The Donato’s built Greystone and three generations of their family lived in the house from 1903 to 1983. Raphel Donato passed the house to his nephew Andrew R. Donato Sr. as a wedding present in 1906. Andrew Sr. passed the house to his son Andrew Jr. (“Bucky”) in the 1940s.
The Brothers Donato – Raphael and Dominic
At the turn of the 20th century, brothers Raphael and Dominic Donato and their families immigrated to the United States from Italy. In 1903, Raphael Donato purchased nine parcels of farmland from Elizabeth Garrett, the widow of Sylvester S. Garrett, in the A.G. DeArmond building tract that bordered Milmont Avenue and the Eastlawn Cemetery. These lots were combined to form a single plot of land, most of which is still part of the Greystone estate today.
Raphael and his wife, Rosa (Marzyo) immediately began construction of Greystone and the house was fully completed sometime before 1904-05. Little is known of Raphael and Rosa’s life while they lived in Greystone. It is also unclear if they had any children. However, in 1906 they gave the house to their nephew (and son of Raphael’s brother, Dominic), Andrew Donato Sr. as a wedding present. It is believed that Raphael and Rosa continued to live in the house with their nephew and his new wife for a period of time but may have relocated to Philadelphia sometime before 1919.
Rosa died January 25th, 1919 and Raphael died October 16th, 1926, both while still residing in Pennsylvania.
The blue outline shows the 1903 land purchase that comprises Greystone. From a 1909 map of Ridley Township (photo credit: Keith Lockhart)
1928 map of Ridley Township showing the extent of all property owned by Dominic and Raphael Donato (photo credit: Keith Lockhart
The Other Brothers Donato – Andrew and Cameron
Andrew R. Donato Sr. (born September 18th, 1888) and his brother Cameron J. Donato Sr. (born January 9th, 1887) were sons of Dominic Donato and nephews of Raphael Donato. Both Cameron and Andrew’s families were prominent in Ridley Township’s history, but for significantly different reasons.
Cameron
Cameron Sr. served as a Ridley Township Commissioner from the 1920s to the 1940s. His son, Robert V. Donato, would eventually become the youngest school superintendent of Ridley Township Schools. Another son, James A. Donato, would become an owner of Donato Bros. Contracting company from 1957-1982. Cameron resided in a large Victorian style house on the opposite side of Milmont Avenue in Milmont Park.
Andrew
Andrew Sr., on the other hand, would become famous for his run-in with Swarthmore police authorities. As early as 1920, Andrew and Lena would build and operate The Greenlawn Inn (later known as Andy’s Bar) on property adjacent to Greystone. This venue served as a dance and banquet hall hosting many local weddings and life events and, during Prohibition, was a speakeasy. Andrew and his son, Andrew Jr., would be arrested at least once for serving malts and liquor to underage minors – including Swarthmore College students.
Andrew Sr. married Lena (Gilberti) in October of 1909 they operated a farm and several greenhouses on the estate. There is anecdotal evidence that Lena often brought carts of produce to Swarthmore Village to sell. She also sold and delivered farm produce to local residents of Ridley and Swarthmore.
Andrew and Lena had six children: Andrew Jr. (“Bucky”), Ralph, Phillip, Martin, Florence (“Flossie”), and Barbara. The couple lived in the house from 1909 until Andrew’s death on October 26th, 1960, and Lena’s death on February 16th, 1963.
Page from Ridley Township High School 1931 yearbook showing cousins Andrew (Bucky) and Cameron (C.D.) Donato. (click to enlarge image)
From left to right: Florence, David, and Andrea Donato at their graduation from St. Joseph’s University (Photo credit: Delaware Country Daily Times June 10, 1958)
From left to right: Connie Donato, Ida Gray (Connie’s great-grandmother), Thelma (“Kitty”) Donato (Connie’s mother), and Mrs. Joseph DeNight (Connie’s grandmother).
The Cousins Donato – Andrew Jr. and Cameron Jr.
Andrew Jr. – “Bucky”
Andrew Jr. and his family were the last Donato family to occupy Greystone. Born in 1911, Andrew Jr. grew up with his brothers and sisters in the house.
In 1935, Bucky married Thelma “Kitty” DeKnight. They had their wedding reception at The Greenlawn Inn. The couple moved then into a home on Grant Avenue in Woodlyn, PA. (that home no longer exists, being replaced by Woodlyn Elementary School).
Andrew and Thelma had five children: David, Constance, Andrea, Joseph, and Florence.
In the late 1940s, Andrew moved his family back to Greystone to again live with his parents (Andrew Sr. and Lena). This required a major remodel to the house in December of 1947 to create additional living space in the house to accommodate two generations of family.
Andrew Sr., Vincent Gilberti (Lena’s brother), Andrew Jr., and Paul DeNicola did the majority of the remodeling work. Incidentally, Vincent Gilberti constructed the pizza oven located in the basement of Greystone in 1916.
Andrew Jr. and Thelma also took over ownership of The Greenlawn Inn until it was sold as a private bar in the late 1970s.
Thelma Donato died on June 10th, 1969. Andrew Jr. sold Greystone to another multi-generational family in 1983. Andrew died on October 21st, 1995 in Boothwyn, PA.
Our Connection to the Donatos
While researching the history of Greystone, the Donatos and talking with extended family members, we realized that Thelma Donato is a cousin! Thelma’s birth family (DeNight) is connected with our family through marriage, so we’re actually now caring for a family home.