Abruzzo is high mountain country. The tallest peaks are snow-covered most of the year. The region consists of 60 percent mountains and 30 percent hills; the remaining 10 percent of lowland is a narrow strip along a 100 mile coast. In years past, the chief occupations were sheep rearing, farming and fishing. A regional saying is "They have made a virtue out of necessity."GUISEPPE ANTONIO MANGIFESTA, the progenitor of the MANGIFESTA family, lived in San Silvestro; however, research indicates that the Mangifesta family also has ties to the village of Ripa Teatina.
Guiseppe's son DOMENICO MANGIFESTA, born about 1859, also lived in San Silvestro. He married ROSARIA GALASSO in Francavilla al Mare, Province of Chieti, on November 24, 1883.
The progenitor of the GALASSO family was LUIGI GALASSO. His son, SILVESTRO, born 1826, married MARIANGIOLA FALCONE of Palombaro. Silvestro and Mariangiola (Angela) were the parents of ROSARIA GALASSO. Rosaria was born on 8 August 1859.
Domenico Mangifesta and Rosaria had eight known children. Their fourth child, THOMAS MANGIFESTA, was born in Francavilla al Mare. As a young man, Thomas immigrated to the United States. After a brief stay in West Virginia, he settled in Pennsylvania. There he married ROMILDA CRISPO, a young woman from Calabria.
There is an interesting story about a member of the Mangifesta family and the well-known prize fighter, Rocky Marciano. Rocky's father, Pierino Marcheggiano, immigrated from Ripa Teatina to Brockton, MA. It was there that Rocky was born in 1923. When Rocky was 19 months old he was critically ill and not expected to live. Supposedly, Paolina Mangifesta, a 92 year old Brockton neighbor and family friend from Ripa Teatina, visited the Marcheggiano family and insisted on giving the infant Rocky some drops of a medicinal drink she had concocted. Much to everyone's surprise, Rocky quickly recuperated. Paolina Mangifesta was credited with saving his life. (It is not known if Paolina is related to our branch of the Mangifesta family.)
Other surnames associated with the MANGIFESTA and GALASSO families are D'OLIMPIO, FALCONE, FELICE, and ORTALANO.
A genealogy database for the MANGIFESTA/CRISPO family can be viewed in the reports Section of Our Grafted Family Tree and some early photographs are included in Our Family Photograph Album.
Ships They Sailed - 1888-1928 contains a brief overview and links to specific information about our immigrant ancestors' arrivals in the United States.
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