The construction of the Kensico Dam needed many day laborers. The Cesari family was among them. In fact, most of the laborers were from Europe — many Italians, some Germans, and others —who couldn’t speak English so that a night school was established to teach them. Elpidio Cesari, who was a merchant, probably provisioned camp personnel. His brother, Vincenzo, worked as a laborer on the dam.
CENSUS FOR 1925
1. From the 1925 Census name the members of Elpidio Cesari’s immediate family.
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2. According to the Certificate of Arrival, Elpidio arrived in this country in the year ___________. His port of entry was _________________. His manner of arrival was ______________________(ship).
3. The first step in becoming a citizen is to file a Declaration of Intention to Naturalize. Elpidio was sworn before the office of the clerk in the year ______________.
4. The second step in becoming a citizen was to file a Petition for Citizenship. Name the town where Elpidio was born___________________, on __________________ _____________________________.
5. The Petition for Citizenship gave his occupation as_________________________.
6. According to the Record of Marriages, Elpidio married ______________________ (include his wife’s maiden name). They applied for a marriage license on the ____________day of March in the year _______________. Mrs. Cesari was born in the town of __________________ in the State of ______. She was _______ years old at the time of her marriage. She was a _________________________ by profession.
An act of Congress was passed on March 2, 1907, in which section 3 stated that “any American woman who married a foreigner shall take the nationality of her husband.” Although this section was repealed on September 22, 1922, a native-born American woman who had married an alien had to file a petition for naturalization. In order to regain her citizenship she had to supply proof and witnesses to the facts of her petition and good character, take an oath of allegiance to the United States, and then she received her certificate of naturalization.
7. On the bottom of Mrs. Cesari’s Petition for Naturalization it states that she took the oath of allegiance for citizenship in February of the year _________.
Elpidio Cesari’s brother, Vincenzo, who also immigrated to the United States, lived for a time in New York City. He died while helping to build the Kensico dam.
8. According to the Record of Deaths, what job did Vincenzo Cesari do at the dam? ____________ driller. He died on ________________ at he age of ________.
PETITION, BOND, OATH AND ORDER OF ADMINISTRATION 
9. According to the Surrogate Court Petition, Bond, Oath and Order of Administration of July 14, 1913, for Vincenzo Cesari, his family consisted of:
Name Residence Relationship
Antonio______________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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10. Refer to page 4 of the Surrogate Court Petition, Bond, Oath and Order of Administration. Vincenzo was killed while working in the employ of the contracting firm ______________ & _____________ as a result of _______ _________ by an ________________ of _____________ which was being used on the job.
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4
11. Refer to page 8 section III of the Surrogate Court Petition. The company did ______________________ work in connection with the building of the aqueduct for the City of New York
page 8
12. In the Surrogate Court Petition, Carlo Mariotti was appointed Administrator of Vincenzo’s “goods, chattels, and credits.” But because Vincenzo was a citizen of Italy, it was Mariotti who caused a suit for negligence to be brought against the company. The main defense of the company in the lawsuit was denial. On pages 11-12 in the sixth reply they said:
Did the company feel it was responsible for Vincenzo's death? _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
13. Using page 13 of the
Surrogate Court Petition, the company was ordered to pay $
_______ 
page
13
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