The cemetery custodian didn't know where the pre-1900 records were kept, or if they even existed at all, though he suggested the church might have them.

The search for my Laiacona ancestors proved fruitless, except that Concetta had found Vincenza' grave and of course knew where her parents and grandparents were buried. I was able therefore to get their photos form the tombstone and confirmation of their birth and death dates.

On the way home, Romina dropped us off at the City Public Library, where we were told to come back in the morning. As it turns out the library has neither holdings of old newspapers nor any archival material at all. They did show us three books of Caltagirone history, but the only noteworthy information was discussion of the national censuses for 1861-71-81-91 and 1901, a lead that we tried to follow in the next few days.

On Tuesday morning I took the bus back to the library while Donna returned to municipal building. The trip to the library lead nowhere, though the director tried to be helpful. His advice was that the censuses and the information I wanted was in the Office of the "Anagrafe" in the municipal building. So it was back to Romina's where I met up with Donna, who happily gave me a family sheet on Vincenza, but with no proof of her parentage.

That afternoon, Donna returned to the municipal building in order to get Vincenza's birth or death record and I went searching for the Anagrafe. By coincidence I met Mr. Cusumano (the helpful supervisor) in the hallway and he led to me to the Anagrafe Office, where they asked that I wait. A half hour later they asked me to return at 4 pm so I went looking for Donna who in the meantime had gone looking for me. One gets lots of exercise in Italian office buildings.

Not finding Donna I went to inquire about baptismal records at the cathedral, only to find it locked for the duration as it is being restored. My next stop was the tourist office where I was sent to a neighboring church where I walked around the complete block looking for an open door. When found, a women inside said she would bring me to the office, only to lead me back to the municipal building where I had to explain to her that I wanted baptismal records, not birth records. By the time we returned to the church we spotted the front door open. There the curator told me to return at 6 pm in order to talk to the priest.

I returned to the municipal building at 4 as requested, waited 15 minutes and was told to return at 11:30 the next morning. By 5:30 I was back at the church, sitting through a recitation of the rosary in Italian. It made me very mindful of my grandmother, who said the rosary every night at 7 pm in the company of an Italian radio program where several sisters and a priest recited their beads. I finally met the priest at 5:55 and he said to come back at 10:30 the next morning. In the meantime Donna had found Vincenza's data. Her father was Antonio Laiacona, probably my grandfather's older brother.

The next day the priest brought us to the cathedral's archival room, looked around searching several cabinets, and presented me with the matrimonial book for 1880-1884 for San Guiliano's, the cathedral, where I hoped to find Michele Formica's (my great-grandfather) marriage record. We also searched for Salvatore's brother's birth to no avail.

Sharp-eyed Donna had noticed another cabinet of journals for St. Pietro's, the church where my grandfather Nicolo had been baptized. Therein we found Salvatore's baptismal record, though Michele's was not to be found. Donna also found my grandparents' (Nicolo Laiacona and Santa Formica) marriage record and the burial record for my great-grandfather Salvatore (1891).

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Design from a mausoleum in Caltagirone

Looking down the 150 steps in Caltagirone.

The Caltagirone skyline.

Burial record from the Cathedral for my great grandfather Salvatore Laiacona, 1891

Birth record for Anna Mineo, my great-grandmother, 1862

Church of San Pietro, where my grandfather was baptized in 1876.