What I Know About Nicoletta

My big research goal in 2011, as I've mentioned before, is to find my great-grandmother's parents.  To do this I also need to know, definitively, what her maiden name was and where in Italy she was from.  On her husband, Giuseppe Lappicirella's birth record, there is a notation as to his marriage (which is often the case with Italian records).  It includes the date and Nicoletta's name but parts of it are pretty illegible, including her last name (though it does look a lot like Riccia) and where they got married (traditionally a couple would get married in the bride's hometown), I just know it wasn't Vieste (where Giuesppe was from) and it sure doesn't look like Foggia (the village Nicoletta herself said she was from).  The actual records I have for Nicolleta are as follows:

The ship manifest entry for the family, including Giuseppe and three of my grandmother's sisters as well as Nicoletta who is listed as 'Maria Nicola Riccia.'  I'm tempted to believe that her maiden name was Riccia based on this but Nicoletta told at least some of her children and grandchildren that it was something akin to Dutchi or Dacci.  They arrived at Ellis Island in September of 1920.

1930 census entry for the family.  Most of the family has 'Americanized' their names, Giuseppe is now Joseph, Mattia is Martha, Michelena is now just Lena.  Interestingly, Carmella, who had changed to Clara is still listed as Carmella and her mother, Nicoletta, is mistranscribed as Clara.  The source of this mistake, I think, might be due to the fact that Giuseppe and Nicoletta's grasp of the English language was rudimentary at best. 

In 1953, Nicoletta and a daughter of her's flew back to Italy for a visit.  They came back from Rome to Idlewild in October.  I wonder if it was her first time in an airplane.

Her death certificate doesn't help much either.  It just lists her birth place as "Italy" and her parents as "Unavailable."  BUT, it does list her social security number which means there is an SS-5 form out there she filled out.  The only problem is she isn't listed in the Social Security Death Index which is why I haven't pursued her SS-5.  Does anyone have any experience or suggestions for ordering a SS-5 when the person isn't in the SSDI?  I feel like the key to this mystery is in her SS-5, I just don't want to shell out the $27.00 fee until I've got all my bases incontrovertibly covered.