Michele Vella

Born: about 1762 ~Serradifalco, Caltanisetta, Sicilia?
Died: 7 March 1832 ~Serradifalco, Caltanisetta, Sicilia

Meaning of Vella [VAY-luh]: Latin, village

 

        I have not yet found any records of baptism for my great-great-great-grandfather Michele Vella, but I know his name and approximate birth year, and the names of his parents, from his church marriage and death records.  On his canonical (church) records, his name is given in Latin, as Michael.   His year of birth is estimated from his age, seventy, given in his death record.
        Michele Vella was a contadino, a sharecropper his children's death records show that he was living at Via Angilella No. 17 in 1824.  His daughter Michela Vella died in the home at Strada Angilella, a variation of the street name.

 

        This map of Sicily was produced in 1762, the estimated year of Michele Vella's birth.  Seven hundred years after the defeat of the Saracens, Sicily was still shown as comprised of of three "Vals" or districts.  The word "Val", and the delineation, dated from the Arab rule, and corresponded to the three "points" of Sicily: Val Demone in the northeast, Val di Noto in the southeast, and Val di Mazara in the west. 
         Serradifalco, shown by *, lies in the old Val di Mazara, but it is very near the other Vals as well.
 

        Civil records were not kept in Sicily until about 1820.  Before that time, records of baptism, confirmation, marriage and death were kept by the church, one of the few entities whose administrators could read or write.  The official church language was Latin.

Matri moni  (Marriages)

From Serradifalco Reg. Eccles. Film 2013010, 1779 Marriages, Page 94, Michael Vella andt Anna Cammarata, FamilySearch image 419/3133  

  Die 27: Junii 79: Premissis denunc:bs: 3bus Diebus festivis quaras 1afuit 30: Maj, 3:6: Junii
     inter Missara solemnia nulloq. sine leg:mo sine Cac:co detecto imp:to Ego Sacd Ant:nus Sa . .
     huius Matricis Ecl: sub titulo S: Leonardi Archip: Michaeles Vella innup:m f: et n: qda Vin . . .
     et viv: Mariae Archidipane et Anna Cammarata innup:m f:l: et n: qda Cataldi et viv . . .
     . . .  jug: interogavi eorusq: habito mutuo consa matm.o in facie Eccl conjunxi . . . .
     testibus Francisco Inzalaco et D. Paolino Marino et . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  Day 27 of June 1879: Marriage banns posted before Mass on 3 feast days of which the 1st  
     was 30 May, then 3 and 6 June.     During the Solemn Masses no objections were noted, neither
      legal nor canonical.  I, Priest Antonio Sa . . .   Archpriest [of] this Mother Church of San
     Leonardo, joined Michele Vella, bachelor natural son of the late Vin . . .  and the living Maria
     Arcidipane; and Anna Cammarata maiden legitimate and natural daughter of the late
     Cataldo and the living . . . , a married couple.  I interviewed them, and having received
     their mutual consent,  in the eyes of the Church, I married them . . . .
     Witnesses were Francesco Inzalaco and Don Paolino Marino, and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 
 

Church Death Record

       Civil death records are missing for 1831 and 1832.  Church records exist, but are frayed and damaged.  Both the index of deaths and the actual record was used to confirm the information for Michele Vella.  The record does not indicate whether his wife or parents were living or dead at the time of his death.  While absence of such information is usually assumed to mean that they were living, the death records of two of Michele's children in 1824 indicate that their mother had died before that time.

 . . . . . . hael Vir Annae Cammarata    ----  fo  142 ~

[Vella Mic]hael Husband of Anna Cammarata - pg 142 ~
 

From Serradifalco Registri Ecclesiastici 2013010,  1832 Deaths, p. 142, No. 53, Michael Vella   

. . . la Die 7: Martii 1832              No 53 ~
  . . . hael  Vella  Vir  Annae Cammarata  et filius  Pa-
  . . . lis et Mariae, annorum septuaginta extremis
 munitus Sacramentis obbiit cuius corpus delatto fu-
  . . ad Ecclesiam Conceptionis per Rm D Joannem
 Petix Cappellanum ibique sepultum
[Vel]la Day 7 of March 1832          No 53 ~
 [Mic]hael Vella Husband of Annna Cammarata and son of Pa-
  squale and Maria, age seventy, at the end
 armed by the Sacraments, he died.  His body was ta-
 ken to the Church of the Conception by Rev Don Giovanni
 Petix, Chaplain.  There he was buried.
 
 

Michele Vella married Anna Cammarata

Known Children

 Maria Vella: abt 1786 - 8 Sep 1824 (Married Calogero Tabbone)
Pasquale Vella: abt 1891 - 24 Jun 1824 (Married Leonarda Miccichè)
Michela Vella: abt 1797 - 29 Oct 1850 (Married Leonardo di Giugno)
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Origins

Genesis

 Generations:

1

 2 3 4

Heritage

Gaetano & Rosina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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