I'm a photographer and digital artist. My passions are reading, traveling, art, hiking and genealogy. Between excursions to explore other countries and cultures, I spend most of my time building my family genealogy blog and creating digital art.
Sadly we bring you the news that another Genetti cousin has passed on. Margaret Joyce Young Lychock left this earth on January 19, 2024 after a long illness. She was the daughter of Rita Carmella Genetti (1915-1998) and Arthur Davis Young (1913-1947); and the granddaughter of Leon Genetti (1887-1962) and Angeline Marchetti (1893-1963).
Margaret grew up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania with her twin brother Arthur, but lived most of her adult life in Las Vegas, Nevada. She leaves behind a large family of three children, ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
We extend our sympathies to the Lychock family and know that their mother and grandmother will be deeply missed.
If you would like to leave a memory, photo or tribute to Margaret, please send a message through our website contact page or private message me, and your memorial will be added to Margaret’s page.
I just received a notice from our shop provider, Redbubble, about December sales. As our website shop will be discontinued in January, now is the perfect time to take advantage of sale items! December is your last chance to purchase family tree prints, coat-of-arms mugs and coasters, fun Tyrolean inspired T-shirts and aprons, plus other goodies from our online store.
Here’s the info for Redbubble December Sales:
Dec. 3rd – 13th: up to 40% off sitewide
Dec. 26th – 31st: 25% off sitewide
Browse the Genetti Family Shop on our website and see an entire gallery of items designed especially for our Tyrolean family: https://genettifamily.com/shop-2/
Watch for sales info or sales coupon codes that will appear during sale dates at the top of our Redbubble shop page to take advantage of December discounts!
Got questions about our products? Drop me a line through our contact page – I am happy to help.
FYI – I receive a small commission on each sale which helps defray website maintenance costs as well as research fees. Many thanks for your continuing support of the Genetti Family Genealogy Project!
Dear cousins and friends, the time has come to have a frank conversation about our family website and make a few difficult decisions. Since there has been no interest (or sales) in over a year through our family Shop or Bookstore, I have decided to discontinue both sections of our website. As of January 2024, the Genetti Family Shop and Bookstore will be removed and the products offered will be discontinued (including Family Tree Prints).
This advance notice will give you enough time to purchase Christmas gifts or Family Tree Prints, as well as take advantage of holiday sales offers.
It takes time and energy to maintain both accounts, (the Bookstore is part of Amazon; our family shop is through Redbubble). Originally the stores were added as a means to subsidize annual costs involved in creating, building and hosting our website. Unfortunately, this has not been the case and the small commissions generated from the two online shops have not met research and website expenses.
Since I established the Genetti Family Genealogy Project in 2014 as a source of ancestral information, it has been my personal responsibility to meet all requirements involved in maintaining the website. Researching family history, posting news and updating our ancestral tree are just a few things I do as your webmaster. There are also many costs involved in keeping our website up and running, including: membership at genealogical research sites; an annual fee for hosting a large, public online family tree (Tribal Pages); URL domain renewal fee (GoDaddy); and website hosting fees (WordPress). I had hoped our Bookstore and Family Shop would cover part of these expenses. As this is not the case, I have made the difficult decision to discontinue both stores in order to simplify our website and decrease my responsibilities.
If you have been putting off buying a family tree print, a “Tyrolean” apron or a mug with the Genetti coat-of-arms, now is your last chance to make this purchase and support our family website. Plus take advantage of holiday specials at Redbubble! Right now Redbubble is running a sitewide discount of 40% when you use the coupon code: FEEL THE JOY. I don’t know how long this special will last, so don’t wait!
Another Genetti cousin has passed on this month. John “Jack” Genetti was just shy of his 100th birthday!
Jack was the grandson of one of the original Genetti brothers who settled in Illinois. A second generation American, Jack was the son of John Baptiste Genetti (1890-1972) and Julia Freida Rolando (1900-1996). He was the grandson of Vigilio Genetti (1852-1932) and Domenica Maria Dolzadelli (1852-1907). Jack’s grandparents made their home in Collinsville, Illinois where many descendants from the Illinois Genetti branch still live today.
