Monday, September 23, 2013

Welcome to the Tampa's Sicilian Genealogy Blog

This is a story that began many years ago. While planning a trip to Sicily I thought it would be interesting to visit the towns of my ancestors. What began as simple research has turned into a passion for my ancestral roots. Funny, I have not yet made the trip to Sicily but nonetheless I have enjoyed the journey into my family’s past.

So let’s get to the point of this site. I have collected a lot of information over the years. Most of which has little to do with my direct lineage. For some time I thought it would be interesting to share this information. My hope is that other Tampa Sicilian’s will do the same. Tell me about your family and I will post the information to this site. Together we will put the pieces of the puzzle together and bring our rich heritage to light.

So let’s begin. At this point I have traced both sides of my family into the 1700’s. I am half Sicilian and half…well I can’t really say, my father’s side of the family predates the Revolutionary War and is more than likely of English decent. This site honors my mother, her family and the many Sicilians who left Sicily at the turn of the last century and immigrated to Tampa.

My journey started in a neighborhood of Tampa called Ybor City and leads back to two towns in Sicily located just a few miles apart. They are Santo Stefano Quisquina and Alessandria Della Rocca. As quoted in The Immigrant World of Ybor City ( a must read) “Santo Stefano Quisquina accounted for approximately 60 percent of Tampa’s Sicilian population at its height and virtually all of its earliest settlers.”1

My Grandparents, Vincenzo (Jimmy) Castellano and Rosalia (Rose) Sciortino, were both born in Tampa in the early 1900’s. Their parents all immigrated to Ybor City about the same time. The Castellano’s from Santo Stefano and the Sciortino’s from Alessandria Della Rocca. This is where I begin….

__________________________________

1Gary R. Mormino and George E. Pozzetta, The Immigrant World of Ybor City, (Gainsville, FL: University Press of Florida)

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Maria Messina Greco

Maria Messina Greco was a mid-wife in Tampa at the turn of the 20th century. What makes her work special is that she kept logs of the babies she delivered and those records were miraculously preserved. Chances are if your family is from Ybor or West Tampa, Maria touched your life in some way.

Maria Messina was born the 25th of April 1880 in Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sicily. She was the daughter of Ignazio Messina, age 40 a shoemaker and Guistina Reina age 32 a seamstress. She was from a large family at least seven siblings before her and two after. By the time Maria was 4 she had lost her father.

It is believed that Maria received a license in Midwifery from the University of Palermo. Although professionally trained perhaps her calling was passed down from one generation to the next as Maria’s own grandmother Maria Francesca Lo Presti was also a midwife.

On November 16th 1906 Maria left her native country through the port of Naples. She was accompanied by Luigi Greco her uncle through marriage and soon to be father-in-law. She arrives in the United States through Ellis Island on November 30th. The manifest indicates that she is 4’11” feet tall with a fair complexion, brown hair and eyes. She indicates that she is on her way to join brother Ignazio.

On February 1st of 1907 not more than two months after arriving in the US, Maria marries Luigi’s eldest son Salvatore. Although four years her junior and arriving in Florida seven years before her, Salvatore would be no stranger to Maria, as depicted in the chart below there were several intermarriages between the Messina, Reina and Greco families.



Salvatore Greco was born the 7th of March 1884 in Santo Stefano Quisquina. He was the first son born to Luigi and Maria Castiglia. In 1885 his mother died and his father remarries the following year. By 1899 the family with seven children makes their way to the United States. By 1900 a 16 year old Salvatore establishes himself as a cigar maker an occupation he would work at for the next ten years. Later in life Salvatore will apply for citizenship where he is described as 5’6” tall, fair complexion with brown hair and eyes.

The newlyweds would live with Luigi for the first year of their marriage. During this time there would be no recorded births by Maria. The following year the young couple would move to an apartment at 1509 ½ 9th Avenue. In the same building live Maria’s sister Angelina Messina D’Angelo and younger brother Ignazio. 

