Margaret Brainerd was born to Irish immigrants around 1887, and lived in Kingston, New York; she had two daughters: Margaret (b. ca. 1913) and Dorothy (b. ca. 1915). During the Second World War, Margaret lived in the Bronx, New York City, while Dorothy remained in Kingston with her mother. Margaret became engaged to her wartime boyfriend, Tony Gioia (b. ca. 1911), in late 1944, and Dorothy remained unmarried as of 1951. Gioia was the son of Leonardo and Tillie Gioia, first-generation Italian immigrants who lived in the Bronx. He attended the New York Military Academy before entering the United States Army in 1942. During the war, he served in Europe with the 381st Field Artillery Battalion and the 302nd Infantry Regiment, and he attained the rank of corporal before his return to the United States in 1946. He had at least one brother, Louis, and two sisters, Tillie and Mary.
From the guide to the Brainerd family papers, Brainerd Family papers, 1932-1946, 1942-1946, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
