Category: Family History

Casa di Genetti (Lanci)

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Genetti home in Castelfondo, about 1916
click photo for a larger view

Surprises abound when you are connected to your roots!

I belong to a private group on FaceBook called Chei da Chastelfon. Members are either from my ancestral village of Castelfondo in Trentino or have family members who were born there. A few days ago I found this fantastic black and white photograph on Chei da Chastelfon’s group page. It was posted by Luciana Genetti, one of my Italian cousins. Luciana and I share my 3rd great-grandparents, Antonio Genetti and Veronica Panizza. In official cousin terms, we are 3rd cousins, once removed.

Luciana’s beautiful vintage photo was captured sometime around 1916 and is the Castelfondo home of Genetti Lanci. Yes, my ancestors were “Lanci” – a sopranome or nickname used by a particular branch of our family. I have been told that “Lanci” was originally from old German meaning Lance. I have no idea where or how this sopranome became attached to our branch of the Genetti family other than it is noted in baptismal records as early as the 1600’s. You can still see the sopranome used today on family markers in the village cemetery.

Luciana’s photo caption reads: “Cento anni fa i soldati austriaci davanti a casa nostra (Lanci). Viva la Pace e la Convivenza!”

Since my Italian is limited, I ran this through Google Translator. It translates as: “One hundred years ago the Austrian soldiers in front of our house (Lanci). Alive Peace and Coexistence!”

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The Genetti home today, with restored fresco and carved Coat-of-Arms over the doorway.
click photo for a larger view

If you remember world history, at the time this photo was taken it was during World War I. Tyrol was, and had been for centuries, part of the Austrian-Hapsburg Dynasty. Only in 1918, after WW I, was Tyrol turned over to Italy to become the Northern Italian province of Trentino. That is why many of our ancestors who immigrated to America around 1900 considered themselves Tyrolean (not Italian) and had Austrian passports.

Here is what Casa Lanci looks like today. As you can see, the home has been restored and updated. The structure dates to the mid-1500’s (or possibly older). It now houses five apartments, several of which are owned by Luciana and her sisters. The beautiful fresco of Madonna and Child, seen on the front side wall, was restored in 1998 with funds donated by Adriana Genetti, Luciana’s sister.

La nostra gratitudine a Luciana per contribuire questa foto. Mille grazie!

I have also added Luciana’s photo to our photograph page of Castelfondo. Take a quick visit to our ancestral village, click here to access this page on our family website.

Photos from the Past, Part 2

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Raffael Recla (1864-1896) with wife Angeline Maddalena Genetti (1865-1937), children: Lawrence, Leonela, Frances. Photographed in 1891, Hazleton, PA

Back in June, I wrote about a cache of cabinet cards discovered on eBay by Giovanni Marchetti of Castelfondo. (Click here to read the original post of this amazing story!)

Since many of the picture postcards are not clearly labeled, I’m using whatever clues I have to identify these ancestral ghosts from the past. When I first received the digital images from Giovanni, I immediately recognized a postcard of my grandfather, Leon Genetti, with his cousin Peter Zambotti. It was also easy to translate the handwritten message on the back of their card, giving positive proof that this was indeed two of my relatives.

OK – one postcard identified, nineteen more to go!

Browsing through the ancient sepia photos, I looked for more obvious clues – something that easily jumped out at me. There it was – a portrait of a young family, with the name of the photography studio and its location stamped on front. It said Hazleton! The back of the card offered no identification. But as I examined the photograph, something in the back of my memory clicked in place. The mother, dressed in Victorian black, staring stoically into the camera, looked very familiar. I had seen her before, but where?

Then I remembered – she resembled a charcoal drawing sent to me by Don Lingousky of his great-grandmother, Angela Maddalena Genetti Recla. The beautiful portrait had been created by Angela’s adopted son, Henry Parisi Recla. Immediately I went to the Photograph section on our family website and scanned down the page. Eureka! It was a match! Henry had used the original postcard as a model for his drawing.

