Dell'Osso - Genealogy

DELLOSSO.ORG
The Dell'Osso Family Web Site and Genealogy

Dell'Osso Genealogy and Ancestral Home (Bernalda, Italy)

This section of the Dell'Osso.org web site is devoted to the genealogy of the Dell'Osso family based on my ongoing research using the archival documents of the City of Bernalda, the records of the Catholic church in Bernalda, and the information I have received from surviving members of the family and the internet. My genealogical research began in 1992 when I made the first of three trips to Bernalda, Italy. Upon my return to the US, I compiled the first of many Dell'Osso ancestral family trees. The expertise of Maestro Antonio Salfi has been, and continues to be, invaluable in finding, translating, and interpreting the genealogical documents (written in either Italian or Latin). Finally, I must thank: Don Mariano and Don Pepino for making the baptismal, marriage, and death records of the Church available to me; the office of the Mayor and city officials of Bernalda for making the birth, marriage, and death records of the city available to me; and the people of Bernalda, especially Rosa Parisi, for their helpfulness and the information about the history of Bernalda and of the Dell'Osso family that they provided.

In addition to downloadable files containing Dell'Osso family trees in various forms (i.e., ancestral, descendant, and relative), this site will contain links to information about Bernalda, short vignettes of my findings and impressions of Bernalda, and additional information about members of the Dell'Osso family.

Bernalda, Basilicata, Italy

Bernalda and "Il Castello" <==> The Seal of Bernalda <==> Typical House in Bernalda, circa 1800's

The history of Bernalda, going back to the tenth century, and the contributions to its growth and governance made by 19 members of the Dell'Osso family are documented in the book, Storia di Camarda e di Bernalda, by Bernardino Giuseppe d'Angela. The author describes the Dell'Osso family as one of the three early families that were, "veramente ricche" (very rich). Another historical document described them as "una nobile famiglia bernaldese" (a noble bernaldese family). In the original part of Bernalda, there is a street now called, "Via Antica" but whose original name was, "Strade Dell'Osso" and is still referred to as "Via di Dell'Osso" by the locals. It was on this street that the extended family resided in a villa and surrounding houses. The Dell'Osso family maintained their influence by having members in areas of the law, the church, and city administration. They served as notaries, city council members, and clergy. Four Dell'Ossos served as mayors of Bernalda (the most famous, Cav. Dott. Luigi Dell'Osso served two terms as mayor, 1877-1883 and 1897-1901), and six as priests (Rev. Don Luigi, Rev. Don Bernardino, Rev. Don Francesco Antonio, Rev. Don Giovanni Bernardino, Rev. Don Domenico Antonio, and my grandfather, Rev. Don Luigi) including three who rose to the rank of arch priest. There was also the nun, Suora Maria Teressa. In another book, Vivurrè, Angelo Tataranno documents the key roles played by Dott. Luigi Dell'Osso, Dott. Camillo Dell'Osso, Francesco Dell'Osso, and Gaetano Dell'Osso in the historical events of April 8, 1888. Other contributions are documented in Dell'Osso Contributions to Bernalda containing the translations of the three documents found on Bernalda's web site.
The following links provide some additional historical notes about Bernalda.
Story of Bernalda
History of Bernalda
From Camerda to Bernalda: short historical annotations of the homeland, by Nunzio DiBiase (HTML) (PDF)
About Bernalda
More About Bernalda
Bernalda: Itinerario Artistico, scritta Geltrude Orsola Del Castello
Commune di Bernalda: Storia, Dove, ...
Commune di Bernalda #2

Impressions from my first visit to Bernalda (1992) (HTML) (PDF)

Impressions from my second visit to Bernalda (1996) (HTML) (PDF)
*****Coming Soon*****

Impressions from my third visit to Bernalda (2008) (HTML) (PDF)
*****Under Construction*****

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History of the Dell'Osso Family's Origins
(Who were the Dell'Ossos? Where did they come from? Were they really nobility?)

