Vivona Family in Trapani, Sicily

[kmmoro19]

I am researching my family tree in Trapani, Calatafimi Sicily. The family name is Vivona. My grandfather was Antonio Vivona born in 1893 In Trapani. I am trying to go back further and would like help with researching this.

[bbivona]

A little more information would be helpful if you have it. When you say he was born in Trapani, I assume that you mean he was born in the town of Calatafimi in the province of Trapani, and not the city of Trapani. The records for Calatafimi are very sparse, so there may need to be some patching together of things from various sources, and all the information you can provide would give some clues. Things that could help include the following: Do you have an exact date of birth? Do you have the names of his parents or siblings? Did he immigrate to the U.S.? If so, when? Did he naturalize, and if so, when? If he came to the U.S., did he marry in the U.S. or in Sicily? Where in the U.S. did he live? What are the names of his children, in order of birth?

[bbivona]

I have done a little digging. In the U.S. records, there is an Antonio Vivona born April 3, 1893 in Calatafimi. His naturalization record shows him as arriving in the U.S. on August 8, 1907 at New York, aboard the San Giorgio. His naturalization record shows him living in Newark in 1928 and his children at that point were Mariano (10/31/20), John (4/3/1922), Sebastiano (9/5/1923), and Antonina (3/6/1927). From the children's records it is fairly likely that his parents would have been Mariano and Antonina. The New York death records show what appears to be this same Antonio dying in 1943. His parents there are listed as Mariano Vivona and Antonina, consistent with what we would expect from listing of children.

[bbivona]

Following up on the information above, the passengers list for the San Giorgio, August 8, 1907, lists Mariano Vivona and son, age 67 with son, Antonio, age 14. It shows them as most recently living in Gibellina, which is about 20 miles from Calatafimi, and going to Newark. It indicates that they are going to the residence of Mariano's son, Benedetto at 49 14th St., in Newark. That record indicate both were born in Gibellina. Benedetto arrived May 13, 1903 on the Citta di Torino, going to be with his brother, Sebastiano. Sebastiano's records include his naturalization record, showing that he was born January 28, 1880 in Gibellina, and that he married on February 1, 1900 in Gibellina. That matches this marriage record in Gibellina. http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0
The marriage record indicates that his parents were Mariano Vivona, a shoemaker and Antonina La Porta, homemaker, both living in Calatafimi. So that gives us Antonina's surname.