Have you ever wondered if you have any Noble Italian Roots?
Chances are you do, especially if your family migrated from places like Naples, Rome, Milan, Venice or Florence. Even if they came from smaller cities or towns, it is quite possible. Before the unification of Italy in the mid 1900’s there where a lot of “noble” families. I’m going to provide some insight on how to find out if you are, but remember that even if you find your name, it does not mean that you are directly related. More often than not, peasants living on the land of a Prince, Duke or Count took a form of that name.
If by chance, like I did, you have some sort of documentation from a grandmother or grandfather with a crest, that is the place to start. Also, don’t discount a family story, my grandmother would tell my older cousins that her grandfather was a prince. They never believed her. It was true!
My journey began with this card.
My grandmother brought a box of these from Italy when she came to the US in 1915. This is her dad. My dad always told us that his grandfather was a count of sorts. Piromallo is not a very common name, so when I searched google I found this record.
Line 5C shows the marriage of Emilia Caracciolo di Torchiarolo to Count Nicola Piromallo. I was pretty sure these were my great grandparents, but I never heard the name Caracciolo. So I asked my older cousin that lived with my grandmother and she confirmed. Also, first names matched. My dad, the second son, was named after his maternal grandfather, my aunt the first daughter was named after her maternal grandmother.
From here it was pretty easy to trace back the Caracciolo family by using various links found on my links page. Further confirmation was found by using the Antenati. And other documents, like the newspaper articles below,
Another tip off may be the style of clothing, if you have any old photos. You can see from the photos below that my grandmother is not wearing peasant clothing.
Another sign of possible nobility is if you have ever heard of a distant ancestor being a military officer. For the most part only those well connected or noble were in the officer corps. Good luck in your search.
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This link gives you the list of the Noble Families in Naples.
This link gives you the link for the Government of Naples pre unification.
This link gives you the Italian Titles of Nobility.
Link to Everything you need to know about Italian Nobility
The Libro d’Oro lists all the Italian Noble families. Many of the records are up to date to the present, if the line continues.
A few of the many family crests associated with my great grandparents families
For more on my family research
Maria Emilia Caracciolo di Torchiarolo
Unfortunately I know ver little about Maria Emilia, but not for lack of trying. I eventually found the records below which did give me incite into where she lived and died, but not much else. I am hoping that someone will read these blogs and eventually come up with a story about her or her parents. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for the information from the records. Recently I connected with cousin Carlo
Caracciolo Family History
The Caracciolo di Torchiarolo are a side branch of the Caracciolo di Avellino. The progenitor of the Torchiarolos was the second son of the fifth prince of Avellino, Ambrogio (1699-1748), who obtained in 1726, upon payment of 9000 ducats, the fiefdom of Torchiarolo, in the province of Lecce, on which he also received the title of Prince Ambrose married Francesca Afan de Rivera daughter of the Marquis of Villanueva de Las Torres. Ambrose’s sons were Luigi II,
Alessandro Farnese Pope Paul III and Silvia Ruffino My 14th Great Grandparents
Coat of Arms of Pope Paul III Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook Without question Pope Paul III was one of my most interesting finds of all the grandparents I have found to date. He is one of two popes that I have a direct line into. He was a very interesting figure in history, as you will read below. Paul III, original name Alessandro Farnese, (born Feb. 29, 1468, Canino, Papal
Piromallo Family History
My entire ancestry quest started with my great grandfather’s card below. I never expected to find the wealth of information contained in this post, our the fact that I would find so many cousins in Italy. Throughout this post, I will be adding photos, charts, history and so forth. I expect that it will take many updates, so come back, or sign up for updates. I would love for anyone that has additional information to
Nicola Piromallo My Great Grandfather
I chose to post Nicola Piromallo today, as I received a long lost obituary from a distant cousin yesterday. Nicola is where my real interest and quest began. When I was very young my mother would always show me his calling card, and tell me how he was nobility. Nicola is my paternal grandmother’s father, and while I do not have a lot of first hand knowledge, I have found a lot of documentation. Below
Elisa Mohr My 2nd Great Grandmother
Elisa Mohr was born in Naples in 1830. Her father was Martino Mohr, and I am still researching her mother. It took quite a long time to figure out how a woman from Lucerne married a man from the Caracciolo family. As it turned out, Martino Mohr was a Captain in the Swiss Guard assigned to the Neapolitan Army. Filippo Caracciolo di Torchiarolo, whom she married on May 12, 1850, was a Lt. in
I have a wealth of family history given to me by my Italian cousin, but very little about my grand father and his migration to the USA. I would love to find out more about him in the USA- Where can I look?
Ernest, if you go to our links page, you will find some good places to start. If you have any information at all from Italy go to the antenati link. Also, search our blog for beginners, and join our Facebook Group.
Thank you
Ernest if you are on Facebook, we have a group there too. Easy way to see new posts.