HISTORICAL NEWS

The OLDEST AVO: CARLO
 

At present the research carried out in the archives of the parish of Camporgiano Pellegrinetti the oldest was able to identify is Charles, born in 1698 and died in 1754 at the age of 56. In the register is the act of death but not the birth and there is the notation "from Gragnanella."
He, therefore, was probably born in Gragnanella and then he moved to the farm “La Casetta “ in Camporgiano. Also his three children: Francesco was born in 1735, Petrus was born in 1746 and Lauretia born in 1754 were dead but not born in Camporgiano. This can let us to hypothesize that the transfer has taken place in Camporgiano after 1746 (birth of Petrus). But you do not understand why is not born in Camporgiano Lauretia, born in 1754, a few months after the death of his father who died in Camporgiano  how we know. One hypothesis could be trusted this: His wife, a widow, he found himself in a new country, the farm probably not yet productive, alone and without family, with a son of nineteen, one of eight and waiting for the third child . Consequently will have found it convenient to return to Gragnanella where she have relatives, at least for the birth. So can you explain the birth of Laurezia not occurred in Camporgiano but, probably, to Gragnanella.

 

FRANCESCO

Francis was the first son of Charles. As we said he was only 19 when his father died and he had to be in a very difficult situation. Is not, in fact, that in Camporgiano have other relatives (maybe someone will happen occasionally to help). And family, in addition to his mother, was the brother 8 year old and sister unborn. We have no precise information on the state of the farm, but from stories passed down in our family it is assumed that the farm was made up almost everything from pastures that were not prepared to turn it into arable land. It is also said that the wife of Charles, the first time that she entered into the new farm, she began to cry seeing the sad condition of the house, which was still covered in straw. On the threshold was engraved with a date of the fifteenth century.
 What is certain is that Francis must have been working hard to bring order to the farm and make it productive. We can deduce from the fact that rather late was able to form their own family. His first daughter, in fact, was born in 1774, when Francis had already 39 years old. Things, however, must have been testy at the farm, which was now able to feed eight children. Francis lived to 88 years and died only in 1823. The brother of Francis, Petrus, was not married and had died at the age of 40 years.

 

JACOPO

Jacopo was the male younger of the two sons of Francis. But for some reason that we do not know it was he who got married instead of his older brother. It was well-established tradition that only a male son must  married to ensure the lineage keeping united the heritage. The females who were married were paid, of course, with a dowry.

 Jacopo must have consolidated the company's financial situation. He married, in fact, Nunziata Guasparini, good family camporgianese. He had six children including three boys and three girls. Of course, one married, Caesar, but Joseph remained in the family. Of him it is said that she loved much reading and that he had procured a small library. This suggests a certain economic availability. It also says that have, by a fire destroyed the library, he died of a broken heart. Jacopo also had a long life: 85 years.

 

CESARE

Caesar lived 78 years and had eight children including three boys and three girls. One boy, however, died in early childhood. The other two, Carlo and Jacopo, in their youth they worked hard in their land. But it seems that the father Cesare was a jolly fellow who spent much time with friends and worked little. So the two children said they were not happy with their lives. And, since at that time the people of the country had begun to emigrate, even groped they wanted the adventure, and before Jacopo Carlo then left the farm that declined significantly, being left to the care of women and, as long as he lived, his father Cesare now old. But the most revolutionary thing was that the two brothers did not accept the logic of tradition and
they both wanted to get married, breaking thus the unity of the assets.

 

CARLO AND JACOPO

Even in the time of Caesar family's conditions had to be discrete, since even one of his daughters, Matilde, sister of Carlo and Jacopo, studied and graduated elementary school teacher. And another, Cleta, married a pharmacist.

 Meanwhile, still living Caesar (who died in 1897), the unit of the farm was maintained. But Carlo, who by then was married to a teacher and in 1885 she had her first child, in fact, was not concerned with most of the farm, and even Jacopo, who emigrated to France, now pursuing other goals. In these conditions, the death of Caesar the farm was divided into six sections (two of the eight brothers were dead when was children). In fact, even the sisters had a share of the farm. In fact, however, it maintained a certain unity, because two of the sisters, Lucrezia and Nunziata, were not married and were left to live on the farm that they continued to cultivate.  And the sons of Carlo with their mother, after residing elsewhere where it taught, living now in La Casetta. Jacopo, as long as he was abroad, probably he let that  the sisters enjoy the fruits of the farm (which, however, became scarce due to the lack of labor force). And so they had to make the two married sisters.

 Later, however, Jacopo, who had married a woman in Marseille Carrara (a fraction), he returned to Italy, he was a part of the house and the farm and planted a small soap factory. But Charles, who with his campaigns to work abroad must have some money available, he regained his married sisters and reconstituted parts of a farm unit quite substantial. And, probably, tried to bring it back to the ancient productivity. But in 1901, after the birth of the eighth son, his wife died in childbirth. Of course, this resulted in the loss of salary as teacher, for which the economic conditions had a sharp deterioration. The farm was not enough to make him live, the two sisters and eight children. There remained the path of emigration. And in the first years of the new century will emigrate with him, even the older children: Benjamin, George and Conrad. They emigrated to France in Marseille. Benjamin will stop here while Charles, with George and Conrad, try the American adventure. In 1905 they crossed the Atlantic and arrived in Chicago. Carlo will return and start again several times, but the two children will never see Italy. In the following years will emigrate with his father or alone other children: Guido in Germany, in France Azelio and Caesar (Caesar, then, even in America) and, in the twenties, Nello in the United States. The latter will not return to Italy. Now none of the children had more on the farm as a source of livelihood though some of them, Seventh, Azelio, Nello, and even Caesar, returned from Chicago, lived in the cottage until the First World War and even a little 'over. Then each took his own way and went off elsewhere. Meanwhile Charles, after yet another campaign work abroad, in 1920 he was able to build a new house, and was now only with the two sisters, he replaced the efficiency of the farm and in 1925 he married his second wife, with a midwife of Camporgiano, Erina Accorsini. It does, however, died after a short and Carlo, given the farm to a tenant farmer, lived alone (although the two sisters had died in the meantime) to La Casetta until near the end of his days. (Only the last few months after the tragic death of his son Benjamin, he lived in the home of his son in Minucciano Seventh). Meanwhile, James, who had two daughters, he had built a small house on his land, where he lived with the income of his small plot, first with his entire family, then, matches the daughters with his wife Genevieve and, finally, alone.

