Need help with my wife’s genealogy
I’m posting this for my wife since she doesn’t have a Reddit account. Here is her post:
Hi everyone! I'm hoping someone with experience researching Calabria, particularly Vibo Valentia/Maierato, might be able to help me with a difficult Ruffa/Ruffo family mystery.
I'm researching my Italian-American ancestor:
Antonio Ruffa/Ruffo
- Born: August 21, 1899
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area
- Died: October 24, 1979
- Wife: Mary DePalma Ruffa (June 12, 1913 – January 3, 2002)
I'm trying to identify Antonio's parents.
Italian record I've found
I found this FamilySearch civil registration:
Giuseppe Ruffa
- Born: October 17, 1867
- Certificate No. 22
- Vibo Valentia civil registration, 1861–1910
- Parents: Antonio Ruffa and Giulia Iannello
FamilySearch citation:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X74M-QYN5
I'm investigating whether this Giuseppe could be connected to my American Antonio.
Another interesting record
I also found:
Giuseppe Ruffo
- Age 29
- Occupation: sawyer
- Immigration: August 24, 1896
- Naples → New York
- Ship: Bolivia
His age is compatible with the Giuseppe born in 1867, but again, I have not established that they are the same person.
What I'm trying to determine
I'm hoping someone familiar with Calabria or Italian civil records might be able to help me determine:
- Whether the 1867 Giuseppe Ruffa and the 1896 Giuseppe Ruffo could plausibly be the same person.
- Whether Antonio Ruffa/Ruffo (born 1899 in Pennsylvania) could be a son of this Giuseppe.
- Whether the family of Antonio Ruffa + Giulia Iannello can be traced through Maierato/Vibo Valentia records.
- Whether there are other Ruffa families in the area that should be considered competing candidates.
- What records would be most useful for proving or disproving these hypotheses.
Thank you! I'm very grateful for any ideas, corrections, record suggestions, or information about Ruffa families from this area. I'm very new to geology and definitely stuck right now.