LANZARA-LANZARO-LAMURA FAMILY WEBPAGE

Part 1 - Nocera Inferiore

Last update 6/14/2021

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Sometime around 1780, in the Italian village of Nocera Inferiore, a baby was born. His parents, who are still unknown to me, named him Carmine Lanzara. He was my great-great-great-grandfather.

Carmine grew up to marry Irene Spinelli on October 18, 1799. Exactly one year later, the first of eight children was born on October 15, 1800. This was Diodato Lanzara, my great-great-grandfather.

In addition to Diodato, Carmine and Irene gave birth to the following children: Mariarosa, July 13, 1802; Giovanni, February 24, 1804; Maria Felicia, January 13, 1806; Giovanna, March 6, 1809; Francesca, September 24, 1811; Rosa, July 4, 1813; and Angiola, April 2, 1816.

Other than Diodato, the only other of his siblings that I know anything more about was his only brother Giovanni, who died the same year he was born (1804). As far as I know, Diodato's six sisters survived to adulthood.

On May 23, 1833, Diodato married Mariarosa Auletta. He was 33 and she was 29. Mariarosa was born in Nocera Inferiore on January 24, 1804. Her parents were Nicola Auletta and Rosalia Cesare.

Diodato and Mariarosa had six children: Aniello, July 22, 1834; Giuseppe, April 12, 1836; Carmine, October 11, 1838; Maria Felicia, February 7, 1842; Francesco, September 30, 1844; and Nicola, February 8, 1848.

Eventually, Giuseppe and Francesco grew up and made their way to Castellammare di Stabia, a ship-building town on the eastern end of the Bay of Naples, not far from Mt. Vesuvius. It was there that they met and married the Bonifacio sisters, Petronilla and Elisabetta (Elizabeth), the daughters of Catello Bonifacio and Maria Salvato.

Diodato died in Nocera Inferiore on October 6, 1864, a week before his 64th birthday. Mariarosa lived on for nearly thirty more years. She was 89 years old when she died in Castellammare di Stabia on October 25, 1893.

These are our earliest ancestors. Those whose fathers in Italy had lived on the same village street for a thousand years, whose grandfathers had died in the same rooms in which they were born.

For maps and descriptions of Nocera Inferiore and Castellammare di Stabia, click here.

To continue the Lanzara-Lanzaro (and LaMura) story, proceed to PART 2.

LANZARA-LANZARO FAMILY WEBPAGE