FERRABONE is my husband's mother's maiden name.  His great-grandfather on his mother's side was Domingo Ferrabone.  According to his grandmother, Maria Isabel Catalina Rodriguez-Sanchez, who married Domingo's son, Luis Ferrabone, the name is Italian.  According to Maria Isabel, Domingo Ferrabone expressly came from Italy to Panama to work on the Panama Canal.  I am in the process of finding out what capacity he served.

Luis Ferrabone, Phillip's grandfather, lived in Panama, where most of the Ferrabone family members currently still reside. I was told that they were an important family in the rice business in Panama, so I set out to find anyone with that last name in Panama.

I came up with Galileo Ferrabone, who is a manager at the National Bank of Panama (BANCO NACIONAL DE PANAMA). I went to the bank's website and sent a letter to their address care of his attention.  He called me as soon as he received the  letter in November 2001, and we spoke about the family. Galileo is my husband's uncle, as his (my husband) grandfather had many brothers and sisters.

I also found Enrique Ferrabone, who is involved with ANALMO (the rice planters association).  This means that the family is still involved with rice. Galileo confirmed that this gentleman is another uncle of Phillip's and cousin to his mother, Tosca.

Click here to view the FERRABONE family tree.  It will grow as I get more info!