Al Capone One of the most common qualities of a gangster from Capone's era was that the gangsters were from Italy. This was not true for Al Capone. He was strictly a domestic gangster.
Capone's father, Gabriele Capone, came to America in 1894 along with his pregnant wife Teresina Capone. Gabriele and Teresina Capone settled in Brooklyn, New York.
Teresina's fourth son and the first to be born and conceived in the New World was born on January 17, 1899. His name was Alphonse. Yes, this was the original name of the famous gangster Al Capone. Alphonse became Al when his father decided to change the family's first names to fit in with those of the people in the New World.
Many people ask if Al Capone spent his tender years in the company of murderers and thieves. Definitely not. The Capone's were a quiet family. Even when it came to disciplining the kids, Gabriele never hit.
Al Capone. Mugshot information from Science and So...
English: A photo of young Al Capone with his mothe...
English: Al Capone while incarcerated at Alcatraz.Instead he used to talk to them. He would also preach to them, and they listened to their father. This was his philosophy.
Shortly after Al was born, his father moved the family to better housing in an apartment over his barbershop, at 69 Park Avenue in Brooklyn. This is where Al would be exposed to cultural influences beyond what was supplied by the Italian immigrant community. Most of the people living in the neighborhood were Irish, although Germans, Swedes, and even Chinese were among the different races.
At the age of five, Al enrolled in Public School 7 on Adams Street. This school system proved to be very prejudiced towards him because the school system didn't think that the Italians would make much of themselves after school. The teachers also did little to encourage any interests of the children. Al's parents expected...