Location: Sicily, Italy
Year of Births: Circa 1777, 1854 and 1894
Giuseppe Casella (b.1894), his wife Basilia Pintabona and their family of eight children, were first introduced in Entry 10 and later followed up in Entry 17 with the birth of their sixth child, Martino, in 1933. This post will trace the Casella lineage back to about 1777 based on information contained in the archived birth and marriage documents of ancestor Pietro Casella. Pietro was Giuseppe’s grandfather and Martino’s great-grandfather.
According to Pietro’s 1824 birth registration, his parents lived in the region of Sicily identified as the:
• Comune di Sant’Angelo (Town of Sant’Angelo)
• Distretto di Patti (District of Patti)
• Valle di Messina (Valley of Messina)
Pietro’s father, born around 1777, was another Casella ancestor named Giuseppe. He worked as a ‘bracciale’ - a manual labourer. Pietro’s mother, Agostina Ballato, was a ‘filatrice’ - a seamstress. She gave birth to her son at home on a Thursday morning, on the 24 June. Agostina was 36 years old.
Additional details found in matrimonial records reveal that 30 years later, on 7 January 1854, Pietro married local woman, Rosa Merenda, at a parish in Sant’Angelo . Sadly, both of his parents, Giuseppe and Agostina, had passed away by this time. The bride’s mother, Anna Scolaro, was also deceased, but her father, Carmelo Merenda, was still living.
Current research indicates that Pietro and Rosa had at least five children, though there might be others who remain undiscovered. Their oldest child was born at home on 31 October, 1854 and in keeping with a well established tradition of naming the firstborn son after the paternal grandfather, he was given the name Giuseppe*.
A second son, born on 21 March 1860, was named Carmelo - after Rosa’s father. He is central to the Casella family tree, connecting the branches as shown in the diagram below. Therefore, in terms of relationships, Carmelo is the father of Giuseppe (b.1894) and the grandfather of Martino. Confused? Refer to the ancestors highlighted in blue in the family tree for guidance; it will be helpful!
EXTRA INFORMATION
* Interestingly, at some point during his lifetime Giuseppe Casella (b.1854) became known as “Santo”. This alternative name became so well embedded, his birth name became lost and forgotten. His descendants who followed the tradition of naming sons after their grandparents, continued this practice by using the name “Santo”. As a result, Giuseppe disappeared from oral history.
At first, the identity of Giuseppe Casella (b.1854) was a confusing mystery. Eventually, it became evident that the most logical question to consider was whether they could be the same person. However, his Australian descendants were unaware of any connection, confidently believing their great-grandfather was named “Santo”. This was understandable, after all, no-one had ever heard him being referred to as “Giuseppe”. The major issue was, no documents were discovered for an ancestor named “Santo Casella” who was born on 31 October 1854. Instead, a “Giuseppe Casella” consistently appeared with the matching date of birth! The mystery was finally resolved, with proof, after discovering an Australian Statutory Declaration signed by Giuseppe/Santo's son, Nicola Casella, identifying his father officially as "Giuseppe Casella". Over his lifetime, his name had evolved to "Santo" and this became the name passed down through his family lineage.
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