Filippo Sabella's Ancestors

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Translations provided by members of the GenAG - Genealogie Agrigentine and the Italian Genealogical Records Facebook groups.

Tommaso Sabella was baptized as Jo: Masi Puzo on December 24, 1544, in the mother church parish of Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicilia, Italy, the son of Antonino Sabella and his unnamed wife. (Mouse over and click on his Latin baptism record right to enlarge it in a new window or tab.) His given name Jo: is short for Giovanni and his middle name, Masi is short for Tommaso, which means he was named after his paternal grandfather.    

Sometime prior to 1572, Tommaso married a woman named Gati, whose surname is unknown. According to name websites, Gati is a female name mainly popular in the Hindu religion and its main origin is Hindi. It means Gait, Speed, Path, Obedience, Success, and the Power of understanding obedience. In Italy it can also be found as a surname. Unfortunately, nothing is known about her. A Sciacca church marriage record or notarial contract could not be found for them.

Only two Sciacca baptism records have been found for the children of Masi and Gati Isabella, both in the mother church parish as follows — Giovanni, who was baptized as Jo: Antonino on December 16, 1572; and ancestor Filippo, two years later. No other baptism records for their children have been found, but it should be noted that the only available records for this time period are from the mother church. St. Vito and St. Michele baptism records, do not go back this far.

It is not known when Tommaso and Gati died, but there are two entries in Pellegrino Mortillaro book, Andrea Randazzo un notaio storico, that may be for him or may be for his paternal grandfather of the same name. The first is a will (Testamento) entry in volume two and is a dated January 11, 1574, which is pictured in the elder Tommaso’s bio. The second is in volume one and is an inventory of his property dated May 29, 1577, which is pictured here. (Mouse over and click on the property inventory entry left to enlarge it in a new window or tab.) They both were recorded by the same Sciacca notary, Geronimo Agostino, which could be a coincidence or it could be an indication that both entries are for the same person. Until the details of these entries are discovered, it is impossible to known for sure. So for now, this is all that is known about them.

Antonino Sabella is the documented and son of Tommaso Sabella and father to ancestor Tommaso. It is most likely his mother is Tommaso’s wife Margherita, but a Sciacca baptism record could not be found for him. The earliest Sciacca baptism records begin in 1628, and he was probably born about 1522. Unfortunately, Antonino is a common name, so there are no records that can be identified strictly as being for him. Because there was another Antonino Sabella living and having children in Sciacca at the same time, it is difficult to figure out which one is the child of this Antonino. To make it even more difficult, mother church baptism register records, which supply detail information, don’t begin until September of 1543! In December of 1542, a daughter named Pamfilia Margarita was born to a father named P Antonino, and a month later another daughter named Giulia Caterina was born to another father named Antonino. It is most likely Pamfilia was ancestor Antonino’s daughter and was given a middle name after her paternal grandmother. There is also another mother church baptism record dated September 25, 1550, for an Antonino Sabella who was the son of master Antonino Sabella, that could be for this ancestor, but it is clearly just a possibility. What is certain is that on ancestor Tommaso’s baptism record his father is listed as Antonino, son of Masi. For now, nothing else is known about him.

Tommaso Sabella’s ancestry is unknown, but he married and raised a family in the mother church parish of Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicilia, Italy. He was probably born in or before 1500, but Sciacca records don’t go back this far.

On December 27, 1520, Sciacca notary Nicolo Canina filed a notarial marriage contract for Tomaso and Margherita Grosso. (Mouse over and click on their marriage contract hand written index left and the printed book entry upper right to enlarge them in a new window or tab.) She was the daughter of Cataldo Grosso and his wife Giovanna, whose surname is unknown. Unfortunately, no Sciacca records have been found for Cataldo and Giovanna. But the following statement makes it clear that Cataldo was deceased, but Giovanna was alive when their daughter Margherita was married in 1520.

What is known about Tommaso and Margherita comes from a statement that was written by Mr. Silvio Piparo and Mr. Silvio Xurtino and was recorded in pencil by Sciacca notary Antonio Raccagna on September 1, 1520. The statement is proceeded by an introduction which translates to “I am publishing this document because of the singularity of the marriage between a couple of ex-slaves, re-baptized infidels and of ‘black’ origin.” The statement references the above mentioned contract calling it the deed. It translates as follows:

“when the Latin marriage (that is, with community of property) was signed between Tommaso de Ysabella, a black man, and Margherita, a girl then "maura" (=Muslim) called di La Grossa, for the decorum of the marriage Giovanna, widow of the black man Cataldo Lu Grossu, manumitted her (freed her from the yoke of slavery) and promised the groom the dowries contained in a deed by Notary Nicolò Canina; therefore, today the said Giovanna, confirming said contract, manumits her again and makes her a citizen of Roman law, so that she can marry, make a will, codicil, sell and do everything a citizen of Roman law can do and promises to give the groom the aforementioned dowries at the times and in the ways agreed in the deed.”

Although the exact circumstances why this statement was issued is unknown, it seems to be a legal decision made because Tommaso did not get the promised dowry from his mother-in-law. It clearly states that both Tommaso and Magherita were black former slaves who had been baptized and freed. Tommaso may have been a slave working for the other Sabella family and he took their surname when he was freed.

Even though Sciacca mother church baptism records begin in 1528, the first record found for a child of Masi Sabella isn’t until 1535. None of the records list a mother’s name, so these children are probably for the other ancestor Tommaso Sabella. It’s very possible that Tommaso and Margherita were Muslim, so they probably did not baptized any of their children.

It is not known when Tommaso and Margherita died, so until more documents can be discovered, this is all that is known about Tommaso, Margharita and her parents.