MastenFamilyHistory: Grandma: Paolina Livaccari (1904-1982)

My Grandmother, Paolina (Pauline) Livaccari was born in Godrano, Sicily in 1904 to Antonina Miceli and Filippo Livaccari. Her father Filippo passed away in 1907, when she was just 3 years old.

The village of Godrano is located south of Palermo. It has been inhabited since the Islamic period and its name comes from the Arabic word for the nearby lake, Al-Gudran (now called Lago Scanzano). In the 14th century it was the home of King Peter I of Aragon, son of Queen Maria and King Martin I of Sicily. In the 16th century, the village was relocated further downstream from the original site by Annibale Valguarnera, Baron of Godrano.

I've been able to trace my legacy back to my 5th great grandparents.

My grandmother, Paolina, immigrated to the US in 1912 with her sister, Marianna, who was born in New Orleans, and her mother Antonina/Lena Miceli. New Orleans. You ask... New Orleans? Why New Orleans?

Well first, why did they emigrate from Sicily? Like so many immigrants, they left poverty, war, natural disasters in their motherlands for the hope and dream of a better life. This was very true in Sicily around the turn of the 20th century. Unification in 1861 had led to heavy taxation and mandatory seven years of military service. A revolt in Palermo against the new government in 1866 led to brutal repression and then the phylloxera vine blight arrived in 1880 from France, destroying vineyards. And then in 1908 an earthquake leveled the city of Messina, killing 90,000 people. Thus, between 1900 and 1915, more than one million Sicilians emigrated from Sicily, with about 90% resetting in the US (A History of Sicilian emigrations).

Why New Orleans? After the Civil War, the south had a labor shortage as freed people went north to find higher paying jobs. On March 17, 1866, the Louisiana Bureau of Immigration was formed and plantation owners began to look to Sicily as a possible solution to their labor needs. Steamship companies effectively recruited potential works and by 1881 three steamships were traveling each month between New Orleans and Palermo (Wikipedia).

The Livaccari were among the masses of Sicilians leaving their land for a better life. It seems that Lena's uncle Giovanni Livaccari (parents: Epifanio Livaccari and Pietro Priolo) was the first of the clan to emigrate from Sicily. At the age of 23, he immigrated to the US in 1890, arriving in New Orleans. The records are unclear, but Filipo appears to have emigrated alone to New Orleans in 1890. My great-grandmother, Lena Miceli followed in 1894 with son Andrea, arriving in Ellis Island, destined for New Orleans. Lorenzo Livaccari and his wife Maria Urso, along with their four children, Epifanio, Antonio, Giovanni, and Libario immigrated from Godrano to New Orleans in 1899, although as per the manifest, they originally were destined for New York. Maria's brother had already settled in New York. Lena's brother Gaspare Miceli immigrated in 1909 with his wife Rosalia Viscardi, and four children, Rosalia (age 10), Antonina (7), Geraldina (5), Paola (1).

Lena Miceli, Paolina's mother

When Lena, Paolina, and Marianna arrived at Ellis Island in 1912, they were processed and sent to secondary immigration, where they were held for two days to ensure that Marianna was actually a US citizen as she was born in New Orleans in 1899. Interestingly, the ship manifest states that they were meeting "nobody" in the new country, however, the immigration form from secondary immigration states that they were to join brother Guiseppe Livaccari, who was living at 182nd St, NYC.

However, I have never found any record of Guiseppe, other than a marriage record to Carmela Labarbera in 1926, which confirms that he was actually not Lena's brother. Clearly, the immigration document must be incorrect and Guiseppe Livaccari must be Gaspare Miceli.

By 1915, Lena, Marianna, and Paolina were living 180 Avenue A, Manhattan and both Lena and Marianna were employed "finishing coats". Paolina was in school. In 1920, Lena and Pauli had moved but were still living in Manhattan, as Marianna had married Filipo Barbaccia in 1919. Life was not easy for Lena and Paolina and according to the 1920 census, at 15 years old, Paolina was no longer attending school and was working as a clothing labeler. Lena was no longer employed.

By 1923, Lena had returned to Godrano and Paolina was living with her sister Marianna (Mary) and Phillip. Paolina was very close to Mary and Phillip's children, Tony and Phillip. Paolina's daughter, Antonina (Nina), relayed how Paolina slept in the kitchen on a cot.

Paolina with Mary and sons, Phillip and Tony in 1927

Pauline (1926)

Location unknown (late 1920s)

Location unknown (Paolina in back on left)

Sometime around 1927, Paolina met Joanas (John) Nadwodny, whom I will describe (despite him being my grandfather and a loving and supportive one at that), as a man with apparently a troubled upbringing.

Paoline and friend, Olga at Coney Island (Abt. 1927)

Although Mary was very much against Paolina's marriage to John, Paolina and John were married in a civil ceremony on 17 Nov 1928. At the time, Paolina was living at 169 E. Broadway, Manhattan.

John and Paolina were married at St. Sebastian's Church in Woodside, NY on 31 March 1929. Church records state that at the time they resided at 43-18 58th Street, Woodside, NY. The parents of Joannes Nadwodny were Joannes Nadwodny & Eugenia Kaleuska. Parents of Paolina Livaccari were Filippo Livaccari & Lora Mercelli. Their witnesses were Hugo Petiva & Tersilla Petiva. Joannes was baptized in St. Stanislaus Kostka, in Brooklyn, New York on Sept 17, 1907, as for Paolina was baptized in Italy.

Paolina and John (about 1927)


Paolina and John (1928)


Paolina (1928)

John and Pauline (as she was later know) Abt. 1930, Bear Mountain, Rockland, NY

Paolina and John with family (Abt. 1933)

By 1933, John and Pauline were living in Cresskill, NJ and John's mother Brygida/Helen was remarried to William Larson and living in the neighboring town of Demarest, NJ.

Paolina and Helen Larson (Abt. 1935)

Antonina (Nina) Nadwodny, John and Pauline's only child was born in 1936.

Pauline and Nina at Nina's baptism

Pauline and Nina, c. 1942

Pauline and Nina - Central Park (Abt. 1942)

Nina spent many summers in Connecticut with her Aunt Jennie, John's sister. I'll leave those stories for another blog post about my grandfather, John Nadwodny.

One of the few letters we have that were sent to my grandmother was one sent by "Little Philip" Barbaccia from Europe during World War II. Apparently, my grandmother had sent him $1, which I'm sure was a sacrifice.