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Schiro used and was called both forms of his first name, Nicolo and Nicola in the United States. He was born and naturalized as Nicolo but most accounts of him by other gangsters and government agents call him Nicola. More modern writers use Nicola; but some, like Critchley, use Nicolo. The Italian Wikipedia uses
Nicola. I lean toward continuing to use Nicolo but there might be editors who disagree. Note, Joseph Bonanno's autobiography uses Schiro's nickname, "Cola", but I doubt it's well known enough for the article title.
Libertybison (
talk)
08:50, 10 February 2017 (UTC)reply
Problematic. Given Cola, Nicola would seem the likely choice. There's also the question of the cognome. Schiro seems to be found only on English-language websites (notorious for ignoring diacritics). Surely Schirò is the actual name.
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
17:05, 19 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Looking at my earlier question from two years ago, it looks like I misstated the case and at the time it was more evenly divided between Nicolo and Nicola than I thought. Of the sources used in the article, the ones that go more in-depth into Schiro's biography - Critchley and Warner - use Nicolo instead of Nicola. A quick check of Schiro's signature using the passport application where the image of him used in the article comes from
here (on FamilySearch - which is free to use but you have to register an account) has Schiro signing the original passport application as "Nicolo Schiro" but signing the subsequent request for an extension as "Nicolò Schirò".
Libertybison (
talk)
05:41, 20 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Good find. I've done a good bit of checking, and the only thing nailed down with near certainty is that the family name is Schirò. It's a very common name in the Arbëreshë communities of Sicily; the report that Schirò's paternal grandfather came from one of those, Contessa Entellina, dovetails, and jibes with the evidence in the passport extension. The first name is a bit of a mess. Nicolo seemed suspect from the start (among the many questions, how is it pronounced?), and I've been unable to find Nicolo as an Italian name. Nicola and Nicolò/Niccolò, on the other hand, are common. The passport extension argues for Nicolò while Cola implies Nicola. Ergo non liquet, but Nicolo seems least likely of the three possibilities (For Rizzuto, la Repubblica uses first Nicola, then in resuming with a bit of biography, "Nicola Rizzuto, detto anche Nicolò (o Niccolò)...", while The Independent uses only Nicolò.) (Should be obvious, but foreign-language renditions are not guarantees that a name has been adapted/changed. Enrique Peña Nieto hasn't changed and won't change his name to Enrique Pena Nieto, no matter how often the latter appears in the same sort of diacritic-free English-language publications that are pleased to wish people Feliz ano nuevo 'Happy new anus' when they mean 'Happy new year'. On the other hand, Tom [common name] Perez does seem to have accepted anglicization to the point that his name is not Pérez, but Perez, stress shift and /s/ > /z/ included. As for common name, v. Boomer Esiason. Or more extensively, Ringo Starr. Or, for that matter, Nick Rizzuto.)
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
20:48, 22 May 2019 (UTC)reply
In regards to his surname, "Schiro" is used in all of the English sources. "Nicolò Schirò" is used in the sole Italian source, Luigi Accardo's 1995 book about Camporeale which mentions the war memorial. Also, the Accardo book says (pg. 54) the donation inscription on the back of the statue reads "I Camporealesi d'America, animatore Nicolò Schirò". The Italian biography of
Nicola Gentile also mentions Schiro, using "Cola Schirò", see
here. Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of this book, either translated or on sale in America which I can use it as a source for information about Schiro for this article. (Google Books doesn't provide a preview). The fact that "Schirò" isn't used in any English-language secondary sources, makes me think that using that form of spelling would run afoul of the
WP:COMMONAME policy. I've made changes to clearly indicate that he was born as "Schirò" and used the "Schirò" spelling for his father's surname. In regards to his first name, one English-language source, Waugh, uses the "Nicolò" spelling, see
here. Either "Nicolo" or "Nicolò" definitely should be used, not "Nicola". "Nicola" is definitely used less than "Nicolo/ò". The sources that use "Nicola" seem to, generally, have less information about Schiro and usually based on the spelling in the 1912-14 Secret Service reports written based on their informant, Salvatore Clemente in the Morello gang. The only time where a document that should be connected to Schiro himself uses the "Nicola" name that I could find is his 1924 New York City voter listing, see
here (the 432 Marcy Ave. address is linked to him in the Warner article). I don't think the "Cola" nickname in and of itself can be used as evidence for a "Nicola" derivation, several different factors can come into play when coining a nickname.
