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mars 30, 2023 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 5 Comments

Italian Genealogy Research_acrobats

Italy Genealogy Research: records, passports, and the circus

Italian Genealogy Research_acrobats
Sangers Circus equestrian acrobats, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Do you need help with Italy genealogy research? Or, even more intriguing, did you ever daydream about running away to join the circus? It’s the greatest show on Earth, right?! Eight-year-old me was sure circus life had to be exciting, daring, adventurous, and non-stop fun. Even now, the circus has a mystique that captures my imagination. When we discovered one of my client’s family lines had ties to the circus, I was thrilled to be a part of the discoveries. Birth, marriage, death records, and an important book on circus families in Italy, helped piece it all together. 

Italy Genealogy Research: Introduction to the Ruffini Family

 Rosemarie came to us to learn more about her maternal grandmother, Maria Ruffini’s Italian line. She had a copy of Maria’s Italian passport, which stated her married name was Bisbini and that she was born on 8 September, 1914 in Orzinuovi, Italy. Her parents were Amedeo Ruffini and Antonietta Mattiello, and at the time the passport was issued, she lived in Agira, Catania, Italy. Her occupation caught my eye—artista. “Artista” in Italian can be an artist or performer. 

 Another document Rosemarie had in her possession was the petition of naturalization for Maria’s husband, Giuseppe Bisbini, which he filled out as part of the paperwork to begin becoming a citizen of the United States. This document provided valuable information about the family, including when Giuseppe Bisbini was born, where he resided, a physical description, his marriage to Maria, and their divorce date. Even though they were divorced, Giuseppe provided Maria’s birth information and her New York immigration in 1952. Additional information about their children was listed, including their birth dates, places, and current residences.  

 Another piece of information was that Maria died in Florida in 1991. 

 Included in the petition were affidavits of witnesses who vouched for Giuseppe’s character. Their professions? An acrobat and trapeze artist, possibly hinting at a similar profession for Giuseppe! With Maria’s Italian birth and marriage information, we were prepared to research records in Italy.  

A Connection to the Italian Circus

Orzinuovi, where Maria was born, is in the province of Brescia in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. While searching for records of the Ruffini family in this area, we learned both the Ruffini and Bisbini families were famous Italian circus families. The Ruffini family, originating in the Lombardy region, is one of the oldest circus dynasties of the early 19th century.

Italian Genealogy Research

Carlo Ruffini, one of the sons of the anonymous founder of the Ruffini Family Circus, had two sons: Amedeo and Alteo. These two brothers were horsemen who worked in the family circus together until World War I, when they went their separate ways. Could Maria be connected to this famous Italian family?  

As we were about to discover, tracing circus families can be complicated because they live a transient lifestyle. They are constantly moving from town to town, and children born into these families are often born in different localities from each other–which was the case in Giuseppe’s naturalization record. In an 18-year span, Maria and Giuseppe had five children. Four of them were born in Italy, in three different towns. The last one was born in Florida, in the United States. 

Because they moved around so much, it was important to research the whole family unit, not just the direct-line ancestor and their parents. Birth, marriage, and death records played a crucial role in identifying all of the children born to each couple. By carefully examining them for any mention of where the family resided at the time of the particular event, we could trace the family throughout Italy.   

Genealogy Research in Italy 

From Maria and Giuseppe’s marriage information stated in Giuseppe’s naturalization record, we found their marriage promise in the town records of Brembio, province of Lodi, Italy. The marriage promise noted that the marriage was intended to occur in Vespolate, where Giuseppe had stated he was married. Italian law required that marriage banns be posted for two or three consecutive weeks to allow anyone opposed to the marriage an opportunity to make their opposition known. 

As a side note, the marriage promise date wasn’t the marriage date – in this case, the marriage promise was dated 30 June 1935, but they didn’t marry until July 11th. This was verified in Maria’s birth record in Orzinuovi from an annotation in the margins of Maria’s birth record that noted her marriage to Giuseppe in Vespolate. This record stated that while the family usually resided in Cameri, Novara, Italy, they temporarily stayed in Orzinuovi. Their occupations were noted as “horsemen.” Maria’s father was named Amedeo Ruffini. Evidence gathered in this research session suggests that Amedeo, the grandson of the founder of the Ruffini Family Circus, was Maria Ruffini’s father.  

A marriage record for Maria’s parents—Amedeo and Maria Antoinetta—which might have identified Amedeo and Maria Antoinetta’s parents— was not found; however, Amedeo’s death record was. It named his parents Carlo Antonio Ruffini and Maria Ernesta Cavaiani. It stated his occupation was a gymnast and gave his birthplace, Rivarolo, and said he was a resident of Brembio. With a birth year and town, his birth record was located, which named his parents Carlo and Maria Ernesta, and their occupation, gymnasts. Since he died at age 60, his calculated birth year was about 1878.  

