Grasso

Objective

Extend the ancestral lines of Giovanni Grasso and Concetta Cali from Sicily.

Results

Reviewed the available information. Decided to treat the research as two different projects since there were different locations involved: Bagheria for the Grasso line and Regalbuto for the Cali family.

GRASSO Line

Searched for Giovanni Grasso’s birth act in Bagheria, but there are no records for 1865 available. One of his siblings was found in 1867.
Found the marriage act of Silvestro Grasso and Melchiora Bruno in Bagheria. They were married on 27 November 1856 and both were from Bagheria.
Searched for Silvestro Grasso’s birth act, but the records in Bagheria in 1831, his estimated birth year, are missing. Found his siblings.
Found the marriage act of Giovanni Grasso and Maria Livigni in Bagheria dated 13 December 1828. Giovanni was from Bagheria, while Maria Livigni was originally from another village that needs to be investigated.
Found the death act of Silvestro Grasso in Bagheria dated 24 February 1819. The names of his parents were not indicated in the act.
Found and added the siblings of Giovanni Grasso (b. abt. 1804), and the family of Francesco Giuseppe Antonino Grasso.
Found the birth act of Melchiora Bruno who was born on 27 November 1839 in Bagheria. Her parents, Joannes Albertus Michael Angelus and Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono, were married in Bagheria on 9 September 1830.
Found Joannes Albertus Michael Angelus Bruno’s birth act in Bagheria dated 21 June 1807. He was a son of Giovanni and Giovanna Fontana.
Learned Joannes Albertus Michael Angelus Bruno, husband of Caterina Riccobono, died in Bagheria on 28 November 1853.
Learned Giovanni Bruno, husband of Giovanna Fontana, died in Bagheria on 12 November 1853.
Discovered that the Riccobono line comes from Capaci, a nearby village. Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono was born in Capaci on 13 June 1810. She was a daughter of Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono and Melchiora Aiello. They were married in Capaci on 9 February 1807.
Researched and added the siblings of Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono, born in Capaci.
Found the birth act of Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono. He was born in Capaci on 17 March 1785 to Joannis and Catharina Billeci. They were married in Capaci on 25 December 1781. Erasmus’s siblings were also added.
Researched the Aiello line, but the family is probably not from Capaci. Further investigations are needed for this family.

CALI Line

Reviewed the information on the Cali line in Regalbuto. Found Concetta Cali’s birth act in Regalbuto on 6 January 1870.
Found the marriage of Concetta’s parents, Nuntius and Carmela Calcerano, in Regalbuto on 22 August 1860. Their children were researched.
Found Nuntius Cali’s birth act in Regalbuto on 9 July 1837. He was the son of Michaelis and Anna D’Episcopo. They were married on 4 September 1829 in Regalbuto. All of their children were researched.
Found Carmela Calcerano’s birth act in Regalbuto on 9 August 1840. She was the daughter of Vitus and Vita Cardaci. They were married on 3 November 1839 in Regalbuto. All their children were researched.

Recommendations

Research death records looking for the Grasso, Guiglia, Bruno and Fontana families as this may results in extending one or two lines. There is limited work that can be done in Bagheria. To extend beyond these lines, research at the local Catholic parish archive would be necessary.
Identify the correct place of origin for the Livigni line.
Extend the Riccobono lines in Capaci since parish records are available in that area. The records are in good condition, but indexes are not great, and the records are complicated to research.
Continue all the lines from Regalbuto. Their records continue back to the late 1500s.

The objective of this research session was to extend the ancestral line of Joseph Nunzio Grasso in Regalbuto, Enna, Sicily. The research has been treated as two small projects since the Grasso line came from Bagheria in Palermo and the Cali line came from Regalbuto in Enna.

