Luca,
This death certificate for Girolamo Licate appears to be dated in 1848
img51.imageshack.us/im...irolam.jpg
This is why assumed the word was "morto". It is also strange that Anna Bonanno, who I thought was the third wife, was not mentioned. Apparently Girolamo died at the house of his first wife's family--Caterina Provenzano. I am going to look at microfilm tomorrow and will recheck a few documents, but I have not been able to find marriage or death documents for any of the wives except Caterina Provenzano. As with many records I have been searching through, there are simply gaps in the records. Nothing to do but to live with the mystery