THE NEW ORLEANS BENINTENDE'S
This is my specialty, because this is my family (Joe B. Benintende). I found that my Great Grandfather came here on a ship called the Furst Bizmark in 1905 and my Great Grandmother Olinda Benintende came her aboard the ship The Florida in 1908. They had 8 children, only one making the trip with my Great Grandfather his name was Mariano and he was 19 when they came here to the United STates, he went by the name Mike in the US. Mariano (Mike) we know was an incredible Jazz Musician and he served in the United States Army not long after he became a citizen, we do not have dates on that. We know my Grandfather ALfred Joseph Benintende (Benny) was born around this time and he had a brother Frank also, we have no idea what happened to the other children or what their names were. It appears they stayed in SIcily. SInce we do not know there names, it is difficult to tell if we have already run across their family. My Great Grandfather Giuseppe was some type of guard for the king before he came here, he lived around the New York area until my GreatGrandmaother came here and then they moved far south, my Great Grandfather was said to not like the severe cold weather of the north. They first moved to Gulfport Mississippi where they started as sharecroppers and then bought their land and became somewhat successful farmers for the er they were in. My Grandfather came to New Orleans early as did his brother Frank and Mariano. My Granfather and Mariano had some kind of fued and did not speak for some 40 years and we never knew he had a tailor shop not far from where we lived in New Orleans and we did not learn about him until after he was deceased, my Grandfather said nothing. Grandpaw is also deceased so we can not ask him why we were cheated from knowing such a colorful member of our family, a member who actually who was actually the last to know who the family in SIcily was. My Grandparents Alfred Joseph and Anna Benintende owned the Itlalian newspaper in New Orleans called the City News, it covered the area they lived in known as Kenner. Kenner was and still is predominantly Itlaian. My Grandfather also worked for Delta Airlines for a long time and became head of Louisiana State Democratic Party for a while. In the pictures below you will see a picture of him and President Kennedy during that time. My Grnadparents had 4 childrten the oldest my father Alfred Joseph Benintende Jr. (goes by AJ), Victor (Vic, Robert (Bobby) and Caroline. When I was born in 1958. Aunt Caroline was 12 years old and yes I can remember people teasing us, or today it would be considered racisim. They would ask if you had ever heard of the new Itlaian auto tire" Dego whop,whop, whop,whop", we were to young to understand, my parents and Uncles were not. Dego was the Italian "N" word in New Orleans. But from my memory not to many messed with the Itlaians too much, because also we were living in time, where the "mob" existed and everytime someone heard your Italian name they would ask were you in the Mafia, sometimes those were fighting words, you just got tired of it, then of course we matured and learned not to let such things bother us. Mu Father strived so hard, his whole life to make sure our family did not get considered within the typical Itaian stereotypical view, you still see today in such shows as the "Sopranos". He did a great job, he served inthe US Airforce and put his selve through college and graduated as an Electrical Engineer and went to work right out of school for Southern Bell Telelphone Company and stayed there until he retired. He retired as DIrector of Independant Relations keeping track and corresponding with the many "franchise" telephone systems. more to come soon
|
 |
| ALL ACCESS PASSES |
|
|
 |
| Joe standing under his 5 time Platinum *NSYNC Album |
|
|
|
| ALL ACCES PASSES |
|
|
|