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Angeline Maddalena Genetti Recla (1865 – 1937), charcoal portrait by her adopted son, Henry Parisi Recla.

I couldn’t believe my good luck! I immediately emailed Don Lingousky with my surprise. His response: “Wow, we’re stunned! We have never seen the photo before, but it is clearly the same one that our portrait of Angeline Maddalena was taken from. What a great find, just can’t believe all these photos ended up on eBay of all places. I also do not have any photos of my grandmother as a child [Leonela], so that is really interesting too. Thank you!”

And so, another photo in this mystery group has been identified. After receiving Don’s confirmation, I returned to Giovanni’s Facebook page, Chei da Chastelfon, and properly labeled the portrait as follows:

“Raffael Recla (1864-1896) con la moglie Angeline Maddalena Genetti (1865-1937), bambini: Lawrence, Leonela, Frances. Fotografato su 1891, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, USA.”

Again our sincere thanks to Giovanni Marchetti for rescuing our priceless family memories! Molta grazie!

Want to know more about Angeline Maddalena Genetti Recla? A courageous woman and an inspirational ancestor, Angeline’s life will be cameoed in our reunion evening program: The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America (click here to read about the presentation).

And by-the-way, you can meet Angeline’s great-grandson Don in person – he will be co-presenting our DNA workshop during Reunion weekend!

See you at the Reunion in October!

Photos from the Past

Pietro Zambotti and Leon Genetti

Pietro Zambotti and Leon Genetti,
photographed in Hazleton, PA, 1908

Sometimes clues to our past find us in the most unexpected ways. I belong to a Facebook group administered by Giovanni Marchetti. “Chei da Chastelfon” posts photos, stories and history about our ancestral village of Castelfondo. I love seeing photographs of ancient family homes, San Nicolo church and Castello di Castelfondo (the 12th century castle perched on a rock outcropping just below the village). Members of the group share vintage pics from their own family albums. And once in a while, Giovanni (who follows our family blog) will post a link back to the Genetti Family Genealogy Project. 

A month ago, Giovanni posted a message for me to look in a specific file under the group’s photo albums. He thought I might find something of interest there. It took a little searching, since of course everything is in Italian. Upon finding the correct album and opening the file, I found myself staring at a collection of twenty vintage cabinet cards and postcards. (A cabinet card is a type of photographic portrait mounted on a stiff card measuring 4.5″ x 6.5″. It was popular from the 1870’s through the 1920’s.)

I immediately was drawn to one postcard – it was an early photograph of my grandfather, Leon Genetti! There was no hesitation on my part – for you see, I have my grandfather’s eyes. It’s like seeing yourself reflected in a mirror. Those eyes are obviously a genetic characteristic, since I have recognize their lilting, soft appearance in several living Genetti descendants as well as in a number of ancestor portraits. Plus – my grandfather looks just like my younger brother, James, at that same age! What a surprise – I was overwhelmed with joy!

Pietro ZambottiIn the postcard, my grandfather is standing next to a shorter gentleman with dark hair. From other photos, I recognized him too. It was Pietro (Peter) Zambotti – my grandfather’s cousin! The back of the postcard was stamped Dec. 7, 1908 and had obviously been sent to Castelfondo since it was written in Italian (with a bit of Nones). I could tell that the message was from Pietro, but I needed a little help with the translation. So I wrote Chiara Dalle Nogare, one of our Italian cousins who lives in Trento. Chiara and I are 4th cousins, we share 3rd great-grandparents, Antonio Genetti and Veronica Panizza.

Chiara got back to me right away with a translation. Here’s what Pietro Zambotti wrote to his relatives back home in Castelfondo many, many Christmases ago:

“Many greetings from your godson; together with my cousin I want to wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year. I am well and so I hope are you and all of your family. Your godson Pietro Zambotti” (someone else wrote next to this: the shorter) and then on the left: Leo Daminano (the taller)

According to Pietro’s baptismal record, his godparents were: Pietro Dallachiesa and Barbara Zambotti. So the postcard must have belonged to one of these people. My curiosity was aroused! Was I related to any of the other images staring back at me from this group of century-old cabinet cards? Where did they come from and who had cherished this collection of memories for so many years?

