On August 9, 1919, Italian steamship Dante Alighieri arrived in New York with over 1,000 passengers — “the largest number to arrive from Europe since the beginning of the war” according to the New York Times.
A baby girl was born aboard the ship during the voyage. According to the Times, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Mittoria and named Beatrice Dante, “in honor of the ship.”
The passenger manifest for the SS Dante Alighieri does mention a newborn baby girl, but her name isn’t Beatrice. Or Dante. It’s Vittoria:
She was born on August 4 to Vincenzo and Ninfa Affe, and had older sisters named Angiolina and Giovannina.
Beatrice and Dante could be Vittoria’s middle names, but I haven’t found any official record of it yet.
Update: On the 1920 US Census, Vincent and Ninfa’s three daughters are listed as Angelina, Jennie and “Vittoria B.” (birthplace: “at sea”). So it looks like Vittoria probably did have the middle name Beatrice. Still don’t know about Dante.
Sources:
- “Baby Dante Born at Sea.” New York Times 10 Aug. 1919: 7.
- Ellis Island Foundation
So her name is/was Vittoria Mittoria??
The surname was Affe, so it would have been Victoria Affe.
I think the reporter got a few facts mixed up and Vittoria morphed into Mittoria.