Histories

The Lombardo family has their roots in the town of Marsala in the province of Trapani in Sicily, Italy. This town is on the east coast of Sicily on the Mediterranean Sea just across the Strait of Tunis from Tunisia in Northern Africa.

Guiseppe Lombardo and Maria Rizzo Lombardo were married in Marsala sometime after 1897 (when Giacamo Prato was adopted and Maria’s first husband died) and before 1907 when Maria and Guiseppe’s first child, Vita, was born. Guiseppe moved his family from Sicily just across the Mediterranean Sea to Tunis, Tunisia in search of work. This move to Tunis took place before 1907 when their first child was born. Guiseppe and Maria had 3 children while in Tunis – Vita (Lena) in 1907, Guiseppe Jr. in 1910, and Rosalia in 1912. In 1913 at age of 38 Guiseppe immigrated from Tunis to Beloit, Wisconsin via Ellis Island, NY. The family followed him to Beloit in 1918. In 1920 the family moved again from Beloit to Brooklyn, NY where they remained. Maria died in 1938. Guiseppe died in 1952. From Brooklyn, NY the family migrated to other parts of the US.

Thus the Lombardo children – Vita, Giuseppe, and Rosalia – are “African” by their place of birth, "French" by citizenship (Tunis was a French colony at that time), but “Italian” by nationality.