My 2nd Great Grandmother Rosa Cirignano

Today is the 10^th anniversary of the death of my father, but it wasn’t until after the death of my mother about 5 years later, that I decided to jump into the black hole of genealogy. Just about every day I wish I could rewind the clock and share my findings with them and learn the stories about some of the people I discovered. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog you’ll notice from time to time people other than Carm write posts. You may have seen my name listed as contributing some records I’ve found from Pietradefusi recently. But what is my connection to Torre? 

My father wasn’t born in Torre, nor were his parents; they were born in Grottaminarda, a larger community a short 11-14 miles away depending on whether you take the country roads or the autostrada. My father’s grandparents weren’t born in Torre either. One set was born in Grottaminarda and the other in another nearby Avellino town, Mirabella Eclano. My father’s great grandmother, my 2^nd GG, Rosa Cirignano is my ancestral connection to Torre le Nocelle. It turns out that the Cirignano family has very deep roots in Torre le Nocelle. It also turns out that I’m related to the owner of this blog, Carm and Florindo Cirignano. Although Rosa and Florindo share the same surname our relationship goes through a few other surnames before we connect. I’m also related to a few other folks that contribute to this blog. 

I don’t have an actual birth record for Rosa as she was born to Ciriaco Cirignano and Angelica Giordino prior to the time of civil registration. She was born about 1804-1806 based on her marriage and death records. Her brother Francesco lived his short life (22 Mar 1809-25 Aug 1810)[i] in Torre and was likely living in a single parent household when he died as his mother passed on Christmas 1809[ii]. Rosa’s father married the second time to Carissima de Luca almost a year later (20 Dec 1810) in Pietradefusi[iii]. I never discovered any half siblings of Rosa’s from this marriage. Rosa was without a mother/step mother again as the next time I find the paper trail it is in Grottaminarda. I haven’t found a death record for Carissima but in 1819 and 1822, Ciriaco records the birth of his children Maria and Fortunato of his legitimate wife Nicoletta Leggiere/Lezziere[iv]. 

The paper trail moves back to Torre where two marriage banns were posted for Ciriaco and Nicoletta Leggiere/Lezziere on 13 Apr 1823 and 5 May 1823[v]. If you are following me you are correct that these dates are after the birth of the previously mentioned children. I haven’t found a marriage record for Ciriaco and Nicoletta. The mystery continues as I don’t have a death record for either of them. 

Although Rosa seems to have moved around Avellino as a child she appears to have lived her adult life in Grottaminarda. Marriage banns posted there on 30 Aug 1829 and 14 Sep 1829[vi] don’t list her residence but the marriage record of 22 Sep 1829[vii] to my 2^nd Great Grandfather Gregorio Cataruozzolo shows she resided at strada fratta in Grottaminarda. Rosa and Gregorio had five children born in Grottaminarda: 

Antonio (13 May 1830 – 8 Feb 1848)[viii]
Giuseppe (21 Apr 1833 – Aft 14 Jan 1898)[ix]
Filomena (1 Nov 1837 – 26 Aug 1895)[x]
Pellegrina (17 Jun 1840 – 1 Mar 1903) (my great grandmother)[xi]
Ciriaco (1 Sep 1843 – 28 Oct 1844)[xii]

Gregorio died at 46 on 21 Nov 1845[xiii]. Rosa married for the second time to Cosmo Minichiello (of Bonito, yet another Avellino town) on 26 Sep 1846. Two sets of banns were posted on 23 Aug and 7 Sep of that year[xiv]. She had a son Giovanni born 19 Dec of that year so was likely showing she was in the family way during that 2^nd wedding ceremony[xv]. Cosmo died less than four years after their marriage on 29 Mar 1850 and Rosa was alone again, but not for long[xvi]. 