Jack had a long, interesting life and his obituary reflects his many interests and charitable endeavors. Our family genealogists will also miss Jack as he provided us on several occasions with valuable historical information about our ancestry. I am sure he will be greatly missed by his large extended family. We send our heartfelt sympathies to Jack’s sisters and many descendants.
We are sad to bring you the news that another Genetti cousin has passed away. Karen Zamko Walsh died on July 6th at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Cedar Crest, Pennsylvania at the age of 63. She was the daughter of John (Jack) Zamko (1933-2008) and Emma Bott (1925-2005). Karen was the granddaughter of Verecondo Bott (1884-1955) and Addolorata Erminia Genetti (1889-1971) of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
Sadly another Genetti descendant has passed on. Louise Marie Forneris Fernandez, age 86, died on January 26th in Collinsville, Illinois. She was the daughter of Rosina Amelia Genetti and Giovanni Forneris. A descendant of the Illinois Genetti branch and a second generation American, Louise was the granddaughter of Vigilio Genetti (born in Castelfondo, Austria) and his second wife, Margaretha Mueller Kittstein (born in Alsace, France).
I found Louise’s obituary to be a little piece of family history, full of personal details and obviously radiating the love she had for her large family. You can read our memorial to Louise Fernandez on our website with her full obituary, just click here.
Over the years, I have completed extensive research into the Illinois Genetti family as they have an unusual history spanning several generations. I also correspond with many descendants of the four Genetti brothers who originally came to Illinois. Louise was no exception to this complicated family ancestry and she also had a confusing immediate family history.
After her grandfather’s first wife died, Vigilio Genetti married a young widow (Louise’s grandmother) who had two sons by her first marriage. The couple soon had a second family. Vigilio had three sons and a daughter with his first wife, Domenica Maria Dolzadelli. His four children were adults by the time he married Margaretha. Being older, Vigilio and his second wife immediately began a family and had twin girls in 1916 (Louise’s mother Rosina was one of the twins) and a son in 1918. It was a true blended family of siblings and half-siblings.
When Rosina married Giovanni “John” Forneris and they had their only child, Louise, she would grow up with four half-uncles, a half-aunt, an aunt who was a twin to her mother (Margarita Maria) and her Uncle Vernon Charles (her mother’s younger brother). There were many half-cousins and three full cousins in this extended family.
As this blended family wasn’t already confusing enough, it takes another twist through the Fernandez family. In 1942, Louise’s Uncle Vernon marries Geraldine Fernandez. Sometime in the 1950’s, Louise marries Geraldine’s brother, Angel Fernandez. This means that Louise’s four children and the three children of Vernon and Geraldine are double cousins, being related through both their maternal and paternal sides. The seven cousins are first cousins through Angel Fernandez and Geraldine Fernandez Genetti and first cousins, once removed through Louise Forneris Fernandez and her Uncle Vernon Genetti.
Yes, this was a real head-scratcher and took several hours to sort out, as well as another few hours updating our family tree to reflect the intermarriage between the Genetti/Forneris/Fernandez families! It can be quite complicated as you don’t want to enter descendants twice. You can browse our newly updated tree for the Illinois Genetti family at http://genettifamily.tribalpages.com. (You need to create a free account in order to login and access the tree.) After logging in, it’s easy to find Louise Forneris Fernandez by entering her name in the search box at the top of the home page. You can then trace her ancestry as well as her husband’s connection to the Genetti family by following the line of ancestors back in time. (Currently our Genetti Family Tree has 2067 ancestor/descendant listings).
To all of Louise’s family we extend our sincerest sympathies.
If you would like to drop by Louise’s memorial page and leave a memory or a condolence to the family, please click here.
Find our tribute page for Louise Marie Forneris Fernandez on the Genetti Memorial page by clicking here.
Sadly we bring you the news that another elder has passed on. Albert Dominick Zambotti was the youngest child of Ottilia Genetti and Pietro Zambotti. Born in 1928, Albert left us on November 8th, just a week shy of his 94th birthday.
