Mary Gentile
8 December 1863 – 30 June 1951
Michele Gentile
4 December 1865 – 4 February 1930
I was not able to find out much about this couple as they don’t show up in the census or any other public records that I can be certain are referring to them until the 1930 census.
Unfortunately, that census was taken just a few weeks after Michele’s passing. Mary and her youngest daughter (presumably) lived on Peoria Street in a house that had apparently been their family home for some time as they own it free and clear. (The location was in the Near West Side neighborhood in a section just south of the University of Illinois at Chicago which has been completely transformed by school sports fields and modern condos.)
Mary is listed as having immigrated in 1890 (Jeanette was 27 in 1930 so would have been born around 1903), and is only able to speak Italian and has not become a citizen.
From what I can tell, the couple met and married in Italy and had at least one other daughter, Grace, who was born there. Jeanette was born in Illinois.
In 1940, Mary (listed as Maria) is living with daughter Grace and her family, all whom were born in Italy, excluding grandson Peter. The language question is not asked, but it’s very likely she still is speaking only Italian or has only very little English and she still is not a citizen. A question on the census indicates she’s lived at this address for at least five years.
She lived for another eleven years after this, during which her grandson Peter went off to war and came back. She died at the great old age of 87 and was interred with her husband Michele about whom I can find no information.
Please visit my Instagram for any questions or comments on this post!