1. Francesco¹ Buscemi was born probably in Sicily say 1850. Francesco died after 1928.

He married Serafina Lombard, before 1875, probably in Sicily. Serafina was born say 1855, probably in Sicily. Her name may have been Lomard.

Serafina died about 1924, in New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut. When Francesco still lived in Italy he and a couple of his brothers were visiting the Vatican and were impressed with the uniforms of the guards there. Thinking they would like to be part of that they applied for employment, but only Francesco got a job, working at the Vatican as a guide of sorts for a couple of years. Some descendants claim that he and his wife Serafina came to America at different times, Frank and some of the children first, with Serafina and son Paul and perhaps other children coming later, the delay perhaps due to pregnancy. They lived in New Britain, Conn. Thus far no record of either Francesco or Serafina has been found in this country, so it is possible that both died in Italy, although one descendant remembers her grandmother Buscemi dying in New Britain when she was a little girl.

The 1922 New Britain city directory has a Fanny Buscemi (Fanny is an Americanization of Serafina) living at 55 Lafayette St., the same address as 'Camalo' Buscemi, wife of Sebastiano. This Fanny is presently unidentified but could be either a daughter of Carmela or our Serafina.

The 1926 New Britain city directory has a Francesco Buscine with wife Rene living at 100 Queen St. at the same time as our Francesco's two sons Giuseppe and Paulo were living at 46 and 72 Queen St., respectively. Francesco was an employee of the Corbin Screw Corp. at the time.

Francesco Buscemi and Serafina Lombard had the following children:

2 i. Sebastiano² Buscemi was born in Sicily about 1875. He was 35 in the 1910 census and 54 in the 1930 census. The 1943 New Britain city directory said he was age 62 when he died in 1943, suggesting a birth around 1880. Sebastiano died 17 March 1943.⁽¹⁶⁵⁾ He married Carmella Ierna, about 1904.⁽¹⁶⁶⁾ Carmella was born 1 August 1885, in Floridia, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy.⁽¹⁶⁷⁾ Carmella was the daughter of Salvatore? Ierna. Carmella died 21 August 1975, at Walnut Hill Convalescent Home, in New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut.⁽¹⁶⁸⁾ She was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in New Britain.

. The 1910 census of New Haven, Conn. lists a Sebastiano "Boscimi" at 34 Myrtle St. He is age 35, has been married for 9 years, and was from Italy. According to the census, he came to this country in 1905 and worked as a roller in a wire mill. His wife is not living with him, but instead there is a "Partner" and his family. The partner's name is Salvatore C(arr?)o, age 29, also married and a railroad worker. Salvatore's two sons Sebastiano and Salvatore are with him, as well as two boarders, one named Santo C(arr?)o and the other named Salvatore E(nna?). It can't be proven at this point whether or not this is our Sebastiano. He can't be located in the 1910 or 1911 city directories of New Haven, so perhaps it is the same person and he had moved on to New Britain by this time. Going backwards in time the 1909 New Haven directory has a Sebastiano Bosciano living at 97 Wallace St. and working as an employee of R R Co. and confectionary. Our Sebastiano was later a baker so this is promising. He doesn't appear in the 1907 or 1908 New Haven directories, unless his name is very badly misspelled.

By 1913 he was in New Britain, as that year's New Britain city directory lists Sebastiano Buscemi as living at 571 Main St. and also as the owner of a grocery and meat market at 28 Lafayette St. New Britain directories before 1913 haven't been checked yet. In 1914 the business is listed at 64 Lafayette and his home at 58 Beaver St. In 1919 Sebastiano is no longer listed in the directory and instead it is just Camalo (sic), listed as a grocer at 64 Lafayette and living at 213 Washington St. One year later there was a different Buscemi family at that address.

