From Scafati to Acerra to Chicago: The Ancestors of Antonio Brasile

Part One - Generations 1 & 2

Italian Majolica vase decorated in Faenza style. Lindisfarne Castle ©National Trust Volunteer Photography Team

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From Scafati to Acerra to Chicago: The Ancestors of Antonio Brasile

A Narrative Lineage

By Deborah A. Carl

Life in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, was hard, but it could have been harder. Many were able to escape the life of tenant farmers and work in the factories. In the 1500s, Scafati, with the Sarno River that emptied into the Bay of Naples, was ideally located for trade and manufacturing. But in 1659, Alfonso Piccolomini, baron of Scafati, blocked part of the Sarno, causing it to flood farmlands and infest the area with malaria. Scafati’s population was decimated.¹

Two things caused Scafati to grow once again. First, Napoleon conquered most of Italy by 1799, and in 1806, he banned trade with England and threatened to seize “any neutral vessels found trading with England.” England then banned trade with France and her allies and blocked the ports. Since Naples could no longer ship its goods to the world, it turned to trading with the inland communities, and the Sarno was a fast way to move merchandise. The second thing that caused Scafati to grow was cotton.²

“Except for the volcanic region around Naples, farming in southern Italy is exceedingly difficult because limestone forms the basement rock and the soil is generally quite poor. But the region around Naples, which includes Mount Vesuvius, is very rich mainly because of two large eruptions...Every square foot of this rich soil is used. For example, even a small vineyard will have, in addition to grapes and spring beans on the trellises, fava beans, cauliflower and onions between the trellis rows, and the vineyard margin rimmed with orange and lemon trees, herbs, and flowers. It also is a huge tomato growing region.”³

Between 1762 and 1844, Vesuvius erupted twenty-seven times, but while earthquakes and ashfall were not uncommon in Scafati, the town did not sustain significant damage.⁴

Because of that rich soil, cotton was a main crop in Scafati since ancient times. At the end of February, the farmers would prepare the soil with a hoe and fertilize it with a cover crop of broad beans, lupins, or clover, or with manure, dung, and urine, or street sweepings, or silt and grasses from ditches and the Sarno River. The soil was prepared with hoes as the soil was loose, making a plow unnecessary and not worth the expense of keeping a plow animal. Harvest ran from September to the end of November, and the women and children would collect the cotton balls. Because of this production and the waterway, many factories were built in Scafati, including large yarn and fabric factories, and it became one of the main cities for the cotton industry and trade. In 1822, Scafati had a population of about 2,400. A large textile factory opened in 1824 and employed about 800 men, women, and children.⁵

First Generation

1. GIOVANNI BRASILE was born between 1762 and 1772 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 24 June 1844 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. He was married first to MARIA CASILLO between 1779 and 1884, probably in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, as the marriage traditionally took place in the bride’s hometown. She was probably born between 1767 and 1773 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, the daughter of Aniello Casiello and Petronilla Paduano, and she died on 28 October 1820 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. Giovanni Brasile married second ANGIOLA GRABRIELLO. She was born about 1762 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, the daughter of Domenico Grabriello, and died on 28 July 1842 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. There was no evidence that Giovanni and Angiola had any children together.⁶

Neither of Giovanni’s wives’ names was listed on his 1844 death record, but when Maria Brasile was getting married in 1853, she needed the consent of her paternal grandfather to marry since her father was deceased. Maria Brasile’s marriage papers contain the death record for her father, Mario Brasile, the son of Giovanni Brasile and Maria Casillo. The following document was the aforementioned 1844 death record for her paternal grandfather, Giovanni Brasile, proving that he was deceased and unable to grant permission for the marriage. So Giovanni Brasile, who died in 1844, and Giovanni Brasile, married to Maria Casillo, were the same person.⁷

