The name Sconza is also spelled Sconzo, Sconcio, Sconga, among other variations. Almost all of the Sconzo/Sconza people I have found can be traced back to the first couple who arrived in Palermo in 1802 from The Isle of Elba, Gaetano Sconza and Teresa Ducci. The most popular spelling of the name in the U.S. is Sconzo. But I believe the most common spelling of the name in Argentina has remained Sconza. Both still appear in Italy, in addition to Soncio. The earliest Sconza families appear to be located in the same area near Domanico and Lago, Cosenza, Calabria. I suspect that the name originated there and changed sometime in the late 1600s/early 1700s to Sconza from some previous spelling because there are very few families with the Sconza name in documents in the 1700s. In fact, there are relatively few families in Italy existing today with the name Sconza/Sconzo, and again, most can be traced back to the same couple.

Pasquale Sconza was born about 1734.  We believe he was born in Oppido Mamertina, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. Here is the marriage document of Gaetano Sconza and Teresa Ducci who were married in Porto Longone, Isle of Elba, on July 2, 1786. It says that Gaetano, son of Pasquale, was from Oppido Mamertina, Cosenza, Calabria. There is, however, a concentration of the Sconza name in Domanico and Lago, Cosenza, Calabria.

Pasquale sailed to Porto Longone, Isle of Elba, Tuscany, Italy and met a woman named Maria Giuseppa LaToscana who was born on this island about 1732.  Together they had at least one child, Gaetano Sconza, born in 1754 in Oppido Mamertina, Cosenza, Calabria.  He was 60 years old at the time of his death on October 12, 1814 in Acquasanta, Palermo, Sicily, Italy. 

Pasquale and Maria’s son, Gaetano Sconza, married a woman named Teresa Ducci in Porto Longone, Isle of Elba, Tuscany, Italy.  She was born on that island in about 1775.  Teresa died in Palermo between 1837 and 1851. 

Gaetano and Teresa had the following children (all except for the last) born in Porto Longone, Isle of Elba, Tuscany, Italy: 

1. Pasquale Giuseppe Gabriela Domenico Sconza (b. March 19, 1791).  We don’t know what happened to him. 
2. Domenico Sconza (b. July 21, 1793) he later married Giuseppa Barraca in Molo, Palermo, Sicily.  Their children were Teresa, Maria, Caterina, Michelangelo, Giuseppa, Maria, Francesco, Vincenzo, Gaetano, Nicolo, Giuseppe, and Settimo.  In Palermo, he was a shop keeper.  According to the hand-written tree from our cousins remaining in Palermo, at least some of Domenico’s descendants immigrated to the U.S.  I do not know who they are.  Domenico died in Palermo on September 26, 1854.
3. Pasquale Sconza (b. March 18, 1794) he later married Dorotea Giuseppa Paola LaBarbara in Palermo.  Their children were Giovanni b. 1820, Gaetano b. 1823 d.  1824, and Gaetano b. 1824 d. 1881.  Pasquale died in Palermo on March 18, 1844.  Some of Pasquale’s descendants stayed in Italy.  The descendants of his son, Giovanni, wrote the hand-written family tree.  But the descendants of his son, Gaetano, immigrated to Buones Ares, Argentina.  This is the line that Gabriela Gutierrez is from.  (Look below for more information on this line.)
4. Saverio Francesco Giacomo Sconza (Sconcio) was born July 13, 1796 he later married Rosalia Missineo in Palermo.  Their children were Gaetano, Vincenzo, Provvidenza, Giovanna, Provvidenza, Carmelo, Gaetano, and Teresa.  Saverio died in Palermo.  According to the hand-written tree from our cousins who remained in Palermo, at least some of Saverio’s descendants immigrated to France.
5. Maria Giovanna Giuseppa Sconza born February 16, 1798.  We don’t know what happened to her.
6. Giuseppe Sconza born June 28, 1800 he later married first, Carmela Maria Rosa Diliberto on October 31, 1824, then Angela Conticello on June 14, 1851, and finally, Maria Teresa LaBarbara on October 2, 1861.  Giuseppe’s occupation listed on his marriages is identified as a “Sorter of Sumac in a Warehouse” (Cerritore de Sommaco). “Sumac is a widely used, essential spice in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. It’s used in everything from dry rubs, marinades, and dressing. But its best use is sprinkled over food before serving. It pairs well with vegetables, grilled lamb, chicken and fish.” All marriages took place in Palermo, Sicily.  Most of us in the U.S. are the descendants of Giuseppe and Carmela Maria Rosa Diliberto, including me.  (Look below for more information on this line.)
7. Giovanna Sconza born 1801 she later married Andrea Stefanile on May 30, 1837 in Palermo, Sicily.  Their children were Caterina and Teresa. According to the hand-written tree, her descendants moved to Calabria, Italy.
8. Finally, the only child of Gaetano Sconza and Teresa Ducci to be born in Palermo, Nicolo Sconza was born in 1802.  He died on October 24, 1831 in Palermo.  On his death record, it says he was 29 at the time of his death (born in 1802) in Palermo. 

