Michele
CARRERA aka "Mike CITERIO" (1,2,7) was born on 23 December 1894 in Pratiglione,
Italy to Michele Carrera and Carlotta Crasetto.(3,5) At 5 years old,
Michele immigrated on 14 April 1901 to New York along with his mother Carlotta
and sisters, Polonia aged 9 and Pretro aged 7.(6) He submitted
draft registration cards for WWI on 5 June 1917 in Frontier, Wyoming stating he
was “naturalized” and was working for the Kemmerer Coal Company at the saw mill
in Frontier.(5) Mike was married Annie
WORHOL on 18 July 1916 in Kemmerer.(3,10)
Mike was short, medium build with blue eyes and light hair.(5) Mike was killed a gas explosion in Frontier
No. 1 coal mine on 14 August 1923 at the age of 28 in Frontier, Wyoming leaving
Annie a widow with two daughters and a new baby.(3) The Kemmerer
Republican describes Annie’s situation:
Saddened on a
bed of pain, lies Mrs. Mike Citerio, with her little son, born two days before
the father was killed. It was their
first son, two daughters preceded, and the father, overjoyed, had planned a
celebration for next Sunday, to which a score or more of his friends, many who
were killed with him, were invited to attend.(11)
Annie also lost her brother, Paul
WARHOL, Jr. and her brother-in-law John GRATISKI, who
married her sister Susie.(10) Paul was buried on 17 August 1923 in the
Kemmerer City Cemetery.(3,4) The
following appeared in the local newspaper following the coal mine disaster:
Card of Thanks
We unite in
expressing our thanks to our many friends, whose many deeds of kindness and
comforting words assisted us to bear the burden of our loss in the untimely
death of Mike Citerio, John Gratiski and Paul Warhol at the Frontier mine,
August 14; especially do we thank the members of the K. of C. lodge, L.O.O.M
and Local Union 2360, U.M.W of A; in fact, everyone who assisted us, to whom we
are duly grateful.
MRS. MIKE
CITERIO
MRS. JOHN
GRATISKI
JOHN WARHOL
MRS. ELLA WARHOL
(10)
An Affidavit filed in Crawford County,
Kansas, by Paola NEPUTE, nee CARRERA, legal sister of Mike CITERIO explains the discrepancies in
Mike’s name:
"Affiant further says that due to the
fact that her mother married twice, the first time to a party named Carrera and
the second party named Citerio and that at the time of the death of the first
husband her brother Michele Carrera (Mike Citerio) was a small child. He was brought up with the name of Citerio
and carried this name throughout his life, however, his legal and correct name
was Michele Carrera."(9)
Mike CITERIO is the name that appears on his headstone, original death
certificate and various newspaper articles reporting victims of the
disaster.(3,4,8,9) Mike CARERA is the
name that appears and is how he signed his draft registration card in 1917.(5)
1. Kemmerer
Republican, (Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming), 24 August 1923, page 1,
microfilm; Lincoln County Library, 519 Emerald Street, Kemmerer, Lincoln,
Wyoming 83101.
2. Sneddon Robert T.
Inspector (Dist 1) & Robert V. Hotchkiss Inspector (Dist2),
"State Coal Mine Inspectors Of Wyoming, Districts No. 1 and 2,"
year: 1923; report, 1923; Wyoming State
Archives on microfilm, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
3. Mike Citerio, death certificate file no. 1387 (14
August 1923), State of Wyoming, Wyoming State Archives, 2301 Central Avenue,
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001.
4. Cemetery-Headstone, Kemmerer City Cemetery, Kemmerer,
Lincoln, Wyoming. Personal photograph,
property of and in possession of Roberts Roots & Branches, of headstone
taken between 2000 and 2003., Mike Citerio.
5. "United States World War I Draft Registration
Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch," digital,
FamilySearch, FamilySearch.org (: online digital 6 March 2018), Mike
Carera; citing United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,
"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,"
database with images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K687-L6P : 12 December 2014), Mike
Carera, 1917-1918; citing Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States, NARA microfilm
publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records
Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 2,022,241..
6. "Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists,
1820-1957," digital (online), Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists,
1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.,
2010., Ancestry.com (: online digital 6 March 2018), Michele Carrera;
citing Year: 1901; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715,
1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0184; Line: 8; Page Number: 88.
7.
State of Kansas, Crawford County,
Affidavit dated 2 June 1931 by Paola Nepute, Wyoming State Archives, 2301
Central Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001.
8.
Kemmerer Republican, news article, dated
Friday, 17 August 1923, page 2, copied from microfilm at the Lincoln County
Library, Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming.
9.
Kemmerer Republican, news article, dated
24 August 1923, page 5, copied from microfilm at the Lincoln County Library,
Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming.
10.
Kemmerer Gazette, Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming, Wyoming Newspaper Project online,
“Wedding”, 26 July 1916. page 4.
11. Kemmerer Republican, (Kemmerer,
Lincoln, Wyoming), 24 August 1923, page 2, microfilm; Lincoln County Library,
519 Emerald Street, Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming 83101.
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