Aniello Brasile was listed as the “brother-in-law of the deceased” on the 1842 death record for Angiola Grabriello, wife of Giovanni Brasile, and he was listed as the “brother of the deceased” on Giovanni Brasile’s 1844 death record, making the Giovanni Brasile who died in 1844, and the Giovanni Brasile married to Angiola Grabriello, most likely the same person.⁸

Both of Giovanni’s wives were born in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, which was about four and a half miles from Scafati. In the Middle Ages, Boscoreale failed to flourish and “was transformed into a vast wooded area called...Bosco di Scafati.” Three Benedictine monasteries were erected in the area, and later it was the hunting reserve of the kings of Naples. “In the sixteenth century, the first rural houses were built in the Bosco Reale, and extensive deforestation was carried out to make room for crops.” By the 17th Century, the population was about 1,000, and in 1789, it had 3,468 inhabitants, most of them tenant farmers or stonecutters.⁹

Giovanni was a faengala, a person who specialized in making maiolica, which was tin-glazed earthenware pottery, and Maria Casillo was a spinner/thread maker. Maiolica making seemed to have run in the family. Giovanni’s brother Aniello was a faengala. Their father Gregorio was a faengala. Aniello’s son Gregorio and Giovanni’s son Angelo were faengalas. And Angelo’s son Mario was a faengala.¹⁰

The known children of Giovanni Brasile and Maria Casillo were:

i. ERASMO BRASILE was born between 1780 and 1784, most likely in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. (With no birth, death, or marriage record, the family connection was established indirectly. Erasmo’s son Paolo Brasile died in 1830, and the uncle of the deceased, who would have been Erasmo’s brother, Mario Brasile, was one of the informants. Mario Brasile was the son of Giovanni Brasile and Maria Casillo, thus, Erasmo was their son too.) Erasmo married Maria Giuseppa Ammora probably before 1810. She was born about 1789.¹¹

ii.  MARIA ROSA BRASILE was born about 1 January 1794 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 17 March 1844 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. She married Antonio Esposito Fontana on 6 February 1812 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. He was a foundling born about March 1791 in Naples, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 15 May 1845 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy.¹²

iii. MARIA LUIGIA BRASILE was born about 1796, probably in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. She married Tommaso Amatrano on 29 January 1818 at the Santa Maria delle Vergini church in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. He was born about 1788, probably in or near Boscotrecase, Naples, Campania, Italy.¹³

iv. PETRONILLA ANELLA BRASILE was born about 1798, probably in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. She married Antonio Luigi Ilarione Gargiulo on 30 January 1819 at the Santa Maria delle Vergini church in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. He was probably born about 1 October 1796 in Gragnano, Naples, Campania, Italy.¹⁴

v. MARIO BRASILE was born about 15 April 1803 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 25 January 1831 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. He married Mariantonia (she was listed as Angela Rosa on her husband’s death record, which was probably an error) di Martino on 6 February 1830 at the Santa Maria delle Vergini church in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. She was born about 7 May 1804 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy.¹⁵

 vi. DOMENICO BRASILE was born about 1805, probably in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. (There was no birth, marriage, or death record to connect him to his parents. Domenico Brasile appeared as the “brother of the deceased” on Ignazio Nicola Brasile’s 1831 death record, thus, he was a son of Giovanni Brasile and Maria Casillo.)¹⁶

+2. vii. ANGELO BRASILE was born about 25 April 1808 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 8 December 1861 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. He married Raffaela Matrone on 1 August 1836 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy. She was born on 4 November 1812 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 2 June 1884 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.¹⁷

viii. IGNAZIO NICOLA BRASILE was born on 2 August 1810 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 12 September 1831 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy.¹⁸

ix. ANELLA BRASILE was born on 21 September 1812 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. She married Basilio Matrone on 21 January 1836 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy. Basilio Matrone was born on 25 October 1810 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy.¹⁹

The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Scafati near Nocera Inferiore painted in 1806 by Jacob Philipp Hackert.

