Cultural Origins, Heritage and Regional Historic Recovery

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Anyone who wishes to participate in the program will receive complimentary research and free Y-DNA testing. 

Surnames and specific Y-DNA test results of participants from Gessopalena, Guardiagrele, Casoli, Civitella Messer Raimondo, Prata, Roccascalegna, Lanciano, and Rome, Italy.  There are some who choose not to be listed below and I respect and make sure your privacy is secure. As DNA testing will not “steal your soul” it is a safe and effective way to conduct all research as you must first make sure the name you are researching is actually YOUR name. 

I am always looking for volunteers who would want a free comprehensive make-up of their family. Currently looking for—Accettella, di Fabrizio, Lannutti, Iezzi, Mancini, Ciabotta, Di Lullo, or older ancestry from Gessopalena with surnames—Paglione, Cucchiarone, Pucci (Bucci, Bucciarello, Jacobuccio, Jacobi), Peschio, Camerino, Dragone, Orefice (Aurefice) if you are not on this list but want to inquire, please contact me. From Casoli I am looking for, Spinelli, Fiorentino, Greco, Creta, Iannone. From Guardiagrele, anyone.  Again, as DNA does not care about time or borders, you do not have to live in these towns to participate, just have ancestry that I can track back to these towns. If you are not sure please contact me so I can get your history completed first. 

Please do not get too hung up on the correct or incorrect spelling of the surnames. I have thousands of pages of books and the errors made by the notaries and the priests in spelling surnames in the 16th and 17th centuries is astounding.  

Gessopalena:

Salamone (J-Z1297+)    This line appears in the Paglione documents of Gessopalena in 1580-1609 however may also have a presence in Lanciano in 1555. Preliminary Bigy700 results suggest a Balkan origin. 

De Gregorio (J-Z1297+): This family had a large presence well before the 1500's in Gessopalena. Early documents demonstrate the line was between "de Julio" and de Gregorio with the latter becoming the dominant surname and de Julio fading away from the archives in Gessopalena. The family may have been a branch from Bomba in the mid to early 1500's and Y-DNA analysis of the family from these towns would provide sufficient proof. De Julio is a name that also needs to be tested in the surrounding villages of Bomba, Altino, Archi. The surname, De Falco or Falcis and early surnname Erculesse should be included in this family lineage. The archives have demonstrated this is one large family however Y-DNA testing will need to be conducted to see if there is a match.Preliminary Bigy700 results suggest a Balkan origin. 

Melchiorre (J-Z1297+, Z631+)

Melchiorre (Marchionne etc...) (J-Z1297, Z631+) 

The two Melchiorre tested stems from an Antonio Melchiorre in the early 1600's. There is a gap in the archives however the two Melchiorre's present in the archives in the late 1600's are brothers. One, Nunziato, is the archpriest of Gessopalena and the other, Antonio is a money lender. These two men below who both connect in the early 1600's are related to Antonio Melchiorre. Preliminary Bigy700 results suggest a Balkan origin. 

 Zinno (R-L51+) 

Sambuco (R-S8172+) Traced back to late 1500's Gessopalena. 

Cavaliere (Cavaliero) (R-M12149+, Big Y): The Cavaliere family appears in two distinct places in Abruzzo--Guardiagrele and Gessopalena. The sample below is from ancestry from Gessopalena back to the early 1600's.  The early Y-DNA, Big Y matches on this line suggest a Spanish nobility.  

Tiberini and Larcinese--Y-DNA analysis and archival research in the notary Paglione Books notary for Gessopalena, (1580-1609) have been able to demonstrate the Tiberini and Larcinese split from one common male ancestor.  More so, the estimated dfates of this split is between 1300ACE and 1500ACE.  This common male ancestor is not yet known however recent Big Y700 DNA  and YFULL DNA analysis of four men from the Tiberino and Larcinese lines demonstrate they "spun off" from one or the other, and adopted different surnames 500 years ago. 

