"This is our valley, the secular character of our events. I look at it from the hill without pines and still feel the breath of the time and the vagueness that only the soul knows how to arise memories. I look and I see how it was before in my dreams as it must have been a thousand years before.

It is beautiful that for centuries have always echoed in the valley, crossed by armies in the cortege of Roman consuls and generals, Lombard´s dukes and baron, Normans sovereigns and princes, popes and papal legates, Swabia´s commanders, Angevin and Aragonese, Spanish and French rulers and governors."

The increasing interest in family history is one of the most significant aspects of contemporary cultural movement, and in this sense, the role of family history can not be considered exhausted. This fact, in the light of the Constitution of Republics, can assume an important significance for society thematically related to the ruling classes and leaders of the past and what they have produced their works by helping to write the history of our country.

We must honor and keep those in remembrance as we go about our daily activities. Life in itself is about lineage.

 We believe in celebrating together--our faith, our heritage, our traditions."

Celebrating our heritage comes through in so many ways--we are who we are somewhat because of where we come from.  Although our past doesn't define us, our perspective of the world can largely be shaped by the faith, heritage and traditions we choose to hold on to. 

Our heritage was the greatest achievement of our ancestors, and our fathers kept it for us, we implant this heritage in the minds of our children, our heritage is a river full of light which we take continuously to guide us to the good, to the prosperity in the future. 

Our past is behind us but if we choose to forget it, we then choose to lessen the many sacrifices made by our ancestors.

We live in an era determined by momentum and convenience.  In such a time, it is easy to forget the personalities, lifestyles, events and epoch deeds which forged, not only America, but modern civilization as we know it.  The study of history and genealogy provides a mode of reflection and acknowledgement of the people, places and processes responsible for the lives we enjoy today.  

 ....For there is no denying that nobility, too, is a gift from God....Continue, therefore, to use this prerogative wisely; one truly noble use of it would be toward those who, though belonging to your class, do not subscribe to your principles. A few loving words from good friends could have a great influence on their minds, and a few prayers an even greater one. Tolerate with a generous heart the disagreements you may encounter. May God bless you your whole life long, as I pray Him to do with all my heart....Aristocracy, nobility, therefore, is a gift from God. Preserve it diligently, and use it worthily. You do so already with Christian and charitable works, to which you devote yourselves to the great edification of your fellows and to the great advantage of your souls....? (The allocution of Pius IX to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on June 17, 1871).

According to Pius XII, ?one may think as one wishes? about the new lifestyles. One is not at all obliged to applaud them, but one must accept that they constitute the palpable reality in which we are obliged to live.

?Yet why, beloved Sons and Daughters, did we express then and do we now repeat these admonitions and recommendations if not to fortify you against bitter disillusionment, to preserve for your houses the heritage of your ancestral glories, and to guarantee for the society to which you belong the valid contribution that you are still capable of making to it?....Thus, ?transformations of ways of life can, if one so wishes, be harmoniously reconciled with the traditions of which patrician families are the repositories....? (1958 allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility.)

Pius XII paternally insists that the nobility not let itself be diluted in the anonymity into which the indifference and hostility of many, spurred on by crude modern egalitarianism, seek to drag it. He likewise points out another relevant mission: By cultivating and disseminating its living traditions, the nobility should help preserve the values of each people from a cosmopolitanism that erodes their distinctiveness. ?To practice virtue and use the gifts proper to your class for the common good, to excel in professions and activities promptly embraced, to protect the nation from external contamination: These are the recommendations We feel We must make to you at the start of this New Year.?(1958 Allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility.)

As he closes this expressive Allocution with paternal blessings, the Pontiff makes special mention of the continuity of the nobility. He reminds the noble families present that the grave and honorable duty of continuing the most worthy traditions of the nobility lies with their children: ?That the Almighty may strengthen your resolve and fulfill Our desires, answering the prayers We have thus made to Him, We impart to all of you, to your families, and especially to your children, future successors to your worthiest traditions, Our Apostolic blessing.? (1958 Allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility.)

In consequence, the nobles should not renounce their ancestral glory. Instead, they ought to preserve it for their respective lineages and, even more, for the benefit of the common good as the worthwhile contribution they are still capable of making.

Pius XII outlines a fascinating picture of the qualities that the nobility should manifest in order to correspond to the hopes he places in it. It especially interests the present study to note that these qualities should shine in the nobility as a fruit of long family traditions. These traditions are clearly hereditary and comprise something unique to the noble class.

"In acting and persevering in this manner, you shall make your inherited nobility more brilliant and lasting than ever; and from the tired hands of the elderly to the vigorous ones of the young shall pass the torch of virtue and action, the silent, calm light of golden sunsets that shall be reborn in new dawns with each new generation, with the radiance of a flame of generous and fruitful aspirations.

And this is not just a duty of man and citizen that none may shirk with impunity. It is also a sacred commandment of the faith that you have inherited from your fathers and that you must, in their wake, leave whole and unaltered to your descendants".

Knowing your own history, or the history of your culture, is important because it helps us to know who we are while molding the future. Knowing history also provides a sense of empowerment to the learner. If a person studies his ancestry or personal history, this will provide them with a great deal of helpful information and may assist them in forming an identity of their own. Knowing who or what we have descended from or evolved from tells us where we come from and what the secrets of our past. Our family is the root of our being and the source of our creation.

Going back in time is like going in search of ourselves and when something is found is like to find or discover something that we though we lost. It?s still fascinating to find our even simple things of ancient history, certainly even if not characterized by exceptional events, but not for this is less important and significant.

In order for public to better assess the Nobility?s great role in today?s world we will have to briefly mention the Nobility of ancient times. The Italian and Spanish Crown has bestowed Titles on and confirmed Arms for its subjects for what is America, from the middle of the 16th Century until the beginning of the 19th Century or about 1819, it did so directly from the Crown in Spain or through Viceroys and Governors of the Colonies.

Since the Revolution of 1776 America had not Kings or Queens, but has an old European Nobility which the great majority emigrated after the First World War onward, becoming stable and prosperous. Their children would be US citizens without any interference or threat from the Government in Washington.

Many other Nobles have inherited their Titles after becoming US citizens and as of now there is no law that would have the Government bases any action against the said Nobles, if one was even taken.

This way the concept of nobility, today without any conceit or privilege, becomes part of sociology as a refinement of the human race in its continued future, with the aim of holding high the banner of the country´s history, which is the symbol of respect for traditions, undeniable life force and source of energy in any evolution of time, society and institutions.

The Caputo Historical Families Association looks forward to the active participation of the representatives and descendants of the ancient Holy Roman Empire in the revival of the best traditions of the ancient nobility. A special attention will be paid to familiarization of the youth with the aristocratic traditions of the ancestors. The Association also seeks supporters and businessmen who will be ready to make their contribution in the noble mission of revival of the traditions and preservation of memory of nobility.

The Caputo Historical Families Association is in its activity open to cooperation with any state, Church and Cultural Institutions. It has to be an open, two-way cooperation, based upon mutual respect and acknowledgment of its independence.