My last name is Carine. I was told that when my grandparents arrived in America around the turn of the century that their name was Carini and that it was changed to Carine to be more American. How can I find out who and where my family is from in Siciliy. I would love to know more about my heritage. I love to cook, etc. and feel like a part of me is missing not knowing my family history. My Grandfather Samuel J. Carine I know was born in Sicily and his wife Rose Carine was Italian and born in Calabria.

Cheers,

Eric Carine

Without more information it would be very hard to say where your people came from. There are Carinis throughout the province of Palermo. Santa Flavia, Capaci, and even the city of Palermo.

Do you know where they went to when they came over. Was his given name actually Samuel? Many Salvatores changed their name to Samuel to 'fit in'.

I have never seen the surname Carini in the Carini commune records. It's more likely that someone from Carini went to another town centuries earlier and took the name of Carini....as in 'di Carini'. Just guessing.

When were your ancestors born and when did the come to the US? The only way to find out what happened is to start with yourself and work backwards doing all your US research first and looking for clues.

It is a slow process but my guess is like eyetalgal said, they may have taken the name.