Charles Mandelli
Early Life
Charles Hannibal Mandelli was born on April 23, 1896, in Turin, Italy, to Hannibale Mandelli and Maria Raza Mandelli. As part of the wave of Italian immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he came to the United States as an infant, settling with his family in Port Chester, New York, where he was raised.
By the time of his World War I registration, Mandelli was living on Sound View Avenue in Rye, New York. His father had been born in Novara, Italy, further reflecting the family’s northern Italian origins. He was employed by Slawson Silks and Sheffield Farms Company in New York City, working within the industrial and commercial economy that drew many immigrant families into the region.
At the time of registration, he was a young man of slight build, with brown eyes and black hair, and listed his nearest relative as Stanisbat Mandelli, residing at the same Sound View Avenue address.
World War I Service
Mandelli entered service in the United States Navy on June 3, 1918, enrolling at the recruiting station in New York as part of the
United States Naval Reserve Force.
He served as a Ship’s Cook, Fourth Class, and was assigned to the Naval Training Camp at
Pelham Bay Park, New York, where one of the Navy’s major wartime training facilities was located. His service from August 1, 1918, through November 11, 1918, coincided with the final months of the war, when the rapid expansion of naval personnel required large-scale training and support operations.
As a ship’s cook, Mandelli’s role was essential to the daily functioning and morale of naval personnel, providing food service in a military environment where logistics and sustenance were critical to operational readiness. He later advanced to the rating of Ship’s Cook, Third Class.
He was discharged to inactive duty on May 24, 1919, through Headquarters of the 3rd Naval District in New York.
Life After Service
Following his military service, Mandelli returned to civilian life in Port Chester, where he remained a longtime resident. He established a career as a salesman for a wine company, continuing to work within the commercial networks that had defined his early employment.
He married Julia Ference on February 11, 1922, in Newburgh, New York, and the couple remained together for decades, maintaining their home in the Port Chester area.
Charles H. Mandelli died on September 28, 1980, at United Hospital. He was 84 years old and resided at 84 Halstead Avenue in Port Chester, New York.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Julia Ference Mandelli, of the home address.