It's possible there is some distant relation, but probably not. Merlo was from Sambuca di Sicilia which is about an hour drive from Ribera today. In that part of Agrigento you see many of the same last names in different villages and sometimes intermarriage between villages, though it's not that common to find direct relation in available records.
However, we have found that Phil Bacino had relatives from Burgio / Lucca Sicula and Pasquale Lolordo's wife was from Caltabellotta. Both Burgio / Caltabelotta are closer to Merlo's hometown Sambuca than Ribera. This could lend itself to the idea that the Riberesi had ties to other towns, too, like Sambuca, but I haven't seen anything.
The Merlos were one of the first Riberese families established in Elizabeth and I have no doubt Pasquale Lolordo and Phil Bacino knew of them when they lived in NYC. If there was a connection to Mike Merlo, they would have known it. Either way, these guys were all part of the tight-knit Agrigento network.
This is a wise approach to research that I enjoy seeing. It's what I call "part of the discussion" -- it might not be the truth, but it deserves to be mentioned if it comes from a reputable source.Antiliar wrote: ↑Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:24 pm I think you make a good point, and like I wrote I personally think that Glimco and Coli were made. I still want to put his information out there because he is still a knowledgeable source. While we don't always agree, we still ought to carefully consider what he says.