My grandfather Salvatore Lo Duca arrived in the USA from Carini with 17 dollars in his pocket on the ship Trave in 1903. He first dug ditches in Buffalo N.Y. Some time after that he settled in Brant N.Y. He started working in a canning factory in Farnham N.Y. and met his wife there (Cosima Cilluffo) from Valledolmo and they married on 12/23/1906.
While raising a family he was confronted by the KKK, they were trying to run him out of town. They burned crosses in front of his house and blocked the road he lived on when he tryed to work his land outside of town. But he did not give up, he ended up owning his farm, a gas station & pool room and running a cab service. He owned the 1st truck in the town. He was also the first farmer to use the truck to hall his horses to the land he farmed. Other farmers laughed at him, but then about a year or more they were all doing it.
He applied for citizenship in 1908 under the Lo Duca name and was refused. Then in 1915 he re-applied using La Duca and was granted citizenship in 1916. But to this day none of the family knows why La Duca versus Lo Duca. So since that the family has spelled it La Duca.
Hope you found this interesting.
Ron La Duca
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Researching Loduca & Mannino surnames, my family changed name from loduca to laduca in early 1900's. G.Grand father & G. Grand mother & children from Carini.
Salvatore Loduca Born 1858 nov. 16
Marianna Minnino Born 1860 oct. 21
Ronald J. LaDuca