Libertybison (
talk)
21:15, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
I'd say you've done a good job of finding a work-around in a difficult situation. You've made it clear that his family name really is Schirò, and one of these days something may turn up that nails down Nicola or Nicolò.
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
22:44, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Nicola Gentile biography
Nicola Gentile's Italian language biography mentions Schiro, but I can't seem to find a copy for sale or an English translation of it. Google Books also doesn't have a preview of it, see
here. So, if anybody has access to a copy and can read Italian, the information in it can fill a hole in this article.
Libertybison (
talk)
21:27, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
1924 voter list
I found this
1924 NYC voter listing for Schiro (at 432 Marcy Ave.), on the
Internet Archive website as the result of an earlier talk page discussion. I initially also posted in the External links section. On second thought, I think it may not be significant enough to place it there and will remove it. But just in case a future editor disagrees, I'm posting the link here.
Libertybison (
talk)
02:10, 25 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Camporeale WWI memorial
I found a transcription of the inscription of the Camporeale WWI memorial, which was helped to be built by Schiro, on a what appears to be a website run by the commune. You can see the webpage,
here. Does anybody think it would be acceptable for an external link based on the webpage's text being written in Italian and its wording being copied from a book (which is already used as a source in the article)?
Libertybison (
talk)
09:08, 30 November 2019 (UTC)reply
I have no interest in nominating this article for a GA. I've not been as active on Wikipedia since the pandemic and wouldn't have enough time to dedicate to the process. Also prior to the pandemic, I ordered a copy of
Nicola Gentile's autobiography from Italy to see if it had any useful material to add to the Schiro and
Salvatore D'Aquila articles. But that project was sidelined, for now, due the pandemic considerations/obligations that take up too much of my time in my off- Wikipedia life.
Libertybison (
talk)
18:18, 11 March 2021 (UTC)reply
This article was reviewed by member(s) of WikiProject Articles for creation. The project works to allow users to contribute quality articles and media files to the encyclopedia and track their progress as they are developed. To participate, please visit the
project page for more information.Articles for creationWikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creationTemplate:WikiProject Articles for creationAfC articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to
join the project and
contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the
documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Crime and Criminal Biography articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Crime and Criminal BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyCrime-related articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject New York City, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
New York City-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.New York CityWikipedia:WikiProject New York CityTemplate:WikiProject New York CityNew York City articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Sicily, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
Sicily on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SicilyWikipedia:WikiProject SicilyTemplate:WikiProject SicilySicily articles
Schiro used and was called both forms of his first name, Nicolo and Nicola in the United States. He was born and naturalized as Nicolo but most accounts of him by other gangsters and government agents call him Nicola. More modern writers use Nicola; but some, like Critchley, use Nicolo. The Italian Wikipedia uses
Nicola. I lean toward continuing to use Nicolo but there might be editors who disagree. Note, Joseph Bonanno's autobiography uses Schiro's nickname, "Cola", but I doubt it's well known enough for the article title.
Libertybison (
talk)
08:50, 10 February 2017 (UTC)reply
Problematic. Given Cola, Nicola would seem the likely choice. There's also the question of the cognome. Schiro seems to be found only on English-language websites (notorious for ignoring diacritics). Surely Schirò is the actual name.
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
17:05, 19 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Looking at my earlier question from two years ago, it looks like I misstated the case and at the time it was more evenly divided between Nicolo and Nicola than I thought. Of the sources used in the article, the ones that go more in-depth into Schiro's biography - Critchley and Warner - use Nicolo instead of Nicola. A quick check of Schiro's signature using the passport application where the image of him used in the article comes from
here (on FamilySearch - which is free to use but you have to register an account) has Schiro signing the original passport application as "Nicolo Schiro" but signing the subsequent request for an extension as "Nicolò Schirò".
