• Contents

• 2-20-1938 (PIECES)

• SYNOPSIS

• INTRODUCTION

• Intro Page 2

• Intro Page 3

• Intro Page 4

• Intro Page 5

• Intro Page 6

Future Pages:

• CHILDHOOD YEARS

• TEEN YEARS

• MILITARY SERVICE

• PHILADELPHIA

• JERSEY SHORE

• FLORIDA GOLD COAST

• CALIFORNIA

• 1970 TOY FAIR

• THE LODGE AT ANGLESEA

• DELAWARE

• ATLANTA

• WEST GEORGIA

• FAMILY FOUND

Introduction Continued:  

My grandfather Giovanni "John" Chellemi son of Giovanni Chillemi and Concetta Tullo was born in Ali Superiore in the Province of Messina, Sicily on October 10, 1889 or 1890.  He came to this country  illegally when he was about sixteen years old to escape a vendetta and stayed with an uncle.  My grandfather married Laura Glazier the daughter of  Elizabeth Sherlock and John Glazier she was born April 10, 1895, Worcester, MA; died November 20, 1987, Springfield, MA.  Giovanni Chillemi died April 04, 1972 in Somerville MA.

Giovanni Chillemi and Laura Glazier had four children, Conchetta Chillemi was born February 23, 1915 in Waterbury/Hartford CT.  Died November 19, 1990 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Amy  Chillemi was born 1916 and possibly died in December 1961 or January 1962.   Giovanni "John"  Chillemi born  March 21, 1917, Springfield, MA. He lives in Lynn Ma.  Rita Ann Chillemi born June 27, 1918, Springfield, MA.and is still alive.

Concetta's father, Giovanni "John"  Chillemi was a barber by trade and an  illegal bookmaker on the side.  He went to prison,  probably on bookmaking charges. He was living with Rose "Noni" Amento at that time.  Laura had moved away.  Social/Welfare Services came to the home and "farmed out" the children, Concetta, Amy, John and Rita were put in separate foster homes.  Concetta was on a farm, where a pig got out and chased her, she rolled down a hill and under a fire truck that was moving along the road . The pig was killed and served for dinner that night.  Concetta refused to eat the pig and was beaten, the lady of the house split her forehead.  Concetta had a scar from this the rest of her life.  When John Chillemi got out of prison, he immediately went to find and gather his children.  On the train ride home with Concetta, John asked her what happened to her forehead.  When told, John Chillemi was so furious it took passengers and the conductor to keep him on the train as he wanted to go back and take care of the situation.  He was very upset. 

Giovanni married Rose "Noni" Amento who was born April 2, 1898 and died in Somerville on November 1, 1996.  She  had a son Frank Samuturo from a previous marriage. They had two more Children Carlimo "Charles" Chillemi who is still living in Somerville and Rose Chillemi.  

When Noni's mom, "Mama Rose", would go to the outdoor market in Boston, Noni would make Concetta go with her.  Concetta would plead with Noni not to make her go.  The reason, is that Mama Rose would wear long skirts/dresses and when she had to urinate she would just lift her skirt a little off the ground and go... right there in the street.  This was a natural thing to do in the old country of Sicily, however this would embarrass Concetta so much that she never forgot it her whole life.

One Easter there was a little box of live rabbits next to the stove.  They had rabbit for dinner that night.  Concetta refused to eat the rabbits.   As a result, Noni beat her with a poker. 

Concetta won a spelling bee while in school (she eventually only went to 8th grade).  She received a doll as a surprise.  Noni was so proud that she put it on the mantle and wouldn't let Concetta play with it.  It was the only doll that Concetta ever had. 

While growing up, Rita would take wine out of the wine barrel that their dad would make.  She would repackage it and sell the Italian wine in the neighborhood for a nickel.  She would replace the wine in the barrels with water.  Concetta, Amy and John knew what she was doing but couldn't say anything.  If they told, they would have gotten a beating for being tattletales.  If they didn't tell, they would get a beating for not telling.  It was a no win situation.

Concetta Chillemi witnessed a drive-by Mafia hit of a Police Chief in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts when she was approximately 9 or 10 years old.  At this time she was living with Noni, her step mother.  Noni had to hide her in her stove a couple of times as the Mafia tried to kidnap her.  She was put under police protection in a convent until the time of trial.  She lived with the nuns in the convent for approximately 6 to 8 years.  She was almost kidnapped in the courthouse before she was able to testify. This happened in the  early 1920's probably 1924.  Concetta was referred to by the newspapers as "The Baby Witness".   The trial and appeals lasted for approximately 6 years after which the defendant(s) were acquitted.  During this time, Concetta was considering becoming a nun but the nuns told her no, she first needed to go out into the world before she made that decision.  

