Intermarriages in Sicily...

[JamesBianco]

My Grandmother from Carini, Antonina Leone was the child of first cousins, her maternal grandfather and her paternal grandmother were brother and sister. Her mother's parents were 2nd and 3rd cousins as well, all Marciano's. As you go back further in her ancestry you find even more cousins, I am not talking about this uncle married this aunt, or this cousin married that cousin, direct line ancestors marrying their own cousins.

At first I thought, ok it's a smallish town in Sicily, there just were not that many people. But what is remarkable is that if I look at my grandmother's ancestors back to the 1500's I keep seeing one common ancestor over and over again, Biagio Marciano. While i find other ancestors repeated in other lines, it is only maybe once or twice. I descend from Biagio Marciano a total of 13 times!! 13 direct lines of descent is pretty strange, even for Sicily. Like I said there is not other ancestor in Carini I descend from more than twice (and not too often), but with him 13 lines!

I printed out my Grandmother's descent from Biagio and his wife Antonina and highlighted her so you can see the 13 lines of descent (the charts might be hard to read because I took them with my digital camera.)

My Grandmother is in Yellow, 13 times! lol

13 lines of Descent from Biagio Marciano

It's kind of cool yet also kind of disturbing!

[Essgee]

James...

You have the most wonder geneological tidbits! And I love that you always share them with everyone.

Take a lot of comfort in the fact that most of us have trees that eventually follow that same pattern...though over a few more genertions. However, the marriages you note are over generations as well, so whatever disturbing taste you might find, tends to dissapate.

Cousin marriage is a fact of the history of the world. In areas of tribal villages, it happened all the time for preservation of the family line. The problems stem from close cousin marriage...marriage that occurs from the patrilineal line. These are cousins that marry from the father's familty...uncles to neices, first cousin to first cousin, over and over again. This is the lineage that tends to be distrubing. Cousin marriages off female lines tend to be less primative and allow more genetic variety.

So, I wouldn't worry too much about it~ And it is fascinating on so many levels. Sort of like a Topiary rather then an Oak Tree!

Have a great one!

[JamesBianco]

[align=justify]Well as I have researched dozens of families from Carini and also my other grandmother's family in Valle di Cadore (BL) both of which have church records available to the 1500's I have never seen 13 lines of descent from one man (at least this recent). Perhaps 2, 3 or 4 descents, but 13 is just ridiculous!! [/align]

I've handwritten a simplified chart (I had to leave out one additional line because it wouldn't fit)

Marciano Descent simplified

[Barga]

Sicilians are very very territorial

[Romano1970]

Very Very Interesting. I am new to this site, only since last week I believe and that is one of the most amazing heritage lines I have seen even on other genealogy sites. Like one of the other entries states, some people would call it disturbing but if they knew the way Sicilians were and are they would understand this better. Teritory , besides family it seems is all they had.

Please post more when you can I would live to see what else you have found.


Michele Romano

[Cathynap]

Very Very Interesting. I am new to this site, only since last week I believe and that is one of the most amazing heritage lines I have seen even on other genealogy sites. Like one of the other entries states, some people would call it disturbing but if they knew the way Sicilians were and are they would understand this better. Teritory , besides family it seems is all they had.

Please post more when you can I would live to see what else you have found.


Michele Romano

You should check out his website! It is awesome!! He has records from Carini going back to the 1500's!! http://www.cariniexchange.com/
He is my genealogy idol!