Dr Gabriele Luca
Arcangelo’s son, Gabriele Luca Pullicino, a Doctor of Medicine, married Catarina Mangion on 23rd November 1761. He was a respected physician, having graduated from the University of Naples and practiced extensively in Zebbug.
They had eight children, with two dying young. Only one married it seems.
Their first child was born in 1762. Prof. Don. Filippo became a priest and professor of Canon Law at Malta University. He was was ordained priest in Rome at San Giovanni Laterano on 24 September 1796 by Cardinal Della Somaglia. At age 70, he drowned in a bay at Msida.
Their second child Arcangelo Pietro Paolo was born in 1765 and died of smallpox in 1769 at age four. Two years after this terrible loss, they had a daughter: Maria Aloisia. She lived to age 66, unmarried, until she died attempting to escape a plague in 1837. She was buried at St Basil’s in Mqabba.
In 1773 they had a son Arcangelo Filippo who died in infancy. In 1775 daughter Giulia Felicita was born but died in 1792, sadly at age 17. Her younger sister, Dionisia Anna Rosa born in 1778, lived to age 42.
Significantly, in October 1780 Arcangelo was born, and given the name of his grandfather. Our bloodline was continued through him.
Their final child Giuseppa Alessandra was born in 1783, lived to age 30, succumbing to the plague.
Dr Arcangelo
The legacy of medical practice continued with Gabriele’s son: Arcangelo Marcantonio Pullicino.
Arcangelo left Malta at the tender age of 12 in 1792 to study at the Collegio Romane, returned in 1797 shortly before Napoleon’s invasion. He earned his medical degree in Salerno, returning to Malta in 1807. His significant impact in the field of medicine was especially felt during the plague outbreak of 1813 in Zebbug.
He married Marianna Schembri at Porto Salvo, Valletta on 24th August 1814. Marianna was the daughter of Judge Giovanni Schembri. They had seven children, who are described below. Devastatingly Marianna died in 1831, after a short illness, at age 36.
Like Marcantonio, his grandfather, he moved the family residence yet again. This time the family moved to Valletta away from the ancestral haunts of Birkirkara and Zebbug.
In 1850 he was elected to the Council of Government, in Malta’s first general election, with a large majority of votes. He was the only medical doctor on the Council.
| Elected members | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Votes | Notes |
| Don Filippo Amato | 619 | Canon |
| Annetto Casolani | 606 | Monsignor |
| Adriano Dingli | 117 | Lawyer (Elected from Gozo) |
| Leopoldo Fiteni | 512 | Monsignor |
| Montebello Pulis | 716 | Businessman |
| Arcangelo Pullicino | 511 | Doctor of medicine |
| Mikelang Scerri | 607 | Businessman |
| Giovanni Battista Vella | 425 | Businessman |
He petitioned for increased democracy for the Maltese, who were effectively in the hands of a military governor. He also sought to change laws that mandatorily jailed poor people for not being able to pay fines, to allow the option of community service.
He was not successful in the elections of 1855.
After a long illness, Arcangelo died in 1862. He was the longest living child of Gabriele Luca, meeting his maker at age 82.
The family records indicate he is buried at St. Paul’s Shipwreck Church in the Chapel of St. Gaetano in Valletta.
Please note that Arcangelo’s life is covered in detail in the Breve Notizie, by his son Don Paolo. In 1860, they lived next to each other in Old Bakery St in Valletta (192 and 194).
Arcangelo and Marianna’s children
The eldest sibling, Paolo, was born on 15 August 1815 and passed away at a ripe old age on 13 March 1890. Known as Don Paolo Pullicino, he made significant strides in Malta’s education system, becoming the first Director of Education in 1852. Pope Leo XIII honoured him with the title Prelate dei Protonotarii Apostolici on 23 December 1881. Dr Mark Pullicino wrote an article on Don. Paulo for the Independent newspaper (2015).
Don Paolo shepherded the transition from his father’s generation to the generation below him. He also saw to burials of his family members in thoughtful ways, given his position in the Church. He is buried at St Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina, in a grave of his own creation.
Antonio Pullicino, born on 7 March 1817 and died on 18 January 1876, carved his niche in the fields of Medicine and Law, graduating from the University of Malta in both. Known as Dott.Fisico Antonio Pullicino, he found his final resting place in the Chapel of the Addolorata at Mqabba.
Maria Pullicino, the third sibling born on 12 July 1819, passed away on 5 February 1865. She was buried at the family vault at St Paul Shipwreck church in Valletta.
Giovanna, the fourth sibling, was born on 18 March 1822, her death date remains unknown, but she may have lived until at least 1898. She is mentioned as the benefactress of St Patrick’s in Sliema. She did not marry.
Our family’s branch was continued by the fourth child, Filippo, born on 16 September 1824. He served as a judge until his death on 25 January 1887, and more about him is written elsewhere here.
The sixth sibling, Giuseppe, born on 10 May 1827, had a short life, tragically succumbing to diarrhoea on 23 May 1828.
The youngest of the siblings was another Giuseppe, born on 5 October 1829. Educated at the Jesuit College at Noto, he married Dorina Fenech in January 1864. They didn’t have any children.
As mentioned above, the family history is continued through Filippo Pullicino, the family’s first judge.