The earliest recorded history of the Musillami family that we so far have located is from the late 1700s in the town on Monreale, Sicily.  Monreale is a small town southwest of Palermo in the province of Palermo.  Monreale is most famous for its cathedral, established in 1172 by William II.  The cathedral is famous for its gold mosaics and its magnificent architecture.

    In the early 1800s, some of the Musillami family began to disburse from Monreale.  One branch of the family left Monreale for Valderice, later Marsala, and more recently various Sicilian towns such as Trapani, Messina, and Palermo.  Another branch of the family appears to have left Monreale for Piana dei Greci (now known as Piana degli Albanesi), though this is still being researched.  Yet another branch of the family left Monreale for Castelvetrano.

    I have obtained detailed family history records from Castelvetrano, and they are available on this website.  There are many different churches in Castelvetrano, but records indicate that the Musillami belonged primarily to the Church of San Giovanni - though some records also indicate participation in the cathedral church of Castelvetrano (Sometimes called the "Chiesa Madre", Mother Church).  Photos and histories of these churches are available on this website.  This website also contains histories and photos of Castelvetrano, as well as recipes typical of this area.

    It is this branch that went to Castelvetrano that would eventually leave Sicily and move abroad.  One female member of this branch would move to the French colony of Tunisia, and then to France (residing for a time, and marrying, in the nearby town of Campobello di Mazara).  Most of the other members moved to the United States and settled in Chicago.

    There is evidence that the Musillami who would eventually make their way to Chicago had a brief stay in the city of Marsala.  This is an assumption based upon immigration records at Ellis Island, which list Marsala as the last place of residence for several Musillami born in Castelvetrano.  There are also a number of birth records not present in the archives at Castelvetrano, which could indicate that several children were born in Marsala.  Marsala is the nearest large city to Castelvetrano.  I am currently attempting to verify this information by obtaining original records from Marsala.

    If this is the case, it appears that Maria Mazzola, the wife of Francesco Musillami, returned to her family's home in Castelvetrano between the time that Francesco left for America and when she followed him here.  She likely gave birth to Santa Nunzia Musillami in Castelvetrano during this time.

    By Sicilian standards, the Musillami family was fairly affluent.  It is likely due to this that the Musillami left, considering the political situation in Sicily at the time.  Before leaving for Chicago they sold their land and properties in Sicily, and brought what else they could to America.  The generation who left Sicily had a reputation amongst the other relatives, that has been passed down in stories, for being very stylish, finely dressed, and excellently mannered - in particular, Rosalia Musillami.

    The Musillami remaining in Sicily today live in Trapani, Valderice, Marsala, Palermo, and Messina.  The French branch is still aware and interested in their Musillami heritage - though they no longer bear the surname.  In the United States, Musillami can be found throughout the country - primarily in Chicago, Indiana, Wisconsin and California.  Jasper Musillami of the Chicago branch moved to Columbus, Indiana.  There are also connections to Greece and Egypt, though their exact place in our family history is still under investigation.  One of the California Musillami, Michael, has moved to Massachusetts and is a jazz musician.  Also, one of the first American astronauts married a Musillami that was from province of Trapani - her name and details are still under investigation.

    Musillami is a rare Sicilian surname that ties the entire family back to one relatively recent common ancestor.  The most common first names in the Musillami family are Saverio, Salvatore, Giovanni (sometimes, Giovan Battista), Maria, Francesco and Santa.  More research on the derivation of the family name and our history in the 1700s and before is currently underway.  Please feel free to share any information or stories that you may have and I will add them to our website:  storia@musillami.com

    Enjoy!
 
 

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