Ecstatic, I wrote back to Giovanni, asking for his help in identifing more of the cards. His answer surprised me. Giovanni, also a lover of history and genealogy, had found the grouping on eBay! He recognized the names on several of the cards (many are not identified) and bid on the lot. Unfortunately, Giovanni could not identify any of the photos other than those that were obviously labeled. He had placed them online in the group photo album, with the hope that others might recognize their relatives and a name could be added to a face.

So it seems the history of the postcard goes like this: My grandfather at age 21 and his cousin (age 27) had a picture postcard photographed at a studio in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The card was sent to Castelfondo, Austria in 1908 to one of Pietro’s godparents. At some point this godparent died and the photo was passed down to someone else. Ultimately the grouping was offered for sale on eBay, probably by someone who had no family connection to the photos (because who would sell such cherished family memories!). A caring soul, Giovanni Marchetti, rescued them from oblivion, bringing them back home to Castelfondo. What a story!

And there’s more! So far I’ve identified three additional cards and will tell their story in a future blog post.

Our thanks and appreciation to Giovanni Marchetti and the group at Chei da Chastelfon! Your American cousins are eternally grateful! Mille grazie!

 

 

New Archive Webpage

Three Genetti Sisters

Erma Genetti Branz (1896-1971), Tillie Genetti Zambotti (1890-1971) and Dora Genetti Bott
(1889-1971). Black Creek, Pennsylvania, 1920’s.

In case you haven’t visited our family website lately, we have introduced a new webpage entitled: The Genetti Family Archive: Tell Us Your Story. You can find the link for this page in the top menu, labeled: Genetti Archive.

This is an interactive page created just for YOU! We want to know about your family, your stories, your ancestors. The Genetti family stretches back to the mid-1400’s, documenting 18 generations! That means we have a whole lot of descendants – and a bunch of living cousins! It’s hard to keep up with every person on our extensive tree. But with your help, we can create a family archive that will live on for future generations.

At the Genetti Archive page you’ll find two fun and easy questionnaires.

The Personal History of a Genetti Descendant can be completed for any descendant alive or deceased. It offers a personal glimpse of an individual’s history. Tell us about yourself, one of your adult children or use the form as a memorial to a family member who has passed on. Submit as many Personal History forms as you like – one form per person.

The Genetti Descendant Survey is for living Genetti descendants only. This questionnaire provides current information about your family lineage and will help us update our family tree.

Stop by the Genetti Archive page and take a few moments to complete our surveys. Your participation will be a great help to those of us keeping our family records – and your info will provide an invaluable resource for future generations.

Click here to go to The Genetti Family Archive: Tell Us Your Story

Also – remember the Genetti Family Reunion 2016 is just four months away! Need info about the reunion? Click here for Reunion News and to download a Reunion Reservation Form.

Wyoming Genetti Family: More Descendants

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Angelo Genetti
(1859-1946)

Here’s a quick update about our online family tree: Today I added ninety-four descendants to the Wyoming Genetti Family branch. This update contains all current information I have for the descendants of Angelo Genetti (1859-1946) and Teresa Annunziatta Marchetti (1858-1902).

If your immediate family is not represented in this latest update, it’s because I don’t have your personal information. To be included, please send a message on our Contact Page with your appropriate info (family names; dates of birth, marriage and death; names of spouses and children).

 

 

TeresaMarchetti

Teresa Annunziatta Marchetti
(1858-1902)

All total, there are now 1501 names in our ancestry index! Just a reminder – information for living family members is kept confidential on our online tree. That is why you see the word “Living” used as a first name for living descendants.

