Butera Family History

Butera Family History

Caltanissetta, Sicily

When I was younger, I always wanted to know what the Butera name meant. Thinking that it might translate into something in Italian, I asked my grandfather, but he simply told me that it didn’t mean anything in Italian. However, he’d often tell me stories of his journey to America from Serradifalco, Sicily circa 1921-22 when he was around 17 or 18 years old.

It wasn’t until after my grandfather passed away, that I discovered there was a small town in Sicily by the name of Butera. I was surfing the net with my oldest brother Angelo (my grandfather’s namesake), when we decided to do a search on “Butera” to see what would come up. We found a site about Sicily where I discovered that Butera is a small town of the province of Caltanissetta in Sicily. Also, I found that my grandfather’s hometown, Serradifalco, is also located in the same province.

Then, one day, I received an e-mail from a gentleman named Robert Butera. He saw my page and sent me a note detailing some history of the town of Butera which can be found below. After further correspondence, he sent me a crest which came from a letter he received from the town of Butera. The letterhead reads COMUNE DI BUTERA-Provincia Di Caltanissetta and was sent to him after he made an inquiry to the mayor’s office of Butera.

Butera Crest

Robert believes that the inscription around the crest is Latin for “Butera – The city which is always victorious.” He admits that this is only a guess.

Salvatore, from Montreal Canada, wrote and gave me a lot of interesting information. He told me that the inscription literally means “Community of the Unreachable Town of Butera.” He has studied classical languages, and sites that “Universitas” translates to Community, and “Invictissimae” means “never won” or “unreachable.” Since Butera is located atop a small mountain, this makes sense. If you want to read some more facts sent by Salvatore, see the link below.

Since I created this page, I’ve gotten so much e-mail from fellow Buteras from all over the country and around the world. I wish I could mention all the people who have shared their stories and heritage with me. Many have relatives in Pittston, PA and, who knows, could be relatives. Also, many, like Ray Iannello, sent links about Sicily and its provinces. You can visit some of the below. I would just like to thank everyone who has responded, and please, keep writing!

Feel free to visit the below sites for more Butera information.

Internet Sites