Amedeo’s birth record stated his father, Carlo was a resident of Milan. After researching the family, each of Carlo and Maria Ernesta’s children’s marriage records were obtained. Since each married in Brembio, it was much easier to accomplish this than if they had been married in different towns.  

Each marriage record stated the bride and groom’s birthplaces. By creating a timeline of births, birthplaces, marriages, and marriage places, and the status of Carlo at each event, we could narrow down that Carlo died sometime before Teresa’s 1910 marriage. Another avenue for future research is in Baricella, as the youngest child found was born there in 1886, which may be where Carlo and Maria Ernesta married. Locating each of the children’s birth records may yield additional clues about the Ruffini family. 

Italian Genealogy Research

Italian Genealogy Research Map
Distance between Melzo, Baricella, and Borghetto Italy. Courtesy Google Maps

Hope For Tracing Transient Family Members

Rosemarie’s grandmother, Maria Ruffini, was born into this family of acrobats and horsemen and married into the Bisbini family, a circus family from Verona. In Alessandra Litta Midignani and Sandra Mantovani’s book about Italian circus families mentioned earlier, Maria and Giuseppe were named as a branch of the Ruffini family that had moved to Florida, connecting the Ruffini family in Italy with Maria’s family in Florida. Your family may not be as transient as a circus family. Still, this case study gives hope that even transient families can be traced when multiple vital events and residences of the entire family unit are carefully considered and analyzed together.  

If you've hit a brick wall, and need creative ways to find your Italian ancestors, schedule a consultation with one of our professional genealogists. 

 

Filed Under: Genealogy Records and Resources, genealogy research, Geography & Genealogy, Italy Tagged With: Italy, Passports, records

februar 4, 2021 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 2 Comments

Digging Into Your Chinese Ancestry: Chinese Repatriation of Bones

Learn about the Chinese repatriation of bones and how you can uncover records related to your Chinese ancestors.

The Chinese people were one of many cultures who immigrated from their homeland seeking better opportunities. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Chinese immigrants sought their fortunes in the Gold Rushes of the United States, Canada, and Australia. They significantly contributed to the labor forces by building railroads, working in mining and agriculture, and establishing communities that changed the landscape of the cities and towns they touched.

Many Chinese immigrants believed that they would return to their homeland to die. However, not all succeeded. The development of a practice called the repatriation of bones evolved out of a desire to have their bodies returned to their ancestral home for two primary purposes; the performance of time-honored cultural rituals and to be buried in China's soil near their ancestors.

The repatriation of bones

The repatriation of bones was the process of returning the deceased's body, or most commonly their bones, to their ancestral home. When a Chinese person died in the United States, the first burial in a shallow grave allowed the body to decay more quickly with air exposure. After about seven to ten years, the body decomposed sufficiently so that a knife would not be needed (forbidden in this ritual) to separate the bone from the body. The deceased was then exhumed, the bones cleaned, bundled together, and counted for accuracy.[1] Once ready, the remains were placed in a zinc box or urn within a wooden bone box to be then transferred for burial to their ancestral village in China. The family (or family associate of the deceased without family) would arrange for the bones to be shipped back to China. The whole process of preparing the body for its final journey home often took up to a year.[2]

Returning home

The Tung Wah Coffin House in Hong Kong, established in 1875, acted as a temporary holding facility and was the first stop of the deceased's second burial in mainland China. The remains were stored in one of the Coffins House's over 90 rooms until the family was notified to retrieve their ancestor's box.

Tung Wah Coffin House entrance, courtesy of Wikipedia. The pillars read, «This is a place for the deceased to repose for a while until they can return to the place where they wish to be buried—their hometown. It is both a tradition and virtue to handle the end of life with due respect.»

The Tung Wah Coffin House advertised in local Chinese newspapers to alert families that their loved one's remains had arrived. The families could then greet the deceased at a designated «bone box dock» where the remains were transferred from boxes to jars and given to the families. Occupation by military forces, (such as during World War II when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong), or financial considerations prevented the family from traveling to retrieve their loved one's remains. Therefore, the Coffin House still holds about 200 bone boxes that have never been reclaimed. For those bones left behind, the Coffin House caretakers took on the family's role of remembering the dead by lighting incense daily and performing rituals.[3]

Meticulous record keeping

The remains of more than 100,000 people came through the Coffin House between 1875 and 1949, when the process of repatriation concluded. The caretakers carefully recorded the details of each case they handled, tracking the arrivals and departures of the deceased. Each record details the coffin received, insurance documents, and names the deceased and their hometown. Some records contained intricate notes on the cause of death. Occasionally, a picture of the deceased was included in their file.

How can I find repatriation of bones records for my ancestors?