So, according to the births of their children, Gaetano Sconza and Teresa Ducci arrived in Palermo around 1802.  He is said to have been a Captain of a Ship according to a handwritten tree from our relatives who remained in Sicily, but this has not been verified.

This third son of Pasquale and Dorotea, Gaetano b. 1824, married Maria Ilardo on October 10, 1845 in Molo, Palermo.  Their children were

1. Dorotea b. September 17, 1846 in Palermo, d. in Buones Aires, Argentina.  Dorotea married Rosario Puglisi. They immigrated to Argentina in 1870.
2. Angela b. 1848 d. 1848.
3. Pasquale b. 1849 d. 1850. 
4. Giuseppe b. 1851 d. 1853. 
5. Angela b. 1853 in Palermo, married Vincenzo Miloro and died in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  They immigrated to Argentina in 1870. (Angela and Vincenzo are the great grandparents of Gabirela Gutierrez who is part of our FB group.) 
6. Maria b. 1856 d. 1860
7. Giuseppe b. 1860. 
8. Maria b. 1862 d. 1866.
9. Pasquale b. 1862.   

Gaetano also married Rosaria D. Maria and had the following children:

1. Maria b. 1865 She immigrated to Argentina around 1902-05.
2. Giuseppe b. 1867 married Maria Grazia Caccio
3. Pedro b. 1869 d. 1909 in Argentina. He immigrated to Argentina in 1884.
4. Juan b. 1871 He immigrated to Argentina in 1884.

The first son of Pasquale Sconza and Dorotea, Giovanni b. 1828 d.1897, married Rosalia Filiberto in Palermo.  Their children were:

1. Gaetano b. 1853 d.1853
2. Pasquale b. 1856
3. Giuseppe b. 1859
4. Gaetano who married Antonia Badalamonti in Palermo. b. 1864 *
5. Mariano b. 1867 d. 1869
6. Vincenzo b. 1870
7. Dorotea b. 1873

*Gaetano and Antonia Badalamonti had the following children who stayed in Palermo, Sicily:  Giovanni, Antonino, Giulio, Alfredo, Pasquale who married Elizabeth Schleg, Rosalia, Francesca Paola, and Maria. Most likely, the hand-written tree was written by Pasquale who married Elizabeth Schelg or one of Pasquale’s descendants.

Giuseppe Sconza who married Carmela Diliberto were the parents of

1. Maria b. 1825
2. Caterina b. 1828
3. Giovanni b. 1828 d. 1897
4. Gaetano b. September 15, 1829, d. in Palermo before 1899.  He married Rosalia Lubrano.**
5. Rosa b. 1830
6. Giacomo b. 1834 d. 1886
7. Teresa b. 1836
8. Andrea b. 1838 d. 1838
9. Andrea b. 1840
10. Giuseppe b. 1843

