesco Napolitano at the same address	FamilySearch / NARA T715	Have (research copy) see the record
Grandpa Frank and Grandma Emily	marriage, Brooklyn marriage certificate (in the City Clerk's license index; ordered by them or their children when a route is chosen)	NYC City Clerk	Located
Salvatore Furino	WWII draft registration, April 1942 registration card: 80 Skillman Ave (56 Eckford St struck out), born 21 Feb 1896 Italy, employer Charles Herman Contracting Co.	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
Salvatore and Frances Furino	1920 census (Jan 1920; married Aug 1919, then at 562 Metropolitan Ave) household page	FamilySearch / NARA T625	Missing
Frances Furino, née Catapano	death, February 1985, Brooklyn death certificate (not yet ordered); the Social Security index and Find a Grave give the dates	Social Security Death Index; Find a Grave (Calvary Cemetery)	Located
Frances Catapano	birth 9 Oct 1898, "Caserta" (which town?); arrival (before Aug 1919) atto di nascita; passenger manifest	the comune, once the town is known; FamilySearch Ellis Island index	Missing

Dascole line

Person	Record	Held by	Status
James Dascole and his daughters	1950 census household page (on file, not shown: it lists living relatives)	NARA	Have (research copy)
John Dascolo household	1900 census (sheets 6A–6B) household pages	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
John Dascole household	1910 census household page ("Pa")	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
John D'Ascoli	proof that he never became a US citizen USCIS Genealogy index search; later, a certificate of non-existence of a naturalization record. The 1920 and 1930 censuses (alien) are on this page; the free court indexes have nothing for him	USCIS	Partly see the record
John D'Ascoli	death 25 July 1934, 34 Jackson St, Brooklyn death certificate no. 15553	NYC Municipal Archives	Have (research copy) see the record
James V. Dascole	birth Nov/Dec 1897, Brooklyn birth certificate	NYC Municipal Archives (births to 1909)	Missing
James Dascole and Amelia Bencivenga	marriage 2 March 1919, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Brooklyn marriage certificate no. 2375 (Kings 1919): groom "Vincenzo D'Ascoli", 22, driver, 34 Jackson St, born Brooklyn, son of Giovanni D'Ascoli and Carolina Altera(?); bride 21, born Brooklyn, daughter of Pasquale Bencivenga and Luisa Cortinella(?)	NYC Municipal Archives (M-K-1919-0002375)	Have (research copy) see the record
Amelia Dascole	death 15 Feb 1939, Brooklyn death certificate no. 4323	NYC Municipal Archives	Have (research copy) see the record
Grandma Emily	birth, Brooklyn long-form birth certificate (she or Dad orders it)	NYC Dept. of Health	Missing
John D'Ascoli and Caroline Allocca	marriage, Italy, about 1880–85 atto di matrimonio (the town is not yet known; Nola is the lead)	comune / Antenati, once the town is known	Missing
John (Giovanni) D'Ascoli	birth, Italy, about 1851–54 atto di nascita (the town is not yet known; Nola is the lead)	comune / Antenati, once the town is known	Missing
James Dascole	WWI draft registration, 12 Sept 1918 card: 34 Jackson St, born 5 Dec 1897, native-born citizen, contractor for his father John	FamilySearch / NARA (M1509)	Have (research copy) see the record
James Dascole	WWII draft registration, 15 Feb 1942 card: James Vincent D'Ascoli, 434 Keap St, born 5 Dec 1897 Brooklyn, coal dealer; brother Andrew	FamilySearch / NARA	Have (research copy) see the record
James Dascole and his children	1940 census household page (on file, not shown: it lists a living relative)	FamilySearch / NARA T627	Have (research copy)
Amelia (Emily Florence) Bencivenga	birth 20 Feb 1898, 418 Grand St, Brooklyn birth certificate no. 7839 (Kings 1898): parents Pasquale Bencivenga, 26, barber, and Mary Louise "Coutrell", 26, both born Italy	NYC Municipal Archives (B-K-1898-0007839)	Have (research copy) see the record
Caroline D'Ascoli, née Allocca (John's wife)	death 3 Feb 1946, 434 Keap St, Brooklyn death certificate no. 3126 (Kings 1946): widow of Giovanni; parents Felice Allocca + Giuseppina Esbaria(?), born Italy; 57 years in New York; not a US citizen; buried Calvary	NYC Municipal Archives (D-K-1946-0003126)	Have (research copy) see the record
Alfonso D'Ascoli (John's son, born ~1889 Italy)	marriage 29 Nov 1914, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Brooklyn certificate no. 13916 (Kings 1914): mason, 434 Keap St, son of Giovanni D'Ascoli and Carolina Allocca; bride Antonetta Banghi	NYC Municipal Archives (M-K-1914-0013916)	Have (research copy) see the record
Rose (Rosa) D'Ascoli (John's daughter, born 1885 Italy)	marriage 14 Dec 1919, Mount Carmel, Brooklyn certificate no. 16426 (Kings 1919): 34 Jackson St, born Italy, daughter of Giovanni Dascoli and Carolina Allocca; groom Domenico Fiorentino	NYC Municipal Archives (M-K-1919-0016426)	Have (research copy) see the record
Alfonso Dascoli of 14 Jackson St (born Nola 7 Jan 1888; wife Pearl; a relative, not John's son)	declaration of intention, Kings County Supreme Court, 26 Feb 1920 vol. 211, no. 105094	Kings County Clerk; image on FamilySearch	Have (research copy) see the record