After 1949, the Tung Wah Coffin House and the surrounding hospital compound deteriorated. The files were stored away and forgotten until 2003 when records from the 1949 Portland bone shipment were rediscovered, their condition fragile due to deterioration and storage methods. In the last 20 years, conservation efforts have focused on restoration. Volunteers have spent many hours translating the traditional Chinese characters into English, organizing the materials for public use, and placing digital images online.[5]

To access the records and learn more about their holdings, you can visit the Tung Wah Coffin Home archives here. Records, such as those created in the Tung Wah Coffin House, can assist in the genealogical study of your Chinese ancestors. They are a much overlooked, yet invaluable resource, for families whose Chinese immigrants risked much to create a better life for themselves and their descendants.

Are you ready to learn more about your Chinese ancestry? Legacy Tree Genealogists can help you every step of the way: from figuring out your ancestor’s Chinese name, understanding the reasons why they left, to researching your clan’s ancestral origins. Contact us today to get started!

 

[1] Judy Nelson, “The Final Journey Home: Chinese Burial Practices in Spokane.”

[2] Judy Nelson, “The Final Journey Home: Chinese Burial Practices in Spokane,” The Pacific Northwest Forum, Vol VI, Number 1, pages 70-76, Winter-Spring, 1993, Internet Archive Wayback Machine, http://www.narhist.ewu.edu/pnf/articles/nelson.html, accessed December 2020.

[3] Ming Yeong, «Where the dead come home.»

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

Learn about the Chinese repatriation of bones and how you can uncover records related to your Chinese ancestors.

Filed Under: Asian Genealogy, Genealogy Records and Resources Tagged With: Asian, China, Chinese, family history, genealogy, genealogy records, genealogy resources, repatriation of bones

mai 15, 2020 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 1 Comment

Solutions for a Weed-Free Yard, Genealogy-Style: Genealogy Podcasts

I don’t know about you, but there are just some chores that I loathe to do, like weeding. Right now, with spring in full swing, my yard is growing a healthy crop of weeds. My solution to making it more enjoyable? Listening to genealogy podcasts! Here are five of my favorite genealogy podcasts that make the time fly when doing any mundane task:

  1. Genealogy Gems is hosted by Lisa Louise Cooke, and her podcast “helps you make the most of your family history research time by providing quick and easy-to-use research techniques.” Along with sharing research tips and techniques, she offers helpful websites and resources, invites other well-known speakers in the genealogy community to share their knowledge and expertise, and features listener email, book reviews, and interesting genealogy stories, as well as the latest in genealogy news. Lisa is a popular speaker and presenter at genealogy conferences and for societies. You can find out more here.

Genealogy Gems podcast

 

  1. Extreme Genes is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Fisher and is a fun, upbeat show that is entertaining as well as educational. Scott not only seeks to educate listeners on various resources and techniques to help in their genealogy research, but finds the most interesting stories and people to interview. His podcast features a segment called “Ask Us Anything” where listener questions are answered. You’ll want to check out the Extreme Genes website for additional stories, show notes, and images that can’t be included in an audio format. 

Extreme Genes - America's Family History Show podcast

  1. Research Like A Pro is another weekly show hosted by mother/daughter team Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer. Their podcast is geared towards helping newer researchers learn the steps and skills that will help them avoid many of the pitfalls beginning genealogists make so that they can “research like a pro” from the start. Diana and Nicole typically focus on one research concept or record group per show, but they also share case studies incorporating the skills they’ve already taught so you can see how to do a research project from start to finish. Even skilled family historians will learn new ideas and strategies from listening to these two professional genealogists. You can learn more about their podcast, blog, and courses they teach at Family Locket.

 

Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast

  1.   The Genealogy Guys Podcast has been around since 2005. George Morgan and Drew Smith are the hosts, and they host a second podcast called Genealogy Connection. Like Extreme Genes and Genealogy Gems, Genealogy Guys features the latest news from genealogy companies and organizations, and also includes interviews with players in the genealogy world who share their knowledge and expertise covering a variety of family history topics. Genealogy Connection presents interviews from “researchers, writers, speakers, educators, entrepreneurs, technologists, librarians, and archivists” throughout the genealogy community. A unique feature they include in each interview is the interviewee’s recommendation of a book, technology tool, and methodology tip that improves their productivity or one that they want others to know about. You can learn more here.

Genealogy Guys Podcast

Genealogy Connection Podcast

 

  1. The Genealogy Professional Podcast is for those who may be thinking of making genealogy a career or genealogy professionals who are looking for ideas on how to run their business better. Hosted by Marian Pierre-Louis, professional genealogists from around the world share how they became interested in genealogy and in becoming a genealogy professional. I think it’s interesting to learn how they transitioned into the world of genealogy and what words of advice they’d like to share with others who want to join this growing industry. Click here for more info.

