On today’s date (September 2nd) in family history, the following events happened on my maternal side:
Anna Heizen Kirsch
In 1862, my immigrant second great grandmother Anne (Anna) Marie Aloisia Heinzen was born in Lingwurm, a tiny hamlet of houses near Brig, Canton Valais, Switzerland. She was the daughter of Joseph Anton Heinzen and Italian-Swiss Regina Gentineta. Happy Birthday!
In 1881, my immigrant second great grand uncle Alexander Bold, who was born near Nuenschweiler, close to Alsace, France in Germany, two different Chicago newspapers published reports on his duties as a Chicago Police Officer. He raised an alarm when a four story brick plaining mill owned by Wintermeyer & Dempsey caught fire. It was a total loss for the company. He also struggled with a gun a perpetrator and shot him. Officer Alexander Bold had been on the scene because the perpetrator had shot five people.
In 1928, the Chicago Tribune ran an advertisement for my immigrant great grandfather Carmen Ferraro’s opera school at the Lyon-Healy building, in which he offered “part scholarships to few promising voices.”
In 1971, the Montreal Gazette featured a story on a American detective agency run by a woman, which was rare in those days. The article mentioned that she and her former boss, my first cousin two times removed Albert R. Valerioti, attended the World Detective Conference happening in Montreal. It also states, that he was called the “Prince of Detectives” because decades before he was responsible for transporting Hiroshima’s atomic bomb fragments from New York to Washington. Albert was the son of Angela Maria Ferraro, my great grandfather Carmen Ferraro’s sister.
On my paternal side, the following happened:
Penne Marriage Processetti
In 1791, my 5th great grandmother Rosalinda Maddalena Mincarelli was born in Penne, Abruzzo to Domenico and Anna Maria Giulia Di Federico. She was a lace maker and was the spouse of Massimo Antonio Nicola Uriano. If you are keeping tracek, she was an ancestor of Luigia Massei.
Are we related, or do you have an addition or correction? Please email me, because for some reason WordPress does not send you my reply if you simply comment on this post. My email is-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net
On today’s date (August 30th) in family history, the following happened:
In 1811, my 6th great grandfather Giuseppe Marzola died in Farindola at 8 am at age 77. He was born in Farindola and lived at Rione della Croceria and was a contadino. His parents were Domenicantonio Marzola and Anna Maria Colella. He was the widow of Rosina Pompili. Domenico and Rosina are in my tree twice. They are the ancestors of both my paternal grandmother, through their daughter Giovanna Marzola, who was married to the Cancelliere di Farindola, Nicola Carusi, making them the ancestors of Luigia Massei; and, my paternal grandfather, through their son Domenico Marzola who married midwife Maria Donata Di Costanzo from Penne, making them ancestors of Serafina Merlenghi. This is why we research the female lines. The fact they were in my tree twice made my paternal grandparents 5th cousins to each other.
1811 death record
Also on today’s date in Farindola, a pair of several times over great grand aunts Apollonia Cirone and Anna Eleuteria Iannascoli passed away in 1817.
On my maternal side, the following happened:
In 1816, the parents of my immigrant 3rd great grandmother Marie Louise Koppel Eckebrecht, Johann Christoph Koppel and Anna Maria Dorothea Grabe were married in Koerner, Thuringia, Germany. Johann Christoph is noted as owner of the Riethmuhle (mill) on his children’s baptisms in Koerner through at least 1820. Koerner is on the River Unstrut. There is a Riethmuhle in Koerner as of 1900, at the west end of the village on the Heuberg Hill, on Notter Creek. At the time of Marie Louise’s death in the United States, her property included a mill in Germany that may have been this mill.
Marie Louise Koppel
In 1820, a cousin several times removed, Bernardo Criscuolo, was born in Nola, outside Naples. He was a blood relation of Filomena Napolitano.
In 1854, my second great grandmother Katharina Schuttler was born in Chicago to immigrants John Schuttler and Louise Gerbing. She was my first ancestor born on this continent.
Katharina Schuttler is seated in the middle of the 3 women
In 1866, my second great grand aunt Anna Maria Heinzen was born in Brig, Valais, Switzerland to Joseph Anton Heinzen and Italian-Swiss Regina Gentinetta.
In 1896, cousin several times removed, Charles Gerbing, won the German Wheelmen’s Race (Cycling) in Chicago but ended up being disqualified.
Finally, it was reported in two newspapers on today’s date in 1912, that my great grandfather, Carmen Ferraro, used a stage name of Mr. Armanno Vittorio, and told the reporter he was from the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires, when he gave an operatic performance as a dramatic tenor.