Second Generation

2. ANGELO BRASILE was born about 25 April 1808 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 8 December 1861 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. He married RAFFAELA MATRONE, also known as Rachela on her children’s birth records, on 1 August 1836 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy. She was born on 4 November 1812 in Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, the daughter of Domenico Matrona and Maria Salzano, and died on 2 June 1884 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.²⁰

Raffaela was from the hometown of Angelo’s mother, and the marriage was probably arranged by his family when he had proved he was able to support a wife and children. He was twenty-eight years old, and she was twenty-four years old when they married, which was typical of the time.²¹

Politically, Angelo’s world was similar to his father’s. Before 1796, Italy was a conglomerate of various states, kingdoms, and independent entities. Napoleon conquered Northern Italy around 1796, and in 1805, he united the area into the Kingdom of Italy. The Kingdom of Naples was invaded by the French and defeated in 1806, and ruled by Napoleon’s brother-in-law until he was deposed in 1815. With Napoleon’s defeat, Italy was once again divided, and Scafati became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which consisted of Sicily and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Between 1820 and 1845, there were small rebellions throughout Italy in the hopes of creating a unified country, but they did not enjoy popular support and were quickly put down.²²

Angelo and Raffaela got married the summer before the 1837 cholera epidemic. In 1837, there were almost three times as many deaths in Scafati as in an average year, but none of Angelo’s immediate family died in the epidemic.

Economically, the world was changing for the Brasile family. While the family survived the epidemic, the time of maiolica and faengalas was coming to an end—porcelain had taken its place in popularity. “Maiolica still dominated the production of ceramics for everyday use and devotional works (votive plaques, domestic holy water stoups), especially in southern and central areas. The istoriato style continued to enjoy considerable success in Castelli and Naples thanks to families of talented painters (Grue, Gentile, Cappelletti, Massa, Sallandra, and Criscuolo).”²³

Giovanni Brasile’s nephew, Gregorio Brasile, left Scafati for Capua, Caserta, Campania, Italy around 1832. Between 1842 and 1845, he moved his family to Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, probably to join his cousin Angelo Brasile, Giovanni’s son, who had moved there between 1839 and 1840. Why Acerra? They were probably looking for a market for their maiolica. Acerra was a larger community than Scafati, having 6,256 residents in 1830, and agriculture was its predominant industry. While Angelo was a maiolica maker as late as 1839, by 1844, Angelo had given up on maiolica and was working as a farmhand in Acerra, and continued in that profession until his death. Gregorio Brasile continued as a maiolica maker until his death in 1868. Angelo’s son Mario Brasile, who was a faengala as late as 1913, also gave up on maiolica and was working as a laborer when he died in 1920.²⁴

The known children of Angelo Brasile and Raffaela Matrone were:

i. MARIANTONIA BRASILE was born on 24 October 1837 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, and died on 22 December 1913 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She married first Angelo Orazio Salvadore Manna on 7 August 1859 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. Angelo Orazio Salvadore Manna was born on 5 June 1829 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 10 September 1862 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. Mariantonia married second Francesco Sarnataro on 14 July 1863 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. Francesco Sarnataro was born about 1 October 1821 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 13 February 1890 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.²⁵

ii. GIOVANNI BRASILE was born on 20 February 1839 in Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy.²⁶

iii. IGNAZIO BRASILE was born on 1 November 1840 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died after 1914. (He was still living when his wife died in 1914.) He married Rosa Tanzillo on 27 January 1867 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. Rosa Tanzillo was born on 14 February 1848 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 22 March 1914 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.²⁷

iv. TERESA BRASILE was born on 6 March 1842 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 21 February 1867 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She probably married Pasquale Riemma around 1865 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, since their first known child was born in 1866. Pasquale Riemma was probably born about 1838 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, since he was about thirty years old when his second wife gave birth to a stillborn child in 1868.²⁸

v. AMELIO BRASILE was born about 1843 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 9 July 1845 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.²⁹

vi. MARIA BRASILE was born on 11 February 1844 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.³⁰

vii. FILOMENA BRASILE was born on 20 November 1845 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 24 February 1924 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She married Luigi Toscano on 15 April 1871 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. He was born on 2 March 1838 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 22 March 1909 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.³¹