The Genealogy Professional Podcast

So the next time you need something to take your mind somewhere while you tackle that pile of laundry or that weedy flowerbed, download one of these podcasts, and be prepared to be genealogically educated, enlightened, and even entertained. 

Genealogy Podcasts Featuring Legacy Tree Genealogists

You can hear interviews from Legacy Tree Genealogist professionals on many of these podcasts. Here are some of my favorite episodes:

Paul Woodbury, “Ask Us Anything on DNA,” Extreme Genes Episode 281

Carolyn Tolman, “A DNA Story 65 Years in the Making,” Extreme Genes Episode 272

Kate Eakman, “1940 census Reader Q&A,” Genealogy Gems Episode 201

The experts at Legacy Tree Genealogists are here to help you connect with your ancestors and preserve your legacy for generations to come. Get started today by requesting your free quote.

Our solution for making mundane chores more enjoyable? Genealogy podcasts! Here's five of our favorite genealogy podcasts.

Filed Under: Genealogy Records and Resources, Legacy Tree Genealogists Tagged With: ancestry, family history, genealogists, genealogy, genealogy resources, heritage, legacy tree, podcasts

desember 23, 2019 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 13 Comments

medieval Italian records

Tracing Ancestry Through Medieval Italian Records

Family History: How Far Back Can You Go?

As professional genealogists one question we are often asked is, “How far back can you take my pedigree?” While we’d all love to have a pedigree documented back to the beginnings of mankind, this just isn’t possible. And creating an accurate, documented and sourced family tree cannot be completed in the span of an afternoon–answering one of our other most frequently received questions–How Long Does It Take to Build a Family Tree?

Genealogical records generally don’t exist before the 1500s. Records dating from the 1500s to the late 1700s may not exist or be available, especially in North America, Ireland, and Eastern Europe. Wars and political unrest, natural disasters, and neglect have taken their toll on these precious, ancient records. Those that have survived are priceless treasures.

Medieval Italian Records

One of our Italian onsite agents recently worked on a project that allowed him the opportunity to view and handle medieval Italian records from the late 1500s to the early 1700s. The following photographs are records from the archive in Bassano del Grappa, north of Venice, which they have graciously allowed us to showcase here.

medieval italian records
Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[1]
medieval italian records
Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[2]
Did you notice the wooden cover and leather straps serving as a binding?

Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[3]

How to Prevent Genealogy Record Deterioration

To keep the rate of deterioration as low as possible, the documents are stored at an even temperature—18° Celsius/ 64.4 ° Fahrenheit.

Believe it or not, these records at the archive in Bassano del Grappa are available for patrons to search, under a few conditions:

  1. Use of Gloves: If the paper you are going to be touching is known to be easily stained, then gloves must be used. In general, though, they are not required.
  2. Handling: After filling out the proper paperwork, patrons to the archive may use the materials. The materials are delivered to patrons in the Study Room which is monitored by the archive staff, and video recorded. Taking pictures is allowed for personal use but not for commercial purposes. Photocopying must be carried out only by personnel due to the delicate and fragile nature of the materials.

As you can imagine, great care must be taken to search delicate records such as these. This isn’t information that can just be quickly looked up. And as most of these records are not microfilmed or digitized, each page must be carefully handled while searching for the desired information, a time-intensive endeavor.

As genealogists and family historians, we are so appreciative of the efforts made by those who seek to preserve these ancient documents. Each one is a priceless treasure allowing some of us to be able to trace our ancestry maybe not back to Adam, but to some of the earliest available records.

Would your research efforts benefit with onsite access to archive collections? Legacy Tree Genealogists has developed a worldwide network of onsite researchers that can assist in accessing the documents necessary to extend your family history as far as possible. Contact us today for a quote!

Special thanks to our onsite researcher, Francis, for facilitating our obtaining these wonderful photographs!

[1] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.

[2] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.

[3] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.

Legacy Tree works with researchers all over the globe to access records for our clients. A recent client research project involved utilizing medieval Italian records to extend their Italian ancestry.

Filed Under: Archives & Repositories, Europe, Onsite Tagged With: archives, family history, genealogy, Italian genealogy, Italy, medieval, onsite, records

juni 13, 2019 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 6 Comments

convict ancestor

Stolen Handkerchiefs and Convict Ships: Tracing a Convict Ancestor to Australia

This client project (shared with permission) delves into tracing the journey of a convict ancestor, sent to Australia for pickpocketing.

One of our Australian clients came to us with an Oliver Twist-esque story about her teenaged ancestor who was convicted of pickpocketing in England in the 1820s and sent to the Australian penal colonies. She wanted to know—was he an impoverished pickpocket in a gang of young pickpockets, or might he have come from a respectable family and been wrongly accused? We were on the hunt to find out.

