Giuseppe Speranza & Serafina DiSeta
Giuseppe Speranza was born about 1798 in Montalto Uffugo. Giuseppe was the son of Saverio Speranza and Rosa Petrasso. It is interesting to note that Saverio Speranza and Rosa Petrasso died a few weeks apart. Saverio died on June 21, 1821 at the age of 55 and Rosa died July 11, 1821 at the age of 52. On October 6, 1819 Giuseppe married Serafina DiSeta. Giuseppe died in 1854 at the age of 56 in the contrada of Parantoro. A copy of his death act can be viewed here. You will notice that on this death act his wife is listed as Rosa Calomino. Giuseppe married Rosa Calomino in May, 1854 just a few short months before his death in October. The following May their only child Giuseppe Speranza was born 7 months after the death of his father.
Serafina DiSeta
Serafina DiSeta was born in 1808 in the contrada of Parantoro in Montalto Uffugo to Gaetano DiSeta and Maria Teresa LaValle. You can read about her family here. Serafina and Giuseppe had 9 children together. The youngest was born just 3 years before her mother died and was 7 when her father died. Serafina died in 1850. Below is a list of the children of Giuseppe Speranza and Serafina DiSeta.
- Francesco Saverio Born 1823
- Rosaria Maria Born 1825
- Angelo Maria Born 1828
- Michele Maria Born 1831
Married Angela LaValle - Rosa Born 1834
Married: Luigi Napolitano - Rosario Born 1837
- Maria Teresa Born 1839
- Maria Stella Born 1842
Married Filippo Garrafa - Maria Maddalena Born 1846
Married Domenico Napolitano
Orphaned Children
Serafina DiSeta died in 1850. Her husband died 1854. At the time of her death their oldest child was 27, however, Rosa was 16, Rosario was 13, Maria Teresa was 11, Maria Stella was 8 and Maria Maddalena was 4. Since Giuseppe had to work all day, someone had to care for the younger children. It is possible Rosa, the older sister did. However, Rosa married Luigi Napolitano in 1853 and in 1854 Giuseppe Speranza died. I knew someone had to take these children in and wondered who. Now I know. Among the marriage documents of Maria Stella Speranza to Filippo Garrafa was a 3 page document. Her guardian is listed on that document as Costantino Chimenti. The document is a account of a family meeting that took place to decide if Filippo Garrafa would make a good husband for the 16 year old Maria Stella Speranza. 3 men from her father's family and 3 men from her mother's family all agreed Filippo would make a good husband for Maria Stella and all agreed to the marriage. A very interesting document! Below is a list of all the signers of this document and their relationship to Maria Stella Speranza. The document can be viewed by following the links to the page number below.
Saverio Speranza, age 30, her brother
Michele Speranza, age 25, her brother
Luigi Napolitano, age 44, her sister's husband
Pasquale DiSeta, age 48, her mother's brother (uncle)
Francesco DiSeta, age 44, her mother's brother (uncle)
Pietro DiSeta, age 36, her mother's brother (uncle)