Hello -- I'm new at this! I am the granddaughter of Antonio Talladira who was born in Bovalino Calabria in 1898, emigrated to U.S. at the age of 23 on December 31, 1921 (Ellis Isl. records), and settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He had an older brother "Joe" (Giuseppe) who also emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Pittsfield, and I believe was born in Ardore. I know that they had several sisters who stayed in Calabria, but I only know the name of one of them (Judita). Parents were Michaelo Talladira and Maria Zappavigna.

I am looking for long lost Talladira relatives and people to help me "fill in the blanks" as to what happened to the rest of the family who remained in Italy. Did they actually remain or move to Canada or Australia? Rumor has it that the name means nothing in Italian because it actually came from Albanian ancestors. Can anyone verify this story?
Also looking for the connection between Talladiras and Tallaridas. Brazilian Tallaridas? Dyslexic immigration officials? Thanks for whatever help you can provide!

Welcome to the forum!
Bovalino and Ardore are very close (about 5 miles) and the surname Zappavigna is rather popular. If you check the Italian White pages you will find that there are also some Talladira in both towns.

Thank you so much for that starting point, Livio! Grazie!

Hi Calabria2Pittsfield!
Well it looks like our ancestors are from neighbouring towns since my ancestors are also from Ardore. Zappavigna is probably the most common surname in Ardore - as is Morabito. As for Talladira, I believe the majority of people I have found with that surname are from San Nicola (a hamlet in Ardore) and in Bombile. Judita was probably Giuditta and Michaelo could have been Michele or Michelangelo. These are the most common spellings I have come across.

I have some films for Bovalino on permanent loan at the FHC but I don't go as much anymore - mainly because like all the FHC, they seem to have cut the hours they are open dramatically. I can have a look thought the next time I go and see if I can locate anything for you.

Hello Calabria2Pittsfield,

My ancenstors, also, are from Ardore. I also have Zappavigna's in my family tree.

I did a little telephone search and came up with 27 Tallarida, 13 Talladira in Australia, and 3 Talladira in Quebec.

I also checked actual birth records from 1810-1849 at www.calabriaexchange.com and came up with about 20 births and not a single one was spelled Tallarida. A couple of marriages and one death record were also Talladira so I would guess that the mispelling took place at immigration.

I will be receiving the 1892 records for Ardore in a week or two. If there is anything specific that you would like me to look up, let me know.

Mary

OK, here's the information I have on the origin of the name, Talladira: The information is directly from a scholar of the ancient Albanian language. First, a brief history lesson.... Six hundred years ago Albania was a Christian country, and led by a well loved Prince named Skanderbeg. Prince Skanderbeg skillfully used both diplomacy and force of arms to keep the Turks out of Albania. In 1468 Prince Skanderbeg died and the Turks swept into Albania. In every country the Turks invaded, the population was given a choice: The people could become muslems, or they could become dead. Many Albanians fled their homeland and sailed across the Adriatic, settling in Southeast Italy. Oddly enough, the only place on Earth where ancient Albanian is still spoken is in some villages in Calabria. Breaking down the name goes something like this: "tallat" = announcer. "dire" = know (to know). The "a" at the end is to italianize the name. Together, the name, Talladira means the announcer knows. Back in ancient Albania, a Talladira ancestor's occupation was to travel through village,and/or town telling people the news of the time (a "town cryer") This also explains why the name means nothing in Italian. Basically, the Talladiras in Italy are the decendants of people who would not give up their faith, or submit to the infamous brutality of Turkish occupation. I hope this helps.