However, I also maintain an offline tree listing names and stats for all family members. Our offline tree is a growing archive for the Genetti family. This data base is always in the process of being updated with new births, marriages and the passing of elders.

Our archive is available to Genetti descendants with the verification that you are a family member. We ask that you use this information ONLY for purposes of genealogy research. Personal contact information is not included in this archive.

I am happy to generate a “Descendant Report” providing you with a 5-generation synopsis of your immediate family branch. If interested, please send me a message through our Contact Page with the ancestor’s name you would like to use as a beginning point for the report. After verifying that you are a family member, I will email you in a few days with a Descendant Report as a PDF file.

Our thanks once again to Alexandra Genetti for providing most of the statistics for the current generations of the Wyoming Genetti family. Your research and help has been invaluable!

Herman’s Howlings

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Herman Angelo Genetti
1922-2007

I am thrilled to announce another family memoir has been added to our website! “Herman’s Howlings: A Personal History of Southwestern Wyoming” was written some time in the 1990’s by Herman Genetti (1922-2007), son of Ermenegildo (Herman/Joe) Genetti (1893-1967) and grandson of Angelo Genetti (1859-1946) of Castelfondo, Tyrol. If you remember my last blog post, Ermenegildo was one of the four Genetti brothers who settled in the wilds of Wyoming.

His son, Herman Angelo Genetti, was a born storyteller, as evidenced by his memoir filled with personal remembrances and “folkisms”. While reading this treasure-trove of family stories, I fell in love with Herman and his witty sayings. His plain, honest words allow us to reach back in time to the rough and tumble prairie life of the 1900’s. Important family details, times and places are incorporated within Herman’s tales of LaBarge, Wyoming and beyond.

Written as a gift to his family and dedicated to his wife, Imogene, “Herman’s Howlings” is a self-published spiral bound book, printed in an edition of 200. Distributed to family members, the book was almost unheard of outside of the Wyoming Genetti family. A few years ago, I stumbled upon an obscure reference for “Herman’s Howlings” in a library index. Intrigued, I searched further. Perhaps it had been digitized, I thought, and could be downloaded. After more Googling, it became obvious – finding this book would be like finding the fabled needle in a Wyoming haystack. Near to impossible! So I made a note in my files and hoped that a copy would one day arrive at my door.

Herman's Howlings

Herman’s Howlings: A Personal History of Southwestern Wyoming

In September of 2014, I spent six weeks in Northern Italy. Of course, I once again visited our family ancestral village of Castelfondo. Over the years I’ve made several friends in the Val di Non, one being Marco Romano, a researcher, historian and film maker of the Trentino culture. As we were enjoying lunch at a quaint country inn located in the village of Tret, Marco handed me a package. I opened it  – and you guessed it – there was the elusive “Herman’s Howlings” sitting in my lap! Marco explained the book had been given to him by a member of the Genetti family, but he wasn’t sure of its exact origin. Because of my genealogy research, he thought it would be a good resource of Genetti history. Amazed by this unexpected gift, I thanked Marco and pledged that one day I would digitize Herman’s book and make it available to all family on our website.

Somehow I squeezed that thick, heavy book into my luggage and toted it all the way home to New Mexico. Unbelievably, I had to travel to Castelfondo, Italy to find a family book written in Wyoming! And that’s how I came into possession of “Herman’s Howlings”!

I have digitally scanned the exact copy of the book handed to me by Marco Romano. All handwritten notes, fuzzy photos and extra text have been left intact, as this offers a better glimpse into the author’s life. I know you’ll be as enchanted as I was with Herman’s wit and storytelling prowess.

You’ll find “Herman’s Howlings” under our website Gallery Section, Books by Members of the Genetti Family. When you click on the book link, it will open as a PDF file. You can either read it online or save the book to your computer.

Now to leave you with a closing thought from Herman:

“I never went through a publisher. I did it step by step like a blind dog in a meat house. I enjoyed it.” ~ Herman Genetti

 

The Wyoming Genetti Family

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Angelo Genetti
1859-1946

I’ve spent the past month in the “zone”. That’s what happens when you’re deep in research, attempting to find pieces of your genealogy puzzle.

