I am trying to figure out this family story -
Rosaria Costa and her brother Giuseppe Costa (ages 15 and 11) respectively, are on the ship with a woman who is identified as their mother in the manifest, however she has a different last name.
It looks sort of like "Montosanna", and her first name seems to be Crocifisfo.
She is age 40.
The story I have from the famly is that Rosaria's mother had 18 children, and all but 2 died at birth (looks like Rosaria and Giuseppe), so this makes sense. But why does mom have a different last name?
Do you think she remarried after the children's father died? Why wouldnt the children be given the new father's last name? I am not sure whta the customs were then.
Could she be an aunt or cousin who is filling in for mom? Did women ever take back their maiden name?
Here are the manifests that I am trying to figure out,
Jul 18:
http://ellisisland.org/search/shipManif ... 2042090242
and Jul 2:
http://ellisisland.org/search/shipManif ... 2017041173
They list no surviving relatives in San Cataldo - it looks like the whole family has left.
Mother with different last name than children
- tammyweinercuratilo
- Newbie
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 06 Feb 2007, 00:00
- Location: Glen Allen, Virginia
Re: Mother with different last name than children
Italian tradition......women do not lose their maiden surname, ship manifest will more than likely show them coming into America under the maiden name....once here, they then took on the surname of the husband as is American tradition.
wldspirit
wldspirit
___________________________
"Cambiano i suonatori ma la musica è sempre quella."
"Cambiano i suonatori ma la musica è sempre quella."
- tammyweinercuratilo
- Newbie
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 06 Feb 2007, 00:00
- Location: Glen Allen, Virginia
Re: Mother with different last name than children
Thanks! This is my first foray into the Italian side of the family, so I am delighted to find a tradition that eases identification of the mother's family
Re: Mother with different last name than children
the mother name is Crocifissa MARTORANA so it seems... suanj
Envy is the most flattering of flattery
----------------------------------------------
Visit my website:
ITALIAN ORIGIN SEARCH
----------------------------------------------
Visit my website:
ITALIAN ORIGIN SEARCH
- MikeSavoca91
- Staff
- Posts: 192
- Joined: 23 Jan 2007, 00:00
- Location: ny
Re: Mother with different last name than children
I have to say it is funny, I don't think there is any relation, but one of my great grandfather's sisters Grace married a John Costa, and another sister Frances married a guy named Sam Martorana. That just struck me as kinda cool.