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.
It has been awhile since we last visited our double wedding photograph and the stories it holds. Let’s look at the second couple who exchanged vows on February 13th, 1909 and what life had in store for them.
Pietro Simone Dallachiesa (Peter) and his bride Maria Virginia Giuseppa Fedrizzi (Virginia) became husband and wife at a joint ceremony with Virginia’s brother Richard Fedrizzi and his bride Angeline Cologna.
Peter was born September of 1876 in Castelfondo, Austria (now Italy), the son of Clemente Dallachiesa and Maria Zambotti. According to his birth record, Peter’s godparents were his maternal uncle and aunt, Simone Zambotti (brother of his mother) and his wife Catterina Dallachiesa.
A quick look at my family tree and I found that Peter’s mother was the older sister of Lucia Zambotti. Lucia and her husband Raffaele Genetti were the owners of the Weston beer hall where Peter and Virginia’s wedding reception took place. Therefore, Lucia was Peter’s maternal aunt. (Note: Peter was also the nephew of Oliva Zambotti, who was married to Raffaele’s brother Damiano Genetti, as Oliva was the sister of both Maria and Lucia Zambotti.)
Peter arrived in the United States on January 13th, 1907 at the age of 24. Like most of his friends and family, Peter found work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. Two years after settling in Weston, PA he married Virginia, who had also emigrated in 1907 at the age of 21.
His bride was born in 1886 in the town of Nanno, Austria (now Italy). The couple set-up housekeeping in Black Rock (close to Weston) and soon their first child, Esther Olivia, was born in December of 1909. One year later in 1910 a son was added to the family, Stephen Clemente.
By 1912, Peter was granted citizenship. His naturalization papers describe him as 5′ 5″, 155 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes (however Peter’s WW I Draft Registration states his eye color was “blue”). Peter’s occupation was listed as Miner. On the same day that Peter registered his Declaration of Intention for citizenship, his younger brother, Fortunato Dallachiesa, did the same.
The couple’s third child, Oliver Clement, was born in 1913. And their last child, Albert Fortunato, came along in 1916. It appeared the family was happily established within their Tyrolean American community and gainfully employed. Unfortunately this would soon change.
Peter Dallachiesa’s World War 1 Draft Registration. Note: Peter’s birth year is incorrectly listed as 1877 rather than 1876. He turned 42 years old three days after registering for the draft.
When war broke out, Peter was obligated to register for the draft. His WW I registration card is dated September 12, 1918. Just a few weeks later, on October 29th, 1918 Peter succumbed to the terrible influenza outbreak that was ravaging the country at that time. He was only 42 years old and left behind a wife and four young children. Pietro Simone Dallachiesa is buried in the little country graveyard where he lived, Sacred Heart Cemetery in Weston, Pennsylvania.
The 1920 and 1930 Federal Census tells us that Virginia continued to live in Black Creek with her four children. We can only assume that the tight-knit Tyrolean community helped her through the difficult time after her husband’s passing. From the census, we know that all four of the the Dallachiesa children reached adulthood.
By the 1940 Federal Census, Virginia is now 54 years old and living in Hazleton with her oldest son, Stephen, a self-employed truck driver. Sadly two short years later at the young age of 56, Virginia passes away as a result of kidney disease and anemia. Life had certainly been difficult for Virginia, loosing her husband after just nine years of marriage and having to raise four children on her own. Virginia is also interred with her husband at the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Weston, Pennsylvania.
Now let’s take a look at Peter and Virginia’s children. As of 1993, all four of the Dallachiesa children had passed away. But there are numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren living in Maryland and New York State.
Their oldest child, Esther Olivia, married Albert Bonan in 1937 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Tyrolese Church in Hazleton, PA. Soon after the couple moved to Maryland and had six children. Esther was a school teacher prior to her marriage to Albert. Sadly, like her parents, Esther also passed away at the young age of 52.
