In the previous post I wrote about Marco’s ancestors. Marco sent me additional photos which include the descendants Alessandro Ursitti and Amelia Maria Gentile. Marco shared the story below about their lives together:

“It all begins on July 21, 1834 in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Opi, when Alessandro Ursitti (son of Domenico Ursitti and Nicodema Serafina Cocuzza) and Amelia Maria Gentile (daughter of Macario Gentile and Maria Giovanna Paglia) were united in the sacred bond of marriage. Both came from very well-off families in Opi.

From their marriage, six children were born: Emilia (1836–?), Don Domenico (1839–1908), Serafina (1842–?), Orsola Irene (1845–?), Erminio (1848–1911), and Ercole Felice Ursitti (1851–1932).

I haven’t found much information about Emilia and Orsola, but this summer I will go to Opi to look for their graves.

The three Ursitti brothers (Don Domenico, Erminio, and Ercole) were the ones who led the Ursitti family to prosper beyond expectation. Don Domenico was a parish priest and mayor of Opi from 1876 to 1888. 

Ercole Felice Ursitti was married twice: his first wife was Maria Alessandrina Cimini, with whom he had five children: Anselmo (1881–1941), Alessandro (1884–?), Giovanni Battista (1887–?), Antonio (1889–?), and Quinto (1892–?). 

After Maria Alessandrina’s death, Ercole married Maria Adelina Cimini (her sister), with whom he had five more children: Massimo (1894–?), Raffaele (1896–?), Ottavio (1898–?), Vittorio (1900–1985), Maria Mezia (1903–1991), and Anna (1911–2002). 

Marco continued his story:
“Cesidio Nicola Mastrogiovanni was born on June 2, 1869, in Scanno (the pearl of Abruzzo). His parents were named Liborio Mastrogiovanni (1839-1909) and Francesca Cellitti (1840-?). After him, Egidio Mastrogiovanni was born (1871-1933). Cesidio came from a well-off family (as almost all families in Scanno were). From research carried out over these years, I discovered that he was related to the Carbone family (his great-great-great-grandmother was named Francesca Carbone) and he was a descendant of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Burgundy (sovereigns of Portugal in the mid-1400s). Cesidio grew up there with his family for a long time. By profession, he was a property owner (like most of his family).

Egidio, on the other hand, was a general practitioner. He studied and graduated in Naples at the end of the 19th century. The family had lived in Scanno since 1649. It is a small village built on a hill that, according to some stories, resembles a small bench. In fact, it is said to derive from the Latin Scamnum (stool).  There are many families residing there.

On August 30, 1894, in Opi, Cesidio married grandmother Alessandrina Ursitti (1871-1957). Shortly after, in September of the same year, he moved together with his wife and brother to Strada Se Angelis 48 (now Strada De Angelis 30), where he bought the family palace (still standing) from his cousin Don Francesco Di Rienzo (local gentleman).

The building now has a different shape, but it used to be majestic. Cesidio and Alessandrina lived on the lower floor, while Egidio occupied the entire upper floor. The latter never married. On April 9, 1904, twins were born: Liborio (my great-grandfather) and Anna (nicknamed “Annina”). Later, in 1907 and 1910, two other daughters were born: Francesca (nicknamed “Checchina”) and Leonarda (nicknamed “Dina”). Suddenly, however, the harmony that filled these children’s hearts vanished when, on February 9, 1921, during his stay in Cerignola (province of Foggia), grandfather Cesidio died. The children, saddened, decided to bury him in Cerignola (I do not really know why).

In 1929 Annina married Filiberto D’Orazio (1904-1996), originally from Bisegna. From their marriage, which took place in Scanno on September 27, 1929, three daughters were born: Maria (1931), Antonietta (1932-2025), and Alfonsina (1937-1947). Annina lived the rest of her life in Bisegna until July 28, 1976, when she died near the hospital in Sulmona.  

Aunt Checchina, on the other hand, married Torquato Achille Caroli (1905-1975), originally from Colli di Monte Bove (a hamlet of Carsoli), on October 29, 1933, in Scanno. From their marriage, four children were born: Benedetto Antonio (1934-2009), Edmondo (1938-2010), Antonio (1940-2003), and Aldo (?). Aunt Checchina died in Colli di Monte Bove on June 6, 1993.  

In the meantime, however, Egidio (Cesidio’s brother) had died. His part of the building dated back to my great-grandfather Liborio (still a bachelor). On June 21, 1937, Liborio married Erminia Caroli (1911-1997), cousin of Torquato Achille. From their marriage, 4 children were born: Cesidio (1938), Matteo (1940), Carlo (1944), and Alessandra (1952). I am Matteo’s grandson.  

And finally, in 1938, Dina married Aldo Torroni (1906-1941), originally from Soriano nel Cimino, with whom she had 4 children: Olga (1939), Antonio (?-2024), Aldo (?-?), and Giuseppe. Among all the siblings, Dina was the only one to reach 100 years of age before passing away on December 4, 2010, in Rome.  

The building, after the death of Cesidio and Egidio, was divided equally between Liborio and his sisters, since the latter had inherited from his uncle the upper floor of the building. Later, Liborio and Erminia moved to Rome. Having been widowed for a long time, grandmother Alessandrina moved with them, living in the same house.

She lived in peace for the rest of her days. She died on November 25, 1957, at the age of 85 and a half. She was buried in Scanno. Then, on September 16, 1961, my great-grandfather Liborio died following a heart attack. He, like his mother, was buried in Scanno… but not in a simple tomb! He was buried in the same tomb where the remains of Uncle Egidio and his grandfather Liborio were. Grandma Erminia remained a widow from 1961 to 1997. She died in Rome on December 19, 1997, at the age of 86.” 

Grazie, Marco. Ho apprezzato i nostri scambi di email e l’aver ascoltato le storie della tua famiglia, insieme a queste meravigliose fotografie.