+ 3. viii. MARIO BRASILE was born on 15 August 1848 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 22 February 1920 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. He married first, Teresa Sarnataro, on 20 July 1873 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She was born on 20 July 1850 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died between 1908 and 1913, probably in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. (Teresa Sarnataro was alive when her daughter, Giovanna Brasile, married in 1908, but as divorce was not legal in Italy until 1974, she probably was deceased when her husband married in 1913.) Mario married second, Gaetana di Gallo, on 9 February 1913 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She was born on 7 August 1853 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 11 September 1926 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.³²

ix. CUONO VINCENZO BRASILE was born on 15 March 1852 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 22 December 1926 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States. He married Maddalena Renella on 12 June 1875 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy. She was born on 6 January 1857 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 17 April 1909 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.³³ 

x. ANTONIO BRASILE was born on 4 January 1854 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, and died on 8 April 1862 in Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy.³⁴

See Part Two for Generation Three

1. Vittorio Cimmelli, Storia di Scafati e di S. Pietro Suo Villaggio, a cura di Angelo Pesce; Comune di Scafati Provincia di Salerno. Also, Bartolo Longo, La Civiltà e la Religione nella Feste della Nuova Pompei (©1888), 14; quoted by Ingrid D. Rowland, From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town (©2014), 193.

2. Britannica, “Embargo Act.” Also, Vittorio Cimmelli, Storia di Scafati e di S. Pietro Suo Villaggio, a cura di Angelo Pesce; Comune di Scafati Provincia di Salerno. And, F. Morlicchio, Coltivazione ed Industria del Cotone in Quel di Scafati, (©1864), 7; Google Books.

3. Richard V. Fisher, “Soils from Volcanoes,” The Volcano Information Center, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Geological Sciences.

4. Roberto Scandone, “Activity of Vesuvio between 1631 and 1944,” Boris Behncke’s Volcano Pages hosted by Michigan Tech, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences. There is no link from the Michigan Tech home page to Boris Behncke’s page.

5. F. Morlicchio, Coltivazione ed Industria del Cotone in Quel di Scafati, (©1864), 5, 7–8, 10, and 14; Google Books. Also, The Edinburgh Gazetteer (© 1822), volume 5, 462, Scafati; Google Books.

6. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5972 degli Atti di Morti, 1844, record 91, Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5928 degli Atti di Nati, 1810, record 117, Ignazio Nicola Brasile, 2 August 1810; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5930 degli Atti di Nati, 1812, record 125, Anella Brasile, 21 September 1812; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5989 degli Matrimoni, processetti, 1853, No. 48, Aniello Oliano and Maria Brasile, record copy of death for Mario Brasile, 25 January 1831, and on the following page, record copy of death for Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5931 degli Atti di Morti, 1814, record 249, Angela Brasile, 21 November 1814; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5934 degli Atti di Nati, 1819, record 93, Gaetano Brasile, 16 June 1819; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5935 degli Atti di Morti, 1820, record 103, Maria Casciello [name is Casillo in the index], 28 October 1820; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5967 degli Atti di Morti, 1842, record 106, Angiola Grabriello, 28 July 1842; FamilySearch.

7. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5972 degli Atti di Morti, 1844, record 91, Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5989 degli Matrimoni, processetti, 1853, No. 48, Aniello Oliano and Maria Brasile, record copy of death for Mario Brasile, 25 January 1831, and on the following page, record copy of death for Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch.

8. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5967 degli Atti di Morti, 1842, record 106, Angiola Grabriello, 28 July 1842; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5972 degli Atti di Morti, 1844, record 91, Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch.