Esther Dallachiesa Marriage License – 1937
Stephen Dallachiesa married Rena Corradini of Hazleton, PA. The couple join Esther’s family in Maryland. According to Rena’s recent obituary, she and her husband had three children, six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Stephen passed away in 1990 at the age of 80, but his wife Rena died just this year (2020) three months shy of her 100th birthday.
The third sibling, Oliver Dallachiesa, lived in Shortsville, New York. He married and had two children.
Youngest brother Albert Dallachiesa also lived in Maryland, married and had four children. And like his parents and sister before him, Albert died at a young age in 1967 (51 years old).
As we all know, no life is perfect. Everyone maneuvers through highs and lows. There is a certain intrigue when viewing a moment captured in time such as the double wedding photograph of the Federizzi siblings from 111 years ago, then tracing the family history forward to present day. We can all learn something from researching our ancestry. Seeing the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors, offers a new perspective on the circumstances of our own lives and that of future generations.
I have come across a number of Dallachiesa listed within my personal DNA results, as well as this surname showing up in genealogy research from time to time. Since Dallachiesa does not appear in our original Genetti family tree, in the past I assumed the family was distantly related due to our shared family origin in Castelfondo. Now I understand through researching this photograph that Pietro Dallachiesa was actually much more closely related to me than previously thought. He was my first cousin, twice removed with our common ancestors being Alessandro Zambotti and Maria Covi (Pietro’s maternal grandparents and my paternal 2nd great-grandparents).
Simone and Catterina were the parents of Alessandro and Pietro Zambotti. (San Nicolo Cemetery in Castelfondo – marker no longer in cemetery)
And to confuse you even more about intermarriages between families, one of Peter Dallachiesa’s younger sisters, Maria Dallachiesa, married (Giuseppe) Alessandro Zambotti, son of her mother’s brother Simone Zambotti and his wife Catterina Dallachiesa. He was also Maria’s first cousin. Maria and Alessandro Zambotti’s children would have been cousins to each other as they were related through both their maternal and paternal lines.
Plus Alessandro’s brother, Pietro, married Ottilia Genetti, daughter of his Aunt Oliva (both pictured in our wedding photograph – but that’s a story for a future blog post!)
This means that within our wedding photograph the following people were all closely related: Silvio Genetti, Peter (Pietro) Zambotti, Dora (Addolorata) Genetti Bott, Tillie (Ottilia) Genetti Zambotti, and Peter (Pietro) Dallachiesa.
I’m sure we’ll find more close cousin relationships as we delve further into the wedding photograph of 1909!
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!
In 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!
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.
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
During my research of the Dallachiesa family for cousins Arleen and Melissa, I was contacted by Erin Johnston, a descendant of Giulia Anna Marchetti Ossana from Castelfondo. Erin happened upon our website while researching her own Tyrolean family line. She sent me an inquiry wondering if her great-grandmother, Giulia Anna, was related to the Marchetti family that settled in Hazleton/Black Creek, Pennsylvania.
Her email explained further: while searching through our photos, she had made an interesting discovery. Erin noticed that several people noted in the wedding photograph at the top of our Photograph Page were also listed in the 1900 Federal Census, along with her great-grandmother. According to the census, “Anna” lived at the same boarding house in Black Creek, PA with Peter Zambotti (#2 in photo), his brother Alessandro Zambotti, Peter Dallachiesa (#8 – one of the grooms in photo) and his brother Joseph Dallachiesa. Since I had spent three weeks researching all of these ancestors, Erin’s email could not have been more timely. I was sure she had stumbled upon a missing clue – but neither she nor I had any idea what that was!
To rule out the obvious, first I searched my own Marchetti tree (my grandmother was a Marchetti) and found no obvious connection between Erin’s family and mine. Next I went back to the genealogy I was working on for Arleen and Melissa – something immediately caught my eye! The parents of Clemente Dallachiesa, Arleen’s great-grandfather and Melissa’s 2nd great-grandfather, were Pietro Dallachiesa and Barbara Marchetti. (Keep in mind that Clemente’s two sons are Peter and Joseph. Both are listed in the census as living at the same address as Erin’s great-grandmother, Anna, along with Peter and Alessandro Zambotti. Plus the census states they are all close in age.). Perhaps Clemente’s mother, Barbara Marchetti, was related to Erin’s Marchetti line!
