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.
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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 sarĂ 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
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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...
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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..."
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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
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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"
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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).
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