Our family is very fortunate to be able to find our ancestors as far back as the Renaissance, since not many Sicilian families are able to do this. The earliest ancestors that we can find a link to are the parents of Placido and Rosario Cullurafi. Don and Elizabetta Cullurafi are noted, in the 1681 census of Librizzi, as the parents of both men. In the family tree section which follows, you will be able to trace their descendants in Librizzi for four generations. The location of Vallone di Vina is referred to in these records. Our surname is spelled several different ways, even for the same person in the same set of docements.

There seem to have been other members of our family in Sicily, as well. In the Militello census of 1681-1683, which covers the area where Sant' Agata di Militello is now located, we see two families listed. No ages are given in this census and we have only difficult-to- read names in two family groupings. "Giac" is the father of both family heads. This seems to be the Sicilian version of the French or Norman name of Jacque. One family is that of Francesco Colorofe. In this family we have a Francesco, another Francesco, a Giac, and a Pellegina. Maccleo, which could be a Sicilian version of Michelo, is the head of the other famiglia Colorofe. He is also listed as the son of Giac. There is no mother listed for either of the men. In Maccleo's household we find a son named Francesco, a daughter "Mar." - could this be Maria? - and still another member whose name looks like "Selver." or "Silver." or "Salvar."- which may be a version of Salvatore, or else a version of the name Silvio. There are no Colorofe families in the 1714 census covering this area.

As noted earlier, our name was sometimes spelled "Colorofe" or "Collorafe" in the Patti district as recently as 1850. There could be many reasons that the family no longer lived in the Rofe area in 1714. Possibilities include pirate invasions or the massive earthquake of 1693. Records show that the family moved back to this area, from Librizzi before 1800. In the Sant' Agata di Militello area we find Colloraffis, in the civil records, functioning as landowners, farmers, respected tradesmen, and even as political leaders.

San Piero Patti lists a Franchina Collorofe, as well as Mercuiro Collorofe on the tax rolls for 1681. We can also read of a Vincenzo Collorofi, who signs records with a wonderful circular pattern of his name! Unfortunately, the page listing his household is missing.

In the census of Patti for 1715, we find a Mario Colorifi. He is the son of Francesco. We do not find the family here in 1681. At this point in time, we have a gap of several generations between these early ancestors and the family tree that I was able to establish by researching the civil records of Librizzi, San Piero Patti, Patti, and Sant' Agata di Militello from 1820 to 1910. If other information is found, such as church records, perhaps one day we will be able to build a bridge between our ancient ancestors and those born after the census of 1715.