As many living descendants of the Genetti family are second-, third-, and fourth-generation Americans who have moved from the original states where our forebearers settled, you may not know which branch of the family tree you belong to.
First, it is important to remember that the Genetti family traces its roots back to the village of Castelfondo, Italy, as early as 1265. Our first ancestors were a father named Giovanni (Johan in German) and his sons. According to the ancient text of the Codex Cles from 1307 and a later German journal, Neues Jahrbuch, published in 1899, the family was granted the title of “freeman” by the ruling Tyrolean Prince-Bishop. This established the family surname and the beginning of the Genetti tree. However, since official church documentation of births, marriages, and deaths was not part of Catholic practice until the last half of the 1400s, the Genetti family had 200 years of growth. As a result, the family split into several different branches. Today, there are at least four or five distinctly different Genetti family lines living in Italy, other European countries, the United States, and South America. Most of the Genetti family ancestors who immigrated to the United States belong to our specific branch of the larger ancient tree, which traces its first documented ancestor to Pietro Genetti of Melango, born sometime in the mid-1400s. (FYI: Melango is the ancient name for Castelfondo.)
The journey to the Americas began in 1867 with the arrival of Costantino (August) Genetti (1842–1914). Costantino was the first documented immigrant from our family tree to leave Castelfondo, settling and raising his family in Collinsville, Illinois. Other family members soon joined their older brother in Illinois, working in the miners or becoming farmers. During the following decades, Genetti cousins from different branches established their own families, businesses, and culture in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Wyoming, and Argentina.
The color-coded tree accompanying this blog post illustrates our original immigrant ancestors and the locations where they settled. Note the maps on the right side: the states colored in Turquoise represent Genetti families from other lineages, distantly related prior to the mid-1400s and therefore not on our specific tree. The states in Yellow (New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut) indicate a Genetti family not related to ours at all; their family originated in a different part of Italy and changed their surname from Genitti to Genetti upon arrival. You can read about them in my 2015 blog post, “A Case of Mistaken Identity!”.
Who were our first ancestors to settle in each state?
- Pennsylvania: Cosma Damiano Genetti arrived in 1877 with two sisters, Angela Maddalena and Anna Maria. He married and began his family, returning to Castelfondo in 1888 where he and his growing family lived until he once again embarked for Pennsylvania in 1902. In 1887, Damiano’s parents, Leone and Cattarina, made the journey with their 20 year old son Angelo Raffaele. By 1906, Damiano brought over his entire family of four sons and five daughters, and established his family meat business in Hazleton. Over the years he traveled back and forth from Hazleton, PA to Castelfondo several times. On one shipboard trip he accompanied his youngest sister Erminia Enrica across the ocean in 1890. Eventually Damiano return in his later years to his beloved Alpine village while the rest of his family remained in Hazleton. He died there in 1944. Notable arrivals to Pennsylvania from other branches of the Genetti tree included brothers Fortunato Valentino (arrived 1898) and Narciso (arrived 1899), as well as Dionigio and Faustino Genetti, who settled in Nuremberg and Black Creek in the early 1920s.
- Illinois: Costantino (August) Isidoro Francesco Genetti arrived in 1867. He was followed by brothers Nicolo Cipriano in 1872 and Vigilio (William) in 1888. Two sisters, Rachele Arcangela and Domenica Geltrude, also joined their brothers in Illinois. Nicolo Cipriano returned to Castelfondo after working several years in the mines. But brother Vigilio remained, married twice and raised a large blended family. Their father, Cipriano, eventually arrived shortly before his death in 1890. Many descendants of this family still reside in Collinsville, Illinois and neighboring communities.
- Wyoming: Angelo Genetti first traveled to Rock Springs in 1887 to work the coal mines before returning to Tyrol in 1892. His four sons—Francesco (Frank), Enrico, Ermenegildo (Herman/Joe), and Dominico—later settled in Wyoming between 1910 and 1918. You can read an entertaining biography written by Ermenegildo (Herman) on our website about early life in southwestern Wyoming, entitled: Herman’s Howlings, click here. Distant cousins to the three earlier mentioned Genetti siblings, brothers Pietro (arrived 1900) and Lodovico Genetti (arrived 1905) traveled to Wyoming. They were actually cousins of the Michigan brothers, but decided Wyoming would be their home rather than Michigan. The brothers settled in Superior and Rock Springs where they both raised their families.
- Michigan: Angelo Pietro Genetti settled in Bessemer in 1899, followed by brothers Camillo Gaetano Andrea (arrived 1907) and Gabriele Arcangelo (arrived 1909). By 1905 Enrico Giovanni Battista and his brother Germano Romedio, made Ironwood, Michigan their home. Enrico and Germano were 3rd cousins to Angelo, Camillo and Gabriele. Unfortunately Germano eventually decided to return to Castelfondo. Due to his young age, he was required to serve in the Austrian military forces and was immediately drafted into the army to fight in World War I. He lost his life somewhere on the Russian Front in 1917.
Today, descendants of these original Genetti ancestors are spread across the globe. Rather than just miners and farmers, they are now business owners, professionals, educators, artists, distinguished military personnel and leaders in their communities.
Conclusion
Though our ancestors left the Alpine shadows of Castelfondo over a century ago, the “freeman” spirit they carried remains the bedrock of our family today. Whether your branch took root in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, the prairies of Wyoming, or the farms of Illinois, we are all part of a 700-year-old story that continues to grow with every new generation. By documenting these names and dates, we ensure that while we may move far from our original settlements, we never lose the way back to our shared heritage.
Are you interested in having your own original Genetti Family Tree hanging on your wall? You can purchase a poster of this beautiful tree commissioned by Maria Genetti of Castelfondo in our online Genetti Family Shop, just click here. Please note: due to the small type and the many ancestors listed on the tree, we recommend to purchase the following sizes: Medium (31.2 in x 23.4 in) or Large (44.1 in x 33.1 in) as the text on smaller sized posters is unreadable.
**Commissions from the sale of items in the Genetti Family Shop support upkeep of this website and further genealogical research.
The Genetti Family Genealogy Project 