The Genetti Family tree is huge with many branches and multitudes of records to dig through. I love diving into century-old ledgers to tease out the truth! But to focus my concentration and patience on the task of research, I must block out everything else.

It takes weeks to complete an entire line, and so it was with the Wyoming Genetti Family. This branch has many descendants now living in California, Utah, Texas, Mississippi, Idaho, Wyoming and possibly still in Castelfondo, Italy. For over a year, I have attempted to tackle the extensive research required for this family, but always got sidelined with one thing or another. Last month I put my nose to the grindstone (or “mola” as it is known in Italian) and went at it nonstop.

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Frank Genetti
1884-1974

The results: 102 new ancestor names with birth, marriage and death dates, 23 photos and 8 new generations added to the Genetti Family Online Tree! And I still have the current generations to document, plus two side branches to research before the Wyoming line is complete. Want to find the beginning of this family branch on our online tree? Search for Andrea Genetti 1597 – 1660 and follow his male descendants forward in time.

Angelo Genetti (1859-1946) was the patriarch of the modern Wyoming family. He was the first to travel to America in 1887, finding work in the coal mines of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Angelo stayed for five years, earning much needed money for his family back home. In 1892, he returned to Castelfondo, Tyrol. Between 1880 and 1899, Angelo and his wife,Teresa Annunziata Marchetti, had four sons and four daughters.

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Enrico Genetti
1886-1941

As they grew into adults, Angelo encouraged his sons: Francesco (Frank), Enrico, Ermenegildo (Herman or Joe) and Dominico (Dominic), to seek their fortunes in America. The brothers began life as immigrants in hard-scrabble Rock Springs, living in a close-knit community of Tyroleans from the Val di Non. Soon all the brothers became United States citizens, married and began raising families on the dusty prairies of the American west.

Angelo, his wife, Teresa, and their four daughters: Maria Domenica, Anna Maria, Maria Virginia and Annunziata – all remained in Castelfondo. The girls married and had families of their own. And so Angelo’s family was split between America and Tyrol.

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Herman Genetti
1893-1967

Eventually the children and grandchildren of the four brothers moved to other destinations in the United States. Today you’ll find their descendants living in such cities as Salt Lake City, Sonoma and Boise.

A big THANK YOU to Alexandra Genetti! An avid genealogist, Alexandra is married to Ken Genetti, the grandson of Enrico Genetti. I met Alexandra a number of years ago through Ancestry.com when I stumbled upon her Genetti family tree. We were soon corresponding and collaborating as “genealogy geeks” – a befitting term coined by Alexandra. Her family research and photos have proven to be an invaluable resource. Most of the information for the last three generations of this branch came from Alexandra and Ken. Many thanks to you both!

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Dominic Genetti
1895-1966

FYI – Ken and I are related twice through the Genetti family: as 4th cousins, once removed and as 9th cousins, twice removed (I also think we are distantly related through the Marchetti family!). But wait – this is a story for another blog post!

As I continue to add living descendants to the Wyoming Genetti branch, I hope more cousins from this large family will email me with their own family stats. Are you a descendant of Frank, Enrico, Herman or Dominic and would like your family’s info to be included in the Genetti archive? Click on our Contact Page and send me a message. I’d love to hear from you!

Take a look at our Photograph Page – I’ve added portraits of Angelo, Teresa and their four sons to the photo archive. For more descendant portraits, check out this family in the online Genetti tree (search for Angelo Genetti). There you’ll find many portraits attached to individual descendant listings.

Watch for future posts about the Wyoming Genetti family – I have a number of interesting stories yet to share!

