Category: Andreola-1, Casalvecchio List
NOTE: This page has Family Names from A-M, go to https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Andreola-1_Casalvecchio_List-2 for Family Names from N-Z.
A few general notes to all the cousins and to those who share ancestry, often through Milford Massachusetts back to Casalvècchio di Pùglia Italy, that have discovered my efforts to connect us at this website. I have immensely enjoyed the contacts and e-mail exchanges with all of you recently. Here are a few things I've learned during my research that I hope will also be of benefit to you all.
The inhabitants of the 3 closely allied/located communes (towns or villages) are known as Casalvecchiesi and Casalnuovesi (used for residents of both Castelnuòvo della Dàunia and Casalnuòvo Monterotaro) [1]. Expect to find many marriage cross-overs between these 3 communes. As a general rule, expect the marriage location to be that of the Bride's hometown. See these ongoing forum posts about Casalvecchio di Puglia [2] Castelnuòvo della Dàunia[3] and Casalnuovo Monterotaro [4] for additional information.
A few notes about the surnames you'll likely encounter. Be aware that some of these surnames have gone through some changes over time. Some, such as the CRIASIA to CREASIA and the VENDITTI to VENDETTI transitions, appear to have coincided with immigration into the USA; others such as the IACOVELLA to IACOVELLI transitions occurred earlier and while the families were still in Casalvecchio. Be mindful of the names with the apostrophe; D'AlOIA is seen in the USA as DALOIA (sometimes DE ALOIA) etc... The DI XXXX and DE XXXX names appear to also have shifted in the mid-1800's-the early records often use DI and later records use DE.
As of April 2021, I have not achieved clarity on the MUCCINI-MUCCINO surname and ask that you review both versions for possible connections. This issue and others, such as the MASELLI-MASULLI surname, have not been completely addressed. However, because of the alphabetical listings below you will see both versions of these similar names side by side and will hopefully be able to navigate from there. A note on Criasia (not fully researched) is the Albanian spelling of Kryeziu.
Where any spelling issues/conflicts exist, my default on the profiles created here has been to go with the way the names as they are spelled on the original records I've been able to locate. I've tried to add an AKA surname for the families like the IACOVELLA / IACOVELLI's that started (at birth) on the early records as the former and ended (in their marriage or death records) with the latter etc.
TOSCHES is a very common surname in this area and one that is likely connected into almost every Casalvecchiesi family tree in some way. Having this surname somewhere in your ancestry is a sure sign to expect at least some Albanian/Balkan results in your DNA tests. It has been rarely seen in post-immigration records reviewed so far in an Americanized form as TOSKES.
I haven't had time to explore the roots of this surname more fully, however with some of the information from the 'Cognomi' book linked below and from various wikipedia pages, some ideas begin to form:
Translated from book: "Tosches is a surname typical of Casalvecchio di Puglia in Foggia, of Albanian origins is present in Foggia at least from the second half of 1500." Original from book: Tosches è un cognome tipico di Casalvecchio di Puglia nel foggiano, di origini albanesi è presente nel foggiano almeno dalla seconda metà del 1500.
The Arbëreshë speak Arbëresh, an old variant of Albanian spoken in Southern Albania that is known as Tosk Albanian. The language is of particular interest to students of the modern Albanian language as it represents sounds, grammar and vocabulary of pre-Ottoman Albania.
Tosk (Albanian: toskë/toskërisht) is the southern dialect group of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern dialect) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.
It is perhaps only coincidental that TOSK/toskë -- TOSCHES seem so aligned. But one can easily extrapolate the conjecture that some of the early Tosk/Albanian immigrants into Italy could have likely taken this as their surnames.
UPDATE April 2021 As I am learning more on this topic, It is becoming less clear! I've been having discussions with our cousins at the KATUNDI facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/281951528586418/ and it appears that it was the Gheg dialect which was spoken...which means that the Tosk->Tosches speculation would be incorrect! See both the other related facebook groups linked below; they are a fantastic group of people and a great way to connect with relatives!
An excellent resource for learning more about our surnames can be found here [5].
REGIONAL HISTORY
You will note when you get into some of the earlier ( pre-1860-70) records available to view on-line that the Communes were listed as in the province of Capitanata while later the province is listed as Foggia, so some discussion/knowledge of the history of this area is necessary to make record searching somewhat more understandable. See [6]and others for a brief overview and some of the maps depicting the changes at sites like this [7].
- From 1861 to now, our homeland has been part of Italy.
- From 1816 to 1861 it was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
- From 1799 to 1816 it was Subject to the French Empire. (Napoleonic record keeping)
- Prior to 1816 (~to the 13th century) it was a part of the Kingdom of Naples (including the 15th century when our Albanian ancestors arrived).
- For Ancient History see the Lapygians[8] and it's three tribal groups: the Daunians, Peucetians and Messapians. Note the 2022 DNA study of ancient Daunian remains[9] and the presence of Paternal Haplogroup R-M269; which, according to FamilyTreeDNA, is my paternal haplogroup.