Born in Weston, Pennsylvania, Albert was a first generation American and the fourth child of Tillie and Peter Zambotti. His parents had immigrated from Castelfondo, Austria (now Italy) early in the 1900’s. The couple married in 1911.
We extend our sympathies to the relatives of Albert Zambotti.
I am always working on various genealogy projects. Most involve DNA analysis and helping others solve family mysteries, such as unknown cousins finding their birth families. Yes, if you have completed DNA testing, I’m sure you will find a surprise cousin or two (maybe even an unknown half-sibling!) popping up in your results. Of course, due to protecting the privacy of those I work with as a search angel, I can not write about these projects.
But recently I researched a fascinating case involving misattributed ethnicity that I can share with you. Over the years I have received strange queries from cousins asking about their ancestor Barbara Libener Inama (1875-1936). Barbara is a direct descendant of the Marchetti family from Nuremberg, Pennsylvania (originally from Castelfondo). She is also indirectly related to the Genetti family through marriage. I am personally related to Barbara Libener through my grandmother, Angeline Marchetti, who was her first cousin. (That makes me a first cousin, twice removed to Barbara.)
Barbara and her husband, Emanuele Inama, moved from Pennsylvania back to his ancestral town of Sanzeno in the Val di Non sometime around 1898. There they raised their large family and lived out the rest of their lives. However, all of Barbara’s family remained in Pennsylvania, along with several of her sons. At some point, probably after Barbara’s death, a story began circulating in Italy that Barbara Libener was a full blooded Native American of the Sioux tribe. This tall tale was published decades ago in a regional Trentini magazine and it became part of the Italian family’s lore, although there was no proof supporting the fabrication. However, as far as I am aware, no American descendant of the Marchetti/Libener families had ever heard the story.
Descendants of Barbara and Emanuele, all living in Italy, kept the fantastic story alive by passing the magazine article along to American cousins researching their family genealogy. Twice I received questioning messages from cousins asking about the article of “The Indian Wife.” I simply shrugged it off and explained genealogical record and DNA evidence proved this story could not be true.
But a few months ago the story once again resurfaced through a distant cousin living in France. I have worked with this cousin during the past two years on his complicated and mysterious genealogy. We have confirmed he (we will call him D.R.) is a direct descendant of Barbara and Emanuele, they being his great-grandparents. Upon visiting Trentino this past summer to trace his roots, D.R. too was given this incredulous magazine article. He and his wife, Patricia, also questioned the authenticity of the story, as D.R. has absolutely no Native American ethnicity in his DNA results. For those not familiar with DNA testing, you inherit 50% of your DNA from each parent; 25% of your DNA from each grandparent; and 12.5% of your DNA from each great-grandparent. If the story were true, our French cousin should show at least 10% of his ethnicity to be Native American. Instead his ethnicity from two different testing sites showed 0% Indigenous American.
After learning the story of the “Indian Wife” was still very much alive, I decided it was time to uncover the truth using genealogical research and scientific evidence. As a family genealogist and someone who works with genetic genealogy, I see it as my duty to document family truths, even if it debunks ancestral stories. (And very often it does!)
The result was a paper I recently published on our family website, entitled: “The Myths and Facts about Barbara Libener Inama (1875-1936).” The paper details all of my research into Barbara Libener, including DNA evidence from several of her descendants. Through Patricia, our French cousin’s wife, it has also been forwarded to family in Italy. So far – I have not heard a response to my research. I guess we will wait and see …
I would very much like to hear opinions from other cousins regarding this piece of family lore. After reading my paper, feel free to leave a comment to this post or ask questions about my research. I am happy to discuss or explain my findings.
It’s time to do a little housekeeping at the Genetti Family Genealogy Project. During the past few weeks I’ve made changes and additions to our website for easier navigation. You will now find “Family Stories” and “Memorials” located in the main menu at the top of each page. Before, these two pages were listed under the Gallery section and were often overlooked by visitors to our site. Since “Family Stories” and “Memorials” contain some of the most interesting information on our website, I wanted to ensure quick access to all of their fascinating info.