I returned to my church records to search for the family of Barbara Marchetti (1818-1895). After some digging, I found what I was looking for! Barbara had a younger brother named Giovanni Marchetti (B: 1823) who was the father of Giulia Anna. Therefore, Erin’s great-grandmother was the 1st cousin of Clemente, and the 1st cousin, once removed of his sons, Peter and Joseph Dallachiesa. And Clemente’s sister, Catterina Dallachiesa (also Anna’s 1st cousin), married Simone Zambotti. Therefore, their sons, Peter and Alessandro Zambotti, were Anna’s 1st cousins, once removed too. So it appears that a group of cousins (Dallachiesa, Zambotti and Marchetti) all came to America at about the same time, were all about the same age, and lived at the same boarding house!
To go a little further into our analysis, here is the cousin relationship between Arleen, Melissa, Erin and me:
Arleen and Melissa are 2nd cousins, once removed through the Dallachiesa family.
Arleen and Erin are 4th cousins through the Marchetti family.
Melissa and Erin are 4th cousins, once removed through the Marchetti family.
Arleen and I are 3rd cousins through the Zambotti family.
Melissa and I are 3rd cousins, once removed through the Zamobtti family.
Arleen and I are 4th cousins, through the Genetti family.
Melissa and I are 4th cousins, once removed through the Genetti family.
Erin and I are not related – at the time of this writing I have not found a connecting ancestor, but there may still be one.
Yes, I’m just as confused as you are by the over-lapping cousin relationships!
However, Erin’s insights have shed an entirely new light on the wedding photograph (see above) of 1906! I’ll explain more in my next blog post.
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) 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!
Maria Zambotti and Clemente Dallachiesa, married 1875. Family portrait, circa. 1887-1888, photographed in Castelfondo.
Genealogy doesn’t always follow a straight, clear path. Sometimes you start researching one branch of the family and before you know it, you’re lost in a maze of in-laws, family cross-overs and distant cousins leading to a completely different surname! Although often confusing, it’s worth the effort to travel down side streets, for they all contain a hidden surprise!
That’s exactly what happened to me during the past month. I was contacted by three different cousins, looking for info on their ancestors. Although indirectly related to the Genetti clan, I took on the task of researching their family connections and was amazed at what I discovered!
I knew most families who came from Castelfondo, Italy (Austria) were interrelated. It’s a small village and your choice of a marriage partner was usually limited. Marriages were often arranged between families and it was common for distant cousins to marry. By the time I finished putting together the puzzle pieces of this branch (which includes the surnames of Dallachiesa, Zambotti, Marchetti, Genetti, Ianes and Turri – all from Castelfondo) I had a clearer picture of just how complicated cousin connections can be when your family originates from a small town in the Italian Alps!
Since this is a long, complicated story … I’ll break it into several blog posts. You’ll soon see why!
Fred Dallachiesa (1921-2014)
First let’s start with Arleen Dallachiesa. Arleen contacted me back in June (see past blog post). She already had a good family genealogy mapped out and was wondering about the connection of her father Fred Dallachiesa to the Genetti family, since she believed Fred and Gus Genetti Sr. were cousins. It didn’t take long to find the connection – Fred’s grandmother was Maria Zambotti Dallachiesa (1854-1906), older sister to Gus’s mother Oliva Zambotti Genetti (1861-1938). Fred and Gus were first cousins, once removed. Plus Maria and Oliva’s grandmother, who married into the Zambotti family, was Maria Barbara Genetti (1796-1844), an ancestor of the Genetti branch who immigrated to Illinois. So Arleen was related to me twice, as a 3rd cousin through the Zambotti family and a 4th cousin through the Genetti family.