The records in Bagheria start in 1820 and end in 1903, and even if there are some gaps, they are in good condition. Unfortunately, the birth records for 1865 did not include Giovanni Grasso’s Birth act, but with the information provided, the correct family was identified and his parents’ marriage act was found. Silvestro Grasso and Melchiora Bruno married in Bagheria on 27 November 1856.[1] According to the marriage record, Silvestro was born in Bagheria around 1831; his parents were Giovanni and Maria Livigni. His birth record was not found since the birth records for 1831 are missing in Bagheria. However, his siblings and his parents’ marriage were found. Giovanni Grasso and Maria Livigni were married in Bagheria on 13 December 1828.[2]

The death date of Silvestro Grasso, father of Giovanni Grasso, was found in Bagheria dated 24 February 1819.[3] While researching Giovanni Grasso and Maria Livigni’s siblings, it was noticed there was another Grasso family--Francesco Giuseppe Antonino, son of Silvestro. It was discovered Francesco was Giovanni’s brother. It is interesting to underline the fact that the Livigni family was not from Bagheria. The place of origin is not well written and will require a deeper analysis in order to be able to continue this line in the future.

Continuing the research in Bagheria, Melchiora Bruno’s birth act was found. She was born on 27 November 1839.[4] The birth record provided at her marriage indicated a different date of 27 June 1838.[5] The officer probably made a mistake; the date of 839 is the correct one. A sister was born in 1838, but she probably died in her infancy. Melchiora’s parents were Giovanni Bruno and Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono who were married in Bagheria on 9 September 1830.[6] Giovanni Bruno died when he was 46 on 28 November 1853 in Bagheria.[7] He was born in Bagheria on 21 June 1807.[8] He was the son of Giovanni Bruno and Giovanna Fontana. Giovanni Bruno died on 12 November 1853[9] at the age of 80.

Reviewing the marriage act of Joannes Albertus Michael Angelus Bruno and Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono, it was indicated she was from Capaci and was the daughter of Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono and Melchiora Aiello. Catherina Maria Anna’s baptismal act was found. She was born on 13 June 1810.[10] To continue the Riccobono line, research was conducted in the Capaci parish records. These records start in 1683 and are in good shape. The main problem is that there are dozens of entries every year in the baptismal records and the indexes are very poor. For this reason, year was searched in order to conduct accurate research. Catherina Maria Anna Riccobono’s parents’ marriage act was found. Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono and Melchiora Aiello married in Capaci on 9 February 1807.[11] All of the children of this couple were sought in Capaci. Melchiora’s baptismal act was not found, but the baptismal act for Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono was located in Capaci, dated 17 March 1785.[12]

The marriage act of Erasmus Vicentius Joseph Riccobono’s parents’, Joannis and Catharina Billeci, was found. They married on 25 December 1781.[13] All of their children, born in Capaci, were identified.

In Regalbuto, there is a combination of civil and Parish records available. The civil records cover the period from 1841 to about 1920. The parish records come from two different parishes and start in 1553 and end in 1911. Research began in Regalbuto looking for Concetta Cali’s birth act and this record was found. She was born on 6 January 1870,[14] not in 1874. Her parents were Nuntius and Carmela Calcerano, who married in Regalbuto on 22 August 1860.[15] All of their children were born in Regalbuto.

Nuntius Cali’s baptismal act was found. He was baptized on 9 July 1837 in Regalbuto.[16] He was the son of Michaelis and Anna D’Episcopo who married in Regalbuto on 4 September 1819.[17] This family was completed by researching all of the children.

The final step was to continue research on the Calcerano family. Carmela’s baptismal act occurred on 9 August 1840 in Regalbuto.[18] All of her siblings were identified and their parents’ marriage was found. Vitus Calcerano and Vita Cardaci married in Regalbuto on 3 November 1839.[19]

Conclusion

Research has been successful. Most of the available records in Bagheria were searched. Only a few death records are left that could lead to another one or two generations.