The Trial

John Coates was tried on 11 May 1826 in Middlesex, London’s Central Criminal Court, commonly known as Old Bailey—picture dark wood, long robes, and powdered wigs here. John Clark, John Coates, and Thomas Smith were accused of stealing a handkerchief worth 2 shillings, 6 pence from James Hardy. The three defendants were tried for Larceny from a Person during the Old Bailey May session. Smith was found not guilty. Twenty-one-year-old Clark and 15-year-old Coates were found guilty and each sentenced to be transported to Australia for a period of fourteen years.[1]

British convict ancestors sent to Australia
Trial of John Coats, John Clark, and Thomas Smith on 11 May 1826

Transportation of Convicts to Australia

convict ancestorIt was common to have a significant delay between conviction and the actual transportation to Australia. During the intervening time, the convicts were often held on prison hulks, former battle ships stationed primarily along the Thames that were afloat but not worthy to head to sea. Historically, the prison hulks and British transportation of convicts to Australia were a tangential result of the American Revolution. Prior to war, the American colonies were the primary destination for convicts sentenced to transportation. The war, however, halted the flow. After conviction, John Coates and John Clark were both assigned to the hulks. From Newgate Prison, John was first moved to the Euryalus Hulk moored at Chatham on 24 May 1826. He remained there until his transfer to the Dolphin on 19 October 1827 at 16 years old. John’s physical condition and behavior were both consistently described as good in the prison registers. John arrived in Australia to serve his term in 1828.

A Father's Plea for Leniency

Court records also contain petitions for leniency filed following a trial and can contain extremely useful information. John Coates’ father (also named John Coates) filed a petition requesting that his son be granted Mercy and be allowed to serve his sentence in England. John, Sr. contended that his son essentially got caught up “by an unexpected meeting with 2 other Boys at the time they committed a crime.” Character witnesses, including James Hardy, the victim of the crime, certified that John was not a repeat offender and also recommended Mercy. In signing the petition, they stated that they believed John, Jr. to be “worthy Mercy being satisfied if not innocent of the charge tho in company with the perpetrators, that it is the first charge of this and any other kind” and “it is the first bad deed he ever commited [sic].”

Using Social & Historical Context in Genealogy Research

The Coates address was also included, showing that they lived at No. 90 Great Peter Street, Westminster. Details about the neighborhood around Great Peter Street help put John Thomas Coates’ young life into context. Before the mid-nineteenth century, the area within and around Old Pye Street, St. Ann’s Street, Great Peter Street, and Duck Lane had become one of London’s most notorious slums. Charles Dickens was familiar with the area, calling it the Devil’s Acre because of its high crime and poverty, and squalid living conditions. Dickens described how many boys of the area relied on pick-pocketing and thievery to feed themselves and help their families.[2]

Utilizing Record Collections to Draw Conclusions

Court records, censuses, and church records were just a few of the resources consulted in this project and were key to finding important clues about John Thomas Coates’ life in England before being transported to Australia. Several My Heritage collections were used to identify men named John Coates having children around the years of young John’s conviction, including England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 and the 1841 England & Wales Census. The Coates family were not located on Great Peter Street after John’s conviction, implying they were able to escape the slums.

Though he was not granted Mercy, it appears John Thomas Coates was just a teenager who got caught up in the activities of his peers and his environment and made a poor choice. His choice affected his future and that of his posterity, our client. Thanks to the talents of our Legacy Tree Genealogists researchers, our client now has the details that turn family lore into family facts.

Do you have a family legend you'd like to prove or disprove? A research question you can't resolve? The researchers at Legacy Tree Genealogists can provide answers to your family history mysteries by drawing upon various record collections and piecing together important clues provided by historical and social context. Contact us today for a free quote!

 

[1] Old Bailey Proceedings Online (index and images), trial of JOHN CLARK, JOHN COATS, and THOMAS SMITH, May 1826, record t18260511-112, http://oldbaileyonline.org, accessed June 2017.

[2] Charles Dickens, “The Devil’s Acre,” Household Words, Volume 1 (London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850), p. 297-301, https://books.google.com.

Filed Under: Australia, British Isles

august 3, 2018 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 4 Comments

uncovering history behind surname origin

Uncovering the History Behind Surname Origins

*Legacy Tree successfully uncovers the rich family history of a client seeking to learn more about his unique surname origins. Shared with client permission.

Paolo Zeppetelli contacted Legacy Tree Genealogists with a quest to learn more about his Italian heritage. The Zeppetelli name is not a particularly common surname in Italy, and he was curious to know of its origins. As he began collecting information, he concluded that uncovering the history behind the Zeppetelli surname origins would make the ideal gift for his father’s upcoming 60th birthday.

surname originsStories that circulated among the Zeppetelli family stated there was a branch of the family who were wealthy landowners in the region of Caserta in southern Italy, from the village of Alife. There was supposedly even a road named Via Zeppetelli about 20 minutes from Alife and Paolo was curious to find out if this road may have something to do with his family. His direct ancestors had owned land, a restaurant, hotel and a post office until some unfortunate circumstances caused the family to lose their status and wealth. Branches of the family left Italy and crossed the Atlantic to Canada, while others went to South America & the UK and the families gradually lost touch.

