Thursday, June 18, 2026
A bad day for the Misseri family: 21 Oct 1887
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
FamilySearch's 'Full-Text' Search is a Game Changer!
- If you don't find other children for a family, think outside the box and search outside of Carini in the neighboring towns or cities.
- And if you haven't tried using "Full-Text Search" feature on FamilySearch, you really need to give it a try. There is lots to be discovered.
- Rocco Vito Salvatore Misseri
- born: 6 Dec 1730
- baptized: 7 Dec 1730
- parents: Cesare & Rosa Corpora
- place: Palermo (city)
"Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9L-5Q8C-L?view=explore : Feb 28, 2026), image 30 of 266; .
Image Group Number: 007806496
It's really amazing to use the newest technology and have it work for you. And after playing with FamilySearch.org's 'Full-Text' Search feature, I have come to use another option built into by using the Image Group Number (DGS) feature in the search box. If you know you are getting results with the certain record group, trying to add the number to your searches and it will just search within that group of images. Also, try using the Filters to narrow down the years or whatever works for you.
- Rocco Misseri
- father: Cesare
- death: 26 Jul 1733
- place: Palermo (city)
"Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9L-2Q8F-G?view=explore : Feb 28, 2026), image 139 of 662; .
Image Group Number: 007806600
Monday, February 2, 2026
Carini: Deceased Brothers of the Congregation 1746 to the Present (1974)
About a year ago, I stumbled across a set of documents tucked inside a group of death records on FamilySearch that I found interesting. It is a list of Italian Catholic priests that served in the Carini area from 1746 to 1974. I had a conversation with Suzanne Adams Russo regarding the list of names, and she helped me with some of the abbreviations that were used. Suzanne sent me a link from the Internet Archive of a book, Dictionary of Latin to Italian Abbreviations by Adriano Cappelli [published in 1929]. It is a wonderful book and if you are doing any type of research of old Italian documents, the manuscript needs to be on your bookshelf as a reference item. And, oh, it's FREE. Now there's no excuse for not having it as part of your Italian genealogical toolkit! Soon after talking with Suzanne, I transcribed and compiled the list into a spreadsheet, which I have included in this blog post.
Here is the direct link to the records on FamilySearch: Carini. Death Certificates 1804, 1809–1878
Abbreviation Key:
Rev. = Reverendo (Reverend)
Mro. = Maestro (Teacher)
Dr. = dicitur, distinguitur (distinguished)
D. = Don (a title of respect or honor, someone important)
Dr. D. = Distinguished Don
Not. / Notar. = Notaio (Notary)
Sac. = Sacerdote (Priest)
Arci = Arciprete (Arch-Priest)
Fisico (Physicist)
Maggiore (greater)
Economo = ??? {unknown, I could use some help with the meaning of this word}
Anello = ??? {unknown, I could use some help with this abbreviation}
Bno. / Ble. = ??? {unknown, I could use some help with these abbreviations}
Note:
Something that is interested regarding this list, is that everyone with the “Mro.” (or Teacher), title, has the name “Nunzio” attached to their name. Not sure what is going on with this, maybe someone can help figure it out.
| Title #1 | Title #2 | Surname | Given Name | Death Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rev. | D. | Grippi | Filippo | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Graffagnino | Gian Battista | Arci | |
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Noledo | Ignazio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Camialo (sp?) | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Pignataro | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Marino | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Mancuso | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | di Bella | Andrea | ||
| Rev. | D. | Amato | Santo | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Marchisi | Andrea | Arci | |
| Rev. | D. | Cavoli | Pietro | ||
| Rev. | D. | Barrila | Domenico | ||
| Rev. | D. | Buzzetta | Domenico | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | di Bella | Matteo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Bubbeo | Giuseppe | ||
| D. | Ballerino | Vincenzo | |||
| Mro. | Corpora | Francesco | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Amato | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Pignataro | Diego | ||
| Rev. | D. | Chianti | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Mignano | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Sarmiento | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Canepa | Pietro | Arci | |
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Amato | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | di Gregorio | Giovanni | ||
| Bne. | D. | Marchisi | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Ruggeri | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Riggio | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Galluzzo | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Scavo | Francesco | Arci | |
| Rev. | D. | Lo Vecchio | Francesco | ||