The 1920 census of New Britain lists a Maichi or Malchi Buscene and wife Fanny Y. living at 213 Washington St. with son Frank and daughter Jennie. Maichi was 26 years old, from Italy, and came to this country in 1893. He worked in a machine factory. Fanny was 23, and came from Italy in 1913. Son Frank was age 5 and daughter Jennie was 4 or 7 or 8 months and both were born in Connecticut. Living at the same address is Charles Insalaco, a 28-year-old factory mill worker who came from Italy in 1913, and his wife Jennie, age 21 and from Italy in the same year. Jennie was the sister of Carmella Buscemi. In that same household is a 60-year old man named Salvator Yearns whose relationship to the head of the household (Charles) is said to be father. He was Italian as well. Since Jennie's maiden name was Ierna, it seems probable that this was her father instead. It also seems probable that Maichi's wife "Fanny Y." may have been an Ierna as well, with the middle initial of "Y" standing for "Yearn".

The Insalaco family shows up as living with Sebastiano and/or Carmela in later censuses and city directories. The 1919 city directory has a "Michele Buccino" living at 213 Washington St., as well as a man by the name of Giuseppe Cicio. In 1922 a "Mrs. Michelina Buccieri" shows up at 179 Washington St., along with a Mariano Bucchieri, a barber, at that same address. Who these people are and how their names are supposed to be spelled is yet to be determined.

Sebastiano and Carmela haven't been located yet in the 1920 census. It is unusual that these two disappear from the census at the same time that "Maichi" and Fanny show up, so one wonders if they are someone the same people and the census taker got the names wrong.

The 1922 directory lists Sebastiano as living at 64 Lafayette, with Camalo listed in the business directory as a grocer at that address. But Camalo's home address is listed as 55 Lafayette, where a Fanny Buscemi also resides. (This Fanny could be Sebastiano's mother Serafina, or perhaps an unknown daughter of theirs.) Sebastiano is listed as a baker living at 16 Beaver St. In 1926 Sebastiano and Carmella "Busami" are listed as living at 681 Farmington Ave. The Insalaco family was now living at that same address.

The 1930 census finds Sebastian and Molly "Busson" at 681 Farmington Ave., and once again Charles and Jennie Insalaco are living with them. Sebastian owned the home, which was worth $4000, and Charles rented for $20 a month. Sebastian was 54 and married since the age of 29, and Molly, who presumably is Carmella, was 40 and married at the age of 15. Neither could read or write and both were born in Italy. He came to America in 1909 and she one year later. He was employed as a salesman in a fruit store. Charles Insalaco was age 39, married since the age of 24, born in Italy, literate, and worked as a machinist in a steel mill. His wife Jennie was age 30 and married at the age of 15. Both came to this country from Italy in 1913. Their daughter Jennie was age 9, born in Connecticut, and son Angelo was aged 2 years and 3 months, also born in Connecticut.

Sebastiano Busami (sic) is listed in the New Britain 1936 through 1942 city directories at 681 Farmington Ave. His wife's name is Carmela. Living at the same address in 1936 is "Calogero" Insalaco. Calogero is Italian for Charles. In 1941 and 1942 the directory calls Sebastiano a farmer. The 1943 directory notes Sebastiano's death and lists the widow Carmela still at 681 Farmington Ave. After her marriage to Falmiano Brunello they continued to live at the Farmington Avenue address until their deaths. By 1950 Calogero (Charles) Insalaco and his wife Jennie were once again living with Carmela at 681 Farmington Ave. They continued living there until after Carmela died.

Carmella's 1975 obituary stated that she was a resident of New Britain for 75 years, and for 32 years, until her retirement in 1960, she owned and operated a dairy farm at 681 Farmington Ave. She was a member of St. Ann's Church in New Britain. At the time of her death she was living at 22 Holmes Ave. in New Britain, which was the home of her sister Josephine Bendott.

No children have been found for this couple. None were mentioned in Carmella's obituary.

+ 3 ii. Giuseppe Buscemi was born about 1877.

+ 4 iii. Paul Busheme was born about January 1889.

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