Looking for Martorana or Martorano in Casteltermini, Sicily

[Madeline72]

I am looking for help in finding records for my ancestors from Casteltermini, Sicily (AG). My grandmother's maiden name was Martorana or Martorano, and her married name was Geraci. She and my grandfather, Luigi Geraci, migrated to the US probably in the early 1900s. At the time they had 3 children, Pasquale, Philomena, and Angelina. If anyone has information on anyone with any of those last names, please let me know. Thank you.

[suanj]

hi here the arrival of Luigi Geraci b. 1867 abt, coming from Casteltermini, wife Maddalena Martorana in Casteltermini, joining at brother in law Giuseppe Martorana

First Name: Luigi
Last Name: Geraci
Ethnicity: Italy, Italian
Last Place of Residence: Castelberimi, Sicily
Date of Arrival: Sep 26, 1907
Age at Arrival: 40y Gender: M Marital Status: M
Ship of Travel: Sannio
Port of Departure: Palermo
Manifest Line Number: 0003

http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipM ... 0649%2ETIF

wife and children, arrival:

First Name: Maddalena
Last Name: Marterana
Ethnicity: Italy, Italian South
Last Place of Residence: Casteltermini, Sicily
Date of Arrival: Apr 23, 1910
Age at Arrival: 29y Gender: F Marital Status: M
Ship of Travel: Perugia
Port of Departure: Palermo
Manifest Line Number: 0010

http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipM ... 0378%2ETIF
regards,
suanj

[carubia]

Your GM's maiden name could also be spelled Marturano or Marturana, in Agrigento province at least. The final vowel is usually an "o" but the middle vowel is probably a "u" half of the time in 19th c. records.

[suanj]

here the birth act of
Francesco GERACI born in Casteltermini on 13 May 1905 son of Luigi GERACI 37 old sulphur miner and of Maddalena MARTORANA

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,244393101
suanj

[suanj]

Marriage
Casteltermini 10 May 1891
Groom: Luigi Geraci 23 old sulphur miner, born and resident in Casteltermini, son of late Pasquale Geraci and of late Filomena Minardi
Bride: Maddalena Martorana 20 old dress maker, born and resident in Casteltermini, daughter of late Francesco Martorana and of living Maria Angela Esposito

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,243914302
suanj

[jennabet]

here the birth act of
Francesco GERACI born in Casteltermini on 13 May 1905 son of Luigi GERACI 37 old sulphur miner and of Maddalena MARTORANA

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,244393101
suanj

Thanks suanj. Of course you are correct with the spelling of Martorana. It really doesn't matter where in Italy a researcher comes from; if you've lived in Italy all your life, you would likely know the correct spelling of a certain sur name throughout the country without having to check a record. For example, most Americans would know that "Smith" is spelled "Smith" and not "Smeth". Pity, however, that some researchers do have to rely obviously solely on records that most likely were transcribed by someone who has very little, if any knowledge of the Italian language and can only spell Italian names phoenetically. Why else would he/she substitute a silly "u" for the correct "o" in the name Martorana? If this type of mistake happens often enough, people should be aware that the potential for error does exist and they should choose their researchers carefully.

[suanj]

Hi jennabet,
many surnames have different versions ( so different spelling, for example: Marturano-Martorano and Martorana-Marturana)and they are very similar and it is normal to have some doubt...
but the origin's region of ancestor give us the right clue ...

in Sicily is most popular Martorana.. so in this region is the original spelling and also if it are some different spelling, it is a just a version of original surname that in the time, it is differentiated due to bad handwriting...
best regards,
suanj

[carubia]

I never stated that Marturano or Martorano is the "correct" spelling, only that they're more common than Martorana in the Agrigento towns that I've concentrated my research in.

For example I just did a search of births in Ribera from 1900 to 1904. There were 4 children born with a variant of this surname: Filippa Martorano in 1901, Angela Marturano in 1902, Angela Marturano in 1903, and Emanuele Marturano in 1904. Interestingly Filippa's surname is Marturano in the index, and the parents of Filippa and Emanuele are the same, showing that the same name can be spelled either way.

Most of the Marturano/Martorano people in my tree were born much earlier. A check of all Ribera births for most years in the 1860s, 1820s, and 1830s (the actual records) doesn't turn up any Martorana births either. (The earliest recorded birth was in 1822, Francesco Martorano.) In FS indexed records, Martorana is the most common variant, by far, in Cammarata, Licata, and Favara, whereas Marturano/Martorano predominates in Ribera, Cattolica, and Santo Stefano Quisquina. Other towns in Agrgento are mixed. But those are indexed records; I prefer to rely on the original copies when possible since I know how horrible some FS indexers are.

[carubia]

Since I couldn't post these images in my last post, I'll do them one at a time:

Filippa Martorano, 1901

[carubia]

Angela Marturano, 1902

[carubia]

Emanuele Marturano, 1904