This week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks them is Tragedy. My four times great grandmother Giovanna Damiani suffered tragedy after tragedy in her early life. She was born in 1804 in Farindola, Italy to contadini Domenico Damiani and Laura Rosa. Present at her baptism on March 23, 1804 at the Parish of San Nicola di Bari, were her godmother Domenica Fragasso, and the midwife named Anna Dell’Orso.* The baptism was performed by Arch Priest Giovanni Mantricchia.
Giovanna was the middle child, with two older brothers named Giuseppantonio and Antonio, and two younger sisters named Anna Emidia and Catarina. How does she relate to me specifically? She is the ancestress of my paternal grandmother, and the snipped image of her descendancy to my paternal grandmother is shown below.
On the night of January 9, 1810, when Giovanna was 5 years old, her father Domenico was murdered at Contrada Valchiera in Farindola, with other male members of his family – namely his uncles Donato and Nicola Damiani. According to La Storia di Farindola by Antonio Procacci, these were likely vendetta murders.
My 5 times great grandmother Laura Rosa had been pregnant when he was murdered. Their youngest child Catarina was born on July 28th of that year at Contrada Valchiera.
At some point, Laura moved Giovanna and her remaining family, to live with her Damiani in-laws according to addresses found in the 1811 Farindola Civil Records, to Contrada delle Tavo, Farindola. There is a clue that perhaps Giovanna’s mother’s family had contracted an illness, because in April of 1811, Giuseppe Rosa, the brother of Giovanna’s mother, Giovanna’s mother Laura, and Giovanna’s youngest sister Catarina all passed away within a week of each other. The deaths progressed as follows:
- Giuseppe Rosa passed away on April 5, 1811 at Contrada Santa Maria, Farindola;
- Catarina Damiani passed away on April 10, 1881 at Contrada delle Tavo, Farindola. Informant was her grandfather Giovanni Damiani, also living at Contrada delle Tavo;
- Laura Rosa passed away the day after her daughter at Contrada delle Tavo, Farindola. Informants were her father-in-law Giovanni Damiani(again) and brother Domenico Rosa from Contrada Santa Maria.
At age 7, Giovanna and her remaining siblings were now orphans. Luckily, their paternal grandparents Giovanni Damiani and Veneranda Paolucci were still alive, for Giovanni successfully married off all of his orphaned grandchildren before he died in 1827 – in the same place his son and brothers were murdered – Contrada Valchiera, Farindola. They married the following individuals:
- Giuseppantonio married Elisabetta Colangelo;
- Antonio married Angela Maria Dell’Orso;
- Giovanna married my 4 times great grandfather Antonio Lucerini, son of Domenico Antonio Lucerini and Guiditta Urbana Dell’Orso in early 1825;
- Anna Emidia married Pasquamarino Riccitelli.
After a sad early life for my 4 times great grandmother Giovanna, she and Domenico had 10 children that survived to adulthood. In their 47th year of marriage in 1872, Domenico left Giovanna a widow. She passed away in 1886 at #24, Contrada Casebruciate, Farindola.
*I suspect that Anna Dell’Orso was a 5th or 6th great grand aunt of mine, because in my experience looking at the Farindola records, the midwives were usually relations to the children they delivered.
If you have any comments, additions, or corrections, or any question on my sources (Italian civil records on Antenati and La Storia di Farindola) please email me- cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net.
Cinziarosa's Descendants (c) 