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^ ha ha made me look, stole my mother's pocket book ...so here's what I saw:
In the Italian language, "coniglio" means "rabbit" or "hare". The name is from the Latin "cuniculus", which also means "burrow", "tunnel", or "waterway". Our first Coniglio ancestor may have been a timid person, or had something to do with raising or hunting rabbits, or may have been a worker on a canal or tunnel.
The first Coniglio ancestor that we know of was Gaetano Coniglio, who was born in about 1774, in Canicatti (Can-ee-cot-TEE, accent on the last syllable), in the Province of Girgenti (now the Province of Agrigento), Sicily, Italy.
Gaetano was a shepherd (a "pecoraro"). Most Sicilians at this time lived under the rule of "campanilism". Each town had a main church steeple or "campanile", and children were told "don't go so far away that you can't see the steeple". This held for adults as well, and most of our ancestors were born, lived and died without ever being more than a mile or so away from their home. Shepherds, however, were a different breed, and would follow their flocks over the green hills and valleys that sometimes led to a nearby town. Gaetano's flock may have strayed to Serradifalco, in the nearby Province of Caltanissetta. There he met and married the daughter of Angelo Montalto and Anna Mineo: Giuseppa Montalto. Variations of her name are Montante and Montanto. Gaetano settled in Serradifalco with Giuseppa, and their children and grandchildren were born there. Giuseppa's death record notes that she was an "arte donessa", or "patroness of the arts".
The earlier names in this list were found on the Mormon Church's microfilms of civil and church records of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths for Canicatti and Serradifalco. The Ellis Island website also has some information on the family. I have used the given names that I believe were on the individual's birth records: Giuseppe, Carmela, etc.; even though these names may have later been anglicized. Entries marked with * have more than one marriage.
Also, since I'm Hungarian this made me hungry so I found this:
Hassenpfeffer German Rabbit Stew Recipe
Ingredients
1 large or 2 small rabbits, cleaned, skinned, and cut into pieces
Marinade:
1/2 c. red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. dry red wine (I prefer a beaujolais to a heavier burgundy)
1 large or 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. ground pepper
1 T. pickling spices
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 T. clarified butter
sugar (start with 1 T.)
3 T. flour
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. heavy cream
Directions
Mix the marinade, bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Cool to room temperature. Marinate the rabbit for at least a day (two is better).
Remove the rabbit pieces and dry them. Dredge them in the seasoned flour and brown in the butter on all sides. Strain the marinade and add it to the rabbit, cover tightly, and simmer for an hour. Remove the rabbit and place on a serving platter.
Add 1 T. sugar to the broth and taste. Add additional sugar if necessary to get the balance of sweet and sour you prefer. Blend the 3 T. flour with the cream and sour cream and add it, stirring constantly, cooking for a couple of minutes to thicken and remove the flour taste. Add salt and pepper to taste, pour over the rabbit, and serve.
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