A. Francesco Paolo/Frank Taglia was born 6 October 1869 (De Simone) in Ricigliano, Italy. He died 13 August 1952l buried Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside. Frank married Fiorentina/Florence Chiarelli in Chicago, 22 January 1888 at the Church of the Assumption/Assumption BVM (Illinois and Orleans Streets).

Florence Chiarelli was born 23 May 1873 in Omignano, Italy, the daughter of Antonio and Conchetta (DeFeo) Chiarelli. Her tombstone has 1871 as her date of birth. She died 9 December 1932l buried Mount Carmel Cemetery. Besides her immediate family, she was survived by a sister, Rose Gentile. According to various censuses, she immigrated between 1884 and 1887.

Frank was a saloonkeeper and later worked as a street foreman for the City of Chicago. The family lived east of the Chicago River at several addresses on Clark and Polk streets. At the time of the 1900 census, the family lived at 66 Polk St. (Polk & LaSalle today). By 1903 they lived at 373 Clark St. (between Harrison & Polk St. today). They later moved to 726 Taylor St. (current numbering system), where they lived for many years. Frank Taglia can first be identified definitively in the 1893 Chicago city directory:

“Francesco Taglia, saloon, 74 Polk” [Polk & LaSalle today]

He is probably the Frank/Francesco Taglia listed as a laborer or salesman in the 1890-1892 city directories, since the 517 Clark St. address listed matches the address on son Joseph’s birth certificate from 1889 (517 Clark St. & 77 Ewing). The 1920 census reported that Frank was naturalized in 1898, but no record was found in the Federal Cook County counts.

The area of the south Loop around Clark and La Salle Streets, south of Harrison, where the family first lived, was quite different from the proper and prosperous downtown area to the north. In the 1880s and into the 1900s many of the buildings housed cut-rate stores, cheap restaurants, penny arcades, nickel theatres, and saloons, along with many boarding houses. A number of these businesses engaged in forms of illegal activity. Immediately to the east along State and Wabash was the infamous Levee vice district (Holt & Pacyga, Chicago: A Historical Guide to the Neighborhoods, the Loop and South Side, (1979), p. 18).

There was another Francesco Taglia (wife Vitella [nee Pacella]; married 21 October 1888 at Assumption BVM Church in Illinois and Orleans Streets, who lived in Chicago during this time. This other Frank/Francesco died 18 June 1835. He is the Francesco Taglia born 25 September 1869 in Ricigliano: the son of Pietro Taglia and Maria Serrotella. it is likely that the two Franks were cousins or other close relatives.

Frank Taglia was killed 13 August 1952 when he was crossing Halsted St. near Cabrini St. and was struck by a streetcar. The family sued the Chicago Transit Authority and the streetcar driver for negligence, on behalf of his four surviving children. The case was filed in September 1952 in the Superior Court of Cook County, but was not finally brought to a close until 1959, by which time only his daughter, Constance Mentone, was still living: the 3 sons having died in the interim. In November 1958, the case was finally scheduled for trial. The CTA offered $4000.00 to settle and that was accepted by Constance Mentone, executor of her father’s estate. A search of the index to Cook County Superior and Circuit Court cases filed 1928 to 1954 turned up one other case, Frank P. Taglia vs. City of Chicago, filed in January 1947. The quality of the microfilmed index is very poor in some cases, and I cannot be 100% sure that I found every case, since parts of it are illegible. The suit had to do with the paving of a section of Taylor St. and whether he should be refunded monies paid to a special assessment, contending the work was not done. The case was dismissed in April 1950 when Frank Taglia (the plaintiff) did not appear when the case was called.

