The Serrapede and Muro Families-From Agropoli to America
New Year, new beginnings….In Unity there is Strength. In Strength we grow Courage. With Courage we live each day with Confidence. All these nurture Hope. Let us treasure Hope and welcome her and the attendants she brings back into our lives in 2021.
Introduction
We have seen how the forces of assimilation impact the first and second generation members of immigrant communities in America. The Muro family was no different. As the children of Nick and his first wife Letizia grew older, several moved out of state to seek suitable, well-paying employment and get settled in place of their own. Josie, the eldest, came to Brooklyn, NY to get away from an involved situation with a young man who was promising marriage to her after he had already committed himself to another woman in Wilmerding. Through relatives, Josie got work as a sewing machine operator. Her marriage to Sam Serrapede, a hard working and resourceful bootblack/barbershop helper, enabled her to settle down into a modest degree of comfort within the same community as her maternal Auntie Elisa nearby.
Josie and Sam’s three room apartment became a meeting place for her siblings when they came to Brooklyn for a visit or to explore the possibility of relocation. Her brother Peter came for a visit in late 1936 but returned to Wilmerding where he married Angeline Carola. After their marriage Peter worked in Maryland for a few years. Josie’s younger brother Louis took to riding the rails for a period of time during the Great Depression when young adults and teens saw no hope for a job and had no desire to remain stuck in their hometowns. Lewis returned to Wilmerding but moved on to secure full-time work in Ohio where he settled down after marriage and raised his family.
Josie’s youngest sisters, Rosie and Philomena, also left Wilmerding when the time came to look for a job. They each came to Brooklyn at different times and because of the help Josie and the other relatives gave were able to get jobs. The three sisters were again together and their bonds grew even stronger. Rosie and Philomena stayed in Brooklyn, married and raised their families here.
Nick, Rose and all the siblings still living in Wilmerding stayed in touch with Josie. There were recurring visits back and forth at regular intervals. Other relatives and paesani from Wilmerding would stop by when in Brooklyn and update Josie and Sam on family doings. It is in this spirit that we present some highlights of the Muro family members who lived in Wilmerding during the 1940s through mid-1950s. We hope you enjoy this little visit into our parlor for a cup of coffee and pastries as we look back on these family members and times past.
Special thanks to Rosina Coltellaro and Claudia Muro for access to their family trees and data about Sylvia and Susie Muro. And a big “Thank You” to Fran Marasco for the photos of his parents, John and Betty Marasco, and his brother Richard.
Meet the children of Nick and Rose Muro
Nick’s first wife, Letizia Scotti Muro, passed away in 1921. He married Rosina Aeillo Marasco, a widow with one son, and became father to her son John Marasco (1916-1987). Rosina was known as Rose. She and Nick became the parents of:
Through The Byzantine Gate 
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