The family rumor that we're related to the great operatic tenor, Enrico Caruso, cannot be disproved. Nor can it be positively established as true.
Out of respect for family members who may have more inside information on the matter, I'll leave it as a possibility — based solely on the shared last name, region of Italy, and artistic field. My great-grandfather Geremia ("James") Caruso was born in Castel di Sangro, a town in Abruzzo, Italy about 80 miles to the northeast of Naples. And he was a professional musician.
Enrico Caruso, meanwhile, was born in Naples to a "Marcellino"* Caruso who hailed from Piedimonte d'Alife, Italy, a town in the same direction as Castel di Sangro from Naples, but 30 miles closer. Marcellino's father was, purportedly, a "Giovanni"** — for whom we have no birthplace (or certain date).
Conjecture based on speculation could be used to build up a possible story where one of the Carusos from Castel di Sangro — who were born, lived, and died there for generations — broke off from the family and headed south toward the nearest major city.
To build a story on such imaginings opens things up to so many possibilities that the whole matter breaks down quite completely.
I recommend you listen to one of us singing in the shower and make up your own mind.
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