Hi Sherry - My ggf Gianbattiste Pucciariello came to the US from Ferrandina and was married there as well, but I was pretty sure he wasn't born there and the marriage record confirmed my suspicions - he and his parents both came from Buccino (Salerno/Campagna), a small town just across the Basilicata border, where about two/thirds of the Pucciariello's came to the US from. I'm willing to bet two things: your Nicola and my Gianbattiste were related - too much of a coincidence for them both to be that far away from Buccino and have the same last name and not be related - and that your Nicola originally came from Buccino as well. You say you know his father's name as Giuseppe from his marriage record. If he was married in Italy the record should state where he and his parents were born - that's how I found out my Gianbattiste came from Buccino.
The name Pucciariello just doesn't fit in Ferrandina - the only records I found from 1865 - 1905 with that surname in that town are a birth of a Pietro in 1884 - who I'm pretty sure was Gianbattiste's first son - and another Pietro born in 1891 - possibly related to Nicola. No deaths. I stopped looking for marriage records when I found Gianbattiste's in 1882. That LDS film by luck happened to be on loan at my LDS center for someone else, and I think it may have been returned by now, but I'm going there next Tues. and I'll look for the marriage record of Nicola.
The trouble with Buccino is that its records have not been documented by LDS. In looking for help, I just today contacted the Buccinese Club in Altoona, Pa. (yes, I said Altoona, Pa.) and while no one could help me from a genealogic standpoint, the (really nice) guy I spoke with spoke glowingly about this town - the Club members visited there two years ago and were treated like royalty, and his daughter actually got married there last year (again, royally). I do have an e-mail address for the local pastor but I may need an interpreter - my guy in Altoona says of the 5,000 people in Buccino, only two or 3 speak English. If you have any details about Nicola (birth date or even year), I'll be happy to include them in my request for info from the church there. One last thing - my Ferrandina research originally focused on my "LaFianza" side - it was only by luck that I found the Pucciariello marriage record there - so I can tell you that the surname Lisante (Nicola's wife, you mentioned in an earlier post) happens to be by far the most common "L" surname in Ferrandina. My guess is that just like GianBattiste came from Buccino and married a local girl in Ferrandina, your Nicola did the same. That would mean that the two of us are in a very small club - in addition to possibly being related - albeit very distantly - we both probably have ancestors from both Buccino and Ferrandina and I'll bet no other families can say that!
Good luck in your research - please feel free to e-mail me at
jllaf@optonline.net, now that we have power back!!!
Take care,
John