Are we related? Do you have an addition or correction? Please email me-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net
Today I share an image of Castelli, Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy. My 5th great grandmother Angela Emmanuela Sacchetti Sopranome Muffitti was born there in Villa Bifari in 1789. She made her way to Penne, Pescara and married Bartolomeo Massimo Antonio Desiati Cacciatore. They had five children. They are the ancestors of Luigia Massei. This image is from the Trip Advisor website.
Today I share the birth record of my second great grandfather Antonio Massei who was born in Farindola, Italy in the 23rd hour of February 18th in 1864. Preceding him in the birth acts that year was his twin brother Nicola, whom the record states was also born in the 23rd hour of February 18th. Their parents were Costantino Massei and Rosa Antonia Pompili.
My sixth great grandfather Antonio Chiarella was born around 1746 in Penne, Abruzzo to Michele Chiarella and Anna Chiara Colangeli* and died in early May of 1817 in Farindola, likely from typhus.
I know very little about him. He is considered “new” to my tree, because I have only recently found him. He is the only smith I have found to date on my paternal side. His address is listed as Fonte Marotta in Farindola on at least two records.
His wife was from Farindola and was named Laura Marzola. Her death record implies she was significantly older than Antonio, close to 20 years older. It makes you wonder if Antonio’s age or Laura’s age was incorrect on civil records. Laura passed in 1813 and her husband was the first person listed on the record giving testimony about the death.
Antonio had at least two children. (There may be more I have not yet located.) So far I have found son Bernardo, and daughter Maria, who was my 5th great grandmother. Antonio’s children were already starting their own families when he passed on May 9, 1817.
Bernardo was a smith like his father and married Beatrice Falconetti.
Maria was born around 1776 in Penne according to her death record. She is also one of the midwives in my tree. She married Sabatino Di Massimo. One of their sons, named Serafino Vincenzo, married a lacemaker from Montebello di Bertona named Angela Maria Cecilia Colangeli*, making them the great grandparents of my great grandmother Luigia Maria Massei.
* I have many Colangelis in my tree. They don’t seem to be closely related to each other.
Are you a Massei? Are you related to anyone else I mentioned? I would love to hear from you! -cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net.
Following my post from yesterday, this is part 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt Earliest.
Continuing on my paternal side, the earliest new generation that I ever found was my great grandmother’s parents. Serafina Merlenghi was born in 1896 in Macchie, Farindola. I found her birth record on Family Search, before Italy put all of the records of Pescara on Antenati for everyone to view from their comfort of their own homes.
Serafina’s parents were Cesidio Merlenghi and Maria Michela Cirone.
From there I went on to find her husband’s birth record (Cesidio Marcella) and the birth records of other great grandparents in Farindola – Maria Luigia Massei and husband Paolo Di Francesco.
This blog post is part II of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt #23 Namesake.
Massimo. I have many Massimos in my paternal lines. Uncles, grandfathers, cousins, you name it. But in one line there were four versions of Massimo in successive generations in one of my Penne, Pescara branches. My Uriani that lived in Penne seemed to use Massimo more than any others. The Uriani are direct ancestors of my great grandmother Maria Luigia Massei.
The Cathedral of Penne is the Church of San Massimo, named after the town’s patron saint. The present-day structure was built on top of an old crypt. That crypt was built on top of a Vestini temple dedicated to the Roman Goddess of family Vesta, whose festival was celebrated June 7-14 and they were so-named for that fact. The Vestini were the independent war-like inhabitants of the area surrounding the Gran Sasso in Italy before they allied themselves with Rome. San Massimo’s feast day falls in the middle of the week previously dedicated to Vesta – June 10.
The first Massimo of the Uriani line I found was my 5th great grandfather, born in 1783 in Penne. His full name was Massimo Antonio Nicola Uriani. He was the father of Antonia Uriani. Antonia was the wife of Sabatino Cacciatore of the Cacciatore – Desiati line in Penne. MassimoAntonio Nicola Uriani was a contadino and was the husband of Rosalina Maddalena Mincarelli. This Massimo was the great great grandfather of Maria Luigia Massei.
Second, the first Massimo had a daughter named Massimina. She was born in 1825 in Penne.
