SALVADORE BELFIORE

This is the birth record of my great great grandfather, Salvadore Belfiore.  Salvadore Belfiore is the father of my great grandmother, Catarina Belfiore who married Sebastiano Campisi, who were the parents of my grandmother, Sebastiana “Nettie” Campisi.  

The first thing I noticed when I first found his birth certificate was that his parents were  ignoti or “unknown”.  This leaves me with so many questions that will probably never be answered.  How did they pick his name of Salvatore Belfiore?  Was it because they placed him with a family whose last name was Belfiore?  Was there a paper or something that was found with him that had the name written?  Did they pick the name randomly? Was Belfiore a name given to all orphans? Was his mother an unwed mother or from a family with too many children, too poor to feed them? Was the father a young boy himself or a married man?  Was the mother the victim of a sexual assault? Was she forced to give him up?  There are so many possibilities. That made me want to transcribe more of the handwriting on his actual birth record for more clues and it confirmed that he was placed in the foundling wheel.  

Here is a rough translation:  

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BIRTH ACT

No:  144

In the year 1860 of the 16th day of November on the 19^th hour before us Cirino Licero, Presidente Municipale and officer of the vital records of the community  of Carlentini District of Siracusa, Province of Noto, appeared Mary Scapellato, age 44, occupation of Rotara* who has presented us a boy that we visibly witnessed,  and state the Committee of Charity of Carlentini on 16 Nov 1860, Gentlemen from Rotara by profession and was presented to us a child of no more than 6 hours, wrapped in old threads and a new cap, and stated he went straight to excavate in the wheel at 10 o'clock in (sanpulumo) follows visible in the body of said child.

_____________of Charity

Cirino Caro, President

Joseph Scavonetto, deputy

Francesco Favara,  deputy

Born of unknown parents on day 16 of the month of November of this year at 10 o’clock in the house of his home.   The same also said to give the name of said of Salvadore Belfiore

The aforesaid presentation and declaration was made in the presence of  Luciano Turco, age 32, peasant, citizen, and Alfio Fuccio, age 30, cabman, citizen, are the witnesses spoke to this Act, and to Miss Scapallato, Rotaro

This Act, which we formed to end, and was written in both registers, read to the declarant and the witnesses, and then in the day, month and year as above, signed by us, the registrant Maria, witnesses….

(Signed) Cirino Licero

Notice of the day on which was administered the Sacrament of Baptism

No. 144

The year 1860 of the sixteenth day of November, the Vice Chancellor of this has returned to  us on the  16^th of this year of the month of November the note adding that we have put the the sixteenth day of current year of the here written act of birth, the bottom of which he has indicated that the Sacrament of Baptism was administered to

Salvatore Belfiore on the 16th day of this month and year

Having seen this document after having it transcribed, which was stored in the volume of documents at one page 144. 

We have also acknowledged to the rector the receipt of the same, we have created the present act which was written above in the two registers in the margins of the corresponding birth act, and that we have signed.

(Signed) Cirino Licero


*Rotara is the person who was in charge of monitoring the wheel to find the babies who were left there. 

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I have done some research on this subject, and learned more about the ruoto or foundling wheel.  These are some pictures I found of a ruota:

Infants born to unwed mothers were taken away and put into foster homes.  There were 2 reasons for this.  The first was that the mother had already proved she was unfit by getting pregnant outside of marriage.  The second was to save the girl’s honor.  The mother never saw the child again after birth.  The practice was to send all the infants to foundling homes in the cities.  There about half died in their first year, as this was before the age of baby bottles and formula.  Many died on the donkey cart ride from the mountains to the city, being fed mashed chestnuts.  They relied on wet nurses to feed and care for them at the foundling home.  The wet nurses were usually the unwed mothers, who were required to spend time working at the foundling home, unless they could pay a fee to the foundling home for taking the baby.  Special care was taken so that they would never meet their own infants in the home. 

Parents who did not want their children or could not afford to keep their children could also drop off babies at the foundling home.  They used a device called the ruota, or wheel to anonymously leave the infants.  This ruota could also be found in some convents.  The wheel worked similar to a lazy susan.  They would placed the child on the wheel, ring the bell and then leave. The nuns would turn the wheel into the convent to receive the child into their care. Most of the time, the baby was placed immediately with a family in the town. 

Parents believed with their whole hearts they were improving the lives of their child by giving them up. Stuck between watching them starve, and the hope of a better life, they chose hope. By going through the wheel they received a special blessing and became children of the Madonna. Some children were so big (older children) they did not fit into the ruoto and they would be greased, or end up with broken bones, being forced through an opening too small.

This research on orphans and the ruota makes me wonder if Salvadore Belfiore was from a poor family who could not afford a new baby.  If the mother was an unwed mother, it sounds as if the midwife would have taken the baby to the orphanage, and not have used the ruota.  Then again, maybe the birth mother was able to hide her pregnancy and no midwife was used.  Also, I have to wonder about the father.  It was 1860, the time of Girabaldi’s army surging through Sicily.  Was he a soldier?  Was he even Italian?  

Salvatore Belfiore and his wife Antonia Barberi in the 

middle, with their sons Rosario and Gaetano.  

My grandmother, Nettie Campisi Gurciullo had blue eyes.  Her mother, my great grandmother, Catarina Belfiore Campisi, also had blue eyes.  I have never met my great grandmother’s father. Did he have blue eyes too?   I can't tell from this picture.  I hope he was placed in a good home and raised by a loving family.  I hope he didn't have to spend his childhood in an orphanage.  I don't know how I would find out, as his marriage record  also state his parents as "ignoto".   I do know that he got married at a month before his 25th birthday on 2 Oct 1885.  He had 7 children.  His firstborn son, Guiseppe, born 26 Jul 1887 died before his first birthday at 9 months old on 2 Apr 1888.  His second son, also named Guiseppe, was born 28 Mar 1889.  Catarina was born 2 Sep 1892.  Catarina was my great grandmother.  Guiseppe and Catarina were the only 2 of his children to come to the United States.  Another daughter, Rosaria was born 26 Jan 1895.  Sebastiana was the next daughter born on 14 Sep 1897.  His last 2 children were sons, Rosario born 12 Sep 1900 and Gaetano, born 16 Jun 1903.  Other questions I have would be regarding the Italian naming tradition.  Salvadore's parents were unknown.  Antonia's were Salvatore Barberi and Rosaria Stuto.  His firstborn son was Giuseppe, and first born daughter was Catarina.  Were these the names of the parents who may have raised him?  The second daughter follows the Italian naming pattern and is named after the wife's mother, Rosaria.  Although the next 2 sons, neither of which are named after the wife's father, Salvatore.  Salvadore Belfiore died on 16 Sep 1935 at the age of 74.  I have so many questions, I doubt I'll ever find the answers to.