I started researching our Family Tree in 1981.To start off, I interviewed  almost every living Aunt and Uncle. The interviews provided a base of  information to let me expand my search ( One amazing fact, the interviewees  died in the order that I interviewed them, suffice to say, I don't interview  anymore). Going forward, there were no computers, so I had to rely on the U.S.  Postal Service. I was able to correspond with the Municipalities of Italy to  obtain Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates to expand our Family Tree. Now,  with the help of the computer, the tree has expanded to 1625. I have often  been asked why I started this search or why it fascinates me so. Those of  us living today remember Watergate, the day Reagan was shot And 9/11/01. How  about imagining where your ancestors were when Lincoln was killed, The  Declaration of Independence was signed and/or albeit far fetched, Noah built  his Arc. We are taught all throughout our schooling about history. If you are  reading this today, someone in your ancestry experienced that history.  This Family Tree is a Work in Progress. I have been blessed with six loving  siblings, two parents that are amazing and a second set of parents, my Aunt Ange and  Uncle Pappy. This site is dedicated to them.
 **************************************************************************************

A QUOTE THAT I LIKE:
 "Come si ramifica un albero in su anche noi possiamo svilupparci in differenti  direzioni, tuttavia le nostre radici rimangono come una. Ciascuna delle nostre  vite sarà sempre una parte speciale dell'altra.    
   (Translation..."Like branches on a tree we may grow in different directions,  yet our roots remain as one. Each of our lives will always be a special part of the other..Anonymous)

And another quote:

"Behind me are all my ancestors giving me strength. Life passed through them until it reached me.
And in honor of them, I will live it fully. " ~Bert Hellinger

**************************************************************************************

The Stanco / Ruisi Family Tree has it's origins in Sturno, Frigento and  Palermo, Italy. The trees merged on December 7, 1947 with the marriage of  Amato Stanco and Emily Mary Ruisi. A Family of strong values emerged, based on  Ancestry, Country, Family Ties and a Strong work ethic. The traditional  Sicilian /Neapolitan food was abundant, as well as a wealth of Love from all  extended Family members. Details to follow about a man (Pietro Ruisi) formally  studying for the priesthood who was disowned by his parents for marrying  beneath his class. He then headed to America to start a brand new life. The  story of a 15 year old boy (Marco Stanco) who set sail on his own to America,  leaving family, friends and everything he knew to start a better life. The  story of a widower (Amatuccio Famiglietti) with five young daughters setting  sail to an unknown country in pursuit of the American Dream. And a wealth of  generations owing their existence to their courage. More to Follow...



**************************************************************************************

THINGS THAT WE REMEMBER, THINGS THAT MAKE US SMILE and THINGS UNIQUE TO OUR  FAMILY:
 Fig Trees....Grapevines...Gravy(Sauce)....Meatballs...Vinegar  Peppers....Potato's and Eggs (Italian Soul Food as Mom calls it.)...Mom's  Pasta Fagioli and Eggplant Parmesean....Aunt Ange's Lasange... Aunt Cee's  Ravioli's.... St.Rocco's Feast...Sfatcheem, Shfoolyadell, Mangia, Muphine,  Cupine, Dad napping....Grandpa napping...Uncle Pappy napping..Our Vegetable  Gardens, since 1625.......

************************************************************************************** Our family is much more than just names, dates and places. There are traditions, celebrations and our Culinary history. I  recently compiled a recipe book including tidbits about our family and history. It is available on Amazon.com, the book is  called Simply Italian - Everyday Meals from Southern Italy.
  If you would like to contribute your favorite family recipes for future consideration, please contact me  at my e-mail address provided in the preface of the home page. **************************************************************************************    
 "OUR FAMILY IS A CIRCLE OF STRENGTH AND LOVE, WITH EVERY BIRTH AND EVERY UNION  THE CIRCLE GROWS, EVERY JOY SHARED ADDS MORE LOVE, EVERY CRISIS FACED TOGETHER  MAKES THE CIRCLE STRONGER..."

**************************************************************************************

ITALIAN SURNAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS..Prior to 1100 AD, Surnames were  nonexistent in Europe. As populations grew, a need for a second name  (Surnames) became necessary. Surnames evolved from four general sources,  Occupation, Location, Patronymical and Characteristics (From "Our Italian  Surnames" by Joseph G. Fucilla):

STANCO-(Characteristic)-  Wearisome, Tired.
 FAMIGLIETTI-(Occupational)- Servant.
 RUISI-(Location)-Family Folklore says that Ruisi was changed from the name  Ruiz of Castille, Spain. Research has uncovered that Ruisi is probably from  the country of Georgia. A recent note from a member of a Ruisi family :  According to family history, their ancestors came from Spain, the name was Ruiz  and changed to Ruisi. The family that arrived from Spain had 24 sons and 1  daughter. According to my father Joseph Ruisi, all Ruisi's originated from this  same family. Nino Ruisi (Basso with the Metropolitan Opera )and Judge Leonard  E.Ruisi are all brothers of Joseph...now all deceased.
     