9. Angelandrea Casale, Dr., “La Storia di Boscoreale,” Comune di Boscoreale: Terra della Pietra Lavica.

10. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5972 degli Atti di Morti, 1844, record 91, Giovanni Brasile, 24 June 1844; FamilySearch. Also, Cadea, “Munno and Vollaro,” definition of a faenzaro, Italgen. And, Rebecca Wallis, “What are Maiolica and Majolica?,” National Trust, United Kingdom. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5935 degli Atti di Morti, 1820, record 103, Maria Casciello [name is Casillo in the index], 28 October 1820; FamilySearch. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5979 degli Atti di Morti, 1848, record 36, Aniello Brasile, 6 March 1848; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5978 degli Atti di Morti, 1847, record 86, Vittoria Brasile, 21 August 1847; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1868, record 226, Gregorio Brasile, 4 November 1868; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1861, record 381, Angelo Brasile, 8 December 1861; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1913, record 14, Mario Brasile and Gaetana Gallo, 9 February 1913; FamilySearch.

11. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5947 degli Atti di Morti, 1830, record 102, Paolo Brasile, 5 November 1830; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5949 degli di Morti, 1831, record 22, Mario Brasile, 25 January 1830 [should be 1831, but the clerk stopped writing “uno” after the typewritten “trenta” after the seventh page], FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5931 degli Atti di Morti, 1814, record 249, Angela Brasile, 21 November 1814; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5934 degli Atti di Nati, 1819, record 93, Gaetano Brasile, 16 June 1819; FamilySearch.

12. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5930 degli Matrimoni, processetti, 1812, sixth package of documents, Antonio Esposito Fontana and Maria Rosa Brasile, record copy of baptism for Maria Rosa Brasile, 1 January 1794, also [act of celebrating the marriage], 6 February 1812, and record copy of baptism for Antonio Esposito, March 1791; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5972 degli Atti di Morti, 1844, record 35, Rosa Brasile, 17 March 1844; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5973 degli Atti di Morti, 1845, record 37, Antonio Fontana, 15 May 1845; FamilySearch.

13. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5933 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1818, record 8, Tommaso Amatrano and Maria Luigia Brasile, 29 January 1818; FamilySearch.

14. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5934 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1819, record 15, Antonio Luigi Ilarione Gargiulo and Petronilla Anella Brasile, 30 January 1819; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5934 degli Matrimoni, processetti, 1819, third package of documents, Antonio Luigi Ilarione Gargiulo and Petronilla Anella Brasile, record copy of baptism for Antonio Luigi Ilarione Gargiulo, 1 October 1796; FamilySearch.

15. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5948 degli Matrimoni, processetti, 1830, No. 90, Mario Brasile and Mariantonia di Martino, record copy of baptism for Mario Brasile, 15 April 1803, and record copy of baptism for Maria Antonia Martino, 7 May 1804; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5949 degli di Morti, 1831, record 22, Mario Brasile, 25 January 1830 [should be 1831, but the clerk stopped writing “uno” after the typewritten “trenta” after the seventh page], FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5947 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1830, record 9, Mario Brasile and Mariantonia di Martino, 6 February 1830; FamilySearch.

16. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5949 degli Atti di Morti, 1831, record 86, Ignazio Nicola Brasile, 12 September 1830 [should be 1831, but the clerk stopped writing “uno” after the typewritten “trenta” after the seventh page], FamilySearch.

17. Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2662 degli Matrimoni, Processetti, 1836, package of documents 30, Angelo Brasile and Raffaela Matrone, record copy of baptism for Angelo Brasile, 25 April 1808; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1861, record 381, Angelo Brasile, 8 December 1861; FamilySearch. And, Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2416 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1836, record 30, Angelo Brasile and Raffaela Matrone, 1 August 1836; FamilySearch. And, Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2249 degli Atti di Nati, 1812, record 194, Raffaela Matrone, 4 November 1812; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1884, record 182, Raffaela Matrona, 2 June 1884; FamilySearch.

18. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5928 degli Atti di Nati, 1810, record 117, Ignazio Nicola Brasile, 2 August 1810; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5949 degli Atti di Morti, 1831, record 86, Ignazio Nicola Brasile, 12 September 1830 [should be 1831, but the clerk stopped writing “uno” after the typewritten “trenta” after the seventh page], FamilySearch.

19. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5930 degli Atti di Nati, 1812, record 125, Anella Brasile, 21 September 1812; FamilySearch. Also, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5957 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1836, record 1, Basilio Matrone and Anella Brasile, 21 January 1836; FamilySearch. And, Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2246 degli Atti di Nati, 1810, record 124, Basilio Matrone, 25 October 1810; FamilySearch.

20. Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2662 degli Matrimoni, Processetti, 1836, package of documents 30, Angelo Brasile and Raffaela Matrone, record copy of baptism for Angelo Brasile, 25 April 1808; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1861, record 381, Angelo Brasile, 8 December 1861; FamilySearch. And, Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2416 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1836, record 30, Angelo Brasile and Raffaela Matrone, 1 August 1836; FamilySearch. And, Boscoreale, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 2249 degli Atti di Nati, 1812, record 194, Raffaela Matrone, 4 November 1812; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1884, record 182, Raffaela Matrona, 2 June 1884; FamilySearch.

21. Treavor Dean and K.J.P. Lowe, editors, Marriage in Italy 1300 - 1650 (© 2002), 8. Also, Catherine Edwards, “How an Economic Miracle Transformed Love and Marriage in Post-War Italy,” 14 June 2017, The Local: Italy Edition. There is no link from the homepage.

22. David Gilmour, The Pursuit of Italy: A History of a Land, Its Regions, and Their Peoples, (© 2011), xvi and xvii, map of Italy circa 1490, 132–135, 138, 142–143, 155–164, 193–194, 200–201, and 203. Also, Christopher Duggan, The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796, (© 2008), 3 & 68.

23. Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, “Italian Ceramics from the Middle Age to the Present,” Google Arts–Culture.

24. Capua, Caserta, Campania, Italy, Registro 3.180 degli Matrimoni, Processetti, 1832, No. 47, Gregorio Brasile and Agata Fucetola, Act of the Solemn Promise to Celebrate the Marriage, 22 December 1832; FamilySearch. Also, Capua, Caserta, Campania, Italy, Registro 3.255 degli Atti di Nati, 1842, record 389, Salvatore Brasile, 23 December 1842; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.3337 degli Atti di Nati, 1845, record 329, Maria Brasile, 3 September 1845; FamilySearch. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5963 degli Atti di Nati, 1839, record 48, Giovanni Brasile, 20 February 1839; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1840, record 308, Ignazio Brasile, 1 November 1840; FamilySearch. And, Encyclopaedia Britannica (©1830), volume 2, "Acerra;” Google Books. And, Christopher Duggan, The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796, (© 2008), 106. And, Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5963 degli Atti di Nati, 1839, record 48, Giovanni Brasile, 20 February 1839; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.3336 degli Atti di Nati, 1844, record 62, Maria Brasile, 16 February 1836; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1861, record 381, Angelo Brasile, 8 December 1861; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1868, record 226, Gregorio Brasile, 4 November 1868; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1913, record 14, Mario Brasile and Gaetana Gallo, 9 February 1913; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1920, record 72, Mario Brasile, 22 February 1920; FamilySearch.

25. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5958 degli Atti di Nati, 1837, record 189, Mariantonia Brasile, 24 October 1837; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1913, record 409, Maria Antonia Brasile, 22 December 1913; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.9431 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1859, record 55, Angelo Orazio Salvadore Manna and Mariantonia Brasile; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, "Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1829," record 166, Angelo Orazio Salvadore Manna, 5 June 1829; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1862, record 15, Angelo Manna, 10 September 1862; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.9435 degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1863, record 42, Francesco Sarnataro and Mariantonia Brasile, 14 July 1863; FamilySearch. And, Chiesa Cattolica, Parrocchia di Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Baptizatorum Liber Julius 1807–Maius 1828, folio 208 front, entry 3, Francesco Sarnataro, 1 October 1821; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1890, record 53, death of Francesco Sarnataro, 13 February 1890; FamilySearch.

26. Scafati, Salerno, Campania, Italy, Registro 5963 degli Atti di Nati, 1839, record 48, Giovanni Brasile, 20 February 1839; FamilySearch.

27. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1840, record 308, Ignazio Brasile, 1 November 1840; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1914, record 84, Rosa Tanzillo, 22 March 1914; FamilySearch. And, Chiesa Cattolica, Parrocchia di Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Matrimoniorum Liber 1865–1880, folio 14 front, entry 1, Ignazio Brasile and Rosa Tanzillo, 27 January 1867; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, "Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1848," record 39, Rosa Tanzillo, 14 February 1848; FamilySearch.

28. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.3334 degli Atti di Nati, 1842, record 68, Teresa Brasile, 6 March 1842; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1867, record 49, Teresa Brasile, 21 February 1867; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1866, record 291, Maria Teresa Riemma, 5 May 1866; FamilySearch. And, Chiesa Cattolica, Parrocchia di Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Matrimoniorum Liber 1865-1880, folio 16 front, entry 3, Pasquale Riemma, widower of Teresa Brasile, and Maddalena Marzullo, 6 June 1867; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1868, record 7, Bambino nato morto [stillborn boy], 4 January 1868; FamilySearch.

29. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1845, record 116, Amelio Brasile, 9 July 1845; FamilySearch.

30. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.3336 degli Atti di Nati, 1844, record 62, Maria Brasile, 16 February 1836; FamilySearch.

31. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro 114.3337 degli Atti di Nati, 1845, record 41, Filomena Brasile, 20 November 1845, with information about her marriage with Luigi Toscano written in the margin, 15 April 1871; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1924, record 43, Filomena Brasile, 24 February 1924; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1838, record 39, Luigi Toscano, 2 March 1838, with information about his marriage with Filomena Brasile written in the margin, 15 April 1871; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1909, record 184, Luigi Toscano, 22 March 1909; FamilySearch.

32. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1848, record 235, Mario Brasile, 15 August 1848, with information about his marriage with Teresa Sarnataro written in the margin, 20 July 1873; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1920, record 72, Mario Brasile, 22 February 1920; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1850, record 227, Teresa Sarnataro, 2 July 1850, with information about her marriage with Mario Brasile written in the margin, 20 July 1873; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1908, record 22, Giovanni Levita and Giovanna Brasile, 2 February 1908; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1913, record 14, Mario Brasile and Gaetana Gallo, 9 February 1913; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1853, record 258, Gaetana Gallo, 7 August 1853; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1926, record 313, Gaetana Gallo, 11 September 1926; FamilySearch.

33. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1852, record 119, Cuono Vincenzo Brasile, 15 March 1852; FamilySearch. Also, Illinois Department of Public Health, certificate of death no. 37789 (1928), Cuono "Gaetano" Brasile; photocopied certificate supplied by clerk, 25 January 2022, in possession of author; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Matrimoni, 1875, record 54, Cuono Vincenzo Brasile and Maddalena Renella, 12 June 1875; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1857, record 9, Maddalena Renella, 6 January 1857; FamilySearch. And, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1909, record 215, Maddalena Renella, 17 April 1909; FamilySearch.

34. Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Nati, 1854, record 6, Antonio Brasile, 4 January 1854; FamilySearch. Also, Acerra, Naples, Campania, Italy, Registro degli Atti di Morti, 1862, record 93, Antonio Brasile, 8 April 1862; FamilySearch.