Maria would quickly establish herself as a midwife and by the end of 1909 document the birth of over 200 babies. About the same time Salvatore leaves the cigar industry to pursue a career in insurance. So successful they become that by 1910 could afford a live in cook.

In May of 1912 the couple would start their own family with the arrival Delia Greco. This would be their only child. By 1914 the family moves to 1513 9th Avenue; here they will remain for the next twenty years. During the 1930’s Maria practice will gradually wind down. Daughter Delia marries in 1931 to Dr. Joseph Spoto and by 1933 the young couple has their first child. In 1939 Maria records the last entry in her journals. At age 60 she had delivered over 6,700 babies.

In 1957 the couple will move to Redington Beach to live with daughter Delia and family. On 29th of August 1957 Salvatore Greco passes away and less than one year later on 26 June 1958 his beloved Maria will follow.

Maria’s journals are on microfilms and can be ordered at any Family History Center. They are titled Tampa, Florida, midwife records, 1908-1939. Film number 1597958 contain years 1908 to 1922 and film number 1597959 contain years 1922 through 1939. What you can expect to find in the records varies but would normally include the date, name of the child, surnames of both parents, where both parents were born, address and the fee charged.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

LDS Films for the Santo Stefano Quisquina Civil Records

Civil registraton began in Italy with the invasion of Napoleon in 1809. Referred to as the Napoleonic Records this system of record keeping was enforced as he gained control of the region. Even after his defeat in 1815 many areas continued civil registration. It wasn't until 1820 that Sicily adopted the process.
What you will find in the Civil Records are births, marriages and deaths. The records were generally kept in separate volumes by event and by year. In most cases there is an index appearing after the records. All the records are written in Italian. In most cases the records are pre-printed documents with the vital information hand-written; however that is not always the case. Some records are entirely hand-written and are difficult to read.
Birth records will include the child's name, sex and parents. The mother will almost always be listed by her maiden name. In some cases the grandparents will also be listed. The date the birth was reported will generally be at the top of the form and the actual birth date will generally appear in the body of the form and may appear as a reference to the day reported, for example "oggi" meaning today. In most cases the child's baptism will also be recorded. The person reporting the birth will also be included; this will almost always be the father but in some cases the mid-wife will report the birth.
Death records will include the name of the deceased, age (almost always incorrect), occupation, in most cases the parents and in some cases the spouse.
Here are some translations for the descriptions below:

Atti diversi - miscellanous records
Nati - Birth
Pubblicazione - Marriage banns
Matrimoni - Marriage
Morti - Deaths



Description Film/Placement
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1821-1826 1568899 Items 3-8
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1826-1832 1568900
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1833-1834, 1843-1842, 1835-1838 1568901
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1838-1841, 1844-1847 1568902
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1847-1853 1568952
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1853-1859 1568953
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti 1859 1568954 Item 1
Nati 1862-1888 2016233
Nati 1889-1910 -- Pubblicazioni 1866-1886 2016234
Pubblicazioni 1887-1907, 1938 -- Matrimoni 1862-1910 -- Atti diversi 1862-1865 -- Memorandum 1862-1865 -- Cittadinanze 1867-1910 -- Morti 1862-1865 2016235
Morti 1866-1910 2016338
Allegati (matrimoni) 1903-1904 -- Allegati (morti) 1904 2016736 Items 3 - 4
Nati 1911-1919 2280354 Item 6
Nati 1920-1929 -- Pubblicazioni 1912-1929 -- Matrimoni 1911-1929 -- Morti 1911 2280355
Morti 1912-1929 -- Cittadinanze 1914-1929 -- Indici decennali (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1906-1915 2280339 Items 1 - 4

LDS Films for Santo Stefano Quisquina

The term riveli means to reveal, which is exactly what these records were intended to do. The records list the towns population along with the possessions of each family. The records were used to determine the number of males that were available to serve in the military or other projects and how many animals, land and structures were taxable.
The records generally include an index. The index includes Head of Household and a reference number to the actual records. The typical Riveli record will list the members of the family along with the ages of each male. After the family will be a list of taxable possessions. Animals were taxed on 10% of their value and included goats, mares, horses, cattle, cows, sheep, donkeys and mules. Land was taxed based upon its use and houses were taxed by the amount of rooms.


Description Film/Placement
Riveli 1652 2289005 Item 2
Riveli 1652 1959372 Item 2
Riveli 1748 2100994 Item 2
Riveli 1748 2100995 Items 1 - 3
Riveli 1811 2121501
Riveli 1811 2121502 Items 1 - 2
Riveli 1811 2149981 Item 3
Riveli 1811 2149982 Item 1
Riveli 1811 2161523 Item 1
Riveli 1811 (index) 2151311 Item 8

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The La Barbera Families of Tampa

There are several La Barbera families that settled in Tampa in the early 1900's. Although I have not found a common ancestor in all cases I have been able to track a few of these family groups to Alessandria della Rocca. I have divided these families into five groups. Click on the Group #'s to see a detailed family tree for each of the groups.

Group #1

  • Vincenzo La Barbiera; spouse Rosa Bilella
    • Pietro La Barbera
    • Carmela La Barbera; spouse Vincenzo Sciortino
    • Maria Giuseppa La Barbera; spouse Giuseppe Busciglio
    • Pietra La Barbera; spouse Alfredo Midulla
    • Giuseppa La Barbera
    • Antonina La Barbera
    • Angela La Barbera, spouse Arcangelo Salciccia
  • Giuseppa La Barbiera; spouse #1 unknown; spouse #2 Antonino Miloto
    • Providenza Unknown
    • Rosina Miloto
  • Antonina La Barbiera; spouse Ignazio Rumore

Group #2

  • Giovanni La Barbera; spouse Rosa Cimino
    • Angelina La Barbera; spouse Angelo Conetta
    • Giuseppa La Barbera
    • Isabella La Barbera; spouse Angelo Campisi
    • Teresa La Barbera; spouse Charlie Leto
    • Caterina La Barbera; spouse Paul Guagliardo
    • Domenico La Barbera; spouse unknown
    • Antonio La Barbera; spouse Carmen Messina
  • Luigi La Barbera
  • Giuseppe La Barbera; spouse Caterina Accurso
    • Giovanna La Barbera
    • Teresa La Barbera; spouse Stefano Solario
    • Pietro La Barbera; spouse #1 Mary Sedita; spouse #2 Virginia Palermo
    • Rosa La Barbera; spouse #1 John Pelegrino; spouse #2 Manuel Quintana
    • Domenico La Barbera; spouse Fannie Guagliardo
    • Ciro (Frank) La Barbera; spouse Lillie Mary Ficarrotta

Group #3

  • Giuseppe La Barbiera; spouse Angela Costa
    • Vito La Barbera
    • Lousia La Barabera
    • Vincenzo La Barbera
  • Rosalia (Giuseppa) La Barbiera; spouse Giuseppe Ignazio Mendola
    • Maria Mendola
    • Salvatore Mendola
    • Maria Mendola
  • Francesca La Barbiera; spouse Giovanni Spoto
    • Vincenza Spoto
    • Giuseppina Spoto

Group #4

  • Providenza La Barbera; spouse Epifiano Maniscalco
    • Maria Maniscalco
    • Bernardo Maniscalco
    • Giuseppe Maniscalco
    • Francesco Maniscaclo
    • Rosalia Maniscaclo
    • Rosalia Maniscalco
    • Vincenzo Maniscalco
    • Benedetto Maniscalco
    • Antonina Maniscalco
    • Giovanni Maniscalco
  • Pietro La Barbera; spouse Grazia Cirrincione
    • Giuseppe La Barbera
    • Rosalia La Barbera; spouse Salvatore Cimino
    • Lucia La Barbera
    • Lucia La Barbera
    • Antonino La Barbera
    • Filomina La Barbera; spouse of Anthony Muley
    • Lucia La Barbera; spouse of Unknown Valdez
    • Benedetto La Barbera
    • Josephine La Barbera; spouse of Unknown Varsallona
    • Peter La Barbera
  • Giusppa La Barbera; spouse of Giuseppe Proietto
    • Gaetano Proietto
  • Salvatore La Barbera
  • Giuseppe La Barbera
  • Giovanni La Barbera

Group #5

  • Ignazio La Barbiera; spouse Rosalia Maniscaclo
    • Antonino La Barbiera

When They Came

The first family that I have found arrived in Ellis Island in January of 1900. They were Ignazio and his wife Rosalia Maniscalco. The manifest indicates that their final destination is to their son Antonino in Tampa.

Click here to see a list of manfests containing LaBarbera's from Alessandria Della Rocca.

La Barbera Ship Manifests

Below is information pertaining to the ship manifests that I have found for the LaBarbera's who traveled from Alessandria Della Rocca to Ellis Island. You can view copies of these manifests for free at http://www.ellisisland.org/

Ship Date/Departed Ln# Surname Name Age To Note
Archimede 1/1900 15 La Barbiera Ignazio 59 Tampa
Archimede 1/1900 16 Maniscalco Rosalia 56 Tampa Wife
Patria 9/1902 29 Barbiera Antonino 35 NY
Massilia 4/1903 2 La Barbiera Giuseppe 40 Tampa
Massilia 4/1903 3 La Barbiera Giovanna 13 Tampa Daughter
Massilia 4/1903 24 Barbiera Francesco 19 NY
Patria 8/1903 3 Barbiera Pellegrino 28 NY
Patria 8/1903 9 La Barbiera Maria 60 Tampa
Patria 8/1903 18 Barbiera Luigi 24 Tampa
Patria 8/1903 29 Barbiera Antonino 35 NY
Patria 10/1903 15 Accurso Caterina 28 Tampa Wife of Giuseppe Barbiera
Patria 10/1903 16 Maria 8 Tampa Daughter
Patria 10/1903 17 Pietro 4 Tampa Son
Patria 10/1903 18 Rosalia 0 Tampa Daughter
Prinzess Irene 10/1904 24 Barbiera Giuseppa 24 Tampa
Prinzess Irene 10/1904 25 Proietto Gaetano 2 Tampa Daughter
Roma 12/1904 1 La Barbiera Vincenzo 46 Tampa
Roma 12/1904 2 La Barbiera Carmela 17 Tampa Daughter
Roma 12/1904 3 La Barbiera Pietra 13 Tampa Daughter
Roma 12/1904 16 Bilella Santo 11 Tampa Nephew
Italia 1/1906 4 Bilella Rosalia 41 Tampa Wife of  Vincenzo Barbiera
Italia 1/1906 5 Barbiera Maria Giuseppa 16 Tampa Daughter
Italia 1/1906 6 Barbiera Giuseppa 10 Tampa Daughter
Italia 1/1906 7 Barbiera Antonina 1 Tampa Daughter
Italia 1/1906 17 Milioto Maria Giuseppa 16 Tampa Niece
Italia 1/1906 18 Sciortino Salvatore 36 Tampa Brother-in-Law
Italia 1/1906 19 Bilella Giuseppa 33 Tampa Brother-in-Law
Italia 1/1906 20 Sciortino Maria 4 Tampa Uncle
Italia 1/1906 21 Sciortino Antonino 0 Tampa Uncle
Germania 6/1906 23 Barbiera Giuseppe 17 Tampa
Germania 8/1906 19 Barbiera Rosalia 28 Tampa
Germania 8/1906 20 Mendola Maria 1 Tampa Daughter
Germania 8/1906 25 La Barbiera Maria 64 Tampa
Konigin Luise 8/1906 25 Cirrincione Grazia 23 Tampa Wife of Pietro La Barbiera
Konigin Luise 8/1906 26 Barbiera Giuseppe 4 Tampa Daughter
Konigin Luise 8/1906 27 Barbiera Rosalia 3 Tampa Daughter
Konigin Luise 8/1906 28 Barbiera Lucia 0 Tampa Daughter
Gallia 9/1906 9 Barbiera Giuseppe 22 Tampa Crossed off Manifest
Gallia 9/1906 10 Barbiera Antonina 21 Tampa Crossed off Manifest
Gallia 9/1906 9 Aliotta Benedetta 34 NY Crossed off Manifest
Gallia 9/1906 10 Barbiera Giovanni 16 NY Crossed off Manifest
Gallia 9/1906 11 Barbiera Pietro 8 NY Crossed off Manifest
Gallia 9/1906 12 Barbiera Vincenza 5 NY Crossed off Manifest
Perugia 11/1906 21 La Barbera Salvatore 20 Tampa
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 15 Spoto Giovanni 32 NY
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 16 La Barbera Francesca 22 NY Wife
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 17 Spoto Vincenza 0 NY Daughter
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 18 La Barbera Giuseppe 33 NY
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 19 Costa Angela 19 NY Wife
Gregoria Morch 11/1906 20 La Barbera Vito NY Son
Roma 11/1906 6 La Barbiera Maria 55 Tampa
Madonna 1/1907 10 Barbiera Giuseppa 34 Tampa
Madonna 1/1907 11 Providenza 8 Tampa Daughter
Madonna 1/1907 27 Barbiera Giuseppe 23 Tampa
Madonna 1/1907 28 Barbiera Antoninoa 22 Tampa
Madonna 10/1907 13 Barbiera Pietro 27 Tampa
Madonna 10/1908 25 Barbiera Giovanni 17 Tampa
Berlin 9/1909 16 Barbiera Luigi 31 Tampa
Roma 4/1910 26 Barbiera Francesco 26 NY
Venezia 6/1910 13 La Barbiera Salvatore 23 Tampa
Venezia 6/1910 21 Maniscalco Epifiano 37 Tampa Husband
Venezia 6/1910 22 Maniscalco Maria 13 Tampa Daughter
Venezia 6/1910 23 Barbiera Providenza 35 Tampa Wife
Venezia 6/1910 24 Maniscalco Bernardo 9 Tampa Son
Venezia 6/1910 25 Maniscalco Giuseppe 7 Tampa Son
Venezia 6/1910 26 Maniscalco Francesco 3 Tampa Son
Venezia 6/1910 27 Maniscalco Rosalia 1 Tampa Daughter
Madonna 3/1920 7 Barbiera Giovanna 30 Tampa
Madonna 3/1920 8 Trigilio Filadelfia 11 Tampa Daughter
Madonna 3/1920 9 Trigilio Vincenza 9 Tampa Daughter
Madonna 3/1920 10 Trigilio Benedetta 1 Tampa Daughter
Madonna 3/1920 11 Trigilio Giuseppa 0 Tampa Daughter

Saturday, March 19, 2011

LDS Films for the Alessandria della Rocca Civil Records

Civil registraton began in Italy with the invasion of Napoleon in 1809. Referred to as the Napoleonic Records this system of record keeping was enforced as he gained control of the region. Even after his defeat in 1815 many areas continued civil registration. It wasn't until 1820 that Sicily adopted the process.
What you will find in the Civil Records are births, marriages and deaths. The records were generally kept in separate volumes by event and by year. In most cases there is an index appearing after the records. All the records are written in Italian. In most cases the records are pre-printed documents with the vital information hand-written; however that is not always the case. Some records are entirely hand-written and are difficult to read.

Birth records will include the child's name, sex and parents. The mother will almost always be listed by her maiden name. In some cases the grandparents will also be listed. The date the birth was reported will generally be at the top of the form and the actual birth date will generally appear in the body of the form and may appear as a reference to the day reported, for example "oggi" meaning today. In most cases the child's baptism will also be recorded. The person reporting the birth will also be included; this will almost always be the father but in some cases the mid-wife will report the birth.

Marriage records are a gold mine of facts and there is no exception in Alessandria della Rocca where you will find so much more! The processetti were documents required by the civil authority for marriage. They include the birth records of the couple to be married, proof of baptism, death records of deceased parents, death records of the father's father, and the marriage banns. The processetti records are not normally indexed however are worth reviewing as they might provide incite to ancestors predating the 1820's. The marriage record on their own will include the names of both the bride and groom, their ages, where they were born, occupation and their parents. As with all these registration the first date will be the date reported. The actual date of the marriage will normally appear in the right margin. Unlike the processetti records the marriage records will normally include an index that will typically appears at the end of a volume.

Death records will include the name of the deceased, age (almost always incorrect), occupation, in most cases the parents and in some cases the spouse.

Here are some translations for the descriptions below:
Nati - Birth
Processetti - Documents required for marriage
Morti - Deaths



DescriptionFilm/Placement
Nati, processetti, morti 1820 -- Nati, matrimoni, processetti, morti 1821 -- Nati, processetti, matrimoni 1822 1438653 Items 4 - 6
Morti 1822 -- Nati, processetti, morti 1823 -- Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti, morti 1824 -- Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti, diversi, morti 1825 -- Nati 1826 1438654
Nati, diversi, morti, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti 1826 -- Nati, processetti, morti, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1827 -- Nati, morti, diversi, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1828 -- Nati, morti, diversi, processetti 1829 1438655
Processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1829 -- Nati, diversi, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni, morti 1830 -- Nati, diversi, morti, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1831 -- Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, morti, diversi 1832 -- Nati 1833 1438656
Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, diversi, morti 1833 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1834 -- Nati, morti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1835 -- Nati, diversi, morti, matrimoni, processetti 18361438657
Processetti, notificazioni 1836 -- Nati, matrimoni, notificazioni, morti, diversi 1837 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1838 -- Nati, diversi, morti, matrimoni, processetti 1839 1438707
Notificazioni 1839 -- Nati, morti, diversi, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1840 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1841 -- Nati, diversi, morti, matrimoni, notificazioni, processetti 1842 1438708
Processetti 1842 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1843 -- Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti, morti, diversi 1844 -- Nati, notificazioni, processetti, matrimoni 1845 1438709
Matrimoni, diversi, morti 1845 -- Nati, morti, diversi, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti 1846 -- Nati, morti, diversi, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1847 -- Nati, diversi, matrimoni, notificazioni, morti 1848 -- Nati 1849 1438710
Matrimoni, notificazioni, processetti 1849 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1850 -- Nati, diversi, morti, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1851 -- Nati 1852 1438711
Nati, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1852 -- Nati, diversi, matrimoni, notificazioni, morti 1853 -- Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1854 -- Nati 1855 1438712
Nati, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1855 -- Nati, morti, diversi, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1856 1438713
Nati, diversi, morti, processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 1857 -- Nati, morti, diversi, matrimoni, processetti, notificazioni 1858 -- Nati 18591438714
Nati, processetti, diversi, matrimoni, notificazioni, morti 1859 -- Nati, notificazioni, matrimoni, processetti, morti 1860 -- Nati, morti, diversi, processetti 1861 1438715
Processetti, matrimoni, notificazioni 18611438716 Item 1
Nati 1867-1893 2014410
Nati 1894-1910, 1862-1865 -- Pubblicazioni 1894-1898 2014485
Pubblicazioni 1899-1910 -- Matrimoni 1862-1909 -- Atti diversi 1862-1865 -- Memorandum 1862-1865 -- Cittadinanze 1866-1905 -- Morti 1862-1899 2014486
Nati 1866 -- Matrimoni 1897 -- Morti 1869-1879 2016679 Items 1 - 3
Allegati dei nati, matrimoni, morti 1907-1908 2016681 Items 1-3
Allegati dei nati, matrimoni, morti 1890-1904 2016737 Items 1-3
Nati 1911-1929 -- Pubblicazioni 1911-1921 2279068
Pubblicazioni 1922-1928 -- Matrimoni 1913-1914, 1923 -- Morti 1913-1929 2279539 Items 1 - 3