 

Children:
All born in Chicago (1910 census reported Florence had 11 children: only 4 were living at that time. It appears there were 1 or 2 other children born before 1900, but they have not yet been identified):

  1. Giuseppe/Joseph Taglia, baptized 28 April 1889 at Assumption BVM; died 13 November 1891 at 517 Clark St.; buried Calvary Cemetery, Evanston [death records for 1891 are missing at Assumption, but death certificate states Calvary].
  1. Conception (?) Taglia, born 9 October 1892; baptized 13 October at Assumption BVM. No further information at this time, but believed to have died at a young age.
  1. Vito Antonio Taglia, born 4 May 1895; baptized 5 May at Assumption BVM; died 13 March 1896 at 509 S. Clark St.; buried Calvary Cemetery [no death record at Assumption].
  1. Vito Antonio Desolato Taglia, born 15 July 1896. SEE BELOW.
  1. Donato Taglia, born 5 August 1898; baptized 28 August at Assumption BVM. Died 25 May 1899; buried at Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, from Assumption.
  1. Medio/Americo, born July 1899. He is most likely the Americo Taglia who died 18 February 1902 at age 18 months; buried Calvary Cemetery, Evanston [no death record at Assumption or Holy Guardian Angel].
  1. Pompey/Pompei Taglia, born 18 December 1903 [not baptized at Assumption]; died 30 March 1956, an apparent suicide; buried Mount Carmel Cemetery. In the 1940 and 1950 Chicago telephone books he is listed as a lawyer with an office at 77 W. Washington. Earlier newspaper articles (enclosed) also state that he was a lawyer. During World War II he was chairman of Draft Board 108 at 812 Taylor St. In November 1955, Pompey was managing the First Italian Money exchange at 821 S. Halsted St. when it was robbed of $7000, according to newspaper accounts.
  1. Leonilda/Nan Taglia, born 25 November 1905 [not baptized at Assumption]. Died 23 March 1926; buried Mount Carmel Cemetery.
  1. Amedeo/Adam Taglia, born 1909 [not baptized at Assumption]; died 24 February 1955; buried Mount Carmel Cemetery. Married Santa Zampardi. No Children.
  1. Conchetta/Constance/Connie (Babe) Taglia, born 2 April 1912 [not baptized at Holy Guardian Angel]; died 4 February 2005 in River Forest. Married Anthony J. Mentone. He was born 4 July 1910; died 28 June 1982 in River Forest. Anthony Mentone was a circuit court judge and past president of the Chicago Public Library Board. Both are buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Children:

  1. Pat Mentone; married Mary ______
  2. Francis Mentone; married Peggy/Margaret ______

The 1910 census lists as Taglia daughter, Daisy, age 13. It is not clear at this time whether that was a mistake by the census taker, or if she was one of the missing children. Although she is clearly identified as a female, perhaps it is meant to actually refer to Vito A. Desolato, who was age 13 at the time of this census. One family story says he was known to his friends as “Days”. No other record (census, baptism, death, etc.) was found for someone matching her age.

Documents:

  • Marriage license and parish marriage record for Francesco & Fiorentina, 1888.
  • Census records for Taglia family, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 (best copy).
  • Birth certificates for Vito Antonio D., Pompei, Leonilda, Concetta.
  • Baptism records from Assumption BVM Church for Joseph, Conception, Vito A., and Donato.
  • Assumption BVM death record for Donato, 1899.
  • Death certificate for Americo Taglia, 1902.
  • Florence Taglia death certificate & Chicago Daily News death notice, 1932.
  • Adam/Amadeo Taglia death notice from Chicago Tribune, 1955.
  • Chicago Tribune articles on Pompey Taglia: draft board service, robbery case, and death.
  • Chicago Tribune death notice for Frank P. Taglia, 1952.
  • Chicago Tribune death notice for Anthony J. Mentone, 1982.
  • Documents from Superior Court of Cook County case, 47-D-1100, Frank Taglia vs. City of Chicago.
  • Documents from the Superior Court of Cook County case Taglia vs. Chicago Transit Authority.
  • Constance Mentone death notice, Tribune, 6 Feb. 2005, sec. 4/p. 8.

Continue on to Section III

Family History Table of Contents