After another two sets of marriage banns posted on 16 Jan and 31 Jan 1853, Rosa married for the third time to Romoaldo Costantino (from Sturno, yes another town in Avellino) on 7 Feb 1853[xvii]. She was almost 50 by then and Romoaldo about two years younger. I haven’t found any children born of this marriage. Just shy of ten years later Romoaldo died on 8 Jan 1863[xviii]. 

On 8 Oct 1870 Giuseppe Cataruozzolo, of the deceased Gregorio, age 30, reported the death of his mother Rosa Cirignano who died the previous day. Romoaldo was listed as Diagardo, Rosa’s third husband. Giuseppe knew his grandfather was Ciriaco but his grandmother was listed as unknown[xix].

Compared with many of my other ancestors that lived, married and died in the same town Rosa seems to have done a bit more traveling. She was born in Torre le Nocelle, possibly traveled to Pietradefusi with her father, moved to Grottaminarda and maybe even visited her half-brother Fortunato in Mirabella Eclano. She married men born in Grottaminarda, Bonito and Sturno. Fortunato lived a long live as well and died 28 Dec 1904 in Mirabella[xx]. 

So there you have it. Rosa led me to Torre and from there I found this blog and cousins, and more cousins and yet more cousins. What could be better than that?

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[i] Francesco Cirignano Birth Family History Library Microfilm (FHL Film) 1604436, 1809 No 15. Death FHL Film 1604437, 1810 No 23

[ii] Angelica Giordino death record, FHL Film 1604437, 1809 unnumbered

[iii] Ciriaco Cirignano – Carissima de Luca marriage FHL Film 1547071, 1810 No 35

[iv] Maria Cirignano birth FHL Film 1518198, 1819 No 70, Fortunato Cirignano FHL Film 1518199, 1822 No 3

[v] Ciriaco Cirignano – Nicoletta Leggiere/Lezziere marriage banns FHL Film 1604437, 1823 No 8 (part I and part II)

[vi] Gregorio Cataruozzolo – Rosa Cirignano marriage banns FHL Film 1518200, 1829 No 26 (part I and part II)

[vii] Gregorio Cataruozzolo – Rosa Cirignano marriage FHL Film 1518220, 1829 No 21

[viii] Antonio Cataruozzolo birth FHL Film 1518199, 1830 No 64; death 1518221, 1848 No 13

[ix] Giuseppe Cataruozzolo birth FHL Film 1518199, 1833 No 34; death aft 14 Jan 1898 when he was listed as informant for granddaughter Maria Olimpia

[x] Filomena Cataruozzolo birth FHL Film 1518199, 1837 No 113; death FHL Film 1801099, 1895 No 59

[xi] Pellegrina Cataruozzolo birth FHL Film 1518199, 1840 No 67; death FHL Film 1801099, 1903 No 13

[xii] Ciriaco Cataruozzolo birth FHL Film 1518199, 1843 No 81; death FHL Film 1518221, 1844 No 101

[xiii] Gregorio Cataruozzolo death FHL Film 1518221, 1845 No 97

[xiv] Cosmo Minichiello – Rosa Cirignano Marriage FHL Film 1518220, 1846 No 19; banns FHL Film 1518200, 1846 No 21 (part I and part II)

[xv] Giovanni Minichiello birth FHL Film 1518199, 1846 No 119

[xvi] Cosmo Minichiello death FHL Film 1518221, 1850 No 38

[xvii] Romoaldo Costantino – Rosa Cirignano Marriage FHL Film 1518220, 1853 No 3; banns FHL Film 1518200, 1853 No 1 (part I and part II)

[xviii] Romoaldo Costantino death FHL Film 1518222, 1863 No 6

[xix] Rosa Cirignano death FHL Film 1801098, 1870 No 77

[xx] Fortunato Cirignano death FHL Film 1801202, 1904 No 119

Gregorio Cataruozzolo - Rosa Cirignano Marriage 1518220 1829 No 21_1

Gregorio Cataruozzolo - Rosa Cirignano Marriage 1518220 1829 No 21_2

Rosa Cirignano Death 1870 No 77