** Gaetano Sconza married Rosalia Lubrano on March 15, 1852.  We have been able to document Rosalia Lubrano’s tree back to the 1300s on some lines.  I will do another blog post on her line at a later date.  Rosalia was born October 11, 1832 in Molo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.  She died in Brooklyn on September 14, 1906.  The children of Gaetano Sconza and Rosalia Lubrano were:

1. Giuseppe Sconza born June 19, 1853 in Palermo.  He married Francesca Noto on December 7, 1877.  She was born on September 6, 1859 in Palermo.  After Francesca Noto’s death on March 1, 1904 in Brooklyn, Giuseppe married Angelina (Anna) Macaluso in Brooklyn on October 1, 1905.  Giuseppe died on May 18, 1925 in Brooklyn. 
2. Antonino (Alphonse) Sconza born January 6, 1858 in Palermo.  First, he married Maria Sidoti and had a son with her, Alfonso, who was born on October 27, 1891.  After her death, he married Giuseppa (Josefina) Bommarito on May 20, 1899 in Palermo.  Giuseppa was born abt. 1876 in Palermo and died in 1944 in Brooklyn.  Antonino died in 1932 in Brooklyn, but I do not have the exact date.
3. Vincenzo Sconza was born September 8, 1860 in Palermo.  He married Rosalia Russo on December 31, 1886 in Palermo.  Vincenzo died on October 4, 1937 in Brooklyn.
4. Carmela Sconza was born on May 10, 1866 in Palermo and died on August 3, 1870 in Palermo.
5. Marianna Sconza was born April 20, 1870 in Palermo.  She married Antonino Noto who was born on January 30, 1867 in Palermo and died on December 28, 1912 in Brooklyn.  They were married on November 28, 1891 in Palermo.  Marianna died May 26, 1941 in Brooklyn.
6. Andrea Sconza was born June 10, 1875 in Palermo.  First, he married Angela Celestino on May 20, 1900 in Palermo.  Angela was born on January 16, 1878 in Palermo and died after June 1905 in Brooklyn.  He married Maria Dorotea Bommarito on February 12, 1911 in Brooklyn.  Andrea died on November 5, 1961.

Giuseppe Sconza first arrived in U.S. in 1898.  The children of Giuseppe Sconza and Francesca Noto:

Gaetano 1878-1881

Rosalia 1880-1882

Caterina 1881-1893

Gaetano “Guy” 1886-1943

Francesco 1887-1973

Vincenza 1888-1904

Rosalia 1893-1952

Antonino 1893-1976

Vincenzo 1894-1901

Marianna 1898-1904

Giuseppe 1900-1901

Vincenzo J. 1902-1978

Antonino (Alphonse) Sconza first arrived in U.S. in 1901.  The children of Alphonse and Maria Sidoti:

Alfonso 1891-1935

The children of Alphonse and Giuseppa Bommarito:

Antonino 1900-1973

Giuseppe Antonino 1903-1967

Rosalia 1905-1997

Gaetano 1909-1964

Vincent Edward 1912-1967

Clemente 1914-1914

Clemente 1916-1930

Vincenzo Sconza first arrived in the U.S. in 1907.  The children of Vincenzo and Rosalia Russo:

Gaetano 1885-1886

Gaetano 1889-1891

Fortunato (James) 1891-1918

Rosalia 1893-1956

Giuseppa (Josie) 1896-1971

Anna 1897-1925

Paola 1898-1931

Natia Concetta (Catherine) 1901-1902

Francesco 1911-1914

Francesca (Frances) 1914-1998

Marianna Sconza first arrived in the U.S. 1901; her husband Antonino Noto was the first of the family to arrive in 1897.  The children of Marianna Sconza and Antonino Noto:

Vincenza 1892-1969

Rosalia 1896-1956

Francesco 1898-1908

Gaetano 1900-1961

Paolino 1903-1903

Salvatore 1907-1964

Andrea Sconza first arrived in the U.S. in 1901.  The children of Andrea Sconza and Angela Celestino:

Gaetano 1900-1901

Gaetano 1901-1985

Rose 1903-?

The children of Andrea Sconza and Maria Dorotea Bommarito

Rosie 1912-?