TOMBSTONE NAME CUSTOM

[JJOC1414]

The tombstone says FAMIGLIE LA VELLA BALASSONE with photos of wife Maria (left) and husband Antonio (right).

Is there a customary way to read two family names on a tombstone, for husband and wife, regardless of how the photos are positoned, or do the names follow the position of the photos?

Many thanks.

[JJOC1414]

On reading my question again, I realize that I made it seem more complicated than it really is. What I meant to ask is, when a family name is given and it is two surnames, should I assume the first applies to the husband and the second to the wife?

[Italysearcher]

In my town that type of wording indicates an 'ossario' or family bone and ashes vault. The photos would have been transferred from the original niche and could be of either surname.
On a regular tomb the full name and dates would be recorded and occasionally the married name if a woman.

[JJOC1414]

At the cemetary I visited in Sulmona, the ossario was a collection of many unrelated families and there were no name placques. If you wanted to know whose remains were there, you needed to request this in the office.

The names I saw, instead, were on a wall crypt.

[Luke]

Quick side note that perhaps may shed some light. famiglie is plural the crypt may be multi family. In most cases in Italy Husband is considered head of the household and would be listed first.

[JJOC1414]

Luke, that would have been my guess too, that, being listed first, LA VELLA was the husband's surname, while BALASSONE was the wife's. The only thing that had caused me to doubt this was the positionig of the photos above the names, which showed the wife's photo to the left of her husbands.

At this point I'm inclined to think that the positioning of the photos are not indicative of the positioning of the family names. Thanks.

[Fugie]

Perhaps the wife died first and therefore her photo was placed on the left side of the tombstone as a convenience for when the husband died and the photo of him would be placed along side of hers.

Most times the wife's name is on the right side of the tombstone and the husband is on the left side of the tombstone. This is because that is the position they were in when they were married.