Then I found the first Massimo’smarriage documents that showed he had been baptized in San Massimo and his father was Massimo Nicola Uriani, who was my 6th great grandfather and husband of Vittoria Di Norscia. Vittoria’s father was named Giuseppe Lorenzo Massimo Di Norscia. Massimo Nicola Uriani had a daughter named Maria Anna Massimina (sister of the first Massimo). Massimo Nicola Uriani is a special ancestor. He was born in 1734 and died in 1832 in Penne, making him the oldest direct ancestor in my paternal and maternal lines. His birthplace is unknown. According to his death record, he was 98 when he died. I have a cousin in my paternal lines that lived to at least 100 years in Farindola and the town gave him a birthday party to celebrate that occasion and the fact that he was a veteran of the First Italian War for Independence. Right now, it bears mention, that my great aunt, also on my paternal side, is 99 years old and counting.
Last, I found the baptismal record of Massimo Antonio Nicola Uriani’s sister Maria AnnaMassimina, stating that their grandfather, my seventh great grandfather, was named Massimo Oriano (That is how the surname appeared in the church extracts from San Massimo in Penne in the late 1700s.) This Massimo was born around 1700 and his birthplace unknown. His wife was Maria Angela, with an unknown surname. Perhaps the name Massimo means he was actually born in Penne…
What other surname do you see in this baptismal record that is in our tree?
This Uriani/D’Auriano/Oriano surname is rare in Penne. Coincidentally, Massimo Antonio Nicola Uriani’s granddaughter Anna Domenica Cacciatore married my 3rd great grandfather who was named Donato Di Massimo! He was from Farindola.
Rosa Antonia Pompili was born in 1825 in Farindola to Giuseppe Antonio Pompili and Anna Domenica Puccella. They were both contadini and were related to a local politician. When Rosa was born in 1825, her father’s uncle recorded her birth. Notably, he was the Sindaco (mayor) of the Comune di Farindola at the time.
Her 1825 Civil birth record
Or in a close up you can see:
My 5th great grand uncle was the Sindaco.
Rosa’s groom, Costantino Massei, was seven years younger than she was. He was born in 1832 in Farindola to Sabatino Massei and Francesca Paola Innocenza Carusi. They were both contadini. Costantino’s mother was the daughter of a local politician and wealthy landowner, for Francesca’s father was Nicola Carusi, Cancelliere di Comune di Farindola 1809-1817.*
In 1864, Rosa and Costantino welcomed twin sons into the world. The second twin son recorded in the civil records was named Antonio and he was my second great grandfather.
Costantino passed away in 1901 in Contrada Macchie, Farindola, where Rosa passed away in 1909.
*I have updated information on this branch of the Carusi family from Farindola. Feel free to email me (cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net).
October is Italian Heritage Month in the United States and I am continuing concentrating on the Italians in my tree.
My great grandparents’ had brothers that came to the United States as farm laborers before the Immigration Quota Law of 1924. After the Immigration Quota Law of 1924 was passed, which limited immigration from non-northern European nations, a brother went to Canada through Nova Scotia, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, before eventually settling near St. Catharines, Ontario in Lincoln.
Vincenzo Merlenghi
Vincenzo Merlenghi was Serafina Merlenghi’s second oldest brother. He was born in 1890 at Contrada Macchie in Farindola to Cesidio and Maria Michela Cirone. According to American censuses the year of his marriage to his wife, Maria Giuseppa Pompili, daughter of Antonio and Maria Vincenza Di Gregorio, was 23.
Vincenzo’s atto di nascita from 1890 via Antenati
In 1914 he came to the United States through Ellis Island as a laborer on the S.S. Taormina. He was coming to live with his cousin Francesco Baccanale in Mason City, Iowa. I found him in 1920 on the S.S. Duca D’Aosta passenger list returning to the United States as an Italian military reservist, with an occupation of laborer, and having his passage paid for by the Italian government. Notes above his name said he was a returning United States resident and had been here previously from 1914-1917. It also stated he was going to Philadelphia and his closest living relative was his wife Maria (Maria Giuseppa) living in Farindola.
Additional information on this manifest was the information that he was going to stay with his friend Giuseppe Sciarra at 22 Street in Philadelphia. If he was a Sciarra from Farindola, he possibly is our relation. This is something to research in the future.
A physical description of Vincenzo gave his height of 5′ 5″, said that he was brown haired, brown eyed, possessed a natural colored complexion (tanned), and also stated he was born in Farindola. My great grandmother was brown-eyed as well.
The entire ship that day was filled with Italian military reservists, and a handful of their wives, all having their passage paid by the Italian government.
In 1921, Vincenzo sent for his wife, Maria Giuseppa Pompili, to come to the United States. She sailed to the Port of Philadelphia, with their baby daughter, Vincenza Elisabetta. The manifest reflected that her passage was paid by her husband and that she was going to meet him at 240 W. Green Street, Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.