In my research, I have tried to answer the above questions about the geographical, ethnic, economic, and social origins of the Dell'Osso family. We know that they appeared in Bernalda before the late 1600's (i.e., 1500 - 1650) and were already wealthy (they built 'palazzo/casa Dell'Osso' on 'Strada Dell'Osso'). We know they were well-educated and powerful in Bernalda society (they held high political, administrative, and clerical positions, prominant members were addressed as "Don," "Magnifico," "Dottore," and "Cavaliere," and they intermarried with other rich and powerful bernaldese citizens). Were they part of the 'nobility' accompanying the Spanish rulers during the time of King Alfonso II or perhaps, close associates or employees of the Spanish nobility? Although they were Catholic and had many members who became priests or archpriests, were they originally people of Jewish background who were either forced to convert during the time of the Spanish inquisition or voluntarily converted before or afterwards?

Geographically, their roots appear to lie in Spain both because of the timing of their arrival and the Spanish first names they used. Indeed, the story that our ancesters came from Spain has been carried down through many generations of different branches of the Dell'Osso family, now living in different countries. Perhaps "Dell'Osso" is a Spanish name where "Dell" means "of the" and "Osso" means "bone." Howeveer, the "Dell" may refer to their city of origin, as in "from." It is interesting to note that there are two towns in northern Spain called "Osso;" one is now called "Osso de Cinca" and the other, "Ossó de Sió." [Note: There is also a town in southern Spain called, "Ossa de Montiel" which may be the place of origin of the family "De La Ossa" who emigrated from Spain (probably through Mexico and then moved north) to settle in Encino, California.] Economically the source of the Dell'Osso wealth remains unanswered but may stem from either their high political/administrative positions and education or their possible nobility. If the former, the question of their ethnic background needs further research. If the latter, they probably were originally Catholics either from Spain or Italy. The question of nobility is a murky one, especially in Italy where there historically were several "kingdoms," both internally and externally, due to conquest. To date, I have found no records of a truly noble (i.e., by directive of the king) family with the name "Dell'Osso." In Italy, it was common to bestow local 'nobility' onto individuals or families who, by virtue of their wealth and contributions to the society earned them that title in the eyes of their fellow citizens; that appears to be the reason for the description of the Dell'Ossos as "una nobile famiglia bernaldese". Similarly, no bone fide coat of arms seems to exist, despite some which are commercially available. Finally, there are Dell'Osso families in the western United States who may or may not be directly related to those from Bernalda; I have not researched that branch.

Dell'Osso is a very rare name; I have found no such name in lists of Medieval surnames of either Italy or Spain. Nor is Dell'Osso listed as a Marrano surname (Spain) or a medieval surname of Italians of Jewish origin. There is one story that has been related to me that may explain this lack of either Marrano or Italian Jewish surnames. According to this story, the "De La Ossa" family was expelled from Spain during the Inquisition of 1492 and settled in or near Rome, Italy. In the 1600's they petitioned the Vatican for acceptance as Conversos but the Roman Catholic Church refused to accept the "Dell'Osso" family. The family then fled to what is now southern Italy (i.e., Bernalda) and converted to Catholicism; their prominance in the Catholic church of Bernalda certainly attests to their complete acceptance of and by the church. At present, this is merely a story for which I have seen no documentation. I continue to search for the origin of the Dell'Osso family and would welcome any information that would help to document that origin.

Tracing the Dell'Osso lineage backwards from the information I have at present (circa late 1500's) can best be done using Italian church records (baptismal, marriage, and death) or Spanish ships manifests to determine if, when, and where they left Spain (perhaps Barcelona or ???) and arrived in Italy (possibly Rome, if the above story is correct, or more probably either Naples or Taranto, if they went directly to southern Italy).
If there is anyone, be they a Dell'Osso, associated with the Catholic church, or a student of Italian or Spanish history, who can either help me obtain permission to search church records or ships' manifests or who has any information (documented or not) bearing on these questions of Dell'Osso origin or status, please contact me. (E-Mail: LF Dell'Osso)

Researching the Ancestral Roots of the Dell'Osso Family Tree
*** We are who they were ***
*** [Siamo chi erano] ***