Paolo instructed the researchers at Legacy Tree to dive into his family history and learn more about his great-grandfather Mario Zeppetelli and his wife, Anna Ferrazza. Fortunately, there were many readily available records for Alife, and a large amount of information was found about the Zeppetelli family without needing to go onsite to Alife.

Mario was a 23-year-old landowner at the time of his marriage to 21-year old Anna Ferrazza. Both of their parents were also landowners, confirming the family story of their ancestor’s occupation. Mario’s father, Mariano Sisto Zeppetelli, was born in Alife in 1861, a pivotal year in Italian history. Mariano was born shortly after the Italian peninsula became unified as the “Kingdom of Italy,” minus the Papal States of Rome and Venetia. Prior to the declaration of unification in March of 1861 Alife was part of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1860 and 1861 the military general Giuseppe Garibaldi marched his armies through the Kingdom of Naples, conquering cities as he went. The Caserta province, where the Zeppetelli family resided, had endured violence and political upheaval during this time. Mariano Zeppetelli was born exactly one week after the fall of the Kingdom of Naples.[1]

uncovering surname origin
Alife Cathedral. Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Mariano Zeppetelli was recorded as the son of Francesco Zeppetelli and Maria Vittoria Ruzza. Both Francesco and his wife were given titles of honor—Don and Donna—preceding their names, indicating wealth and prominence in the Alife community. As later records attested, Francesco was a pharmacist, responsible for creating and providing the community with such medicines, tonics, poultices, and other treatments as were available in the 19th century.  Mariano’s grandfather was an attorney for Alife in the early 1800s when the family lived on Via Napoli-Roma, a street still in use today.

uncovering surname origins
Via Napoli-Roma, Alife, Caserta, Italy, where the Zeppetelli family resided in 1812. Image courtesy of Google Maps.

Through the 1841 processetti packet available for Francesco Zeppetelli and his wife, Legacy Tree researchers discovered even more rich biographical details regarding the Zeppetelli line. (To learn more about processetti packets, click here). Francesco’s mother was widowed when Francesco was just 10 years old, leaving him and his siblings fatherless. Francesco’s grandfather was a notary, who had the responsibility of recording all property transactions, debts, loans, and wills created in their locality, and likely helped his family after his son’s premature death. Typically, the Italian research completed at Legacy Tree involves poor farmers, fishermen, tradesmen or laborers. In contrast, the Zeppetelli family and those families they married into, were occupied in prominent occupations including musicians, a pharmacist, lawyer, notary, landowners, a fabric salesman, and a carpenter. Because of the completeness and accessibility of the records the Zeppetelli family tree was successfully extended into the late 1600s!

Since the completion of the research project earlier this year, Paolo and his father have taken a family history trip to Alife and explored the town in which their family played such a prominent role.

uncovering surname origins
An aerial photo of Alife surrounded by the old fortified roman wall, provided by client.

While in Alife, they connected with a local historian who is publishing a book of all the residents that have ever lived in Alife, including the Zeppetelli family. The historian shared additional documents from the Caserta archives with Paolo and his father which extends the family an additional generation. He also related that one of the original Zeppetelli ancestors from which they descend was asked to govern Alife during the 1700s, confirming the research completed by Legacy Tree Genealogists.

uncovering surname origins
Document from the early 1700s which the local Alife historian took a photo of at the Caserta archives. This document mentions the Zeppetelli family originating from a small town / village 30 minutes from Alife called Santa Croce and were asked to govern Alife and thus relocate the family to Alife in the late 1600s / early 1700s.

The Zeppetelli family was influential in the day-to-day dealings with the residential population of the town and have left a varied and interesting legacy for their descendants, which has now been preserved for generations to come.

Wherever your family originates from, the experts and onsite agents at Legacy Tree Genealogists are experienced at tracking down all kinds of family history records in a variety of locations to help you learn more about your ancestry. Contact us today to request a free consultation.

[1] “Italian unification,” Wikipedia, https://it.wikipedia.org, accessed February 2018.

Filed Under: Europe

april 6, 2018 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 14 Comments

allegati for italian genealogy research

Hidden Italian Treasure – Processetti and Allegati Matrimonial Packets

allegati for Italian genealogy researchOne of the most useful record sets for extending your Italian ancestry quickly is the marriage supplements or allegati records. Allegati, also called processetti, is the name for the packet of documents that a bride and groom were required to present to the priest or mayor in preparation for their upcoming marriage. Depending on when the marriage occurred historically determines whether the packet was called processetti or allegati.

