Searching for Scalisi, Battaglia and Canciemi families from

by **hotlittlesicilian** » 05 Oct 2002, 05:28

I am trying to find out anything I can about my father\'s side of the family, and was wondering if anyone knows any information, or can give me some direction. My great great grandfather was Giovanni Scalisi, his wife was Antonina Canciemi Scalisi, both from Palermo. My great grandfather was Matteo (Mike) Scalisi, and my great grandmother was Guiseppina (Josephine) Battaglia Scalisi. They came over to New York, (I believe Manhattan,) from Palermo. I have very little information on them, only what I could find on ellisislandrecords.com, ancestry.com and my great grandfather\'s passport. Little is known, as my great grandmother died when my grandfather was only 2 years old. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">

by **ptimber** » 05 Oct 2002, 16:02

Whaty you have uncovered to date is sigfnificant so what else do you wish to uncover??Please be specific. Peter

by **hotlittlesicilian** » 05 Oct 2002, 21:42

Hi, Peter, I want to find out everything I can about my family, birthdates, what they did for a living, how many family members, names, etc. It was difficult for me to start researching my father\'s side of the family because of the circumstances. My great grandmother passed away when my grandfather was only 2 years old, so, he only had very few memories of her. My grandfather, and most of my great aunts and uncles are now deceased. I have one great aunt living, but, she doesn\'t have any information. The passport was a big help. I can\'t make out some of the passport, as it\'s in Italian. Another stumbling block that I fell upon was the surname. Of the family that we are in contact with, the name varies from: Scalisi, Scalise, Scalesi and Scalese. It looks like some i\'s weren\'t dotted on some records, and the name got varied. Great Grandpa\'s passport reads as follows: rilasciato a Scalisi Matteo figlio di Giovanni e di Canciemi Antonina uato a Corleone il 17 Guingno 1889 residente a Corleone in provincia di Palermo di condirione bracciante That\'s the first page of the passport, I hope I have most of the information correct. It\'s kind of hard to read, because it\'s so old, and and some letters can be mistaken for others, Iguess. The rest of the pages are a little longer, and I\'m not quite so sure what they are. I\'m also wondering what my great grandmother died of, she would have died in New York, but, I cannot locate anything on the s.s. death index. Thank you for responding. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">

by **ptimber** » 05 Oct 2002, 22:51

Contact the NY Genealogical and Biographical society,122 East 58th street NYC, 212-755-8532 or www.nygbs.org and ask them about ghrandmothers death certificate. Peter

by **hotlittlesicilian** » 05 Oct 2002, 23:47

Peter, Thank you! I\'ll contact them and see what I can find. Thank you for your help. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">

by **ptimber** » 06 Oct 2002, 05:04

insofar as your last nmame is concerned why don\'t you request a copy of your Ggrandfathers birth certificate from his town of origin in order to satisfy yourself as to what his last should be (and yours thereby). Write to the Ufficio di Stato Civile inthe town of origin. Sometimes the handwriting is misleading. Peter

by **hotlittlesicilian** » 06 Oct 2002, 21:29

Peter, Thank you for all of the information. I downloaded an application to obtain a copy of my great grandmother\'s death certificate, but I am also going to attach a cover letter. They want a social security number, and some other information that I do not have. I figured some information is better than none. They also request a copy of my drivers license and utility bills....is this to prove the relationship to the deceased? They will search for 2 years and send a copy for $15.00. I will also write for my grandfather\'s birth certificate, and my grandmother\'s as well. Where do I find the addresses? Also, would it help if I mailed copies of the ship manifests being that I don\'t have too much information? Maybe they can decipher the writing a little better than I can and get a little more out of it. I am also going to look into the family history center in our area, to see what I can get from microfilm. Thanks again for your help.

by **ptimber** » 06 Oct 2002, 22:53

Write to the town of origin using the Ufficio di Stato Civile (civil records office) as an addreess. In this very website is a listing of everytown in Italy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! look for databases towns in Italy. Lots of luck Peter