The research conducted on both families prove this Mr. X to be a very affluent person as by the time we see the Tiberino and Larcenese appear in the 16th century notary documents, they are a family of priests, physicians, store owners, money lenders, finance commissioners and significant landowners. I believe they are affiliated with the Benedictine Order and more than likely affiliated with monastic orders in the nearby area of Prata where they owned lands as well as the  Cistercian and Celestine Orders and their monasteries in Gessopalena in the high and late Middle Ages. The surnames, Tiberino and Larcinese are "born" in Gessopalena with Tiberino being the first to branch out. The Larcinese (dell'Arcinese, Arcenese,  de Larcionese, de Larcenese) will follow, and the two lines split per the Y-DNA analysis somewhere between 1350-1500. The Larcenese surname taking their name from a small hill in a hamlet of Gessopalena in Valle Tremarca (Tre Macchie) called, colle dell'Arciani or Valle Arcion where both the Larcinese and Tiberino families lived--their equal shares of land on the other hamlets of Gessopalena can demonstrate now a common male "father" who left the land to his sons prior to adopting separation surnames. 

The Larcinese own terrain on the "Casoli" side of Gessopalena concentrated on Vicenne, Andrea Pietra, dell Penna, Isolina, Bracciola, Fosso di Prata, Vallone di Prata, la Macchie, Tre macchie, Colle Ianni. As the Tiberino would stem from the same “father”, they own land in many of the same areas above however focus in other areas of Gessopalena including Valle Sorda, Mandrini, Contrada Valli, Colle Ianni. I am still searching for this Mr. X ancestor and other men and surnames who are in Gessopalena today who may belong to this same group.  This is an older family in Gessopalena and more native to the area. The research suggests the family came straight from the Levant or southern Turkey and settled in Italy many centuries ago. 

Tiberini  J-BY200540, Big Y700

Larcinese/ Arcianese  J-BY200540, Big Y700 

Mr X ?
  

Cecchini (J-M267+, J-L1189+)

This line has been researched back to the 1500's in Gessopalena, Abruzzo, Italy. 

Magnatte, AKA--Bozzi, Bochio, Bozzius, Batis (J-M267+, J-FGC5230+, Full Chromosome)

This name is spelled many ways in Gessopalena notary documents however it is important to note the BOZZI name started out as an alias. The original name can be demonstrated through the 1580-1609 Paglione notary records as well as the baptism records of San Valentino 1598-1652 with the original name, Magnatte. Or as we see, Magnatte alias Bozzi.  While I have test one man from this line, I need to test a few more with this surname to fully understand the origins. The DNA of the Bozzi in Gessopalena has currently been analyzed by a group of men in Haifa, however more samples are needed for a conclusive report. This is an old DNA and family present in the area.  This Magnatte family or early Bozzi line to date may have originally been a noble line from Lama dei Peligna per the Paglione documents. 

Turco (Turchi) (J-M267+, J-FGC11+)

Sirolli J-M267+, FGC11+) 

Troilo (J-M267+, J-FGC11+) 

D’Orazio (J-M267) 

These men are linked together with a common male ancestor within the last 800 years per BigY700 DNA  and YFULL analysis. The research on each line demonstrates their presence in Gessopalena in the 1500’s however where their common ancestor intersects is still unknown. There may be a Spanish origin to this group as well.  Several of these lines will eventually adopt a noble title per the accumulation of lands and assets obtained from the original affluent families in Gessopalena. 