Libertybison (
talk)
05:41, 20 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Good find. I've done a good bit of checking, and the only thing nailed down with near certainty is that the family name is Schirò. It's a very common name in the Arbëreshë communities of Sicily; the report that Schirò's paternal grandfather came from one of those, Contessa Entellina, dovetails, and jibes with the evidence in the passport extension. The first name is a bit of a mess. Nicolo seemed suspect from the start (among the many questions, how is it pronounced?), and I've been unable to find Nicolo as an Italian name. Nicola and Nicolò/Niccolò, on the other hand, are common. The passport extension argues for Nicolò while Cola implies Nicola. Ergo non liquet, but Nicolo seems least likely of the three possibilities (For Rizzuto, la Repubblica uses first Nicola, then in resuming with a bit of biography, "Nicola Rizzuto, detto anche Nicolò (o Niccolò)...", while The Independent uses only Nicolò.) (Should be obvious, but foreign-language renditions are not guarantees that a name has been adapted/changed. Enrique Peña Nieto hasn't changed and won't change his name to Enrique Pena Nieto, no matter how often the latter appears in the same sort of diacritic-free English-language publications that are pleased to wish people Feliz ano nuevo 'Happy new anus' when they mean 'Happy new year'. On the other hand, Tom [common name] Perez does seem to have accepted anglicization to the point that his name is not Pérez, but Perez, stress shift and /s/ > /z/ included. As for common name, v. Boomer Esiason. Or more extensively, Ringo Starr. Or, for that matter, Nick Rizzuto.)
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
20:48, 22 May 2019 (UTC)reply
In regards to his surname, "Schiro" is used in all of the English sources. "Nicolò Schirò" is used in the sole Italian source, Luigi Accardo's 1995 book about Camporeale which mentions the war memorial. Also, the Accardo book says (pg. 54) the donation inscription on the back of the statue reads "I Camporealesi d'America, animatore Nicolò Schirò". The Italian biography of
Nicola Gentile also mentions Schiro, using "Cola Schirò", see
here. Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of this book, either translated or on sale in America which I can use it as a source for information about Schiro for this article. (Google Books doesn't provide a preview). The fact that "Schirò" isn't used in any English-language secondary sources, makes me think that using that form of spelling would run afoul of the
WP:COMMONAME policy. I've made changes to clearly indicate that he was born as "Schirò" and used the "Schirò" spelling for his father's surname. In regards to his first name, one English-language source, Waugh, uses the "Nicolò" spelling, see
here. Either "Nicolo" or "Nicolò" definitely should be used, not "Nicola". "Nicola" is definitely used less than "Nicolo/ò". The sources that use "Nicola" seem to, generally, have less information about Schiro and usually based on the spelling in the 1912-14 Secret Service reports written based on their informant, Salvatore Clemente in the Morello gang. The only time where a document that should be connected to Schiro himself uses the "Nicola" name that I could find is his 1924 New York City voter listing, see
here (the 432 Marcy Ave. address is linked to him in the Warner article). I don't think the "Cola" nickname in and of itself can be used as evidence for a "Nicola" derivation, several different factors can come into play when coining a nickname.
Libertybison (
talk)
21:15, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
I'd say you've done a good job of finding a work-around in a difficult situation. You've made it clear that his family name really is Schirò, and one of these days something may turn up that nails down Nicola or Nicolò.
Barefoot through the chollas (
talk)
22:44, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Nicola Gentile biography
Nicola Gentile's Italian language biography mentions Schiro, but I can't seem to find a copy for sale or an English translation of it. Google Books also doesn't have a preview of it, see
here. So, if anybody has access to a copy and can read Italian, the information in it can fill a hole in this article.
Libertybison (
talk)
21:27, 23 May 2019 (UTC)reply
1924 voter list
I found this
1924 NYC voter listing for Schiro (at 432 Marcy Ave.), on the
Internet Archive website as the result of an earlier talk page discussion. I initially also posted in the External links section. On second thought, I think it may not be significant enough to place it there and will remove it. But just in case a future editor disagrees, I'm posting the link here.
Libertybison (
talk)
02:10, 25 May 2019 (UTC)reply
Camporeale WWI memorial
I found a transcription of the inscription of the Camporeale WWI memorial, which was helped to be built by Schiro, on a what appears to be a website run by the commune. You can see the webpage,
here. Does anybody think it would be acceptable for an external link based on the webpage's text being written in Italian and its wording being copied from a book (which is already used as a source in the article)?
Libertybison (
talk)
09:08, 30 November 2019 (UTC)reply
I have no interest in nominating this article for a GA. I've not been as active on Wikipedia since the pandemic and wouldn't have enough time to dedicate to the process. Also prior to the pandemic, I ordered a copy of
Nicola Gentile's autobiography from Italy to see if it had any useful material to add to the Schiro and
Salvatore D'Aquila articles. But that project was sidelined, for now, due the pandemic considerations/obligations that take up too much of my time in my off- Wikipedia life.
Libertybison (
talk)
18:18, 11 March 2021 (UTC)reply