No. 16620 Salvatore Maradei
Jane Pisciottoli-Papa is a faithful follower of our Dorchester Historical Society social media pages. When she heard about our World War I project, she contacted us to see if we might feature her great uncle in our exhibit. She sent us a wealth of information including documents and photographs from her own extensive genealogy of her family. We are happy to include Jane’s great uncle in our exhibit!
Salvatore Maradei was born in Boston on June 19, 1888 to Louis and Filomena (Marzano) who were both Italian immigrants. Louis was a barber who worked at South Station. Although the vital records record Salvatore’s name as “Mario Salvatore,” his parents intended for his first name to be Salvatore – named for his father’s father. He was baptized as such at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church in the North End of Boston. However, to his family, he was simply, “Jack.”
In the 1910 United States Census, Salvatore was 21 years old and living at home with his father and his three siblings: Elvira (19), William (16), and Frank (14). Salvatore’s occupation is listed as “book binder.” The family lived on Coleman Street in the Meetinghouse Hill/Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester.
Salvatore registered for the draft at the age of 29 in June of 1917 and was described as being a young man of short stature, stout build, with brown eyes and black hair. He left for Europe from New York City aboard the RMS Mauretania, a British luxury liner that had been commissioned by Great Britain during World War I to carry American troops to the battlefields of Europe. Salvatore served as a private in the Headquarters Company of the 55th Coast Artillery of the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC). The CAC were designated to provide all US-manned heavy artillery, railway artillery, and anti-aircraft artillery and mostly worked alongside the French forces. Salvatore served in France in a number of engagements including: Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, and Vesle. He returned stateside from Brest, France in New York City on January 22, 1919, aboard the S.S. Cretic and was honorably discharged in February of 1919.
In the 1920 United States Census, Salvatore has returned from military service and is living with his sister, Elvira, and her family on Norton Street in Dorchester. He is, again, listed as a “book binder.” In 1934, Salvatore is still living in Dorchester but has moved to Delmont Street in the Neponset neighborhood. By 1936, Salvatore is living in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, on Westland Avenue, and working as a “forwarder” at the Boston Public Library.
Salvatore died unexpectedly on April 14, 1944 at the young age of 55. He is buried in Mt. Benedict Cemetery in West Roxbury, MA with his parents.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013.
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.
Military, Compiled Service Records. World War I. Carded Records. Records of the Military Division of the Adjutant General’s Office, Massachusetts National Guard.