In contrast, there is much potential to extend the Riccobono family in Capaci, since there are at least another century of records. The main problem will be the size of the village and the fact that the research will probably be really time-consuming.

Recommendations

Research death records looking for the Grasso, Guiglia, Bruno and Fontana families as this may results in extending one or two lines. There is limited work that can be done in Bagheria. To extend beyond these lines, research at the local Catholic parish archive would be necessary.
Identify the correct place of origin for the Livigni line.
Extend the Riccobono lines in Capaci since parish records are available in that area. The records are in good condition, but indexes are not great, and the records are complicated to research.
Continue all the lines from Regalbuto. Their records continue back to the late 1500s.

It has been a pleasure to assist you in researching your ancestry. We look forward to continuing, according to your instructions.

[1] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Matrimoni magg. 1856-1861 Morti 1821-1826. Film 1355717. Im. 73-74. Document. 1

[2] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Nati dic. 1859 Matrimoni 1820-1832. Film 1355712. Im. 519-520. Doc. 5

[3] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Allegati di nati 1848 Allegati matrimoniali 1826, 1830. Film 1741939. Im. 868. Document 12

[4] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Nati ag. 1837-lug. 1840. Film 1355703. Im. 823-824. Document 2

[5] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Matrimoni magg. 1856-1861 Morti 1821-1826. Film 1761347. Im 1050-1051. Document 2

[6] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Nati dic. 1859 Matrimoni 1820-1832. Film 1355712. Im. 750-751. Document 6

[7] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Allegati matrimoniali 1854-1856. Film 1761347. Im. 1052. Document 3

[8] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Allegati di nati 1848 Allegati matrimoniali 1826, 1830. Film 1741939. Im 1051. Document 7

[9] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Allegati matrimoniali 1854-1856. Film 1761347. Im. 1053. Document 4

[10] Registri dello stato civile di Bagheria (Palermo), 1820-1903. Allegati di nati 1848 Allegati matrimoniali 1826, 1830. Film 1741939. Im. 1053. Document 8

[11] Registri ecclesiastici di Capaci (Palermo), 1683-1906. Battesimi 1805-1820, 1823-1827 -- Matrimoni 1746-1827 -- Morti 1683-1723. Film 2102826. Im. 801. Document 9

[12] Registri ecclesiastici di Capaci (Palermo), 1683-1906. Battesimi 1722-1805. Film 2102825. Im. 882. Document 11

[13] Registri ecclesiastici di Capaci (Palermo), 1683-1906. Battesimi 1805-1820, 1823-1827 -- Matrimoni 1746-1827 -- Morti 1683-1723. Film 2102826. Im. 604. Document 10

[14] Italia, Enna, Regalbuto. Stato civile, 1866-1942.Nati, SCI-3264, 1870. Film 100053021. Im. 14-15 Document 13

[15] Registri ecclesiastici di Regalbuto (Enna), 1553-1979. Chiesa cattolica. San Basilio (Regalbuto). Matrimoni 1844-1883. Film 2199054. Im. 354. Document 14

[16] Registri ecclesiastici di Regalbuto (Enna), 1553-1911. Chiesa cattolica. Santa Maria della Croce (Regalbuto). Film 2199277. Im. 272. Document 17

[17] Registri ecclesiastici di Regalbuto (Enna), 1553-1911. Chiesa cattolica. Santa Maria della Croce (Regalbuto). Matrimoni 1814-1825; Morti 1769-1850. Film 2199280. Im. 35. Document 16

[18] Registri ecclesiastici di Regalbuto (Enna), 1553-1979. Chiesa cattolica. San Basilio (Regalbuto). Battesimi 1826-1855; Indici ai battesimi, 1855-1862. Film 2199047. Im. 530. Document 18

[19] Registri ecclesiastici di Regalbuto (Enna), 1553-1979. Chiesa cattolica. San Basilio (Regalbuto). Matrimoni 1759-1843. Film 2199053. Im. 1109. Document 15