After much discussion with our cousins who remain in Casalvecchio, all of the profiles I've created here use the location in it's current form instead of attempting to be absolutely historically accurate.
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON RESEARCHING OUR FAMILIES FROM HERE: I have printed copies of all the Birth/Death/Marriage indexes from 1866-1910 available currently at Familysearch and have created sheets with links to all the records for those indexes by year. I was working on a similar project for the ~1810-1865 records through my local Family History Center before Covid closed everything down. I've just got the indexes for Marriages from about 1810 to 1865 printed (but most of those indexes show the bride & groom's parents and the life status of those parents) so they are helpful making connections.
UPDATE JUNE 2022: Antenati now has the 1809-1865 records available. See AAA INDEX PAGES below for more information; including the link to the Casalvecchio records.
UPDATE AUGUST 2022: Antenati now has the 1821-1850 Matrimoni, Morti & Nati INDEXES here [10]. Note; under the heading TIPOLOGIA, click on ESPANDI (5) to get the full list of the record types available (for whatever reason the annual indexes are separated into a different group instead of being attached to the year they cover....). I have continued to transcribe the death records and make .PDF's because my transcriptions include the person's age, information on their spouse and other data bits I see as relevant for genealogical purposes.
See this page for the familysearch records available for Casalvecchio and many of the neighboring towns. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99QW-3X35?owc=MC5K-VTL%3A348448401%3Fcc%3D2043436&wc=MC5K-YM9%3A348448401%2C348705401%2C348709201&cc=2043436 You will need to set up a free account there to log in and view those records.
Below is a list of profiles that are all associated with Casalvecchio. Most are of people who were born and who died while living there.
Some are of their descendants. See the birth location listed with each name and you will note the varying clusters of their immigrant descendants in places like Milford & Boston Massachusetts, St. Paul & Minneapolis Minnesota, Baltimore Maryland, Multiple towns in Ohio, etc....
Some are ancestors who married into Casalvecchio families from various surrounding towns. You'll note many from Castelnuovo della Daunia & Casalnuovo Monterotaro as those towns are immediate neighbors. You will also see Carlantino, Celenza Valfortore, Pietramontecorvino, San Paolo di Civitate, Torremaggiore and Tufara listed relatively regularly. As of March 2021, I am just beginning to explore the connections to another Arbëreshë center in Foggia: Chieuti (Arbëreshë Albanian: Qefti). I've created a map with notations of where at least some individuals with various surnames lived before coming to Casalvecchio. The map is currently being updated as I proceed through the records. An early version is here.[11]Also in Casalvecchio Photos below[12]
DNA information for me: The October 10, 2020 update at 23 & Me, gives my 1/2 ancestry from Casalvecchio a whopping 32% Greek & Balkan and only 16.7% Italian. On that site, I have met a variety of cousins; from a 5th cousin in Golëm, Qarku i Gjirokastrës Albania, a 4th cousin with roots in Leunovo, Municipality of Mavrovo and Rostusha, North Macedonia & Gostivar, North Macedonia, to my 3rd cousin, Nicholas Capece here in the USA.
The data from version 3 at FamilyTree DNA is a little different: 34% Greece & Balkan, 12% Italian Peninsula, 6% Malta (which overlaps Sicily). I'm connected there with 3rd-5th cousins in the Brunetti family (among others).
See Also:
- WWI Caualties: https://www.cadutigrandeguerra.it/CercaNome.aspx
- Plaque @ Hoboken Citizens Club of the 42 original 'Casalvecchian' families in Milford. https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Andreola-1-2
- https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170521/neighborhood-series-milfords-hoboken--district
- 1862-1876 Map; https://maps.arcanum.com/en/map/italy-1862/?layers=20&bbox=1649736.5756307058%2C5096650.498376478%2C1722466.408044051%2C5119581.606862032
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/578752532170683 Casalvecchio come era una volta.
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/189431211414736 Monti Dauni Settentrionali "I colori della mia Terra "
- ↑ https://www.sapere.it/sapere/enciclopedia/terra-e-universo/geografia/italia/puglia.html?src=c
- ↑ https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/locations-in-italy/42017
- ↑ https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/locations-in-italy/49378
- ↑ https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/locations-in-italy/44335
- ↑ http://www.ganino.com/cognomi_italiani
- ↑ https://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/italy/puglia/guide-to-puglia/history-of-puglia
- ↑ http://www.duesicilie.org/OLDSITE/mappe.html
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapygians
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daunians
- ↑ https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/search-registry/?serie=36027405&descrizione=Casalvecchio
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5903719646359601&set=gm.6144819525563928&idorvanity=578752532170683
- ↑ https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Casalvecchio_Photos-1
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This page was last modified 12:30, 14 March 2023. This page has been accessed 3,613 times.