Families with twins.

Across the full Sassano-Bompietro tree — now 31,512 individuals and 7,912 families as new records keep getting added — this update added one set and removed none, leaving 329 sets of twins, and one set of triplets documented (330 multiple births in all, one more than last update), still spanning 1645 to 1971, identified by siblings sharing an identical birth date. That's roughly one twin-birth set for every twenty-four families in the tree overall — still a little above the general historical rate of twinning, without being so far above it that the pattern speaks for itself. It needed a closer look.

The more interesting question isn't how many twin births there were, but whether twinning tends to run in particular families across generations, rather than appearing once and fading out. To get at that, every twin's own descendants were traced forward, generation by generation, checking whether any of them turned out to be a twin too. That search turned up 40 family lines where twins were born again later, one more than last update.

Eight separate cases are now the closest recurrence in the tree, all exactly one generation apart: Giovanni di Sisti & Antonia Apollonia Calandriello (1707→1749); Giovanni Florendino & Perna Apollonia Belleza (1701→1748); Cesare Matteo Feminella & Antonia Zozzaro (1720→1763); Paolo Biancamano & Agnese Caputo (1824→1856); Giovanni Libretti & Anna Maria Spina (1833→1881); Agnese Petrizzo, herself a twin, who had twins with Giovanni Maria Benvenga; Giuseppe d'Amato, a twin born to Dario d'Amato & Albabella Florendino, who later had twins with Arcangela Pellegrino; and Silvia Camilla Capuano, a twin born to Donato Domenico Capuano & Vittoria Domenica Baialardo, who later had twins with Carmine Nicola Carlo (1692→1727). Eight families showing the same direct, one-generation pattern remains a considerably stronger signal than a handful of isolated cases could offer. The rest of the 40 recurring lines stretch further — three, four, even six generations between one twin birth and the next in the same family line, which is exactly what you'd expect once a family has spread into enough branches that a repeat becomes statistically likely again on its own, hereditary tendency or not.

One set joined the list this update, from the earliest part of the tree. Donato Domenico Capuano & Vittoria Domenica Baialardo, parents of eight, had twin daughters Silvia Camilla and Vittoria Berardina on 6 Oct 1692. Silvia Camilla died on 28 Mar 1737; Vittoria Berardina, who carried the name of an older sister born in 1688 who did not survive to 1692, has no death recorded. She married Leonardo Antonio Trotta on 27 Aug 1723, and he died 131 days later, on 5 Jan 1724, a marriage that now appears on the Notable records page among those cut short within the first year. Silvia Camilla married Carmine Nicola Carlo on 10 Feb 1726, and on 30 Dec 1727 they had twin daughters of their own, Rosa and Giovanna Carlo: Rosa died the next day and Giovanna on 1 Jan 1728. That is a recurrence just one generation on, which lifts the recurrence count to 40 and makes Capuano the eighth case of the closest-possible repeat. The Chicago count holds at eight. The tree now holds 31,512 individuals and 7,912 families, up 84 people (102 added, 18 dropped), and the surname leaderboard is unchanged: Feminella, Carlo and Petrizzo on 12, di Luca and Trotta on 11, and Libretti on ten.

Nothing changed in the twin records last update. The 28 Oct file added 79 people, all born between 1600 and 1749, and dropped seven, which took the tree to 31,428 individuals and 7,894 families. None of the additions was a twin: the total held at 329 multiple births (328 sets of twins and one set of triplets), the recurrence count at 39, the Chicago count at eight, and the surname leaderboard was unchanged, with Feminella, Carlo and Petrizzo on 12, di Luca and Trotta on 11 and Libretti on ten.

No set joined the list or left it two updates ago either, so the total held at 329 and the recurrence count at 39. Two changes in the tree touched the twin records then. The duplicate Ricciardone entry has been merged: Michele Giuseppe Ricciardone (8 Aug 1884 – 4 Aug 1914) now appears once, in a family of twelve children, so the 1884 birth is a single birth rather than a further set. And the d'Alessio twin daughters Catarina Eufemia and Rosa Antonia, born 25 Dec 1728, now have death dates: both died three days later, on 28 Dec 1728. The new records added to the tree that update, nearly all for people born before 1750, created no new twin sets and changed no line's closest recurrence. The Chicago count held at eight, and the surname leaderboard was unchanged: Feminella, Carlo and Petrizzo lead on 12, di Luca and Trotta follow on 11, and Libretti is on ten.

One set joined the list three updates ago and one was set aside. Michele di Bella & Filomena Rubino, parents of ten, had twins Ferdinando and Rosa on 14 Apr 1900; Ferdinando died two days later, on 16 Apr, and Rosa on 19 Apr. They descend five generations from the Burzo twins of 17 Nov 1715, a line already counted, so the recurrence count stays at 39. The couple also appear on the Notable records page, where two of their sons and two Finizio sisters married in a double sibling pairing. The set set aside was the Ricciardone pair of 8 Aug 1884 (Giovanni Ricciardone & Maria Caterina di Brizzi): the tree then listed both boys under the same name, Michele Giuseppe Ricciardone, with identical birth and death dates. That read as a duplicate entry or a typo, so it was not counted as twins while the entry was checked. The Chicago count holds at eight, and the surname leaderboard is unchanged: Feminella, Carlo and Petrizzo lead on 12, di Luca and Trotta follow on 11, and Libretti is on ten.