Innaurato, Naurato (J-M267+, J-FGC11+, Big Y) 

Leonello alias Persiani (J-M267+, J-FGC11+) 

Caporella (J-M267+, J-FGC11+)  

The Big Y results of Innaurato and Persiano have demonstrated that these men had a common male ancestor in the mid 1500’s. Caporella, a surname from Lanciano, while not connected through the Big Y testing, has Y111 markers that also include this family into the same group. Persiano originated from the ancestor, Presiano de Leonello in Gessopalena. In the late 1500’s we see the break-away from this surname where the surname Leonello is dropped—Presiano de Leonello has a son Antonio who will take the first name of his father and become, Antonio Presiano which we see in the documents evolve to Persiano. This line will eventually become one of the 18thcentury “noble” lines we see in Gessopalena through good marriages and dowries of the earlier wealthier families. This grouping has a later Spanish DNA.  

Sambuco  (R-Z49) 

Pellicciotta (I-A427+) Pellicciotti, Pelliciotta, Pellicciotto: This line has been researched back to the 16th century as well and is of a very wealthy lineage and presence by the time we see them in Gessopalena’s notary books. They rival the Accettella lineage (although not as grand) in early families recorded in the Paglione books. The earlier name of Scipione Pellicciotta is married to Donna Giovanni di Mulino Espanuala. 

Italiano (Taliano) (G-PF3378+) Line has been researched back to 1500's Gessopalena. 

D'Amelio (de Emilio) (J-M172) 

Tozzi (E-M35) Fossacesia. This surname is found in Abruzzo and other areas of Italy but obviously I am focused on the origins of this line. This Tozzi lineage is a stand-alone line currently. 

Tozzo/Tozzi/Cervano (R-BY116638) This family was present in Gessopalena well into the mid-1500’s but like some of the others listed here, from the Iberian Peninsula. The family first appears in the Paglione notary documents as Cervano, or Tozzo, alias Lamacuccia. Lamacuccia is a name of a hamlet in Gessopalena now called, Contrada della Pila, and refers to the area where the Celestine monastery of San Giovanni once stood. In fact, we see in another document, Lamacuccio sen, San Giovanni (Lamacucchio or San Giovanni). This family will gain significant wealth from the Cucchiarone family, an older family in Gessopalena and maintain a significant presence in the church.  The name Cervano will slowly fade in the documents and baptismal record for the surname, Tozzo and eventually, Tozzi.  Several branches of this line will break away and settled in Rocca San Giovanni, Lama dei Peligna and Ortona. 

Fara San Martino:

De Cecco (J-PH2725+)  This family is more than likely of Jewish origins like the Larcinese and Tiberino lines above but 2 millennium prior. Are they converso or very early Christian converts? We do not know this year. The De Cecco line in Fara San Martina “stem” from the same ancient Y-DNA as Larcinese/Tiberino however this group breaks away VERY early, with current analysis being about 1200 BCE from the Tiberino and Larcinese pack. There is a main line of De Cecco in northern Italy to follow up on eventually. 

Guardiagrele: 

Arciprete (T-M70+) 

Palmiero (R1)

Di Crescenzo (J-M172)

De Lucia (R-Z72+)

Casoli:

Caniglia 

Lanciano:

Dell Bello (R-M269) 

Palombaro:

Di Yenno (Ienno) (J-M267+)    

Roccascalegna:

Di Loreto (J-Z1297+, J-BY185356+, Big Y) Money lenders in Roccascalegna this line is researched back to the early 1600’s. 

Cianci/Cionci (J-Z1846+)    

Casalbordino:

Tiberio- (E-M35) 

Teramo/Rome: 

Arcioni/Arzoni (R-M269) More than likely, Teramo and Rome. The Y-DNA of two Arcioni men 600 miles apart and not genealogically connected demonstrates that these two have a significant relationship with one another 500 years ago plus. I was able to trace these two specific lines of the Arcioni family by using the feuds owned by Archbishop Nicola Arcioni of Teramo. This Arcioni lineage was a grand line in Rome and other parts of Italy and while there were no records of the bishop Arcioni having any other family with him in Teramo, the Y-DNA results suggest different—this line, originally from Rome continued in central and northern Italy however today is extinct in Rome. 

Zeni (PF5456+) (unknown origins, Como area, Italy)