translation for "cavaliere" (female"

[tessy21]

I HAVE GOTTEN A DEATH CERTIFICATE FOR ONE OF MY ANCESTORS...ALL IS CORRECT, EXCEPT FOR THEIR LISTING FOR HIS WIFE...INSTEAD OF LISTING HER AS HIS MOGLIE ARCANGELA ABBRUZZESE, SHE IS LISTED AS ARCANGELA CAVALIERE, COULD THIS BE ANOTHER INDICATION OF WHAT SHE WAS?,,,MOST OF THE TIME, THE PEOPLE ARE REFERRED TO AS "CONTADINA" COULD "CAVALIERE MEAN SOMETHING IN THAT CATEGORY OF THEIR OCCUPATION....I CAN'T SEE A WOMAN LISTED AS NOBLEMAN OR HORSE RIDER? TESSY 21

[johnnyonthespot]

From wordreference.com:

cavaliere noun, masculine
rider;
(titolo) knight;
(accompagnatore) escort;
(al ballo) partner

So, maybe just another way of saying moglie? Maybe they were unmarried, thus "life partner" as in the modern parlance?

[tessy21]

thanx johnnyon the spot...it may refer to partner....tessy21

[maestra36]

Since you didn't upload the document, I just have one comment. Women in the Italian death records are under their maiden and not married names, and Cavaliere is also a surname in Italy. Are you sure cavaliere is referring to an occupation and not to her maiden name?

[PeterTimber]

She may have already been widowed and while her maiden name may be as stated Abruzzese her widowed name would be noramlly written as FU Cavaliere following Cavaliere. =Peter=

[maestra36]

Peter
In all the towns I have done microfilmed records since 1997, I have never seen that in any document.

[PeterTimber]

But that is the way you would address someone on an envelope who was widowed and remarried. First the maiden name, followed by the "FU" (was) and the dead husbands name followed by the current husbands name if necessary. Not usually found on documents save for the "FU" and the name. =Peter=

[maestra36]

Thanks for that explanation, Peter. I never write letters to anyone in Italy (have no reason to), so I didn't know that info.

[PeterTimber]

I used to write in Italian when I was in high school to my moms grandmother who raised her and always used that form. My mom would dictate. In this way I slowly developed a familiarity with sentence formations in Italian because when yhou first lanr Italian its all grammar but not easy to make sentences until you get there in Italian 3! =Peter=