| Bne. | D. | Marchisi | Vincenzo | ||
| D. | Riggio | Gaetano | |||
| Rev. | D. | Mignano | Rosario | ||
| Rev. | D. | Amato | Cristoforo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Baiada | Giacomo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Riggio | Francesco | ||
| D. | Gambara | Domenico | Arci | ||
| Rev. | D. | Sanchez | Giuseppe | ||
| Mro. | Picone | Antonino | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Mananzano | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Canepa | Nicola | ||
| Rev. | D. | Chianti | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Ballerino | Carlo | Arci | |
| Not. | D. | Amato | Giuseppe | ||
| Mro. | Pellerito | Giuseppe | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | di Bella | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Canepa | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. Bne. | D. | Badalamenti | Luigi | ||
| Rev. | D. | Leone | Emmanuele | ||
| D. | Gaglio | Pietro | Arci | ||
| Mro. | Orlando | Alberto | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Oliveri | Agostino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Attisano | Pasquale | Arci | |
| Dr. D. | Orso | Salvatore | Fisico | ||
| Rev. | D. | Marchisi | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Catalano | Rosario | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Mignano | Antonino | ||
| Mro. | Scrivano | Gaetano | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | Dr. D. | Guastella | Calogero | Arci | |
| Rev. | D. | Cicala | Carlo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Guastella | Vincenzo | ||
| Mro. | Curreri | Croce | Nunzio | ||
| Mro. | Scrivano | Salvatore | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Lo Vecchio | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Riggio | Gaetano | ||
| Rev. | D. | Sanchez | Vito | ||
| Mro. | Armetta | Antonio | Nunzio | ||
| Mro. | Pecoraro | Antonino | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Picone | Nicola | ||
| Rev. | D. | Carollo | Francesco | ||
| Dr. D. | di Bella | Matteo | Fisico | ||
| Rev. | D. | Ferranti | Giuseppe | Maggiore | |
| Mro. | Marino | Dima | Nunzio | ||
| Notar. | D | Sanchez | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Ferranti | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Buffa | Pietro | ||
| Rev. | D. | Nania | Liborio | Arci | |
| Rev. | D. | Picone | Vito | ||
| Rev. | D. | Ruffino | Salvatore | ||
| Rev. | D. | Randazzo | Sebastiano | ||
| Rev. | D. | Oliveri | Domenico | ||
| Mro. | Alfeo | Antonino | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Geraci | Stefano | ||
| Rev. | D. | Geraci | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Graffagnino | Pietro | ||
| Rev. | D. | Marchiano | Ottavio | X | |
| Rev. | D. | Costantino | Croce | ||
| Rev. | D. | Passalacqua | Vito | ||
| Rev. | D. | Riggio | Filippo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cususamo | Vito | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cicala (sp?) | Carlo Maria | ||
| Dr. D. | Franzina | Giachino | Fisico | ||
| Dr. D. | Canepa | Calogero | Arci | ||
| Rev. | D. | Pellerito | Ambrogio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Balsamo | Giovanbattista | ||
| Dr. D. | Oliveri | Stefano | Arci | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cavoli | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Amato | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | D. | Pecoraro | Pasquale | ||
| D. | Geloso | Agostino | |||
| Rev. | D. | Amato | Antonino | 2o | |
| Rev. | D. | Abbate | Ambrogio | ||
| Mro. | Morici | Giacomo | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Gatto | Vincenzo | Arci | |
| Mro. | Pecoraro | Filippo | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Carollo | Salvatore | ||
| Rev. | D. | Oliveri | Domenico | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cususamo | Salvatore | ||
| Rev. | D. | Jacona | Francesco | ||
| Rev. | D. | Maniscalco | Vito | ||
| Rev. | D. | Guercia | Salvatore | ||
| Rev. | D. | Riggio | Cristoforo | Arci | |
| Rev. | D. | Mannino | Vincenzo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Lombardo | Stefano | Anello | |
| Rev. | D. | Randazzo | Vincenzo | Economo | |
| Mro. | Mannino | Agostino | Nunzio | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cataldo | Matteo | ||
| Rev. | D. | Attisano | Cristoforo | Arci | |
| Rev. | Sac. D. | Gambino | Antonio | ||
| Rev. | Sac. D. | Cavoli | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | Sac. D. | Cususamo | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Pecoraro | Francesco | |||
| Rev. | Mannino | Antonino Maria | |||
| Rev. | Sac. D. | Scrivano | Giovanni | ||
| Abbate | Antonino | ||||
| Mro. | Mannino | Vincenzo | Nunzio | ||
| D. | Abbate | Giuseppe | Arci | ||
| Rev. | Randazzo | Stefano | |||
| Rev. | Sac. | Curreri | Salvatore | ||
| Sac. D. | Randazzo | Antonino | |||
| Rev. | Mannino | Pasquale | Arci | ||
| Rev. | D. | Cangialosi | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | Frisella | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Giambanco | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Amato | Filippo | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Mineo | Vito | ||