 

The Long and Winding Road of Genealogy, Part 4

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Date: October 1906. Place: In front of the boarding house and saloon owned by Raffaele Genetti in Weston, PA. The photograph commemorates a double wedding: (5 + 6, 8 + 9). 1. Silvio Genetti, 2. Peter Zambotti, 3. St. Clair, 4. Dora Genetti Bott, 5. Richard Fedrizzi, 6. Angeline Cologna Fedrizzi, 7. Tillie Genetti Zambotti, 8. Peter Dallachiesa, 9. Virginia Fedrizzi Dallachiesa, 10. William Dona, 11. Max Martini, 12. Joseph Fedrizzi, 13. John Springhetti, 14. Josephine Dona, 15. Florence Yannes,
16. Nela Recla, 17. Angeline Marchetti Genetti

It’s time to wrap-up the series I began a month ago. In the process of researching connections between the Genetti, Zambotti, Dallachiesa and Marchetti families, the photograph that began the entire inquiry now comes into focus as a wonderful snapshot of sibling/cousin relationships. Let’s take a closer look at our ancestors and how their lives are intertwined.

First – the boarding house/saloon where the photograph was taken, is owned by Raffaele Genetti and his wife, Lucia Zambotti. The group photo commemorates a double wedding that took place in 1906.

#1 – Silvio Genetti is the oldest son of Raffaele and Lucia (owners of the establishment). He is the 1st cousin of #2 – Peter Zambotti, #4 – Dora Genetti Bott, #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti and #8 – Peter Dallachiesa.

#2 – Peter Zambotti is holding Silvio’s hand. Peter and Silvio are 1st cousins because Peter’s father is Lucia Zambotti Genetti’s brother. Therefore Peter is the nephew of Raffaele and Lucia Genetti. He is also the cousin of #2 – Dora Genetti Bott, #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti and #8 – Peter Dallachiesa.

#4 – Dora Genetti Bott is the niece of Raffaele and Lucia because her father is the brother of Raffaele and her mother is the sister of Lucia. She is the sister of #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti and the 1st cousin to #1 – Silvio Genetti, #2 – Peter Zambotti and #8 – Peter Dallachiesa.

#5 – Richard Fedrizzi is one of the grooms in this wedding photo. He is the sibling of # 9 – Virginia Fedrizzi Dallachiesa and #12 – Joseph Fedrizzi. His wife is #6 – Angeline Cologna. The Fedrizzi family is from San Biago, Trento – not Castelfondo.

#6 – Angeline Cologna Fedrizzi is the bride of Richard Fedrizzi. Her mother was Rachele Yannes. She most likely is the cousin of #14 – Florence Yannes.

#7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti is the sister of #4 – Dora Genetti Bott, the niece of Raffaele and Lucia Genetti, and cousin to #1 – Silvio Genetti, #2 – Peter Zambotti and #8 – Peter Dallachiesa. In 1911, Tillie and Peter Zambotti are married.

#8 – Peter Dallachiesa is the second groom. His mother, Maria Zambotti, and Lucia Zambotti Genetti are sisters. He marries #9 – Virginia Fedrizzi. Peter is the nephew of Raffaele and Lucia Genetti, and the 1st cousin of #1 – Silvio Genetti, #2 – Peter Zambotti, #4 Dora Genetti Bott and #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti.

#9 – Virginia Fedrizzi Dallachiesa marries #8 – Peter Dallachiesa. She is the sister of #5 – Richard Fedrizzi and #12 – Joseph Fedrizzi.

#10 – William Dona is most likely related in some way to #15 – Josephine Dona.

#12 – Joseph Fedrizzi is the sibling of #5 – Richard Ferdrizzi and #9 – Virginia Fedrizzi.

#14 – Josephine Dona is most likely related in some way to #10 – William Dona.

#15 – Florence Yannes is probably the cousin of #6 – Angeline Cologna Fedrizzi (Angeline’s mother was Rachele Yannes). She is also the 1st cousin of #17 – Angeline Marchetti Genetti because her mother, Philomena Marchetti, and Angeline’s father, John Marchetti, are siblings.