 LOVERDE-(Location) - From The Verde Region.
 GALANTE-(Characteristic)- Courteous, Lady's Man.
 GRAZIOSI-(Characteristic)- Polite, Gracious.
 MESSINA-(Location)- Messina, Sicily, Italy.
 RIZZUTO-(Characteristic)- Wavy, Curly Hair.
 REINA-(Occupational)- Queen, Possessor of the Title.
 GIACALONE-(Characteristic)- A Poor Competitor.
 ROCCO - (Location) - Fortress
 BRUNO - (Characteristic) - Most Bruno's are traceable to St. Bruno or the  color Brown.  
 RUSSO - (Characteristic) - Texture of the hair or skin - Brown

**************************************************************************************

A LITTLE ABOUT THE PLACES IN ITALY THAT WE CAME FROM:

STURNO, PROVINCE OF AVELLINO, CAMPANIA-ITALY: Sturno became an independent  township in 1809. Prior to that, Sturno was called Casali di Frigento and was  a hamlet of the town of Frigento. The area was inhabited since Roman times and  is characterized by intensely cultivated farmland, with very active farms  which breed sheeps and goats. The landscape is very fascinating, with the  Frigento mount and Ufita river. Patron Saint: San Domenico and San Michele.

FRIGENTO, PROVINCE OF AVELLINO, CAMPANIA-ITALY: Located in the famous valley of Ansanto. The name of the town derives from the Latin Frequentia, and there are  many Roman remains. In the Middle Ages the town was included in the Lombard  Dukedom of Benevento. Frigento was destroyed by the Saracens in 926 AD, rebuilt and destroyed again 60 years later by a terrible earthquake and again rebuilt  in the same place.

PALERMO, SICILY-ITALY: The geographical position of the island in the center of the Mediterranean made it a crossword of cultures and peoples, as well as a  strategic theater of conflict for political powers. Inhabited since  Paleolithic times, Sicily was under three different peoples rules: The Sicani,  originally of Spain, The Elimi coming from the Middle East and The Siculi from  the East.

************************************************************************************** THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT WALL OF HONOR ON ELLIS ISLAND:

If you are visiting New York City, please stop by Ellis Island and view the panels  honoring our Immigrant ancestors names:

Marco Stanco - Panel 737
 The Pietro Ruisi Family - Panel 737
 The Amatuccio Famiglietti Family - Panel 733

************************************************************************************** GENETIC TESTING:
 I am amazed at all the resources there are in trying to research your family  tree. One of the newest tools is tracing your genetic heritage through DNA. I  submitted two swabs to test both Paternal and Maternal lines. The results  for the Stanco - Ruisi genetic testing is as follows:

I tested my Paternal Y-DNA, the Stanco line and the tests show that the  Paternal line is a member of Haplogroup J2. "Haplogroup J2 first appeared  10,000 to 15,000 years ago and is thought to have originated in the northern  part of the Fertile Crescent, a historical region in the Middle East  incorporating ancient Eqypt, the Levant and Mesopotamia. Haplogroup J2  subsequently expanded west towards Europe and east towards India, Pakistan and  Nepal. This haplogroup is linked to the spread of agriculture from Anatolia,  the Asian portion of modern day Turkey. The majority of Europeans belonging to  the J haplogroup belong to J2. Haplogroup J2 is found frequently in Greece,  Italy and Turkey. Haplogroup J2 is also found in Jewish, Arabic, Kurdish and  other Middle Eastern populations."

I tested my Maternal (mtDNA), the Ruisi line and the test shows that the  maternal line is a member of the Haplogroup K1a. "Haplogroup K is a relatively  old group, derived from Haplogroup R. Given its age, it is widespread in  Eurasia, the Near East and Northern Africa. About 6% of Europeans are  Haplogroup K and about 60% of those are K1a".

****Please see the Migration Chart and 
 Certificate in the photo section under my name.

************************************************************************************** An Article that I found interesting in the January 2008 issue of Family Tree  Magazine by Ann Turner:

"Medical Geneticists use the term "degree of relationship". Your first-degree  relatives are your parents, your children and your siblings. You share 50  percent of your genes with those relatives. This number comes from the fact  that chromosomes (except the Y, which only men have) come in matched pairs, so  you have two copies of every gene - one from your father and one from your  mother. For parents and children, the 50 percent number is exact: Your father  passes on one of his copies of a gene, and you pass one of your copies to each  of your children. But that figure is just an average for siblings. Whether  your father deals you a gene he inherited from his father or mother is a  matter of chance. You might end up with more genes that came from your  paternal grandfather, while your sibling might end up with more genes from  your paternal grandmother. Your second-degree relatives add another generation  to the chain, halving the percentage again. You share about 25 percent of your  genes with a grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew. Third- degree relatives - first cousins, great-grandparents, great-grandchildren ,  great-uncles, great-aunts, great-nephews and great-nieces - share about 12.5  percent of your genes.Second cousins add another generation to each line of  descent from their common ancestor, making them fifth-degree relatives with  3.125 percent of their genes in common. Again, this is an average number -  some second cousins might share more than that percentage, while others share  less. Third cousins share about .78 percent of their genes"

**************************************************************************************

My sister Angela recently sent me a book entitled - Speak Italian, the fine art  of the gesture by Bruno Munari. I could not help myself from smiling when I saw  a few of the gestures described and relating them to our family:

1) Rubbing the thumb and index finger together = Money (Uncle Pappy) 2) Che Vuoi - The tips of the fingers of one hand are brought sharply together  to form an upward-pointing cone. The hand can either be held motionless or be  shaken more or less violently up and down, according to the degree of  impatience expressed. Very common in Naples. (Dad, Aunt Ange, Aunt Cee, Aunt  Vee).
 3) Rabbia - Rage can be expressed by biting the knuckles of one finger,  generally the index. It is not necessary to bite hard. The mere gesture is  sufficient, but as this is a spontaneous movement, numerous variants are used.  (Mom, Aunt Ange, Aunt Cee, Aunt Vee).
 4) Non Me Ne Importa - The hand touches the chin, then moves forward. (Too many  to list).
 5) Magro Cosi - With the fist closed, sticking the pinky finger upwards. It  means skinny. (Aunt Ange).

**************************************************************************************