Gus Genetti Sr. (1892-1976)
I decided to add Arleen’s great-grandparents, Maria Zambotti and Clemente Dallachiesa (1844-1905) to our online tree since they were related to the Genetti family through two different branches. Arleen and I kept in-touch for several months, solving a few mysteries and swapping research.
Then a month ago, I received a request through Ancestry.com from Melissa Stidom. She was looking for information on her 2nd great-grandfather, Clemente Dallachiesa. Wow, I thought, what were the chances of two cousins (who did not know each other) contacting me through the Dallachiesa family connection! I knew that Melissa was certainly related to Arleen! After counting the generations, I concluded Arleen and Melissa were 2nd cousins, once removed. Both were related through the Dallachiesa, Zambotti and Genetti families. This was just too much of a coincidence! I knew I had to dig deeper into our shared family connections – and that’s when my research took an unusual turn down a new road of discovery!
Pennsylvania marriage record for Mary Genetti to Christopher Martini, 1885. Click to enlarge.
Don Lingousky and his wife, Joyce, have done it again! While searching through old marriage records online, Don stumbled upon an intriguing mystery. He promptly emailed me with his findings and the three of us went to work digging for evidence. Don’s clue had uncovered an unknown marriage for our 2nd great-aunt, Anna Maria “Mary” Genetti Zambotti (1859-1937), daughter of Leone and Cattarina Genetti.
If you remember past posts, Don and I are 3rd cousins. My great-grandfather, Damiano Genetti (1857-1944), was the brother of Don’s great-grandmother, Angeline Maddalena Genetti Recla (1865-1937). And the great-aunt in question, Mary Genetti Zambotti, was the sister of Damiano and Angeline. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the three siblings, along with their younger brother, Rafaele (1867-1949), established themselves as entrepreneurial business owners in the towns of Weston, Hazleton and Sheppton, Pennsylvania.
Don and Joyce are great genealogy sleuths and have added many wonderful finds to our family website. Don’s sharp eye caught an interesting notation on the marriage record issued to Peter Zambotti and Mary Genetti in 1896 – strangely Mary’s maiden name is listed as Martini, not Genetti!
2nd Pennsylvania marriage record for Mary (Genetti) Martini and Peter Zambotti, 1896. Click to enlarge.
According to the certificate, Mary had been married before, with the first marriage dissolved due to death. None of our records stated that Mary Genetti was married twice! Nor was this reflected in our family tree. Don went back and searched again, soon finding Mary’s first marriage record. It had been overlooked since the names of both husband and wife were misspelled by the attending clerk.
Mary’s first marriage was to Christopher Martini in December of 1885. This life event had slipped through the historic cracks of time, probably escaping our family memory because there were no descendants from Mary and Christopher’s short marriage.
Since the marriage took place in 1885, there was also no record of the couple in the missing 1890 federal census. Due to the lack of historical documents, we had no idea who Christopher Martini was, how he had died nor the date of his death. (Genealogy Note: the 1890 federal census was destroyed by fire in 1921 with the majority of the records lost.)
Mary Genetti and Peter Zambotti, probably 1895 or 1896.
Don, Joyce and I consulted various genealogy websites and data bases. Finally we located Christopher’s birth record in the Italian registry maintained by Nati in Trentino (see explanation below). Like Mary, Christopher was a fellow Tyrolean born in the neighboring village of Revo on July 25,1852. His baptismal name was Cristoforo Mattia Martini. And his birth date closely matched the wedding register. Although we have no evidence to tie this birth record to Mary’s first husband, we are fairly sure this was the same “Christopher”.
Unfortunately a good deal more digging, turned up no further info – no death certificate or obituary, no tombstone, no family trees with the name of Cristoforo “Christopher” Martini. All we know is that he died sometime between 1885 and 1895.
According to Mary’s second marriage record dated January of 1896, she married Peter Zambotti, a fellow Tyrolean from her home village of Castelfondo. Peter had arrived in America just the year before in 1895.