#16 – Nela Recla (Leonela Erminia Recla) is the niece of Raffaele and Lucia Genetti because her mother, Angela Maddalena Genetti, is Raffaele Genetti’s sister. She is the 1st cousin of #1 – Silvio Genetti, #4 – Dora Genetti Bott and #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti. She is also cousins through marriage to #2 – Peter Zambotti and #8 – Peter Dallachiesa.

#17 – Angeline Marchetti Genetti marries the nephew of Raffaele and Lucia Genetti, Leon Genetti, in 1914. She is the 1st cousin of #15 – Florence Yannes. Through marriage she becomes the sister-in-law of #2 – Peter Zambotti, #4 – Dora Genetti Bott and #7 – Tillie Genetti Zambotti.

There are a few people in this photograph that I am unable to verify their relationship to the bridal couples: #3 – St. Clair, #10 – William Dona, #11 – Max Martini, #13 – John Springhetti, and #14 – Josephine Dona. Considering the connections stated above, I’m sure a cousin relationship will eventually be found for these as well.

This series began with the inquiries of three cousins: Arleen Dallachiesa, Melissa Stidom and Erin Johnston, who did not know each other when they wrote me. Their ancestors came together over a hundred years ago to celebrate two weddings. I know many of you reading this post can also claim ancestral connections to those portrayed in the photograph, as can I.

At times, the research for this series gave me a headache! I created many diagrams to keep the relationships straight. Around each turn there was a new discovery. Often I wandered if our ancestors were aware of their extensive interconnections. Were they as boggled by their cousin bonds as I was? And to think, this is only a tiny part of our family’s long and winding road of genealogy.

Many thanks to Arleen Dallachiesa, Melissa Stidom, Erin Johnston and Don Lingousky. Your contributions of information helped piece this complicated ancestral puzzle together.

Read the entire series:

The Long and Winding Road of Genealogy, Part 1

The Long and Winding Road of Genealogy, Part 2

The Long and Winding Road of Genealogy, Part 3

 

The American Immigrant Wall of Honor

William Genetti, Morgan MacDonaldThank you to William Genetti and Morgan MacDonald for sharing photos of their recent visit to The American Immigrant Wall of Honor located on Ellis Island in New York City. The Wall of Honor is a permanent monument depicting the names of our ancestors who came to America as immigrants, traveling through Ellis Island.

Listed on the wall are William’s grandfather, Gus Genetti, and his great-grandparent’s, Damiano Genetti and Oliva Zambotti Genetti, along with great-aunts and uncles. I have to admit, this gave me a little shiver of pride to see the names of my ancestors memorialized on this wall, (Damiano and Oliva were also my great-grandparents).

 

 

Immigrant Wall of Honor

 

I’ve added one of William’s pics to our Photography Page – take a hop over there to browse our extensive family archive!

Interested in learning more about The American Immigrant Wall of Honor? Click here to visit the Ellis Island Foundation.

Thanks again William and Morgan. What a perfect contribution to our family archive!

 

The Long and Winding Road of Genealogy, Part 2

Continued from Part 1 …

Allesandro (Alex) Zambotti Family Weston 1940s

Alessandro (Alex) Zambotti with wife Mary Dallachiesa, photographed in Weston, PA – 1940’s

If you remember our last post, I am now corresponding with Melissa Stidom and Arleen Dallachiesa. We have determined their shared ancestors are Clemente Dallachiesa and Maria Zambotti, and that Melissa and Arleen are 2nd cousins, once removed (as well as 3rd cousins with me!).

