The headline of this article sounds like it should be the opening line of a joke, but trust me it is not a joke, but more of a lesson on family history research!
While searching for Italian marriage records in the Palermo area with the surname, "Misseri," I ran across an interesting item that needed a little more attention. At face value, one could skim through the document and pick out the names and the dates to record the marriage information. The item in particular, a Marriage Proclamation, turns out to hold much more information if you take the time to dig deeper into the text. Yes, the handwriting is in Italian cursive, but with all the modern technology, the text can be transcribed and put through a translator. With that process, it is not 100% perfect - probably closer to 90%, but it is a whole lot better than just getting the basic facts from the document.
After taking the time to really look and read (with the help AI) the Marriage Proclamation of Francesco Misseri and Maria Vitellaro, the details bring out the complexity of life that our ancestors lived. The first major fact in the document is that Francesco Misseri was incarcerated in the Judicial Prison of Palermo (Carceri Giudiziarie di Palermo). Wow, that is a big piece of information. The next detail, which I have yet to understand how or why this was accepted or approved, but an official from the prison helped facilitate the Marriage Proclamation on behalf of Francesco Misseri and Maria Vitellaro while he was in jail. Again, wow, that is kind of crazy to think that even happened.
As the details of document unfold a little more, it is learned that the groom, Francesco Misseri is 29 years old and next, it lists his occupation. Here is another detail I didn't see coming, he is a comedian! Yes, I have to say that again, he's a 'funny-man' - yes, a comedian, someone who makes you laugh for a living. It goes on to say that Francesco Misseri's father, Antonino Misseri is in America working as a "trafficante" or better known in English as a dealer / merchant. Next, it lists Francesco's mother as Susanna di Gregorio, a housewife who lives in Palermo. Knowing the names of Francesco's parents is the backbone of genealogy, because I immediately recognize the names and realize that Antonino Misseri is the older brother of my great-grandfather, Pietro Misseri. Amazing to be able to link this cool discovery directly to my immediate family.
Continuing on in the document, I learn that the bride, Maria Vitellaro, is 22 years old, a housewife, resident in Palermo, and the daughter of Giuseppe, now living in Palermo, and of the late Giovanna Annunziata, a former housewife, resident in Palermo for life.
As the document wraps up, the prison official states "the groom and bride have asked me to publish the banns for the marriage that the spouses intend to celebrate in this Municipality, with the Roman Catholic rite, and have declared to me that they have had residence in this Municipality for over a year, that they were born in this Municipality, of have no father nor adoptive parents, and that there is no impediment to their marriage due to kinship or any other impediment established by law."
All this was posted on the notice board of the Town Hall (Palermo) on the 26th of February 1933.
So, this is just an example of what you might discover if you take the time to read and examine the documents of the people you are researching. So many details are waiting to be discover that can help paint a picture of the people we add to our family trees.
The original records are housed at the Tribunale di Palermo. If you want to see the digitized copies of the record on FamilySearch, here are the links:
Image Group Number: 101182172
Image Group Number: 101182172