The couple had one child, a son named John born in 1897 who died at the young age of thirty. We know this because John is noted in the 1900 and 1920 Federal Census. He also has a WW I draft registration card on file and we were able to locate his Pennsylvania death certificate. Plus we had photos of John’s tombstone in the Weston, PA cemetery where both of his parents were buried.
John Zambotti Smardo 1897 – 1927, Sacred Heart Cemetery, Weston, PA
While researching this story, I took a closer look at the photo of John’s marker. In 2012 I had spent some time photographing tombstones in the Sacred Heart Cemetery where many of my ancestors are buried. When I found the photo of John Zambotti’s marker on my hard drive, an interesting surprise was clearly visible on the stone. His name was engraved “John Zambotti Smardo”. The unfamiliar name of “Smardo” was also on his death certificate. Joyce and I mulled this over for a few days and came to the conclusion that John must have been adopted by Mary and Peter. “Smardo” was his birth surname. We ran this hypothesis past Don. It was then that he remembered his grandmother’s family history had listed John Zambotti as being adopted. Another mystery solved! Sadly, John passed away in 1927 from tuberculosis. His occupation was listed as “miner”, he was single and left no heirs.
Thank you once again Don and Joyce Lingousky for your tenacious research! I have made updates to our family tree and corrected the ancestral record.
Note: If you are researching your Tyrolean ancestors, a data base of births can be accessed at: Nati in Trentino. Available in six languages (including English), records are listed for the years 1815 through 1923. The website explains: “With the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, Trentino was annexed to the Tyrol County. From that year until after the Great War – until December 31st, 1923, to be precise – the birth registers were maintained by the parishes, which also acted as registry offices. While many registry rolls were lost, those remaining were transferred onto microfilm in the 1980’s to facilitate consultation. The details of these individuals (approximately 1.28 million in all) have now been collected, in a project lasting several years, in an Index made available to academics and anyone wishing to retrace the history of their family.”
Thank you Jean Branz Daly for sharing another wonderful memory! This happy gathering of cousins probably took place sometime in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s.
From left to right: Catherine Branz LaPorte (1923-2015: daughter of Erma Genetti and Henry Branz), Esther Bott Clark (1915-2011: daughter of Dora Genetti and Verecondo Bott), Betty Zambotti (1912-1995: daughter of Tillie Genetti and Peter Zambotti), Ann Genetti McNelis (1903-2005: daughter of Damiano and Oliva Genetti), Agnes Bott Yorke (1917-1994: daughter of Dora Genetti and Verecondo Bott), and Jean Branz Daly (living: daughter of Erma Genetti and Henry Branz).
All of the ladies were first cousins and the granddaughters of Damiano and Oliva Genetti, with the exception of Ann Genetti McNelis (center with sunglasses). Ann was the youngest child of Damiano and Oliva and was the aunt of this smiling bunch.
A few weeks ago, Jean explained this gathering in an email: “I don’t remember the year but it was with a group from New York. They made polenta in a large garbage can and we also had Tyrolean sausage. It was a wonderful day!”
Thank you Jean, for once again contributing to our Photograph Page. Please visit the Gallery Sectionof our website for more family stories, photos and memories!
Recent News: We extend our sympathies to the families of Jean and Catherine Branz. On Monday, October 26th, Jean’s sister – Catherine Branz LaPorte, passed away at the age of 92 after a brief illness. We are so sorry that another family member is no longer with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time of sadness.
Betty Zambotti’s High School Diploma, dated June 11, 1930
A special thank you to Lewis Reich, son of Betty Zambotti and Lewis J. Reich, grandson of Tillie Genetti and Peter Zambotti. Lewis emailed me a wedding portrait of his parents along with his mother’s high school diploma. They have both been added to our ever-growing collection of family photographs in the Gallery Section.
Stop by the Photography Page to see our many ancestor portraits – all descendants of the Genetti Family.
If you have photographs or memorabilia you would like to share on our family website, please send them in jpg format to info.genetti.family(at)gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
The Genetti Family Genealogy Project 