Santoro Vassallo - Ocupation

[Costanzo87]

General question what his occupation might be?
My mother is Pietra Vassalo and I know that she could read and write in curvise. being that she was one of 15 children, and in the middle of the group, wouldn't an education have been expensive?? I also know that two older brothers came to the States and that would have cost money too. This has started me thinking that Santoro must have had an occupation that paid well or come from money $$.

Also, was a public education available at the time...?

I appreciate any help you can provide.

Valentino Costanzo
USA
NY

[adelfio]

Santoro Vassallo age 19 farmer son of Salvatore Vassallo and Pietra Randazzo married Giuseppa Tranchina age 19 farmer daughter of Santi Tranchina and Caterina Puleo in the town of Resuttana on 2 dicembre 1863 record v. 435 n. 0019

[Costanzo87]

Thanks Marty for your help!
Val

[Costanzo87]

Marty - one more quick question. What is the word listed for Guiseppa Tranchina occupation?
I could not figure that out?
Thanks
Val

[Tessa78]

Val,

After Giuseppa Tranchina's name is the word "nubile" which means unmarried.
Her father was a "villico"

T.

[erudita74]

Val-

Since no one has addressed your question concerning public education-here's some info-

Public education (for both males and females) was not available until 1859 (pre the unification of Italy) and was not compulsory until 1877. Prior to 1859, education was the realm of the Catholic Church, which primarily taught members of the upper class. The subjects taught were religion, reading, and writing. The 1859 Casati Law, which was named for the man appointed as the minister of public education, expanded the curriculum to include arithmetic and some basic knowledge of geography. Initially the law only applied to the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont but, after the unification of Italy process was completed, spread to other areas. In 1877, public education became compulsory nationwide, but even though primary education was now a 5 year program, only the first three years were compulsory. So children between the ages of 6 and 9 (male and female) were expected to attend primary school for three years.

After the 1877 law, called the Coppolino Law, went into effect, sanctions were imposed on parents who did not comply with the law and did not send their children to school. These sanctions were in the form of monetary fines, which would increase in amount with each violation. But this did not prevent peasant parents, particularly in Southern Italy and in Sicily, from violating the law. First of all, many towns in these areas did not have schoolhouses or teachers. Secondly, there were not enough government officials to enforce the law. Thirdly, many peasants sent their children to school at the onset of the year, but then took their children out of school when they were needed to help with the harvest. As soon as children were able to walk, they were expected to work and help with the family income. Some peasant parents even went so far as to burn down schoolhouses, when these did exist in their towns, and they didn't want to comply with the law. Also, despite the fact that public education was for both males and females, southern Italians and Sicilians placed less value on educating their daughters than on educating their sons. A woman's fate, after all, was just to become a mother and homemaker, so why would she need to be educated and become literate? So daughters were often prevented from attending school, making illiteracy rates higher among females than among their male counterparts.

Erudita

[Costanzo87]

Thanks you very much for this information. This is exactly what I was interested in.

Always nice to get so much help!
Val

[erudita74]

You'e very welcome, Val. So happy you came back to the forum and saw the info I posted.
Erudita