Sabato Iammatteo first appears in the Painesville, Ohio, area in 1912. His name appears on a Passenger Ship Manifest when his cousin, Manfredo Antonecchia, joined Sabato in Painesville. He probably lived in Painesville from 1911 to sometime before World War One.
Sabato Iammatteo was born about 1882, at Casalciprano, Italy. He immigrated to the United States on April 10, 1911, at age 29, travelling to Utica, New York, joining his cousin Valero Battista.