Four sets joined the list four updates ago, all from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Gaetano Lefante & Antonia Fornino, parents of ten, had twin daughters Giustina and Maria on 2 Nov 1888; Giustina died three days later, on 5 Nov. Giovanni Antonio di Brizzi & Arcangela Caiafa had twins Francesca and Loreto on 1 Dec 1891, and Francesca lived until 10 Dec 1946. And Francesco Petrizzo & Maria Rosa Zozzaro, parents of eleven, had twins twice: Rosa and Antonio on 13 May 1906, when Rosa died on 13 Jul that year, and Rosa and Antonia on 23 Mar 1913, when Antonia died three days later, on 26 Mar. Francesco and Maria Rosa also appear in the cousin marriage analysis, as third cousins who married on 22 Aug 1891.

The recurrence count held at 39, but one line got closer. The Petrizzo twins of 1906 and 1913 are only three generations on from the Carlo twins Isabella and Anna, born 4 Nov 1801 to Ferdinando Vincenzo Carlo & Antonia di Sisti (the link runs through Anna), which replaces a four-generation link to the di Brizzi twins of 1930 as that line's closest recurrence. Both Petrizzo sets also descend, six generations back, from the di Sisti twins of 28 Aug 1707. The Lefante twins of 1888 descend six generations from the Benvenga twins of 1 Nov 1707, a line already counted, and the di Brizzi twins of 1891 link to nothing earlier. The Chicago count held at eight. On the surname leaderboard, Petrizzo rose from ten to twelve, joining Feminella and Carlo in a three-way tie at the top, while di Luca and Trotta stayed on 11 and Libretti on ten.

Three sets joined the list five updates ago, all from the 1890s and early 1900s. Francesco Vasquez & Maria Abbruzzese had twins Antonia and Giuseppe on 16 Aug 1895; Antonia died eight days later, on 24 Aug. Giovanni Riccio & Margarita Cammarano had twin sons Giuseppe and Rosario on 14 Sep 1900, and Rosario died on 20 Jan 1901, aged four months. And Antonio Rubino & Antonia d'Onza, parents of six, had twin sons, both named Giovanni (Giovanni Battista and Giovanni), on 4 Jul 1911; one is recorded as dead by 1912. The Riccio and Rubino couples also appear in the cousin marriage analysis, as fourth cousins (15 Mar 1890) and third cousins once removed (25 Sep 1899).

None of the three changed the recurrence count, which holds at 39, because each descends from lines already counted. The Riccio twins of 1900 descend five generations from the Riccio pair Giovanni Agostino and Ascanio, born 28 Jan 1681. The Vasquez twins of 1895 descend six generations from twins born 17 Nov 1715, and the Rubino twins of 1911 are only two generations from the di Stefano twins of 1843 (Rosaria and her brother) and also descend from the Laveglia twins of 1739. The Chicago count held at eight, and the surname leaderboard was unchanged at that point: Feminella and Carlo led on 12, di Luca and Trotta followed on 11, and Libretti and Petrizzo were level on ten.

Three sets joined the list six updates ago, all from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Giovanni Ricciardone & Maria Caterina di Brizzi, parents of twelve, had twin sons Giuseppe and Michele Giuseppe on 8 Aug 1884, and the two brothers died on the very same day, 4 Aug 1914, aged 29 (this pair has since been set aside as a duplicate entry; see the updates above). Giuseppe Pinto & Antonia d'Alessio had twins Nicola and Giustina on 25 Aug 1905; Nicola died on 22 Oct 1908, aged three. And Nicola d'Onza & Barbara Giustina Villano, parents of eleven, had twin daughters, Giovanna and Michela, on 11 Mar 1916. The Pinto and d'Onza couples also appear in the cousin marriage analysis, as second cousins (28 Jul 1900) and fourth cousins (13 Aug 1892).

The Pinto twins of 1905 lifted the recurrence count to 39. They descend, four generations on, from the d'Alessio twins Paolo and Paolo Flaminio Filippo, born 26 Jan 1806 to Angelo Maria d'Alessio & Maria Rubino, which makes the d'Alessio pair a new recurring line. The Pinto twins and the d'Onza twins of 1916 also descend from the di Sponzio twins of 1772, five generations back, the d'Onza pair from the Pellegrino twins of 1726 as well, and the Ricciardone twins of 1884 from the twins of 1715, so those three add longer links to lines already counted. The Chicago count held at eight, and the surname leaderboard was unchanged at that point: Feminella and Carlo led on 12, di Luca and Trotta followed on 11, and Libretti and Petrizzo were level on ten.

