Shopping Saturday - The Telesca Bowling Alley

My husband's grandfather, John Telesca along with his two older brothers Joseph and Connie Telesca, owned and operated a bowling alley at 535 East Drinker Street, Dunmore, Pennsylvania.

It was called “The Telesca Bowling Alleys.”  The bowling alley had four lanes, a card room, billiard tables, upstairs apartments, two stores in the front, and possibly a dance section.  A son of Joseph Telesca worked there as a child. I spoke with him over the phone and he told me about the bowling alleys and his memories there. He set pens, took reservations for billiards and was sent home around 6 p.m.  Brunetta (Joseph’s wife) ran the shoe store up front and Donato would help her look after it, but he was not allowed to ring up any purchases. Jack (he called John Telesca by his nickname) and his wife Elsie lived in the apartment closest to the street so when a customer wanted to buy something Donato would run outside and holler for Aunt Elsie to come down to ring up the customer. 

The 1927 Scranton City Directory lists John and Connie (Camnio) Telesca living at 535 Drinker Street.

1927 Scranton City Directory, Pennsylvania

We visited Dunmore in 2000 and visited the building on 535 Drinker Street. It was a plumbing store. We went into the store to look around. We told the owners that my husband's family had owned the building and it had been a bowling alley. I showed them the 1927 Scranton Directory and they were surprised, they knew nothing of the history of the building. The front of the building where the store(s) were, was their showroom and was crammed with plumbing supplies. They let us go upstairs where the apartments had been and look around. It was now one unfinished room where they stored extra supplies.

535 Drinker Street, Dunmore, Pennsylvania

The “Telesca Brothers” contracting business was also run out of the same building. According to Joseph's son their motto was: “from foundations to decorations.” 

It was exciting to see and be in the building of my husband's ancestors. To know that they lived and worked there helped us feel connected to them.

Amanuensis Monday - Donato Telesca - Atto di Nascita

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Tracing my husbands line of Telesca's required me to spend many hours at the FHC looking over Atto di Nascita (Birth Records), Atti di Matrimonio (Marriage Records), and Atto di Morte (Death Records).


The fact that I do not speak or read any foreign language was quite a handicap. I purchased the book, "A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors" by Lynn Nelson. I would not have been able to do any of the Telesca research without this book.

This is a copy of my husband's Great Grandfather, Donato Telesca's Atto di Nascita or Birth record from Avigliano, Italy.

1868 Birth Record for Donato Telesca

Here is my transcription to the best of my ability. Blank lines are what I could not decipher.

In the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-eight of the 23^rd of the month of September at the hour of thirteen in the room ___________    ________  Angelo Telesca, Mayor and officer of the vital records of the town of Avigliano Region of Basilicata appeared Giuseppe Telesca son of the late Donato age twenty six bricklayer (mason) citizen residing in Avigliano the same has presented us a male ____  ____ ____ in the masculine, declared of _____ born _____ twenty-three of current month of September at the hour of ten _____ wife Angela Maria Loruso ____living in his house ________________________________ ________________________________________ name of Donato

These declarations ___________________________ of Domenica[a] age twenty-four, and of Leonardo Santafioro son of the late Domenico age fourty six, farmer, resident living in Avigliano ____________

A Telesca

From this record I learned that Donato Telesca was born on 23 September 1868 in Avigliano, Italy. His parents were Giuseppe Telesca and Angela Maria Laruso Telesca. Donato's grandfather was Donato Telesca and he had passed away.