John M. Antuono (March 15, 1894–March 20, 1992)
By Tyler Campbell
Early Life
John M. Antuono was born on March 15, 1894 in Port Tampa, Florida, to Vincent and Christina Antuono. Antuono’s parents were part of a large wave of Italian immigrants that emigrated from the European countries of Italy, Russia, Poland, Greece, and Ireland to escape poor economic conditions and rising population.1 Once in the US, Antuono’s father worked as a grocer in Port Tampa, Florida.2 John Antuono completed his high school education in the Tampa area before the outbreak of World War I.3
Military Service
As seen here, Antuono registered for the draft at age twenty-three and was inducted into the US Army on October 8, 1917.4 During his service, Antuono first served with Company I of the 324th Infantry, part of the newly formed 81st Division, until October 14, 1917. In August 1918, Antuono transferred out of the Regiment prior to their departure for France and transferred in to Company L of the 124th Infantry.5 While in the 124th Infantry, Antuono was promoted to Corporal.6 This regiment was part of the 31st Division, and was transferred overseas to France in October of 1918. Upon arrival, the regiment was skeletonized and utilized as replacements in other regiments.7 Antuono stayed with the 124th Infantry until October 29, 1918 when he transferred to the 330th Infantry. Organized on August 30, 1917 at Camp Sherman in Ohio, the 330th Infantry regiment was part of the 83rd Infantry Division.8 By the time Antuono joined the division, it had been reorganized into the 2nd Depot Division.9 According to his Service Card, after November 29, 1918, Antuono transferred for the last time to Company G of the Central Records Office, located in Bourges, France, for his final assignment in the Army.10 Antuono returned to the United States on August 23, 1919 and was honorably discharged on September 3, 1919.
Post-Service Life
After the war, Antuono held several jobs over the course of the next several years. In 1920, he worked as a packer in a cigar factory in Tampa.11 The Tampa region boasted one of the largest cigar manufacturing centers in the country during this period, as many craftsman immigrated from Cuba to the region.12 Also in Tampa, there existed a large Italian manufacturer, Val M. Antuono Cigar Company.13 Throughout the 1930s, he worked as a bookkeeper at a garage in the Tampa area.14 By 1940, Antuono worked as an accountant, but was unable to find steady work.15 Eventually, he found employment that combined many of his previous work experiences as a bookkeeper for a cigar manufacturer. A lifelong member of the Elks 708, Antuono remained in the Tampa community for the entirety of his life. John M. Antuono died on March 20, 1992 in Tampa, Florida at the age of 98.16 He is buried in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, section 104.
Endnotes
1 Michael Burgean, Immigration to the United States: Italian Immigration (New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005), 8.
2 “1900 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, Ybor City, Hillsborough County, Florida, p. 3B.
3 “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1817-1918,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, Hillsborough County, Roll: 1556856
4 Ibid.; “WWI Service Cards,” database, Florida Memory, http://www.floridamemory.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M Antuono, Service Number: 1352233, Port Tampa City, Hillsborough, Florida.
5 United States Army, Combat History of the 324th Infantry Regiment 44th Division (Baton Rouge: Army & Navy Publication Company, 1946), 12.
6 “WWI Service Cards,”Florida Memory, John M. Antuono.
7 Richard A. Rinaldi, The US Army in World War I: Orders of Battle: Ground Units 1917 – 1919 (General Data LLC, 2005), 85
8 “Lineage and Honors Information,” Department of the Army (accessed July 10, 2017), http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/regt/0330rgt.htm
9 Rinaldi, The US Army in World War I, 93.
10 Lettie Gavin, American Women in World War I: They Also Served (Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 1997), 77.
11 “1920 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, p. 9A.
12 Vicki L Ruiz and Virginia Sanchez Korrol, eds., Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006) 19, 472.
13 Daniel Decatur Moore, Men of the South: A World for the Newspaper Reference Library (New Orleans: Southern Biographical Association, 1922), 237.
14 “1930 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, p. 1B; “Florida, State Census, 1867 – 1945,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, precinct 52, Hillsborogh County, Florida, Roll 15.
15 “1940 United States Federal Census,” database, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed July 10, 2017), entry for John M. Antuono, Port Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, p. 12A.
16 “John M. Antuono,” The Tampa Tribue (Tampa, Florida), March 25, 1 992.
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