On the 1930 Census, Vincenzo was going by James and was naturalized. He and his wife had four children. James was working at a steel mill. On later American records, they used the surname Morengo. His son Romeo was a navy veteran of World War II. They both passed in 1968 and Maria Giuseppa Pompili passed in 1974. This is the link to Find-a-Grave where you can see their headstone. It is Merlenghi.
Antonio Merlenghi
Antonio Merlenghi was my great grandmother Serafina’s oldest brother and was born in 1887 at Contrada Macchie, Farindola. In 1910 he married Antonia Lombardi, daughter of Raffaele and Massimina Ferri. He came to Ellis Island on the S.S. Taormina in 1914 with his brother Vincenzo with the intention of also going to Mason City, Iowa to meet their cousin Giuseppe Cirone. His nearest living relative was stated as Antonia, his wife, living in Italy.
The ship was half-full of men from Penne, Farindola, and Montebello with familiar surnames of Colantonio, Falconetti, Colangeli, Antonacci, Marcucci, Buccella, and so on…all coming as farm laborers.
For reasons I cannot discover on the passenger manifest, nor in the batch of documents detailing the dispositions of the detained passengers held at Ellis Island that week in 1914, Antonio was deported back to Italy on the ship he arrived on, and also made to pay for the meals he ate while he was detained at Ellis Island.
Antonio Merlenghi became a Corporal in the 281st Reggimento Fanteria and died on October 27, 1918 from the wounds he received in Grave di Papadopoli at the Battle of Vittorio-Veneto in the Great War.
Image taken from Caduti Grande Guerra.it
He was awarded the Medaglia D’Argento posthumously. So imagine had Antonio not been deported, what would have happened? How sad.
I did not include him in my count of immigrants. Should I?
Paolo Massei
Paolo’s 1896 birth from Farindola via Antenati
Paolo Massei was born in 1896 to Antonio and Angela Maria Di Massimo at Contrada Macchie in Farindola. He was my great grandmother Luigia’s second oldest brother. Paolo came to the United States for the first time in 1920, sailing to Ellis Island from Bordeaux, France on the S.S. Caroline. His occupation was listed as laborer, said he was able to write, and that he was going to meet family at the home of Domenico Avellos in White Haven, Pennsylvania. I have never heard of Domenico and his surname is intriguing. Was Domenico Avellos his family?
According to a later census, Paolo said he married his wife Maria Nicoletta Iezzi, daughter of Domenico Iezzi and Giuseppa Carusi, in 1924. If my Farindola research is correct, Paolo and Maria were third cousins. Giuseppa Carusi was a landowner’s daughter.* In 1927, Maria came to the United States with their 1 year old son Antonio aboard the S.S. Guilio which had sailed from Naples to Ellis Island. The passenger manifest does not reflect that Antonio is a citizen of the United States, so Paolo had not yet naturalized. They were going to meet Paolo at 32 Arbury Street in Trenton, New Jersey.
In 1930, Paolo was working at the city sewer works in Trenton. He and Maria had a daughter already and a 6 month old son named Anthony. I traced Anthony and all American records point to a birth date in 1929 in New Jersey. I can find no record of the child named Antonio that sailed to America with Maria in 1927. Paolo and Maria’s son Paul later founded his own construction company named MGM Construction. He also was a building inspector and zoning officer in New Jersey.
Paolo passed away in 1909 while Maria passed away in 1984. Paolo came to the United States when Lady Liberty’s beacon shined brightly.
Zopito Di Francesco
Zopito Di Francesco was born at #84 Contrada Trosciano, Farindola in 1904 to Biagio and Marianna Di Pendima. He was a younger brother to my great grandfather Paolo.
Zopito’s 1904 birth (part 1) from Farindola via Antenati
Due to the Immigration Quota Act of 1924, in 1927, Zopito sailed from Bourdeaux, France on the ship La Bourdonnais to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was the only traveler from Farindola on the ship and for all research I am able to present at this moment, he was the first of the Di Francesco surname from Farindola to come to North America.
His intended destination, from what I can make out on the manifest was a place called Perth (sp?) Italy Farmers Colony in Winnipeg, Manitoba to a man with the surname Mangietti. I learned that there was a Little Italy in Winnipeg at that time. The manifest stated that his nearest living relative was his mother in Farindola, Marianna Di Pendima.
Eventually, Zopito settled near St. Catharines, Ontario and bought his own farmland. It is my understanding that some of that land is still in the family today.
Gran Sasso D’Italia, overlook near Farindola
Her 1825 Civil birth record
Cinziarosa's Descendants (c) 