Lou and Antonio searching the records for members of the Dell'Osso family

The Maestro (Antonio) finding a member and explaining his place in the family

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Family Trees

The family trees available on this web site were made using Reunion v 9.07 on a Mac computer. Earlier versions (circa 1992 - 2002), made using Family Tree Maker, were imported into Reunion. They are all works in progress and require additional information and corrections. The genealogical data that I gathered in Italy and elsewhere are constantly being incorporated into the Reunion master family files and will be reflected in updated family-tree files (pdf) that will replace the older ones on this site. The Reunion master family files contain a wealth of additional information (e.g., occupations, burial sites, etc.) in addition to the genealogical data presented in the family trees. These family trees below show the roots of the Dell'Osso family up to my generation in most branches. The responsibility for updating (i.e., births, marriages, and deaths) each branch of the Dell'Osso family is best done by current family members in each branch. If you wish to have new information included in the master Dell'Osso family tree, please email it to me and I will add it.

The information produced and displayed on this site is downloadable and free for anyone's personal use. Any commercial use of this information, or of the results of my earlier research on the Dell'Osso, Perrone, and Tuminelli family trees, is a direct violation of my intellectual property rights; especially egregious is the failure to cite the source of this and other commercially offered genealogical information. The latest and most correct information will be freely available on this website as soon as the data can be verified and placed into the appropriate family tree.

The following family trees are either of the descendant (des), ancestor (anc), or relatives (rel) type. After the Dell'Osso trees, there are trees for related families (e.g., Perrone and Tuminelli). The filename of each tree will identify the person for whom the tree was constructed (name, birth, death) and the type of tree. The trees are in pdf format and may be printed out either on poster paper (dimensions in inches "in" are given in filename) or 8.5"x11" paper (number of pages "pp" given in the filename). The trees have been plotted so that no page breaks transect the rectangular boxes containing family members' information. Thus, the pages can be cut and joined to produce a large chart. Listed in a figure legend within each tree is the date the tree was constructed, the date of the last revision, the researchers, and the sources of information.

A glossary of the symbols used in the family trees is provided in both English and Italian for our relatives in Italy.
[Un glossario dei simboli utilizzati negli alberi genealogici è fornito sia in inglese che nell'italiano per i nostri parenti in Italia.]
Glossary [Glossario] (HTML) (PDF)
In order to determine the relationship between any two members (e.g., you and another member) of the Dell'Osso family, the use of a "Cousins Chart" ["Diagramma dei Cugini"] is invaluable.
Cousins Chart (PDF) ["Diagramma dei Cugini"] (PDF)

I encourage Dell'Osso family members to email me (E-Mail: LF Dell'Osso) any corrections or additions so they may be incorporated into updated versions of the trees and posted on this web site. Special attention will be given to attaching branches that have not been fully researched to date. Any information that might help me to determine where such branches belong would be appreciated.
When a tree is updated, a message will appear next to the tree's filename with the date of the last update.

Dell'Osso Family Trees
The current version of the approximately 330-year Dell'Osso family tree, beginning with Giovanni Batista (circa 1680).
*****Coming Soon*****

Updated! (6 Dec 2009) An approximately 330-year family tree documenting the relatives of Louis Frank Dell'Osso in the Dell'Osso, Manna, and Perrone families. The Dell'Osso tree goes back eight generations to Giovanni Batista, the Manna tree goes back 4 generations to the parents of Francesco, and the Perrone tree goes back 4 generations to the father of Pasquale.
Louis Frank_1941-_rel_21x136_in (PDF) Louis Frank_1941-_rel_2x16_pp (PDF)

Updated! (6 Dec 2009) An approximately 330-year compressed family tree documenting the relatives of Louis Frank Dell'Osso in the Dell'Osso, Manna, and Perrone families. The Dell'Osso tree goes back eight generations to Giovanni Batista, the Manna tree goes back 4 generations to the parents of Francesco, and the Perrone tree goes back 4 generations to the parents of Pasquale.
Louis Frank_1941-_rel2_40x31_in (PDF) Louis Frank_1941-_rel2_3x5_pp (PDF)