| Lentini | Antonino | Nunzio | |||
| Rev. | Sac. | Lombardo | Stefano | ||
| Pecoraro | Salvatore | Nunzio | |||
| Rev. | Sac. | Mineo | Antonino | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Cangelosi | Pietro | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Romano | Ambrogio | Arci | |
| Rev. | Sac. | Cavoli | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | D. | La Fata | Giuseppe | 25 Feb 1909 | Arci |
| Rev. | Sac. | Buffa | Rosario | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | di Gregorio | Vincenzo | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Calderone | Salvatore | ||
| Mannino | Giuseppe | Nunzio | |||
| Rev. | Sac. | Armetta | Vito | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Badalamenti | Giovanni | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Buffa | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Canepa | Giuseppe | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Cavoli | Salvatore | ||
| Rev. | Sac. | Carollo | Giovanni | 1917 | |
| Sac. D. | Misseri | Cesare | 3 Apr 1904 | ||
| Sac. | Buffa | Antonino | 1918 | ||
| Sac. | Purpura | Giuseppe | 1918 | ||
| Sac. | Misseri | Antonino | 1926 | ||
| Sac. | Carollo | Giovanni | 1926 | ||
| Sac. | Cavoli | Vito | 1926 | ||
| Sac. | Picone | Giuseppe | 1927 | ||
| Sac. | ??? | Giuseppe | 1928 | ||
| Sac. | ??? | Vincenzo | 1929 | ||
| Sac. | Gallina | Vincenzo | 1933 | ||
| Rev. | D. | Mannino | Tommaso | 11 Apr 1936 | Arci / Monsignor D. insigne e benemerito |
| Sac. | di Stefano | Giuseppe | 8 Jun 1943 | ||
| Sac. | Abbate | Rosario | 4 Mar 1974 | ||
| Sac. | Badalamenti | Antonino | 13 Feb 1967 | ||
| Sac. | La Fata | Giuseppe | 15 Feb 1957 |
Here is the source citation for the first page of the list of names:
"Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-69G9-THY?view=explore : Feb 2, 2026), image 1828 of 1835; Curia Arcivescovile di Monreale.
Image Group Number: 004382652
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Researching Italian Genealogical Records
The primary research I am conducting at this time is Italian and it centers around two main areas: Carini (just outside of Palermo, Sicily) and Modugno / Grumo Appula (just outside of Bari, Puglia).
I am very lucky to have roots in Italy because FamilySearch has done a wonderful job of filming church records and state civil documents, which are available on FamilySearch and/or on the Italian government site: Antenati.
As someone who doesn't know Italian or Latin, it has been a learning experience to train my brain how to access and read the records. Let me just say, if I can do it, anyone can do the same. It just takes a little practice and dedication.
If you are new to Italian records, please take a look at these three blog posts from Fortify Your Family Tree:
- How to Read Italian Birth Records
- How to Read Italian Marriage Records
- How to Read Italian Death Records
The instructions are fantastic because they really give you everything you need to read and understand what is being told to you in the Italian records.
By the way, a big "thank you" to DiAnn Iamarino Ohama for the wonderful blog: Fortify Your Family Tree.
In addition to the Italian research, I also work on French-Canadian, English and Hungarian/Slovakian genealogy. It is a real mixed bag of places around the world. But all these places that are researched, just makes me a bit more worldly (even if it is just from the living room couch). More to come about these other places.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Modugno Genealogy
I'm just writing a short note about a fantastic website, by Frank Santoro, called: Modugno Genealogy. This is a public shout-out to Frank for doing such an amazing job of researching the records of Modugno, and also for sharing all his work, freely to the world. I've added hundreds of descendants to my family, especially di Pinto's and Zonni's. One of the best things about the site, is that all the data entries are sourced, either from: Antenati or FamilySearch.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
A New Year! And the story of Carmelo Misseri (x4)
Francesco Domenico Misseri (b. 25 Jan 1799) and Vincenza Bellia (4 Apr 1799 - 6 Sep 1856) got married on 8 Nov 1818 and started having children right away. But the family ran into bad luck in the mid 1830's. In 1833, they had child number six born on 12 Jul 1833. His name was Carmelo Misseri. However, we know he died because on 2 Dec 1834, they had child number seven, and they named him Carmelo Misseri. Unfortunately, Carmelo died on 1 Feb 1835. And you guessed it, another son was born, and they named him Carmelo too. But not just Carmelo; this time they added an extra name: Carmelo Angelo Misseri. Adding an extra name didn't seem to help because he died too, because their last known child, #12, was named Carmelo Misseri on 11 Aug 1840. All the death dates had been recorded for all the Carmelo Misseri's except Carmelo Angelo Misseri. We knew he died but just didn't know his death date until today. Carmelo Angelo's angel was looking out for him today and the death date was discovered when I was going through the FamilySearch collection called: Carini. Death Records 1831–1844.