1804-1815: allegati

1816-1865: processetti

1866-present: allegati

Genealogical Value – Gold

 Processetti and allegati packets exist for both church and civil marriages. They can hold a variety of different documents. Keep in mind that most are hand-copied from the original the bridal party brought with them, and as is always the case with copies, transcription errors can be made. However, details such as the document number, and other identifying information can be used to search for the original later. Apart from the information about the marriage itself, these packets can also include:

  • Copies of birth or baptism records for both the bride and the groom
  • Copies of the marriage banns – these were posted on two to three consecutive Sundays
  • Dispensations
  • Copies of death records of fathers, paternal grandfathers, mothers, and previous spouses – if either the bride or groom was underage, consent was to be given by both fathers, and if the father was deceased, then consent was obtained from the paternal grandfather. If the paternal grandfather was also deceased, then the mother could give permission.
  • Military service declarations
  • Declarations of poverty
  • Notary documents, such as those concerning the legitimization of natural children after a marriage, or the rectification of a surname that was spelled incorrectly.

Not every allegati or processetti packet has all of these documents, but at the least, they almost always have the bride and groom’s birth records. And if you are one of the lucky ones to have a bulging packet, you are in for a treat.

When my great-grandparents Salvatore Esposito inteso Palumbo and Maria Giglio were preparing for their marriage in the summer of 1904, Maria was just seventeen and needed her father’s permission. From their allegati packet, I learned that Maria’s mother, Salvatora Fulco, appeared before the magistrate and stated that her husband, Paolo Giglio, had immigrated to America four years earlier and they hadn’t heard from him since he left and didn’t know if he was dead or alive. She asked four witnesses to come forward to testify to that fact. I also learned that Salvatore had been to America prior to his wedding because he had to create a notary act stating that while he was abroad in New Orleans, he had not married and that he was in fact still single, and eligible to marry. This led to the discovery of him on a ship’s passenger list in 1898 sailing to New Orleans with his brothers Vincenzo and Pietroangelo. These records allowed me to add some interesting details to my ancestors’ lives, and gave me new clues to research!

allegati for Italian genealogy research
Excerpt from a notary act included in the allegati packet for Maria Giglio and Salvatore Esposito inteso Palumbo stating that Maria’s mother Salvatore Fulco hadn’t heard from her husband Paolo Giglio since he left for American four years earlier and didn’t know if he was dead or alive.[1]
Where to Find These Gems

 Allegati packets are typically stored separately from the marriage register. They are loose papers filed in a folder or packet and are filed in the same order as the marriage records, so take note of the marriage record number when looking for the allegati/processetti. The Family History Library (FHL) has microfilmed these wonderful treasures and many are digitized. In the FHL catalog, look for the word allegati or processetti in the film notes section for the town you are researching. If your town’s records have not been microfilmed or the years that you need are not available, you can write to the town for a copy – you’ll need the bride and groom’s names, their date of marriage, and the marriage record number from the marriage act record.

Italian marriage records and the supplementary documentation that accompany them are one of the best sources of genealogical information for researching your Italian ancestors. Not only did I learn new and interesting facts about my great-grandparents and their parents with the allegati packet I found, but I was also able to add new names to my tree because of the very helpful record-keeping practice of adding the father’s name after the person of interest to help identify them. When Salvatora Fulco was identified in the record, she was called “Fulco Salvatora di Vincenzo” identifying her father as Vincenzo. (Note that Italians write the surname first in their records). Paolo Giglio’s father was “fu Giovanni” meaning he was deceased at the time the record was made. I just pushed back one more generation!

Italian record-keeping practices, including the requirement of marriage supplemental records, can extend your Italian genealogy several generations with just one record and can add fascinating details to your Italian family history. You never know what gems you will find hidden in this wonderful record set.

Our experts and onsite agents are experienced at tracking down all kinds of Italian family history records in a variety of locations, and can help you extend your Italian ancestry as far back as records will allow. Contact us today for a free consultation!

[1] Italy, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1862-1910, Registri dello stato civile di Cefalù (Palermo), “Allegati (vari) 1904-1906, allegati for Salvatore Esposito inteso Palumbo and Maria Giglio, no. 68, 1904, https://familysearch.org, accessed March 2018.