You will find three new items listed on the “Family Stories” page, with several more tales currently in the works. Do you have an interesting story about your family you would like to share? Just pop me a message through our Contact page with the details.
Take a spin over to our recently updated “Memorials, Tributes and Obituaries” page and you’ll find many new ancestral obituaries, dating from 1928 through 2021. Over the years, I have collected obits whenever I come across one in an old newspaper or on Ancestry.com. They always make for interesting reading! My collection has now been added to the “Memorials” page, plus I have updated all of our past obituaries and tributes to include new photos or additional info. Stop by and see if you recognize one of your ancestors. We currently have 69 memorials attributed to most branches of the Genetti family found in the United States.
If you have a memorial or obituary from your family that you would like included on our website, drop me a line at our Contact page. Since obits are a prime source of genealogical information, sharing your memorials may help another family historian solve an ancestral mystery or add important details to their own family tree.
As the holidays are upon us and another year draws to a close, this is a good time to reflect on the past. Although I have not posted on a regular basis this year, there is much to tell you concerning genealogy and family research.
First, I would like to acknowledge all of the Genetti elders who have passed on during the past two years. Many wise souls departed, taking with them family stories and knowledge of previous generations who came before them. There is a genealogy quote that says “When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.” I thought of this proverb often as I published each obituary. If you would like to remember those who have left us during 2020-2021, please visit our Tributes page found in the Gallery section.
This year I had the opportunity and time to enrich my genealogy education. There is so much to learn in regards to new techniques and tools! Luckily many virtual classes, workshops and conferences are available online and I eagerly took advantage of every genealogy event. Two extensive classes in particular really advanced my skills in genetic genealogy: “Endogamy and DNA” and “Y-DNA for Genealogy”. I hope to use my new-found insight and knowledge to help more Genetti descendants untangle their DNA results. In a future blog post I’ll explain how you can be a valuable contributor to our genetic ancestry just by getting tested!
While we are on the topic of DNA, it was another exciting year for mystery matches! Since 2016, I have helped a number of cousin matches with questionable or unknown parentage by identifying their birth family ancestry, often with interesting and sometimes surprising results. Usually these mystery cousins find me because our DNA matches through one of the major testing companies. This year was no exception as I received a message in March from a match who lived in France. I was very excited to work with an unknown French cousin and enthusiastically dived into the research. Due to privacy, I will not discuss their identity or personal information. But I can tell you it was and still is an extensive project with many twists and turns, involving three people doing the research in three different countries and in three different languages! It is a complicated recent ancestry connected with two generations of non-paternal events – and the research is still ongoing. In case you are wondering, this person is not a direct Genetti descendant but they are connected to the Genetti line by marriage. And I have verified my relationship to this match as a 3rd cousin, once removed through descendants of my paternal grandmother’s Marchetti ancestry.
Also on my 2021 genealogy to-do list was researching and compiling a four-generation family history for the Illinois Genetti family. Normally I would not undertake such an extensive project as it truly involves months of research and a lot of patience to uncover little-known history. However, I have a personal research interest in two ancestors from this family line. And when three siblings who descended from this particular ancestry contacted me in March, I saw the project as an opportunity to record and possibly correct family history. Hopefully I will have the research and written history completed by the beginning of 2022. As a result of delving into 150 years of events and four generations of descendants from this branch, I am now in the process of adding hundreds of new people to our off-line and on-line family tree!
You can find more information about the Genetti Family Online Tree plus a link to our extensive tree currently containing 1,973 descendants at: Family Tree. During the next month we will pass the 2,000 mark as I have many, many more people to add. FYI – our online family tree contains many helpful tools in addition to the tree itself. Here are a few to sample: under “View” in the main menu click on “Kin” to learn the relationships of a particular ancestor; create multi-generational reports for descendants and ancestors; or view the fascinating Map tool to see where ancestors and their descendants lived. Plus many people in our tree also have photographs and documents attached to their file. Stop by for a visit and discover something new in your family line!
The Genetti Family Genealogy Project 