Spadafera / Spadafora

[barbarasprufera]

Can anyone help me with information on locations in Italy named Spadafera / Spadafora? I am searching for my family history - and I was told that many immigrants that could not speak English used the town they came from when giving their name. My name is Sprufera and part of my family spells thier names Sprofera. I wonder if there is a connection there? I had been told my Great Grandmother (Josephine La Monte) came from Palermo and other family (the Sprufera's / Sprofera's) came from Mezzojuso. I have not been able to find anything to support this. Any information or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Barbara

[misbris]

Here is some info.

http://en.comuni-italiani.it/083/096/index.html

[pink67]

Hi Barbara

I remember all your research...

http://italiangenealogy.tardio.com/Foru ... 11900.html

I had been told my Great Grandmother (Josephine La Monte) came from Palermo and other family (the Sprufera's / Sprofera's) came from Mezzojuso. I have not been able to find anything to support this. Any information or comments would be greatly appreciated.

From your previus message:

Hi Barbara,

you can be pretty sure they were from Mezzojuso, this is John military enlistment for the second world war:

From Ancestry.com:

U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
about John Sprufera
Name: John Sprufera
Birth Date: 27 Apr 1886
RESIDENCE: New York, New York
Birth: Mezzausso, Italy
Race: White
Roll: WW2_2368784

Place of birth is mispelled but sure is Mezzojuso...

image:
[img=http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/4650/s ... wii.th.jpg]

so, as I wrote you in your other message, I believe the best thing for you to do is to check the Mormons microfilms of the civil registration of the Mezzojuso Comune:

Have you tried to search in the microfilms for Mezzojuso?
You're lucky because you have at least some sure dates as birth dates of your relatives, so, why don't ask for example for the birth certificate (better ask for the Copia integrale dell'Atto di nascita completo di eventuali annotazioni) of John/Giovanni Sprufera to the Comune of Mezzojuso in Italy?
If you'll be able to receive this birth certificate you'll be sure about the correct last name and place of origin...

I believe you exhausted all the U.S. on-line resources so maybe it's time to write or search in the italian records...

Here you can find form letters to send to request documents in italy:

http://circolocalabrese.org/resources/letters/index.asp

Good luck!

Laura

[barbarasprufera]

Yes, Laura you are correct I do however have a family member who is still pretty convinced that the Sprufera / Sprofera name is in some way directly related to the location of Spadafora ??? (I should have been more clear in this explanation - sorry - and to this point I am unable to find anything to support his assumption. He feels this way due to the close spelling of the town and our last name of Sprufera?

Your help has been tremendous and we have made some great progress since our last talk due to the information you provided me with in the past. I recently found my GGM (Guiseppina / Josephine / Josie La Monte Sprufera's gravesite....not much info other than her date of death, but that was a great find for us! So now I will take your advice and start with the contacts you have provided below and see if we can get information directly from Italy and go further with the search.

As always, your input is so valued by us, we would never have come this far in our search if it had not been for your assistance.
Many thanks and I hope to speak with you again.
Barbara

[apiapibij]

Perhaps I am missing something, but why don't you asume that your ancestors name was Spatafora or Spadafora instead of his birth location? The name Spatafora was quit common in Reggio Calabria in 16th, 17th and 18th century and was later in the 19th century changed to Spadafora

[barbarasprufera]

Thank you for your help. However, at this point we don't want to assume, we would like to try to find the original name. We have several variations of my Great Grandmothers Maiden name (La Monte) which we can tie directly back to Mezzojuso. What we are trying to find is where my Great Grandfather's family (Sprufera / Sprofera) came from and what the true last name is? There are many variations of the spelling and no record of that name existing in Italy as a surname? It was a long shot to see if possibly they came from the area Spadafora / Spadafera due to the similarity in the spelling. I have been told those coming into the US who could not speak English used the name of the town they came from and in some way that was tied directly to their last name? Any insight that would dismiss or collaborate this theory would be helpful. So we continue on for the seach of Sprufera / Sprofera and the origins?
Thank you