Entry 40: Basilia Pintabona (Part 3) - Marriage of her Parents, Antonino Pintabona and Rosaria Princiotto

Location: Sicily

Date: 1 October 1896

Antonino Pintabona and Rosaria Princiotto (c. 1916)

Antonino Pintabona and Rosaria Princiotto were a young couple when they married in October 1896 - both were 23 years old. Antonino was a carpenter (falegname) from Sant’Angelo di Brolo, while Rosaria was a peasant farmer (contadina) from the neigbouring district of Piraino. Sadly, in regard to their parents, only Antonino’s mother, Carmela Ricciardo(i) was alive at that time. His father, Basilio Pintabona had passed away, as had Rosaria’s parents – Salvatore Princiotto and Antonia Agnello.

Marriage registration of Antonino Pintabona and Rosaria Princiotto, 1896

Antonino and Rosaria’s first child was born one year after their marriage.  Despite a long-standing and deeply imbedded Sicilian custom of naming children in honour of grandparents, they broke from this tradition by naming her after someone else. Their intriguing choice of the name "Basilia" raises the question: Who was significant enough to be chosen over a grandmother for their daughter's name? For now, this mystery remains unsolved.

The 1896 marriage document of Antonino and Rosaria has provided new details that enabled the PINTABONA family tree to be expanded, completing three generations of ancestors. The diagram below shows that although they initially deviated from the naming tradition with their first child, they strictly followed it with their next four children. Each child was given the name of a grandparent - Antonia, Salvatore, Basilio and Carmela. This clearly demonstrates the importance of the custom, while at the same time intensifying the mystery:

Who was daughter Basilia, born on 17 October 1897, named after?

Four of Antonino and Rosaria's children have names that exactly correspond to those of their grandparents, as shown in the pink boxes.

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EXTRA INFORMATION

Pictured above, are Basilia's younger siblings - Antonia, Salvatore, Basilio and Carmela - who were named after their PINTABONA or PRINCIOTTO grandparents.