Entry 22 : Announcing the Marriage of Andrea Moschilla and Cecilia Pedulla
- Basilia Staltari
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Location: Calabria
Date: Late 1905
Much like seeds drifting in the wind, the news of Andrea Moschilla’s return from America spread for kilometres throughout rural Siderno, travelling in all directions, even reaching as far as the neighbouring towns up in the hills and those down by the coast. Conversations, after all, were the best way for family and friends to stay informed about the latest news. And so, after greeting someone, it was a common practice to openly ask, “What can you tell me that’s new?”
Amicu 1: Chi mi cunti di novu?
Amicu 2: U sentisti diri ca vinni Andrea Moschilla d’America?
(Have you heard, Andrea Mochilla has returned from America?)
Amicu 1: No, ieu no sapia nenti. Allura sindivinni?
(No, I wasn’t aware. So he decided to come back?)
Amicu 2: Si. Ndavi nu pocu chi tornau. Sindivinni ca si spusa a Cecilia.
(Yes, he’s only returned recently. He’s going to get married to Cecilia.)
Amicu 1: Ma quali Cecilia?
(But which Cecilia?)
Amicu 2: A figghia du bon’anima Peppe Pedulla.
(The daughter of the late Peppe Pedulla.)
Amicu 1: E quandu si spusanu?
(Do you know when are they getting married?)
Amicu 2: Pensu ca si spusanu a maggiu.
(I think in May.)
Amicu 1: Bella notizia. Mu si nesci a fortuna.
(That’s good news. The best of luck for them.)
From one 'amicu' to another friend, from friend to farmer, farmer to wife, wife to mother-in-law, mother-in-law to grandmother, grandmother to son, son to cousin … the news spread quickly and soon everyone was aware that Andrea Moschilla had returned home from America to marry Cecilia Pedulla.
If it ever becomes possible to journey into the past with the intention of meeting Andrea and Cecilia in the months leading up to their wedding, this could be easily achieved by simply entering a few coordinates into the time machine.
Location - The ‘Casa Comunale’ (Town Hall), Siderno, Calabria, Italy, Earth
Date - Thursday, 2 November, 1905
Time - 8:40 in the morning.
This precise input of data will guarantee an encounter with both of them, as on this particular day, at this exact time, Andrea and Cecilia (accompanied by chaperones) will be found registering their intended marriage for public announcement - ‘PUBBLICAZIONE DI MATRIMONIO’. A Civil Officer named Francesco Macri Ruso will also be present, recording their details into the registry in his neat, cursive handwriting.
Translating the main points in the document into English, reveals that at this point in time:
Moschilla Andrea is a thirty-year-old ‘contadino’ (farmer). His seventy-two-year-old father Francesco, is also a farmer and his mother Fragomeno(i)* Fortunata is a ‘filatrice’ (seamstress).
Pedulla Maria Cecilia is a twenty-eight-year-old ‘filatrice’. She is the daughter of the late Giuseppe, who was a ‘bracciale’ (labourer). Her mother Reitano Maria, is also a ‘filatrice’.
All are residents of Siderno.
If, during our time travel adventure, we remained in Siderno for a few more days - until Sunday, 5 November 1905, we would see the first public notice (‘manifestu’) posted on the door of the ‘Casa Comunale’ announcing their intended wedding. A total of two posters would be displayed for a period of ten days, giving anyone with knowledge of any impediments a chance to come forward, and thereby prevent an illegal marriage from taking place. However, these ‘manifesti’ were only useful if you were able to read. A majority of the people in the Moschilla/Pedulla social network were uneducated; daughters were not allowed to attend school, and sons, if freed from their chores, maybe, were fortunate to receive one to three years of primary education. With written words on a page being meaningless, they all relied heavily on conversations as their main source of news.
Cecilia however, was a rare exception. Standing in front of the ‘Casa Comunale’ door, this literate woman and soon-to-be bride read the notice informing the community of her upcoming marriage. It would be incredible to be by her side - to ask what she was thinking and feeling at that moment.
EXTRA INFORMATION 1
Record of the dates the announcements were posted on the door of the Town Hall.
EXTRA INFORMATION 2
The 1905 Publication of Marriage registry, with Andrea and Cecilia's details.
NOTES
In archived documents, the surname 'Pedulla' appears with an accent over the letter "a" - Pedullá. Given that a variety of software is used for this project, some of which do not support accent marks in texts, the surname will be written without the accent to maintain consistency.
* Various archived documents show Fortunata’s surname spelt as either FRAGOMENI or FRAGOMENO. According to oral history, her surname is known as FRAGOMENI. Therefore, all references to her will be written as ‘Fragomeni’ or ‘Fragomeno(i)’ depending on the version recorded in the registries being referred to.
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