trying to connect Josephine A Cersosimo to my bio mom Virginia Cerossimo

[floweret]

hello dear friends,

I know so much about my family now and it's all thanks to you. i can't thank you to all of those who took time for me. however, more puzzles came up! here is the 1st one:

i recently came across a "Josephine A Cersosimo" (1899–1980) she was married to
Oscar William Romano(1896-1962) who was previously married to her sister Rosa, but Rosa sadly died during childbirth, resulted in her and her baby dying. Her parents: Maria Antonia Coroso
& Francesco Cersosimo(Couldn't find any of both parents' parents sadly) Siblings include:
Maddalena Cersosimo (1890–1907) Angiolena Cersosimo(1892–1974) Vincenzina Cersosimo
(1896–?) and Rose (Rosa) Cersosimo (1906–1929)

i found a lovely picture of Josephine, it was an incredible sight to see how we look a like... but i am having trouble connecting the dots to see how i am related to her. to help refresh memory, My bio mom is Virginia Cersosimo, daughter of Elizabeth Cersosimo. (Elizabeth's parents were Joseph Cersosimo & Vincenza Jacabacci--a different Vincenza then the one listed above) So any help or insight would appreciated. I will include a picture soon

i will come back later with other questions about another person, but i think asking one at a time is better then overwhelming the page thank you for any help!

[rlw254]

I think this family was from Mormanno, not Cassano all'Ionio. The name can be found pretty commonly in that specific area. Chances are the two families are not related, at least not any time in the last couple hundred years.

https://www.mappadeicognomi.it/index.ph ... o&s=Genera

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=368200
Marriage of the brother Luigi found on the 1900 census in Mormanno

[floweret]

hmmm, interesting! that would be a shame! i can't find much pictures of the cersosimo family, unfortunately.

luigi is brother of whom?

luigi/louis/lewis cersosimo show up more then once in my tree.

[rlw254]

Francesco Cersosimo is living with his family on the 1900 census and this is where I saw that Luigi is also living with him. Mormanno marriage records don't look like they're available for when Francesco was married.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9Q2-TSG

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD47-J24

There's also a Joseph/Giuseppe Cersosimo living up the street from them on the previous page of this census, possibly another brother.

[floweret]

Got it, thank you!

Hmm. When I looked up Josephine's info, It shows her having the same year of birth as Peppina. I will try and make a screenshot for you.

[rlw254]

Peppina would be a diminutive for Giuseppina, which would then be westernized into Josephine.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9Q2-TSG
Maddalena's birth record, 15 Mar 1890 to parents Francesco Cersosimo, 30, and Maria Antonia Curoso

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=368200
And Angela Maria born 10 Nov 1892

[joetucciarone]

As rlw254 said, you might want to focus your research on Mormanno. Did you know there's a small town named Cersosimo (in the Province of Potenza) that is just 20 miles east of Mormanno? If your family name is somehow connected to the town of Cersosimo, then I found something that will interest you. It’s a book titled “Of the site of ancient Siri, of the remains of its thermal baths, of Cersosimo Vetere, Serra Maiori and other ancient places, from excavations carried out in 1888,” written by Doctor Michele Lacava. On pages 32 and 33 of the text, he speculates on the origin of the town’s name. Here’s part of those pages as translated by Google:

“Even though we have no data regarding the name of this ancient city, I would also think that its name was not very different from that of the current Cersosimo, which in the Middle Ages, as we have noted above, bears the names of Kurizosimo, Kyrizosimo, Curizosimo, Churizosimo, and which is still variously known today as Cersosimo, Chiersosimo and Chierchiosimo.”

On page 32, Lacava seems to associate the name Cersosimo with the Greek name, Cir-Zosimi.

These are the pages from Lacava’s book that contain the name “Cersosimo”:

https://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/i ... fulltext=1

[joetucciarone]

Here's a description of the town of Cersosimo, from page 299 of a 1795 dictionary ("Geographical-Historical-Physical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Naples"); translation by Google:

“Cersosimo Casale (village?) in the Province of Matera, and in the Diocese of Anglona, ​​and Tursi, located in a valley, with humid air, and in the distance of forty-six miles from the city of Matera, and twenty-four from the Ionian Sea, which belongs to the Fief of the Pignatelli d'Aragona family, Duke of Monteleone. In it it is worth noting only a parish church of mediocre structure. Then the products of its territory are provisions of various kinds, wines, acorns, linens, mulberries for silk, and pastures for cattle. The number of its inhabitants finally rises to about six hundred under the spiritual care of a Curate Archpriest.”

https://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/i ... fulltext=1

[joetucciarone]

The book, Giornale medico napolitano : opera periodica, diretta principalmente a raccogliere gli elementi di una statistica e di una storia medica pel Regno delle Due Sicilie. (1825:N. 27, dic., fasc. 3, vol. 9), says this about Cersosimo (translation by Google) on page 273:

"Cersosimo is located in a valley of unhealthy air: it has about 600 inhabitants..."

The author notes that goiter is common among the inhabitants, and blames it on "atmospheric influence, on the use of the water that one drinks and on the foods that the individual eats."

https://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/i ... fulltext=1

[floweret]

wow, thank you joetucciarone! i knew about the town, but i didn't know the information you gave me, so thank YOU for that!! man, i love this forum! you are all great!!

[joetucciarone]

You're very welcome!