Vetrano/Vitrano Ancestors

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Vincenzo Vitrano was baptized on September 16, 1595, as Vincenzo Antonino in the mother church parish of Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicilia, Italy, the son of Alberto Vitrano and Francesca Bruno. (Mouse over and click on his baptism record image upper right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

Almost Twenty-four years later, on June 15, 1619, notary Vincenzo Gallo drew up a dowry contract for Vincenzo Vetrano and Pietra Pardo. (Mouse over and click on their notarial marriage contract entry upper left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) She was the daughter of Angelo Pardo and his unknown wife. A few weeks later, church banns were read on July 1^st, 4^th and 21^st. Vincenzo and Pietra were married at the mother church in Sciacca, a week later on July 28, 1619. (Mouse over and click on their Latin church marriage record middle left to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

Ten Sciacca mother church baptism records have been found for the children of Vincenzo and Pietra Vitrano. All but one were born and baptized on the same day as follows — Giuseppe Pietro on June 9, 1620; ancestor Giacomo; Francesca Antonia Giovanna on February 22, 1625, was probably named after her father’s mother; Leonardo Felice was born on May 18, 1627, and baptized the next day, but probably died as a toddler; Leonardo Vincenzo on April 20, 1629; Francesco Calogero on October 7, 1630; Caterina Dominica on August 4, 1633, who on January 12, 1653, married in Sciacca at the mother church, Benedetto, son of ancestors Maria Saittuni and Vito Chiaramonte; Giovanna Matthia on August 20, 1637; Anna Silvestra on December 30, 1639, who married Stefano Costanza and is also an ancestor; and Agustino Calogero on November 28, 1642.

Nothing is known about Pietra’s father Angelo, except that when she was married he was was alive. It is also not known when Pietra died, but she was alive when her daughter Caterina was married in 1653. Vincenzo was also alive at this time, so the following records are probably for him. There are two entries for Vincenzo Vetrano in both volume’s of Pellegrino Mortillaro’s books, Andrea Randazzo un notaio storico. The first is a will entry dated February 10, 1657, and the second is an inventory entry dated March 22, 1657. (Mouse over and click on the will entry image lower left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) There is also a mother church burial record dated February 21, 1657, for Vincenzo Vetrano. It states his age as 65 which is just 4 years more than his actual age and that he was buried on that date. (Mouse over and click on his burial record image lower right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) Unfortunately, at this time, nothing else is known about them.

Alberto Vitrano’s ancestry is unknown, but he was from Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily, Italy. It is about 22 miles northwest and a bit more inland of Sciacca, which is in the province of Agrigento. On March 5, 1593, at the mother church in Sciacca, Berto married Francesca Bruno. (Mouse over and click on their Latin Church marriage image upper right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) She was baptized in the mother church parish of Sciacca on November 27, 1573, the daughter of Angela Ognibene and her husband Leonardo Bruno. (Mouse over and click on her baptism image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

Alberto and Francesca were the parents of two male ancestors. There are at least five mother church baptism records for the children born to Berto and Francesca Vitrano as follows — ancestor Vincenzo; Arsio, which may be short for Arsenius, on March 12, 1605; ancestor Giacomo; Joanni, which is the Latin name for Giovanni, on January 21, 1610; and a daughter Ignatia Narda, on July 31, 1615, whose middle name was the short version of her mother’s father’s name, Leonardo.

It is documented that Alberto was deceased when his son ancestor Vincenzo was married on July 28, 1619. Francesca died and was buried in the St. Dominco cemetery on August 16, 1615. (Mouse over and click on her burial record image lower right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) Her very brief mother church burial record lists her as Def. Franc’a wife of Berto Lo Vitrano. Being that Alberto is not listed as deceased, he must have died sometime in that almost 4 year span between her death and his son’s July 28, 1619 marriage. A Sciacca burial record could not be found for him. Unfortunately, at this time, nothing else is known about them.

Leonardo Bruno was baptized as Leonardo Calogero, in November of 1542, in the mother church parish of Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicilia, Italy, the son of Michele Bruno and his unknown wife. (Mouse over and click on his Latin baptism index record image upper right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

All of the dates associated with him are unusual. Three of his children were born before the recorded church marriage and his marriage contract was written just days after the church marriage date. On April 2, 1575, 32 year-old Nardo Bruno married 15 year-old Angela Ognibene at the mother church in Sciacca. (Mouse over and click on their Latin church marriage record image upper left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) She is listed on this record as the daughter of Joanni (Giovanni) di Ognibeni, named Angilella. Angela was baptized in the Sciacca mother church parish on May 30, 1559, as Angilella Margariella, the daughter of what looks like Jovani. (Mouse over and click on her baptism image lower right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) Her mother and Leonardo’s parents are not listed on the marriage document. Five days later on the 7^th a dowry contract between Leonardo Bruno and Angela Ognibene was filed by Sciacca notary Antonino Canina. (Mouse over and click on their notarial marriage contract entry lower left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) What is really confusing are the dates of the mother church baptism records of their children —Masi Philippus Vincenzo on August 30, 1569, but his mother’s name is not mentioned on the record; Vincenzo Philippus on January 27, 1572; ancestor Francesca in 1573; and Calogero on June 17, 1575, born two months after the church marriage. On these records he is called Nardo and she is called either Angela or Angilella.  The first two children could not possibly be this Angelia’s children, and ancestor Francesca may not be her child. They were probably Leonardo’s children from a first marriage to another woman named Angela. It could also be that Leonardo and Angela were married in a civil ceremony much earlier and before his fourth child was born they decided to have a church wedding. Another possibility is that there was another couple with the same names, but no other records were found for their names, so this will remain a mystery.

Nothing is known about Leonardo’s father Michele. It is also not known when Leonardo and Angela died, but he was alive when his daughter ancestor Francesca was married on May 24, 1593, but Angela is not mentioned on that document. Unfortunately, nothing else is known about them.

Giovanni Ognibeni’s ancestry is unknown, but he lived and raised a family in the mother church parish of Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicilia, Italy. A Sciacca church marriage or a notarial marriage contract entry could not be found for him.

There are eleven mother church baptism records for the children of Jo: Ognibene, ten which are plausible, but the last one is a bit of a stretch. There are no Sciacca marriage records prior to 1568 and no baptism register records prior to 1543 available for research. The following is what was found for his name — son Manfre Jacopo was baptized in June of 1531; Bartulilla in January of 1537; Cosimo Damiano in September of 1542, but he probably died young; Laurettia Filippa on October 16, 1544; another Cosimo Damiano on September 20, 1551; Gesimunda Calogera on February 13, 1557; ancestor Angela in 1559; Jacopo on July 25, 1562; Onofria was baptized as Nofria Mattula on June 11, 1564; Caterinella on December 4, 1565; and Caterina Noxella, ten years later on March 11, 1575. The first ten records list the father as Jo:, but this last one lists him as Joan Antoni, which along with the ten year gap seems to indicate that this is not the child of ancestor Giovanni, but it might be. None of these records list a mother’s name, even though in the later years, mothers were listed on other records.

It is not known when Giovanna died, but being that he was not listed as deceased on his daughter ancestor Angela’s April 2, 1575, church marriage document, it is assumed he was still alive at the time. There is an entry in Pellegrino Mortillaro’s book, Andrea Randazzo un notaio storico Volume Secondo, for a Giovanni Ognibene giving his Testamento, will, on November 16, 1575, that could be ancestor Giovanni. (Mouse over and click on the will entry image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) Unfortunately, burial records don’t go back that far, so for now, nothing else is known about him.