What we need from the family

The open questions a relative might answer are marked Family can help in the list above.

Grandma Emily's memories

Where her grandfather John said he came from Q2; whether he ever "got his papers" Q1; whether her father ever had a birth certificate, or a baptismal certificate from Mount Carmel Q3; and whether she wants this looked into for herself.

Old papers

Salvatore Furino's naturalization certificate (no. 1166313, 1919) or his Army discharge; anything of John or Caroline D'Ascoli's: first papers, an alien registration card from 1940–41, a passport, funeral cards. Any of these would settle Q1 one way or the other.

Frances Catapano

What town she called home, and whether anyone has her papers or a photograph of her parents Q5.

Later, from the direct descendants

Grandma Emily's and Grandpa Frank's long-form birth certificates and their marriage certificate can only be ordered by them or their children. Consulates want recently issued copies, so this waits until a route is chosen Q8.

What we can still look for ourselves

The free searches are done; what is left is mostly letters and one paid search. Each item answers a numbered question in the list above.

To settle Grandma Emily's question Q1

USCIS Genealogy index search for John D'Ascoli ($30, about nine months): any naturalization file from 1906 on. If nothing comes back, a certificate of non-existence of a naturalization record is the document a consulate accepts. The free indexes have already been searched.

The Italian acts Q2 Q4

Letters, free or nearly so, to the Comune di Nola (John's birth, about 1851–54; his marriage to Carolina Allocca, about 1880–85) and the Comune di Saviano (Salvatore's birth, 1896; his parents' marriage). Neither town's registers after 1865 are online.

The missing Brooklyn papers Q3 Q6

James's birth certificate: a search by date and parents at the Municipal Archives, including delayed registrations. The Furinos' 1920 census: the district for 562 Metropolitan Avenue, read page by page. John and Caroline's arrival, about 1889, in the pre-Ellis Island passenger lists.

Frances Catapano Q5

Her manifest, in the Ellis Island index under Catapano and its spellings, matched by her parents' names; then her birth act from the comune.

Later: the legal side Q9

A consultation with an Italian citizenship lawyer on the two-year residence route through a grandparent who was never recognized, and on how a case like Grandma Emily's is proven. Certified copies, apostilles and translations only after a route is chosen.

How this was found

Everything on this page came from free, public sources: FamilySearch (name indexes and record images: census pages, draft cards, naturalization papers, passenger lists), the NYC Municipal Archives' historical vital records (births to 1909, marriages to 1949, deaths to 1948, searched by name and, where the name index failed, by certificate number), the US National Archives, and the volunteer indexes of the Italian and German genealogy groups. The law was read from the consolidated text published by an Italian consulate, the Interior Ministry's operating circular, and the Italian Embassy in Washington.

Each record was read in full and transcribed into a private working file, with its archive, record number, stable web address and a checksum of the file, so every item here can be found again. Names drift between records (D'Ascoli, Dascolo, Dascole, Drascole; Furino, Turino; Allocca, Allocea, Amena), and ages drift by years; the discrepancies are listed in the working file because they are what a consulate asks about.

Mom's side of the family, the Bonina and Lisuzzo lines, is on its own page.