I suspect that in more rural areas, especially those where not too many people leave, familial intermarrying is very commonplace.  That they take that custom with them when emigrating is fascinating.

Monte San Giacomo basically transplanted itself to Hoboken, NJ, and the families’ interconnection is almost impossible to unravel.  Even so I’ve found repeated connections between the Lisa, Romano, Monaco and Borrell families, with a smidge of D’Attilio/Dellefave from out west in Rodi.

(double lines mean marriage)

Confused yet?  Let’s see if I can explain it…

Pasquale Pantoliano married Maria Monaco and and a lot of kids.  4 of them factor into this.  Joe, Peter, Anna and Patrick.

Maria’s first cousin Philomena married Pasquale Borrelli.  Pasquale Borrelli had 2 brothers, Michael and Joe.  Michael married Anna Pantoliano, and when he died, she married his brother Joe Borrelli.

Meanwhile Dom Lovizio and Rosa Torre had two daughters Angela  Lovizio and Maria Lovizio.  Angela Lovizio married Giuseppe Monaco (no relation to Maria, I think) and had a daughter Domenica (Minnie) Monaco who married Peter Pantoliano.

Maria Lovizio married Pietro Romano and a daughter Rose Romano and a son Anthony Romano.

Rose Romano married Joe Pantoliano.

Anthony Romano married Julie Debellis and had a daughter Antoinette.  Antoinette married Matthew D’Attilio, whose sister Rose D’Attilio married Joe Pantoliano’s brother, Patrick Pantoliano.

Now hand me a glass of bourbon.