Genealogy in Geraci Siculo
Tracing your Italian roots back to Geraci Siculo (in Palermo province, Sicilia region) begins with understanding which records exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the civil, parish and historical sources available for genealogy in Geraci Siculo.
Geraci Siculo family history at a glance
- Region: Sicilia
- Province: Palermo
- Type of records: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: from 1809 onwards
- Parish records: often older than civil records (in some cases from the 1600s)
How to research your ancestry in Geraci Siculo
Thanks to its network of local experts, Italianside has developed significant experience in genealogical research in the province of Palermo. For this reason, over the years it has become a reliable reference for those wishing to reconnect with their Italian roots and could be a key partner in the success of your research too. You can read the feedbacks of our customers on our testimonials page
Our experts in Sicilia region, conducted genealogy research on historical families from Geraci Siculo, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Callari, Coco, Corradino, Fazio, Fiorentino, Giaconia, Maggio, Minutella, Neglia, Parrinello, Pupillo, Sacco, Sanfilippo, Scancarello, Spallina and others.
Many records relating to families and individuals are already stored in our databases and include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, residential addresses, and key family and social relationships within the Geraci Siculo community in past centuries.
Part of the information used by ItalianSide in genealogy research derives from a proprietary archive of on-site research conducted over many years in Geraci Siculo and Sicilia by our experts. This archive includes studies, family trees, and data not available online, such as cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation.
Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military records
• cadastral and property records
• historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Direct access to local archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.
ItalianSide research: Beyond Names and Dates
Italian genealogy is deeply local. It can’t be reduced only about collecting birth and death dates.
In Sicilia, every municipality — including Geraci Siculo — has its own archival history, record‑keeping traditions, and unique documentary sources. This is why Italianside is able to help you in your Italian ancestry research, through a national network of local experts, each specialized in the archives of their specific territory.
Our researcher who works in Geraci Siculo and in the Province of Palermo knows how to navigate local civil, parish, military, and notarial records, uncovering details that go far beyond basic dates. By combining national coordination and methodology with deep local expertise, our researcher will bring your ancestors’ stories back to life within the history of the Geraci Siculo community.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Geraci Siculo
In towns and villages of Sicilia and in Palermo province, civil registration offices were established in 1809. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Geraci Siculo from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Geraci Siculo, please follow this link.)
If you know that your ancestors lived in Geraci Siculo during the past centuries, the City Office of Geraci Siculo is usually the first place to start your family research. Our local expert can access these records on your behalf and interpret them correctly.
- Professions: discover what your ancestors did for a living.
- Addresses: find the street or house where the family lived in Geraci Siculo.
- Family links: identify parents, witnesses and neighbours that appear in the records.
- Signatures and notes: see how your ancestors signed and read any marginal annotations.
If you prefer to contact the Town Hall by yourself, we suggest reading our genealogy tips for Italy. They include practical advice for research in Sicilia and specifically in Geraci Siculo.
Population trends in Geraci Siculo
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Geraci Siculo from the Italian Unification (1861). Understanding how many people lived in the town over time is useful when interpreting migration and family movements.
Church Records in Geraci Siculo
Church archives in Palermo province often preserve information that predates civil records. Parish registers include baptisms, marriages and burials and sometimes allow you to push your family tree back into the 1700s and 1600s.
In many areas of Sicilia, parish registers began around the 1500s. These manuscripts are not easy to access from abroad and can be hard to read without specific training.
Our local genealogists, graduated in history and archival studies, can consult the parish archives of Geraci Siculo on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Geraci Siculo:
S. MARIA MAGGIORE – P.zza del Popolo
Notary records and other historical sources
Another important source of information is represented by notary documents, which preserve wills, dowries, property sales and contracts. These records are usually kept in provincial and State Archives and can provide valuable details on the social and economic life of your family.
The provincial archive is:
Archivio di Stato di Palermo
Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 31 – Palermo
Phone: +39 0912704001 .002 .003
Days and opening hours: monday – friday 08:00 – 18:00 saturday 08:00 – 13:30 weekly closing: Sunday and holidays; no reservation
Military records
Conscription lists and service records documenting physical descriptions, dates and places of enlistment, units and ranks held, periods of service, military postings, transfers, and movements, often providing detailed insight into an individual’s life beyond civil registration.
Cadastral and property records in Geraci Siculo
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Geraci Siculo. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.
Historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Historical photographs, prints, and documents from private collections—including ItalianSide’s archive of vintage images from Geraci Siculo and Sicilia region are available. Old pictures add significant value to your family history research and offer a real sense of the places where your ancestors once lived.
Planning a visit to Geraci Siculo
From our experience, if you plan to visit Geraci Siculo we always recommend starting the research months before your arrival. This way you avoid spending your holidays in offices or churches dealing with bureaucracy.
Remember that archives are not open to the general public and officers or priests are not required by law to grant direct access to the records.
With the results collected by our genealogist before your trip, you will have more time to enjoy the town and its surroundings, walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Professional help for research in Geraci Siculo
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Geraci Siculo area, write to geracisiculo@italianside.com or fill the form here. Our expert will study your request and reply with a research plan and a quote tailored to your family history.
Messages from other visitors in Geraci Siculo
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Geraci Siculo forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Geraci Siculo with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Husband’s great grandfather and great grandmother were from Geraci Siciulo. His name was Cosimo Geraci. Her name was Grace. Don’t know her maiden name.
Looking for relatives in Geraci by the last name of CHI CHI.
My grandfather come to America in 1897 to NYC.
Hello, I am researching my family history.
My grandparents, Pietro Puleo and Gaetana Daino from GC.
Please see comment below from Gail. She is my friend and is assisting me.
Need help.