Filed Under: Europe, Genealogy Records and Resources

september 14, 2017 by Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager 60 Comments

foundlings in genealogy research

Finding Foundlings: Searching for Abandoned Children in Italy

I learned about foundlings – abandoned newborns – in Italy while tracing my own immigrant ancestor back to the province of Palermo in Sicily. My maiden name is Palumbo, but as I tried to move backwards from my immigrant ancestor, Salvatore Fortunato Palumbo, I discovered that Palumbo was not his original surname. Explaining this discovery in detail is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I have documented evidence that my paternal great-great-grandfather’s name was Salvatore Fortunato Esposito inteso Palumbo. I had no idea where the “Esposito inteso” portion of my surname originated until I located Salvatore’s death certificate, which stated his parents were listed as “parenti ignoti” or “unknown parents”. Then the pieces began to come together. As I continued to investigate further, I learned that the surname “Esposito” was a common surname given to foundlings. It appears that the Palumbo family may have fostered my great-great-grandfather (or perhaps he apprenticed with them), and that is how he obtained the Palumbo surname.

foundlings in genealogy research

As I’ve researched in Italian records, it is not uncommon to come across abandoned children in Italian civil records. In some cases, children were abandoned because their parents were too poor to care for them, but the majority of abandoned children were the result of illegitimate births. Social and political policies made it difficult for a pregnant, unmarried woman to keep and raise an illegitimate child. Not only did this situation bring shame to her, but also to her family, even to the point of making it difficult for her or her siblings to find suitable marriages.

foundlings in genealogy research
Foundling wheel at the «Ospedale Santo Spirito» in Rome. Courtesy of Wikipedia.com.

One way to “deal” with these unwanted babies was to leave them on the side of the road, in a remote area, or throw them into the sea. In the 16th and 17th centuries, infanticide was reaching an all-time high and the Catholic church’s concern for the souls of these babies played a large role in the development of foundling homes, which offered another option to unwed mothers. This was not only a phenomenon in Italy but other Catholic countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, and Austria.

The «Foundling Wheel»

In order to allow the anonymity of the mother, and thus keep her and her family from being disgraced, the ruota dei proietti or “foundling wheel” was instituted. The foundling wheel was a wooden, cylindrical box that was installed in the outer wall of a hospital, church, or in smaller communities, a midwife’s home, into which a newborn could be placed.

The wheel was then turned, so that the baby went inside, without anyone being able to see (from the inside) who placed the baby on the wheel. The person leaving the baby then pulled a bell that was near the wheel, notifying the attendant inside that a foundling had arrived.

These attendants, usually midwives, served as “keepers of the wheel,” and had the responsibility of taking the baby to the town hall to have the birth registered, and then to the parish church for its baptism. They also had the responsibility of finding a wet-nurse to feed the baby. As these wet-nurses were given a small compensation for their services, in some instances the mother of the baby would seek to become the baby’s wet-nurse herself, and have the opportunity of bonding with her baby, even if it was anonymously.

Common surnames given to foundlings

Sadly, many abandoned children were given surnames that reflected their disgraced status, and were outcasts in their communities. Eventually it became illegal to give them stigmatic names, at which time their names shifted to descriptions of nature or other less stigmatic names. Some examples of names assigned to abandoned infants are:

Esposito/Esposto = “exposed” or “abandoned”

Innocenti = “innocent one”

Della Casagrande = “of the Ospizio» (Hospice)

Trovato = “found”

Abbandonata = “abandoned”

Proietto/a = a designation meaning “thrown away,” “cast-off”

Names that indicated a physical characteristic, such as Bruno = “dark-skinned, dark haired”

Location names = di Noto, di Palermo

The month of birth = di Gennaio (of January)

Many of these surnames exist to this day, with their bearers having no idea that somewhere in their ancestry there was a foundling child.

Where to find the records of foundlings

Where to locate records of foundlings depends on the town and time period. Some towns recorded the births within the regular birth registers. Other towns separated abandoned baby births from legitimate births and recorded them in supplemental birth registers, or allegati. Because it was standard practice to record the physical description or appearance of the abandoned baby (the approximate age, if it was clean or dirty, what clothing or wrappings it had) and any tokens or segno di reconoscimento that were left with it (jewelry, a torn picture of the Madonna), these births were sometimes recorded in a Parte II after the regular birth register. This allowed more room to discuss the specifics of the child’s abandonment than the pre-printed forms. The reason the specifics of the abandonment were so carefully recorded is because if the mother was able to reclaim her baby in the future, she could identify them by these items. If she left a torn picture, for example, she could match the torn piece to prove her connection to the child.

Often, the child was not born in the town they grew up in or lived in as adults. Those children who survived might have been sent to the country to be raised by wet-nurses in rural areas. They may have been fostered by local families since the towns paid a stipend for the child’s care. These payments were usually made until age 14 for boys when they were apprenticed to learn a trade, and 16 for girls with a small dowry so they could marry. These situations were usually informal and often did not leave paperwork.

The parents of my 2nd great-grandfather remain a mystery to me, but the discovery of his true surname of Esposito has given me an insight to his humble beginnings as a foundling on the island of Sicily. He beat the odds and survived, to which I owe my own existence.

If you have Italian ancestry, a brick wall ancestor you need help getting past, or just questions about the details of your ancestors' lives, our experts can help. Contact us to discuss which of our project options would be best for you!

Filed Under: Europe

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