Both cousins have provided me with information on their family lines, stretching back three generations. I compiled all of the info into one long list and began the task of verifying and mapping the family genealogy. My main resource for checking ancestors born in Castelfondo is a large digital archive I maintain on my hard drive. The file contains copies of original baptismal, marriage and death records from the village church spanning about four hundred years. For those born in America I use records from Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Find-A-Grave and other online genealogy resources. Slowly I began to piece together birth dates, matched up spouses, found additional births of children who did not survive to adulthood, and added as much information as possible to our original family list. I also included Clemente’s parents, Pietro Dallachiesa (1816-1855) and Barbara Marchetti (1818-1895) along with his four siblings, expanding my research back one more generation. Remember – I already had an extensive genealogy for Maria Zambotti, Clemente’s wife, because she is the sister of my great-grandmother Oliva Zambotti Genetti. I have records dating this family back six generations for their Zambotti line, twelve generations for their Genetti line, and three generations for their Covi line.

Fortunato (Tuno) & Grace Dallachiesa 1963

Fortunato (Tuno) and Grace Dallachiesa, 1963. Tuno is the son of Clemente Dallachiesa and Maria Zambotti. Tuno and Grace are also the grandparents of Arleen Dallachiesa.

As I sorted through Clemente’s siblings (Maria, Antonio, Pietro and Catterina), I was surprised to find numerous matches between the Dallachiesa family and the Zambotti family. This is when the research REALLY became interesting!

If you are familiar with the Genetti family of Pennsylvania, you also know there are numerous marriages between Zambotti and Genetti ancestors from this branch of the family. As I continued my research, it became evident that the three families overlapped in many places.

Yikes – it became so confusing that I had to diagram the relationships in order to enter them correctly into our tree! If not careful, it’s easy to duplicate a person that appears on two different branches of the tree and is related to multiple ancestors from different families.

Here’s what I found when I combined the Dallachiesa research with the genealogy of my own Genetti-Zambotti family line:

  • Maria Dallachiesa (1841-1917) marries Francesco Mattia Covi (1834-1886) who is the uncle of Simone, Maria, Oliva and Lucia Zambotti (the brother of their mother, Maria Domenica Covi).
  • Clemente Dallachiesa (1844-1905) marries Maria Zambotti (1854-1906) who is the sister of Simone, Oliva and Lucia Zambotti.
  • Catterina Dallachiesa (1853-1939) marries Simone Zambotti (1852-1923) brother of Maria, Oliva and Lucia Zambotti.
  • Damiano Genetti marries Oliva Zambotti (1861-1938) who is the sister of Simone, Maria and Lucia Zambotti.
  • Rafaele Genetti, brother of Damiano, marries Lucia Zambotti (1865-1952) who is the sister of Simone, Maria and Oliva Zambotti.
  • Pietro Zambotti (1881-1966), son of Simone Zambotti and Catterina Dallachiesa, marries Ottilia Genetti (1890-1985), the daughter of Damiano Genetti and Oliva Zambotti.
  • (Giuseppe) Alessandro Zambotti (1878-1951), son of Simone Zambotti and Catterina Dallachiesa, and brother of Pietro, marries Mary Dallachiesa (1882-1967), daughter of Clemente Dallachiesa and Maria Zambotti.
  • Simone, Maria, Oliva and Lucia Zambotti’s grandmother was Maria Barbara Genetti (1796-1844), married to Simone Zambotti (1786-1874). She was the 4th cousin, once removed of Damiano and Rafaele Genetti of Pennsylvania (and the aunt to Vigilio Genetti, who’s branch of the Genetti family immigrated to Illinois – see past blog post). The father of Simone, Maria, Oliva and Lucia – Alessandro Zambotti, (whose mother was Maria Barbara Genetti) also had a grandmother on his father’s side who was Lucia Genetti (1761-1816). At the time of this writing, I have yet to find the connection of Lucia to the rest of the Genetti family tree.

Are you completely confused? I certainly was! But clearly, the Dallachiesa family was closely related to the Genetti family and should be added to our ongoing genealogy project.

With the final results of this extensive ancestral dig completed – we added 70 new names and 20 photographs to our online tree, plus found many pieces of our family puzzle. Special thanks to Arleen Dallachiesa and Melissa Stidom for their wonderful contributions!

And yet – there’s still more to this story!

To be continued …