Two sets joined the list seven updates ago, both from the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Giovanni Abbondanza & Maria Antonia Marmo had twin daughters, Domenica and Rosaria, on 2 Aug 1896; Rosaria died on 25 Apr 1900, aged three. Vito Trotta & Maria Rosa Zozzaro, parents of ten, had twins Antonio and Francesca on 30 Oct 1916, and lost both within the week: Francesca died on 2 Nov and Antonio on 5 Nov. Vito and Maria Rosa also appear in the cousin marriage analysis, as relatives who married on 30 Jun 1894.

Neither set changed the recurrence count, which held at 38. The Trotta twins of 1916 do descend from an earlier twin birth, the Riccio pair Giovanni Agostino and Ascanio, born 28 Jan 1681, six generations back, but that line was already counted. The Abbondanza set links to nothing earlier. The Chicago count holds at eight. On the surname leaderboard, Trotta rises from ten to eleven and now sits level with di Luca, behind Feminella and Carlo on 12, while Libretti and Petrizzo remain on ten.

Three sets joined the list eight updates ago, all from the later nineteenth century. Gaetano Petrizzo & Maria Abbate had twin daughters, Giovanna and Giulia, on 18 Aug 1854; Giovanna lived to 18 Dec 1898. Francesco Giordano & Arcangela Esposito had twin sons, Gaetano and Michele, on 18 Jul 1887; Gaetano died in March 1889, not yet two. And Francesco Riccio & Catarina Pinto had twins Paolina and Giustina Carmela on 15 Jul 1888; Giustina Carmela died on 3 Mar 1910.

The Petrizzo twins of 1854 restored the recurrence count to 38, after the Arenare merge had taken it down to 37. They descend, three generations on, from the Ricciardone twins Angelica and Benedetta, born 11 Nov 1760 to Nicola Antonio Giovanni Ricciardone & Angela Anna Feminella: Benedetta's line runs through Michele Carmine Petrizzo and Gaetano Petrizzo to the 1854 girls. That makes the Ricciardone pair a new recurring line. The other two sets add longer links to lines already counted. The Riccio twins of 1888 descend from the Laveglia twins of 1739 and the Riccio twins of 1681, five generations back, and the Giordano twins of 1887 from the Carlo twins of 1698 and 1704, six generations back, so neither changes a line's closest recurrence. The Chicago count holds at eight. On the surname leaderboard, Petrizzo rises from nine to ten, joining Libretti, Trotta and Calandriello in a four-way tie for fourth, while Feminella and Carlo remain level at the top on 12 and di Luca holds at 11.

Four sets joined the list ten updates ago, all from newly indexed records. Gaetano Laveglia & Francesca Chiurillo had twin daughters, Rosa and Angela, on 17 Jan 1902; they lived only three and four days. Francesco Riccio & Maria Rosa Trotta — parents of eleven — had twins Giuseppe and Rosa Gaetana on 13 Jan 1906. Giovanni Libretti & Benedetta Quagliano, themselves among that update's new fourth-cousin marriages, had twins Gennaro and Giovanna on 10 Nov 1918; Gennaro died 13 days later. And the oldest of the four, from 27 Sep 1889, is Giuseppe and Diego Arcangelo Giuseppe Ferri, sons of Giovanni Paolo Ferdinando Giuseppe Ferri & Angelina Maria Michela Geltrude Antonia Piccini-Leopardi; Diego died the following February.

Three of the four land in family lines that already had a twin set, so the recurrence count held at 38 even as the lines themselves grew. The Laveglia twins of 1902 descend from three earlier twin births — the Capuano pair of 1701, the Petrizzo pair of 1746 and the di Sisti pair of 1707 — and the Riccio twins of 1906 from the Riccio pair of 1681. The most notable link is the Libretti twins of 1918: they are only three generations on from the di Lisa twins born 25 Dec 1838 (Luigi Samuele and Carolina Filomena), which replaces a five-generation link to the 1971 Libretti twins as that line's closest recurrence, and they also descend from the di Sisti pair of 1707. The Ferri set links to nothing earlier. The Chicago count holds at eight. On the surname leaderboard, Libretti rises from nine to ten, joining Trotta and Calandriello in a three-way tie for fourth, while Feminella and Carlo remain level at the top on 12.

An earlier set to leave the list did so for a data-quality reason rather than a real loss. The pair previously listed as Marcello & Matteo Trotta (b. 15 Oct 1765, sons of Giuseppe Francesco Trotta & Anna Burzo) turns out to have been a mis-dated record: Matteo's entry had been carrying Marcello's birth date and Marcello's death date (14 Oct 1795) exactly, and the source data now gives him his own — born 14 Jul 1768, died 18 Jul 1830, nearly thirty-five years after the brother he had been paired with. Marcello stays in the tree as a single birth; the pair is simply no longer a twin set. It had no recurrence links, so the recurrence count is unaffected, though the Trotta family's own twin tally slips from 11 to 10, dropping it out of a tie with di Luca and into a tie with Calandriello. Feminella and Carlo remain level at the top with 12.