- Carmelo Angelo Misseri died on 25 Feb 1836.
Descendants of Francesco Domenico Misseri
-----------------------------------------
1-Francesco Domenico Misseri b. 25 Jan 1799, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. Between 1856 and 1887
Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, par. Giuseppe Francesco Bellia and Giovanna
Lo Piccolo
|--2-Cesare Rosario Misseri b. 27 Sep 1819, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d.
| 27 Jul 1837, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Angela Giovanna Misseri b. 30 Apr 1822, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d.
| 26 May 1886, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
| + Pietro Rosario Carmelo Randazzo b. 4 Oct 1815, Carini, Palermo, Sicily,
| Italy, d. 4 Apr 1882, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, par. Filippo
| Randazzo and Maria Anna Cottone
|--2-Giuseppe Misseri b. 8 Apr 1824, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 28 Jul
| 1894, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
| + Isabella Buffa b. 14 Apr 1824, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. After
| 1866, par. Antonino Buffa and Rosa Jacona
|--2-Antonino Salvatore Misseri b. 3 Mar 1826, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy,
| d. 20 Jul 1827, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Salvatore Misseri b. 22 Nov 1827, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 20
| Oct 1887, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
| + Rosaria Maria Armetta b. 27 Sep 1825, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d.
| After 1891, par. Vito Croce Armetta and Vincenza Nania
|--2-Carmelo Misseri b. 12 Jul 1833, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 23 Jul
| 1833, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Carmelo Misseri b. 2 Dec 1834, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 1 Feb
| 1835, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Carmelo Angelo Misseri b. 7 Jan 1836, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d.
| 25 Feb 1836, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Carlo Misseri b. 20 Feb 1838, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 4 Apr
| 1838, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Cesare Misseri b. 20 Feb 1838, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 4 Mar
| 1838, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Carmela Misseri b. 28 Mar 1839, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 10 Apr
| 1839, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
|--2-Carmelo Misseri b. 11 Aug 1840, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, d. 11 Oct
| 1840, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
-----------------------------------------
Sunday, December 15, 2024
One Name, One Place Study - #2
It is time to start a new One Name, One Place Study. I needed a break from all the Grumo Appula records from Antenati and FamilySearch, so I have decided to change to a new region in Italy: the Palermo area of Sicily! This is the other half of my Italian family. Unlike the records of Modugno and Grumo Apppula that are online, the records of Carini are immense. There are baptism, marriage, and death records that go back to the mid-1500s. Can you imagine the sheer volume of records? With this One Name, One Place Study, I have decided that I am going to truly keep it to one name: Misseri. It will make the research so much easier because the Misseri family in Carini was a small family, especially compared to the following families (in no particular order): Anello, Buzzetta, Cottone, Gallina, Genova, Mannino, Randazzo, and Zerillo. I will keep you posted as I move forward with this endeavor.
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Artificial Intelligence has arrived for Carini!
For anyone that is researching their family from Carini (just outside of Palermo, Sicily), you might want to try searching on FamilySearch because they have finally started their indexing of the church records by using Artificial Intelligence. I think FamilySearch started the process on 5 December 2024. Lots of records with the images are showing up in the search, however I am seeing some errors with the names and dates, which you can correct so please don't take every at face value. You really need to read the records and make sure you have everything correct. Good luck! I look at it as an early holiday gift. Happy searching!
Misseri: 1876, a rough couple of months in Carini, Palermo
In the year of 1876, the family of Salvatore Misseri and Anna Lo Geloso experienced a rough and devastating month and a half. The couple had five children and probably living quite comfortable in Carini, especially since Salvatore had the title of 'Don'. But by the beginning of October 1876, that number was down to three. Between 15 Aug 1876 and 4 Oct 1876, Salvatore and Anna lost the following children:
- Cesare Misseri, died on 15 August 1876, record #165
- Rosalia Misseri, died on 24 August 1876, record #176
- Vincenzo Misseri, died on 4 October 1876, record #201
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
One Name, One Place Study - #1
On this day: October 27th
On this day, October 27 , in... ... 1701 , Vincenzo Lo Misseri was born in Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
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This is a rather dark story about an immigrant who was trying his best to better himself and his family, but he ended up as a homicide victi...
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On this day, April 1 in... ... 1877 , Vincenzo Misseri was born in Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
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The following is an article that ChatGPT created when I wanted to learn more about the "Black Hand" history in the United States. ...






