Married Women's Use of Maiden Names at Immigration

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sepiaz
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Married Women's Use of Maiden Names at Immigration

Post by sepiaz »

I found two female ancestor's whose spouses were settled in New York before they arrived in the US. Both had children, but when they immigrated they used their maiden names. For example, Liboria Savoia (nee Piscitello) arrived in 1898 from Vallelunga, Sicily with Giuseppe, Rosaria, and Michele and went to New York City to be with her husband Vincenzo Savoia. Her name on the manifest is listed as Liboria Piscitello and the children as Savoias. Concetta DiGiovanni (nee Savoia) arrived in 1905 from Vallelunga with Cosima and Lorenza and went to Falconer, NY to be with her husband Fred DiGiovanni. Her name on the manifest is listed as Savoia and her children's surname is penciled in as DiGiovanni. Does anyone know why they would use their maiden names?

Thanks,

Shirley
erudita74
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Re: Married Women's Use of Maiden Names at Immigration

Post by erudita74 »

sepiaz wrote:I found two female ancestor's whose spouses were settled in New York before they arrived in the US. Both had children, but when they immigrated they used their maiden names. For example, Liboria Savoia (nee Piscitello) arrived in 1898 from Vallelunga, Sicily with Giuseppe, Rosaria, and Michele and went to New York City to be with her husband Vincenzo Savoia. Her name on the manifest is listed as Liboria Piscitello and the children as Savoias. Concetta DiGiovanni (nee Savoia) arrived in 1905 from Vallelunga with Cosima and Lorenza and went to Falconer, NY to be with her husband Fred DiGiovanni. Her name on the manifest is listed as Savoia and her children's surname is penciled in as DiGiovanni. Does anyone know why they would use their maiden names?

Thanks,

Shirley
Shirley

Women in Italy always maintained their maiden names, even when married, and in the Italian records are found under their name maiden names, even in their death records. So they would normally be listed on passenger lists under their maiden names, whereas their children would be listed under the husband's surname. There are instances though when the children were mistakenly listed under the mother's maiden name, if traveling only with her. Also there are instances when the wife is listed with the husband's surname, if traveling with him. So, when searching for an ancestor on a passenger list, you have to take into account all of these possible scenarios.

Erudita
sepiaz
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Re: Married Women's Use of Maiden Names at Immigration

Post by sepiaz »

Thanks, Erudita. This is very helpful. When I was working on the family genealogy only a few weeks ago and saw that Concetta Savoia was listed as married on the Ellis Island ship manifest, I initially concluded either she was not a Savoia or that a recording error was made on the manifest. It was only when I had time to look more carefully did I find the DiGiovanni lightly penciled on the manifest and based on that searched census records for Falconer the town to which she moved.
erudita74
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Re: Married Women's Use of Maiden Names at Immigration

Post by erudita74 »

sepiaz wrote:Thanks, Erudita. This is very helpful. When I was working on the family genealogy only a few weeks ago and saw that Concetta Savoia was listed as married on the Ellis Island ship manifest, I initially concluded either she was not a Savoia or that a recording error was made on the manifest. It was only when I had time to look more carefully did I find the DiGiovanni lightly penciled on the manifest and based on that searched census records for Falconer the town to which she moved.
Happy the info I posted helped you.
Erudita
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