Maria Raja (1840 - 1881)

Born 1840 in Corleone, Palermo, Sicily

Ancestors

Wife of Vincenzo Paternostro — married 27 Jan 1861 (to about 14 Jun 1872) in Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Wife of Antonino Grizzaffi — married 8 Jun 1874 (to 5 Oct 1881) in Corleone, Palermo, Sicily

Descendants

Died 5 Oct 1881 at about age 41 in 1 via Ponte Nuovo, Corleone, Palermo, Italy

Biography

Maria Raja is born around 1840 in Corleone, based on her reported age at death. She is the daughter of Salvatore Raja and Bernarda Paternostro.

Maria is a contadina (peasant). She marries twice, first to Vincenzo Paternostro, son of the late Giuseppe and living Lucia Grizzaffi, on 27 January 1861. Maria and Vincenzo have at least two children: Giuseppe (1865) and Salvatore (1867).

After Vincenzo's death at age 38 (b. 1834) on 14 June 1872, Maria remarries, to Antonino Grizzaffi, son of Vincenzo and Elisabetta Terranova, on 8 June 1874. They have at least two children, Elisabetta (1875) and Vincenzo (1878), named after Antonino's parents.

The relationships of Maria's first husband to her mother, and of her second husband to her first mother-in-law, are both unknown at this time.

Elisabetta is born 14 July 1875 in #1 via San Nicolo', Corleone. Her parents' ages are not given in this record. She is baptized the next day as Elisabeth. Her godparents are Vincentius Marsalisi and Anna Bruno, a married couple.

Vincenzo is born 30 May 1878 and baptized 1 June. Named after his paternal grandfather, he also shares a name with his mother's first husband. That the latter is an intended honoree is suggested by the selection of Vincenzo's godfather, Cajetanus Paternostro, who is unmarried.

Vincenzo dies on 29 September 1881 at three years of age.

Maria dies, either a few days or a month later, at 41 years old (b. 1840). The Church record of her death gives the date as 5 October. Her record is unusual in that it is out of order: the records above and below hers are dated 4 October.

The civil record of her death gives the date as 5 November. She dies at #1 via Ponte Nuovo, Corleone. Both records give the names of her husbands and her parents. According to the Church record, her father has passed away and her mother is living.

Antonino remarries, to Maria Buccheri, and has at least one child, in 1887, before his death in 1889.

Elisabetta marries in 1890 at age 15 to Paolo Nieli. The minutes of a family council meeting in which her half-brothers appear is the document from which we know of Maria's sons with her first husband, Vincenzo.

Sources

Marriage of Vincentio Paternostro and Maria Raja, record no. 1203, 27 January 1861

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11622-21217-78?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-L2S:351041801,351041802,351102301 : accessed 21 Sep 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Matrimoni 1856-1871 > image 108 of 356; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Death of Vincentius Paternostro, 14 June 1872

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11742-35558-14?cc=2046915&wc=MG3W-JWG:351041801,351041802,351074501 : accessed 16 Oct 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Morti 1868-1872 > image 134 of 151; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Marriage of Antonino Grizzaffi and Maria Raja, record no. 293, 8 June 1874

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11622-17439-51?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-L29:351041801,351041802,351107101 : accessed 05 Sep 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Matrimoni 1872-1887 > image 100 of 535; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Estratto di atto di nascita, Elisabetta Grizzaffi, record no. 276, 15 July 1875

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32384-1138-20?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-NWL:351055601,352253401,352420801 : accessed 30 May 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1890-1895 > image 104 of 754; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Baptism of Elisabeth Grizzaffi, 15 July 1875

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11610-137434-45?cc=2046915&wc=MG37-K6D:351041801,351041802,351142201 : accessed 17 Jul 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1872-1877 > image 264 of 419; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Baptism of Vincentius Grizzaffi, 1 June 1878

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12332-69945-6?cc=2046915&wc=MG34-SPX:351041801,351041802,351275901 : accessed 21 Jul 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Battesimi 1877-1879 > image 86 of 182; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Death of Vincentius Grizzaffi, record no. 321, 29 September 1881

• "Italia, Palermo, Diocesi di Monreale, Registri Parrocchiali, 1531-1998," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11742-47175-24?cc=2046915&wc=MG3W-JWL:351041801,351041802,351076101 : accessed 18 Aug 2014), Corleone > San Martino > Morti 1873-1888 > image 387 of 600; citing Archivio della Diocesi di Palermo.

Atto di morte, Maria Raja, record no. 305, 5 November 1881 (in Antonino's 1884 marriage allegati)

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32378-32457-53?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-F68:351055601,352253401,352366601 : accessed 10 Jun 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1883-1887 > image 951 of 2998; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Estratto di atto di morte, Maria Raja, record no. 305, 5 November 1881 (in Elisabetta's 1890 marriage allegati)

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32384-1067-26?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-NWL:351055601,352253401,352420801 : accessed 30 May 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1890-1895 > image 106 of 754; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Minutes of the family council (Verbale di consiglio di famiglia), 9 November 1890, Corleone

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32384-893-13?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-NWL:351055601,352253401,352420801 : accessed 30 May 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1890-1895 > image 109 of 754; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.

Certificato di defissione, Paolo Nieli and Elisabetta Grizzaffi, 6 December 1890

• "Italia, Palermo, Palermo, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1910," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32384-1107-13?cc=2051639&wc=MCTM-NWL:351055601,352253401,352420801 : accessed 30 May 2014), Palermo > Corleone > Allegati (nati, matrimoni, morti) 1890-1895 > image 101 of 754; citing Tribunale di Cagliari.