An approximately 190-year family tree documenting the families of Alfonso Dell'Osso's grandsons, Luigi, Nicola, Giovanni "Ditile," Natali, and Bernardo, who emigrated from Bernalda, Italy around the turn of the century (circa 1900) and settled in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Their children, who were first and second cousins, maintained close contact throughout their lives.
Alfonso_1817-1878_des_21x88_in (PDF) Alfonso_1817-1878_des_2x11_pp (PDF)

An approximately 165-year family tree documenting the families of Giovanni Bernardino Dell'Osso's sons, Nicola, Giovanni "Ditile," Natali, and Bernardo, who emigrated from Bernalda, Italy around the turn of the century (circa 1900) and settled in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Their children, who were first cousins, maintained close contact throughout their lives.
Giovanni Bernardino_1845-unk_des_11x75_in (PDF) Giovanni Bernardino_1845-unk_des_1x9_pp (PDF)

Updated! (30 Nov 2009) An approximately 145-year family tree documenting the families of Bernardino Dell'Osso's children, including Luigi, who remained in Bernalda, Italy and Cosimo Damiano, who emigrated from Bernalda around the turn of the century (circa 1900) and settled in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Bernardino_1865-unk_des_11x56_in (PDF) Bernardino_1865-unk_des_1x7_pp (PDF)

Data connecting the specific points at which the following branches of the Dell'Osso family tree connect to the main tree have not yet been verified; work continues.

Updated! (22 Nov 2009) An approximately 170-year family tree documenting the families of Gaetano Dell'Osso's great grandchildren Giuseppe and Aldo, who remained in Rome, Italy.
Gaetano_unk-unk_des_8.5x11_in (PDF) Gaetano_unk-unk_des_1x1_pp (PDF)

New! (23 Nov 2009) An approximately 180-year family tree documenting the family of Gaetano Dell'Osso's great great grandchild Franco, who remained in Calabria, Italy.
Gaetano_unk-unk Calabria_des_11x32_in (PDF) Gaetano_unk-unk Calabria_des_1x5_pp (PDF)

Perrone Family Trees
An approximately 140-year family tree documenting the families of Pasquale Perrone's sons, Vitaliano and Salvatore, who emigrated from Calabria, Italy around the turn of the century (circa 1900) and settled in Brooklyn, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.
Pasquale_unk-1933_des_11x112_in (PDF) Pasquale_unk-1933_des_1x14_pp (PDF)

Tuminelli Family Trees
An approximately 160-year family tree documenting the families of Antoniette, Angelo, Benedetto, and Maria, children of Giuseppi Tuminelli's son Paolo, who emigrated from Sicily, Italy around the turn of the century (circa 1900) and settled in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
*****Coming Soon*****

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Dell'Ossos Around the World

Below is a link to the first, and very well-executed, Dell'Osso family web site plus a link to a web site showing the many places in Italy and the United States of America where members of the Dell'Osso family currently live.

The Dell'Osso.net Family Website
Where are [Dove] Dell'Osso

Artistic, Historical, Literary, Scientific, Legal, Philosophical, and Theological Contributions

Work in diverse fields by Dell'Ossos plus links to relevant web sites.

Artistic
Website of Domenico Dell'Osso
Website of Gabriela Gonzalez Dell'Osso

Historical and Literary
Studio su L'ambiente di Bernalda, scritta Antonietta Dell'Osso Gerardi
Piccolo fiore di loto, scritta Assunta Angela Dell'Osso (HTML) (PDF)
Books Illustrated by Gabriela Gonzalez Dell'Osso
Carz Carz, by John Dell'Osso ("Winfield")

Scientific and Legal
Scientific Presentations and Publications of Louis F. Dell'Osso
Scientific Presentations and Publications of Liliana Dell'Osso
Studio di Architettura Dell'Osso of Riccardo and Guido Dell'Osso
Scientific Presentations and Publications of Guido Raffaele Dell'Osso
Scientific Presentations and Publications of Bernardo Dell'Osso
Legal Report of Pierluigi Maria Dell'Osso

Philosophical and Theological
Of Human Values by Bernardino Dell'Osso
Anything but Catholic by Joseph Dell'Osso
About Book by Joseph Dell'Osso
Books by Mike Dell'Osso

DELLOSSO.ORG/Genealogy Visitors