I will be in Girachi Siculo in July, meeting with Giuseppe Puleo. Can we meet?
Thank you
Researching the names Pietro Puleo (born 5 April 1869 and his wife, Gaetana Daino (born 13 Feb 1877) both born in Geraci Siculo. Looking for their ancestors who stayed in Italy and who may have immigrated to the US. They had 8 children (first 4 born in Geraci): Guiseppe Georgio (1900), Lucia (1902) married Favio Giuffrida, Rosaria (1903) married Angelo DiDio), Angelina (1905). Born in US, Maria (1907), Rosario (1908), Nunsiata (1910) and Alfredo (1922). Would love to know more about grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins…
Anyone with information on their ancestors, please contact me. I am researching for a friend who is traveling to Italy for a few months this summer. Thank you!!
My paternal grandparents were born in Palormo. Grandfathers name was Giatano Ferrara born around 1892. Immigrated to NY around July of 1912.
Do not know much about his parents or his life in Italy.
His wife was Barbara (Mary) Durante, her fathers name was Liborio Durante, but that is about all I know about her. She died in NY around 1916-1917.
My grandfather Bartolomeo Maniscalco was born February 19, 1879 in Geraci Siculo Palermo, Sicily Italy. He came to the United States om 1903.
Any information regarding ancestors would be greatly appreciated.
My grandfather was born in 1896 in Sicily and wrote to family in a town called Galacti Monmartino (my memory is fuzzy) so I am taking a leap of faith and hoping it is Geraci Siculo. His surname is Sutera and his parents were Calogero and Francesca. If this isn’t the town does Galacti even exist?
Thank you
My grandparents were PARAVECCHIO and FERRANTE. They were from the little town of Geraci, Sicily and later moved to the United States. If anyone has any information, it would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Sonia Paravecchio Smith
Grandfather, Michael Iuppa, of Geraci Sicolo. We are related to Nicolo Iuppa family who currently resides in Geraci. His son is Luigi, daughter Anna (I think) and one other son. Any additional information would be appreciated.
Hello Martha,
I am Ana, grand daughter of Joseph Iuppa, born in Geraci Siculo. I am cousin to Nocolo’ and family. Several of my Rochester, NY cousins have visited them. I have spoken with Nicolo” and Anna by phone, exchanged letters and e-mail. I will share this link with Luigi, in hopes that he will contact you re. his family.
I can also share photos and related info.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
My grandparents were from Geraci Siculo, emigrating to the US in 1896. Is anyone out there familiar with them or our ancestors? Rosario Leonarda, born of Giuseppe Leonarda and Angela LoPizzo in 1866. Giuseppe Leonarda was born of Francesco Leonarda and Maria Zangara. My grandmother was Francesca Maggio, born of Giuseppe Maggio and Francesca Purpura. Giuseppe Maggio’s father was supposedly from Lorraine, France.
My husband’s great-grandfather was Rosario Leonarda; married to Francesca Maggio. They came to the US (??), and lived in Pittsburgh, PA.
My Grandmother was from Geraci Siculo. Her name was Dominica Maggio. She also went by Maimee or Mayme for her first name. To the best of my calculations, she was born in 1894. She came to the United States by ship with her sisters, one of whom was Martha. She did not come through Ellis Island but through Pittsburg, I believe. She was Roman Catholic. She met and married Joseph Duca here, in the U.S.
She died in 1970 from complications of diabetes, suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 76 years of age when she passed in 1970. Based on this information, she would have been born in 1894. Can you tell me anything, her birthday – day and month, who her parents and siblings were, and if there is family remaining in Geraci?
My Grandfather, Joseph Duca, was from Gangi. He came to the U.S. when he was a young man. His family has a delivery or trucking business in Gangi.
He passed away in 1980 at the age of either 87 or 88, which would make his year of birth 1892 or 1893. He was a laborer and worked in construction. He joined the army in order to leave Italy and avoid being a driver for a business that he did not want to work with. I think there are family members still in Gangi. Can you tell me his birth date? If there are family still living in Gangi.
My great grandfather was born in Geraci Italy according to records I have found here in the states. He arrived in New York at Ellis Island on 28 April 1921 at the age of 15. He lived in Geraci with his grandfather Vincenzo Mule’ his namesake. He was born on 16 April 1906. His father is Benedetto Mule’ born on Aug 6, 1877. I would love to have dates for there spouses and confirm that my information is correct. Please help. I have been researching this line for over 20 years. Just recently I found that Vincenzo was born in Geraci.Again Father is Benedetto Mule’ born 6 Aug 1877 in Italy. Mother is Giuseppa or Giuseppina. She was born 10 Jan 1886 in Italy. Both immigrated to the US. Giuseppa/Giuseppina’s mother is Conetta Paruta and Father is Antonio Palazzolo. I have no more information that I can give you. I would love to find as much information as possible.
Hi Carrie!
Based on your post we may be related…my Grandfather was Domenico Palazzolo who died in Long Branch, NJ in 1960, his parents (My Great Grandparents) were Antonio and Concetta Paruta Palazzolo from Geraci.
My grandmother and grandfather were from Geraci siculo. My Grandmother Giuseppa Iuppa (mother Maria Giuseppa Valenza, father Francesco Iuppa) and my grandfather was Ignazio Polizz (mother Venere Viccella, father Francesco Polizzi) I’m looking for any information I can obtain. I even took a vacation there and roamed the town cemetery as well as the town hall. Lack of communication on my part didn’t get me too far. Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated
My grandmother and grandfather are from Geraci Siculo. My grandmother was Concetta Iuppa and my gradfather was Gaetano Farinella. I am looking for more info on their parents/grandparents. Any advice. They immigrated to US in 1927.