  Convent life was very strict.  She wasn't allowed to read.  She used to read and write poetry under the covers with a light.  She wrote a book of poetry during this time. It is unknown as to what happened to that book.

The nuns would hit her knuckles with a ruler when she did something they didn't like.  They used to have to serve Cardinal Christian (who may have been a bishop then).   The girl who normally  served him would receive a quarter tip.  She was sick once so Concetta had to fill in for her and serve him and received only a nickel tip.  She was so furious that she wanted to frame that nickel to show how cheap he was  One time there was a bat in her room, she was afraid of them.  The nuns had to come in and kill it with a broom. .

When Concetta left the convent at age 18 her father and stepmother Noni had arranged for her to marry a man who was Italian, that Concetta hated.  She said he had "bad breath".  Boston at that time was a busy Port City and had a lot of merchant marines and servicemen.  Concetta got pregnant by a friend of  Leo LeDoux an Ex-Marine, this friend was a sailor or merchant marine.  We don't know his name but we may have a photograph of him somewhere.  Leo who had a thing for Concetta was supposed to have told his friend that Concetta was bearing his child.  Leo came back and lied to Concetta, he told her that this person did not want to marry her or to see her again.  Leo said that he would marry her and raise the child as his own.  Concetta could not tell her parents about being pregnant and especially by a sailor, so she married Leo against her families wishes.  They never liked Leo "Frenchie" LeDoux.  The child Phyllis was born August 21, 1936 in Boston and a son Alexander John was born in February 20, 1938.  Concetta found out later that Leo had lied to her. 

 Leo was an alcoholic which caused them to have a very problematic marriage.  She came home and found Leo had tried to rape her sister, Rita.   She left and took Rita with her.  She wasn't able to take Phyllis and Alexander at that time.  She also wasn't able to tell her family why she left because they would have killed Leo and disowned Rita, and probably would have blamed her saying she must have done something to cause it.   Leo was very jealous and abusive and in a drunken rage tried to burn the house down with her in it.  She left him and left the children (Phyllis and Alexander) with a babysitter who were friends of hers.  She came back to get the children one day and the babysitter had been instructed by Leo not to give her the children.  She wasn't allowed to take the children away from the house, she could only visit them.   At that time she had a nervous breakdown.  So Concetta, because of the attempted rape,  was protecting Rita, again, this time at the cost of her children.  In those days you didn't tell your  family, especially Sicilians these things. She was admitted to a sanitarium for 2-3 years in Massachusetts.  Concetta doesn't remember any of this time.

After getting out of the sanitarium Concetta learned that Phyllis and Alexander were placed with a foster family in Somerville.  She went there and the foster family allowed her to visit the children on weekends, and the children  were told that she was their "Aunt Connie".  She was not allowed to take them from the house.  The children had been told that their parents were divorced and that their mother was dead.  When Leo found this out he threatened Concetta's life and she panicked and fled to New York in fear that she would be killed or put back in the sanatorium.  She blocked out these memories and tried to continue with her life.  She went to work as a hat check girl in a mob owned nightclub where the owner liked her like a daughter, and took her under his wing.  One time she called for a taxi and the driver tried to rape her.  The next day after telling her boss, the taxi driver disappeared.  Another time a Police Lieutenant kept trying to take her out, when she refused he said he would arrest her for prostitution.  She let her boss know and the next time the Policeman came in he brought her flowers and apologized and treated her with respect from then on.  Concetta lived in Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach in New York.

Concetta met a merchant marine Nicolas Gilligan originally from Indiana, married him and had three more children.  BEVERLY ANN GILLIGAN, was born. July 11, 1946, Brooklyn, New York. ROBERT JOHN GILLIGAN, was born September 14, 1948, Brooklyn, New York.  CAROL PATRICIA GILLIGAN, was born  December 20, 1951, Rockaway Beach, NY.

Concetta eventually moved to California to be near where her husband 's ships would sail in and out of.

In 1961, Concetta returned to Massachusetts with three of her children, Beverly, Bob and Carol.  She hired detectives to find Phyllis and Alexander.  Leo LeDoux had remarried about 1952 to Vera Brown a woman who could not have children.  They were living in Somerville, MA near the Prospect Hill Monument Tower.   She talked to Leo and he told her that he told the children that she was dead.  And that Phyllis had left when she tuned 18 and he had not seen or heard from her again.  Alexander had joined the Army in 1955 and when he returned from Germany in 1958 left again a few months later and he hadn't heard from him since. Concetta was so upset she didn't know what to do or say so she returned to California after six months with only the three of her children.   Carol was seventeen years old when she found out about Phyllis and Alexander.   Concetta's wish was that she would find them before she died.  She told her grandchildren about them and hoped that they would also be able to re-unite with them.

CONTINUED: