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Translated "Blood is thicker than water" is
Sangue e piu spesso dell'acqua.
Message 61
This indicates that Ventimiglia was part of the 'district' of Termini - I wondered if anyone on this group knows what towns made up that district, and if it is still an existing district.
Grace Lancieri Olivo
Researching:
LANCIERI, from Spinazzola, (Bari) ; Tito + Picerno, (Potenza)
D'AMBROSIO, PIETRASEFA from Spinazzola + Minervino Murge (Bari)
GRANDE, LANEVE, TOTA, DENINNO from Bitetto, (Bari)
DINA, BONADONNA, LA SPIZA, SETTIPANI, BONDI from Ventimiglia di Sicilia, (Palermo)
DESERTO from Misilmeri, (Palermo)
DiGIULIO from Tito + Picerno (Potenza)
CARLEO from Tito (Potenza)
Message 67
Yes, Ventimiglia di Sicilia is located in the circondario (loosely translated as the encircling area - or as we would say 'suburbs') of Termini Imerese.
From what I can tell from the map - it is fairly small and is located about 6 mi S.W. of Termini and about 20 mi S. E. of Palermo.
The word circondario doesn't seem to be used that much anymore - most of the documents just use district (Distretto di). Of course the 'district' of Termini Imerese still exists, because Termini remains primary city of any size in that area.
I'm not aware of any exact boundries for that district, but some other towns of note in that general area (suburbs of Termini) are; Caccamo, Casa Fussi, and Casa Salerno. Smaller towns (there are many) - but those closest to Ventimiglia are Casa Nuccio, Masseria Suvarita and Baucina.
Message 68
Thanks for the quick response. The records I am working with are all from before 1900, so I've yet to see anything but 'circondario' on them. 6 miles is almost shouting distance :-)
I hope to get to Ventimiglia and the surrounding towns - Termini Imerese included of course, for the first time in 2000.
Message 69
I've looked at birth certificates from 1820 - 1861 and marriage certificates from 1820-1836 so far. None have circondario on them. The only time I did see it, was on my great grandfathers Army Discharge paper (Congedo Assoluto) dated 1881. So maybe it's the other way around - and they only used it for a time in the late 1800s.
Also of interest, is that from 1820 to about 1853, birth certificates used the term '' Valle di Palermo'', then changed it to '' Provincia di Palermo''.
And yes 6 miles is quite a short distance. My grandmother said their olive groves and vegetable farm was about 8 kilometers (or 5 miles), out from where they lived in the main part of town (Termini). Her father (later her mother as well) walked back and forth each day.
If you ever get to your town, try to go to the cemetery. I didn't have a chance to go to the one in Termini when I was there, but I understand from others who have, that some of the graves do have markers with names and dates on them. Mostly they used markers after 1930 from what I've heard.
Message 71
Aliminusa, Caccamo, Caltavuturo, Cerda, Montemaggiore Belsito, Sciara, Scillato, Sclafani Bagni, Trabia.
http://www.datastudio.it/ausl6pa/distre51.htm
Message 72
As to the comune of ' Ventimiglia di Sicilia ' , according to the layout on
this web site, it seems to be in Distretto 57 (Misilmeri ) rather than in
Distretto 51 (Termini).
Message 73
A couple of things to try:
1) The immigrant ships site at
http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/13/shipa.htm has a description of the ship Alsatia.
2) Try writing to the Steamship Historical Society of America - Ann House
Langsdale Library
University of Baltimore
1420 Maryland Ave.
Baltimore MD 21201
I attended a seminar by John Colletta who wrote Finding Italian Roots and
They Came In Ships and he told me about Ann and her wonderful collection of
information on immigrant ships. I wrote her, and while she didn't have the
ship I was looking for, she told me who did! I now have a wonderful photo of
it.
Message 76
http://www.bestofsicily.com/termini.htm
Message 77
Population 8681
Postal Code 90012
Phone Code 091
Location: 50 km from Palermo, on a western spur of Monte San Calogero, in the San Leonardo Valley.
Economy: agriculture (cereals, olives, almonds, grapes), livestock breeding
The town has ancient origins, even if these have not been clarified with absolute certainty. The name, which is derived from 'caccabe' [horse-heads], may have been given by the Carthaginians who took refuge here after their defeat at Himera in 480 BC. The Arabs promoted its growth in the 9th C and the Normans built the castle that made it one of the major strategic centers in Sicily. It later became a fief of the Chiaromonte family [14C], the Cabreras [1420-1480], the Henriquez [17C], and the Despuches.
The most characteristic monument in Caccamo is, without any doubt, the Castle, which towers majestically above a sheer-dropping rock. The Castle is solid and compact in appearance, a typical fortified building with continuous curtain walls, bastion and battlements. Built by the Normans, possibly on the site of a pre-existing fortress, it was altered on various occasions. - in the 14C, in the Chiaromontine age, and at various other times. The windows in the facades and the balconies testify to the various historical and artistic styles. This is the castle where in 1160 Matteo Bonelli plotted against King William the Bad.
On the square of the Matrice are the Chiesa Madre, the Oratorio with notable baroque stuccos [damaged by humidity], the Monte di Pieta and the Chiesa del Purgatorio.
The Chiesa Madre, St. George, built by the Normans in 1091, altered in the 15C and transformed in the 16C, has a facade dating from 1660, which is remarkable because of the scenographic nature of the decoration and the relief of St. James, by Gaspare Guercio. The powerful campanile was built over the remains of a Chiaromontine tower.
The church, with a central nave and two side aisles, contains a 15C painted cross, a font attributed to Domenico Gagnini, the Sacrament Chapel, and a painting of the Virgin with Saints.
In the medieval Chiesa della SS Annunziata, which has a baroque facade, we can admire a carved wooden 18C pulpit Nearby is the Chiesa di San Benedetto alla Badia, which has a fine majolica floor attributed to Nicolo Sarzana [18C] and a majestic baroque railing for the enclosed nuns' gallery.
Events: the Castellana di Caccamo, a representation in contemporary costume of the various lords of the castle, held in the middle of August.
Excursions: to the Madonie, the ruins of Himera, Cefalu, Solunto, Bagheria, Palermo and Monreale.
excerpted from "Sicily and Its Islands"
Message 78
In an earlier e-mail, I had mentioned that Caccamo was in the district of Termini (about 5 miles or so southeast of Termini).
You state that your grandfather's sir name was ' Caccomo '. That spelling is not shown in any current phone listings of residents anywhere in Italy. Perhaps he changed the spelling after coming to the US. But under the sir name of Caccamo, there are quite a few (several hundred) in Italy. Most seem to be in Siracusa, Floridia and Catania (all in eastern Sicily) or in nearby Reggio Calabria (southern Italy). Only about 6 listings are in Caccamo and Termini, however quite a few are in the city of Palermo. And yes, Floridia is in the district of Sicacusa (its about 10 miles west of Siracusa).
As far as the ' linkage' of the town name and the sir name - I don't know, but think it's not too likely considering most of the current people with that name live a good distance away. A friend of mine was born in Caccamo, and he tells me that the word is of Arabic origin (perhaps meaning some type of horse). The Arabs had control of much of Sicily (around 1200 AD I think).
Message 80
The latest issue of the Comunes of Italy Magazine has arrived from the printer, and should be mailed to all subscribers by Monday, January 10th. This issue features PIACENZA Province. The next issue, March-April 2000, will feature PALERMO Province. Here is a sneak preview of the wonderful articles inside:
50 Smallest Comuni in Italy
Bagna Cauda- Traditional Italian New Year's Dish
Brooklyn Naturalization Index Online
Brooklyn, NY Catholic Churches - Part I
Cilento Region [Salerno] Descendant Search
Countdown to Jubilee 2000
Earthquakes in Italy-Turn of the 20th Century
Genealogy Related Cursors
Italian Occupations- "A-B"
Italian Patron Saints - January-February
Italy Journal by John Castagna Part II
New Surnames
Piacenza Province: History, Events, Population, Postal Codes, Archivio
Address, Church Addresses, Tourist Office, Newspapers & Magazines, Cuisine
Privacy Issues In Genealogy
Q+A
Saint Valentine's Day
Searching for an Ancestor [poem]
The Flag of Italy
Web Corner
Anyone with questions on how to subscribe may visit the web site below or contact me for info.
Grace Lancieri Olivo [graceo@earthlink.net or LGFM@bellatlantic.net]
Editor, Comunes of Italy Magazine
http://home.earthlink.net/~graceo
http://members.aol.com/dinonni/coi.htm
"Italian genealogy, culture and all things Italian"
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