Corteiosi/La Corte/La Corteiosi

[jjasay]

Does anyone have any insight into these surname/cognome variations? Certainly, people's names were frequently spelled different ways at different times, but I am wondering if there is a "correct" spelling. Does the -iosi ending have any significance in late 19th century Sicily? Also, if anyone has additional knowledge about this family, I would appreciate learning more about them.

Below is what I have found so far:

• On my grandfather's 1879 birth certificate from Alessandria della Rocca, his mother's name is listed as Antonina Corteiosi.

• When my grandfather was married in that same city in 1901, his mother's name was recorded as Antonina La Corte.

• Two of my grandfather's sisters were also married in Alessandria della Rocca in 1901. On one marriage license, my great-grandmother's name is Antonina La Corte. On the other, it is Antonina La Corteiosi.

• I have found other people in the area of Alessandria della Rocca during this time who are most likely related, but not proven yet, who have even more variations of this surname. I have seen La Corte Iosi, and even La Corte Tosi.

Also, my grandfather's name is Luigi Favazza. Any help will be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Johnathan

[Tessa78]

This appears to be the birth act of your GGM Antonina.
Her surname on her birth record, and that of her father Antonio, is LA CORTE
#149 at image page 152.
Presentation and birth on 9 October 1851.
Presentation made by a midwife, Onofria di Leto, 40.
Father is Antonino La Corte, who I believe is deceased (di funto after his name)
Mother is Maria Giuseppa Testasecca, age 30.
Baptized in the parish church of Alessandria on the same day.

https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 00/0MA3pv2

Here is the death of Antonino La Corte in June of 1851, in the Diversi records.
He died of a wound produced by a firearm.
He was age 30, husband of Maria Giuseppa Testasecca, born in Alessandria, son of deceased Pietro and of Domenica Urso.
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 85/La7YaMr

NOTE: I think the confusion about the surname is from the death act above. The death act would have been presented as a required document for Antonina's marriage. In the death act after Antonino's name is "iosi saffri una ferita ..." A clerk thought the "iosi" was part of the surnae...


T.

[mmogno]

.....
In the death act after Antonino's name is "iosi soffrì una ferita ..." A clerk thought the "iosi" was part of the surnae...

"....produsse la morte del detto iosi oggi verso le ore duodici italiane ....."

T.

La Corte Iosi is a surname in Alessandria
https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/2 ... -iosi-1841

Marriage record for Antonino La Corte and Maria Giuseppa Testasecca
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 01/5d7X6RP
Processetti
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 55/wQo3X7z

[jjasay]

Many thanks to Tessa78 and to mmogno! In only one day, you took my family back two generations and many decades. I really appreciate the linked documents. You found them so fast. Are they indexed somewhere, or did you look through the records page by page?

I do have some trouble understanding the old handwriting, though. So far, as I think the two of you also saw, I am only seeing the word Iosi in one of these documents. I do not see it in the marriage record of Antonino La Corte and Maria Giuseppa Testasecca that mmogno shared. Like Tessa78, I also do not see Iosi in the birth record of Antonina La Corte.

The only place that I see Iosi is in the atto di morte, as both of you attested. The phrase that mmogno cited, “produsse la morte del detto iosi oggi”, does make it sound like the public official is using “iosi” to refer to the deceased Antonino. If I am reading it correctly, it is written in lowercase, “iosi” rather than “Iosi”. Is that the way that you two see it, as well?

Would it be common in mid-nineteenth century Sicily for a lowercase “iosi” to stand alone as part of a surname? Has anyone seen other instances of this in a surname, aside from possibly being attached to La Corte? What if it was not part of the name? Would “iosi” mean anything by itself?

[mmogno]

Record #4. Marriage for Pietro La Corte Josi and Domenica di Costa in Alessandria on May 27, 1821.
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 81/5BO33n1

Processetti from here:
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 37/0nn6OAg

Birh of Pietro La Corte Josi,on Aug 27, 1786 in Alessandria. Father: Antonino La Corte Josi, mother: Rosa di Costa.
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 37/0nn6OAg

Birh of Antonino La Corte Josi, Pietro's father, on March 16, 1762 in Alessandria. Father: Giuseppe La Corte Josi, mother Angela lo Monaco:
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 37/LooN79p

[mmogno]

From Processetti for the marriage of Antonino La Corte and Maria Giuseppa Testasecca
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali. ... 55/wQo3X7z

[jjasay]

Dear mmogno,

You are amazing. I was only focused on verifying the spelling of my great-grandmother's name, but you have given me and my family so much more. You have documented my family remaining in the same town for nearly 300 years!

Now, I am curious about the change from Iosi to Josi as we travel back to the eighteenth century. I know that Js are not traditionally used in Italian unless they enter the vocabulary from a different language. Then, I noticed that some of the older documents you shared make use of Latin, which uses the letter J more frequently. Maybe this is more of a topic for the "Italian language, handwriting , script & translations" forum on this site.

You can be certain that I am going to be spending some more time filling out my La Corte Iosi tree armed with this new information. Thanks so much!

Thanks again,
Johnathan

[mmogno]

This is the Italian language in the late 1700s - early 1800s. Then Italian evolved and the letter J almost disappeared from use.

[jjasay]

Thank you for the clarification, mmogno.