Carascon is an Italian

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

or noble

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

origin. The surname was originally spelled Carrascón (In this form it is still found in Spain and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

). The surname was Italianized as Carascon in the early 19th Century. The founder of the Spanish House was Doctor Don Garcia Fernandez de Carrascón (ca 1480-1533), a wealthy Spanish

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

from

Ágreda Ágreda is a municipality located in the Soria (province), province of Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. Ágreda is the regional services center in the Northeast of the Soria (province), province of Soria. Its abund ...

, Spain who was a protonotary apostolic and personal doctor to Pope

Adrian VI Pope Adrian VI (; ; ; ), born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The only Dutchman to bec ...

as well as a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla� ...

. He left his fortune in the form of a mayorazgo or family trust to his nephew Don Pedro Carrascon and his descendants. Doctor Carrascon is buried in an elaborate chapel in the Church of San Miguel Arcangel in

. The founder of the Italian branch of the family was Don Francisco Carrascón (1700-1756), a high-ranking military commissioner (Commissario di Guerra) of the Royal Spanish Army, and Senator of

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. Don Francisco was married to Donna Paula Diez, believed to be the sister of Don Antonio Filareto Diez e Palmero, a Sicilian Nobleman and Senator of Palermo in 1745 and 1764. Don Francisco and Donna Paula had four sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Don Bernabe (or Barnaba) Carrascon was a colonel in command of the Provincial Regiments of the Kingdom of Naples, and later Commandant of Lucera. His second son, Don Antonio Carrascon, was a Lieutenant Colonel and Governor of the Fortress of Vieste on the Adriatic Sea. The other two sons, Don Pietro Ignazio and Don Ferdinando also distinguished themselves in civil service and the military. Of the daughters, Donna Maria Giuseppa Carascon married Don Berlingiero Scoppa of Lucera, Donna Marianna Carascon married Colonel Don Orsino Scoppa of Lucera. Donna Maria Concetta Carascon married Cavaliere Gaetano Pistorio of Messina. Don Bernabe's son, Don Francesco Carascon (1771–1820), married Donna Isabella Monarca, a noblewoman from

Sessa Aurunca Sessa Aurunca is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy. It is located on the south west slope of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, by rail west north west of Caserta and east of Formia. It is situated on ...

, daughter of Don Gennaro Monarca, Patrician of

and Donna Maria Grazia Pellegrini, Patrician of

Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...

. He eventually reached the rank of captain in the Neapolitan Army. His theatres of service included the Campaigns of Rome (1798) and Calabria (1806) under the armies of King

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (Italian language, Italian: ''Ferdinando I''; 12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 until his death. Before that he had been, since 1759, King of Naples as Ferdinand I ...

, and after the arrival of

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

, brother of Napoleon, he joined the Napoleonic Armed Forces, serving in Spain (1810-1811) in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

under

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

, brother in law of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. After Napoleon's defeat at

the Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army under the command of Napoleon I was def ...

he once again served under King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies after the Bourbon Restoration in Naples. Don Francesco Carascon died in Messina during the peak of the Sicilian Revolution of 1820. His wife, Donna Isabella died five years later leaving behind seven children. Their youngest and only surviving son Alessandro Carascon (1814–1861), first became a Royal

Gendarme A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...

and then moved to

Sulmona Sulmona (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was ...

in the Abruzzi and became a Caffettiere or Cafe-owner with the family of his new wife, Anna Maria Colaprete. Don Bernabe's daughter, Donna Filomena Carrascon, married Colonel Don Dionisio Corsi, a Cavalry commander of the Regina Regiment and Governor (Intendant) of

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

. All of their sons became military officers, but one in particular, Major Don Luigi Corsi, became distinguished as a pioneer in military incendiaries and steam locomotive technology. He was appointed Director of the locomotive factory, Officine di Pietrarsa near Naples by King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. Their descendants have lived in such varied places in Southern Italy as

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Vieste Vieste (; ) is a town, ''comune'' and former Catholic bishopric in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. A marine resort in Gargano, Vieste has received Blue Flags for the purity of its waters from the Foundation fo ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and Pacentro. It is a very rare surname, with only a few descendants in Italy, Spain,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and the United States.

Sources

*Archivio di Stato di Napoli, Sezione Militare *Archivo Historico Nacional, Madrid, Spain *Fundacion Navarra Cultural, https://web.archive.org/web/20080905145146/http://www.fundacionnc.org/contenidocarrascon2.htm Surnames