 

THE CHILDREN OF CHARLES

The two daughters of James, the first of which has worked all his life as a clerk at the Metallurgical Society in Italian Fornaci di Barga, while the second had emigrated to the United States, had married but had not had children. So Jacob leaves no offspring.

 The sons of Charles, however, with the exception of Guido, who died in the war, they married and left numerous descendants all. Six of them had fought during the First World War. George, who had acquired American citizenship, he fought in the army of the United States, Benjamin returned from France and fought in the Italian army. Guido, who returned from Germany, ditto. And so Nello, Azelio and Seventh (a "boy" of 1899). It only remained outside Caesar, because they are too young, and Conrad, who was in Chicago.

 After the war, George returned to America where soon emigrate with his wife Gemma also In. Benjamin will return to Marseilles and the lives of all of them will take forever far from Italy. In Italy there were only Azeglio, who was employed as a guardian of the district prison of Camporgiano (and was the only one left in Camporgiano), Seventh, which was employed in the municipality of Minucciano and Caesar, who opened a business in Monzone, the town of Fivizzano (where Aunt Matilda was married) and then took a job in the organization fascist union.

 

AMERICAN GENERATIONS

The three brothers who were in America, in Chicago and that is George, and Nello Corrado did not return to Italy. George, at least for a time, was the insurer. Corrado traded and Nello was a cook. With the brothers remained in Italy always maintained a correspondence until they were fairly regular in life. These reports, in fact, became more frequent and regular after the Second World War. At their death, however, these relationships became difficult. As long as he lived kept them Gemma, the widow of Nello, after which it was interrupted.

 There was an attempt of the relationship between Isolina, the daughter of Conrad and Guido son of Caesar, who wrote in English. But it was before the war and the war they had been interrupted.

 In the eighties, however, were the first in Italy Nello's daughter Maria and her husband Isolina well with her man, then White with her husband. They were guests of Mario (but they stayed only one day), and as they talked, especially Bianca, a good Italian, it was lovely to chat with them. Maria Isolina and also went to see Caesar and Guido Massa and Mirella in Livorno.

 Since then, between Mario and Bianca was a relationship of correspondence adjust. White wrote in English and Mario replied in Italian. And even with Mary there was an exchange of letters. Then Bianca is also dead and the relationship has been terminated.

 And then in 2001, Mario receives a letter from Dawn Hall, which would be the great-granddaughter of Conrad that promises a visit. Visit that there was and was very affectionate. Now there is exchange of messages via the Internet.

 It took another unexpected contact Mario: John Mearns, son of Isolina, has been in touch to get news of Pellegrinetti of Italy to reconstruct the family tree (family tree) of the family. What he has done with the collaboration, in fact, that of Mario, so he could not have precise information on relatives in America. The living of the second generation are now only: Mary (who, however, died on 21.11.2003) Anna and daughters of Nello. They are dead, they both sons of George, the two daughters of Conrad and White daughter of Nello. Lives their numerous descendants, now completely Americanized.

 

GENERATIONS FRENCH

 With Pellegrinetti of France there were always little contact. Benjamin, who I believe was a skilled worker (electrician or something like that) had three sons with whom there have never been great contacts.

 In 1938, however, Benjamin had come to Italy to find her father and had brought with him his youngest son, Roberto. His father Charles was living alone at the cottage and had the bad habit of keeping a loaded gun in the house. Roberto fate would have it, playing with the gun, did a blow that struck the father's throat and killed him. Both Carlo and Roberto were greatly shocked by the disaster which, among other things, took place late in the evening. So Charles was led by his son in Minucciano Seventh and Roberto, waiting for the mother to come and take it back from France, was brought to Monzone by Caesar and lived here for almost a month. Further contact with Roberto there was the occasion of his visit to Camporgiano in the sixties, guest Mario. And even one of his daughter came to visit with her husband Mario in those years. Finally, Mario and other cousins ​​of Camporgiano knew the first child of Benjamin (now defunct) Charles came on the occasion of the death of Azelio, which took place in 1978.

 

GENERATIONS ITALIAN

In Italy, as already mentioned, had been three of the sons of Carlo Azeglio, Seventh and Caesar. Seventh died in 1944, killed by the partisans because secretary of the Fascist Republican Minucciano. Azelio is dead, as mentioned above, in 1978 and Cesare in 1983. The two sons of Azelio are both dead. The first was Leo. It was lame for having had polio and worked as a blacksmith. Married, had one daughter. It 'died of a bladder tumor. The second, John said Giannetto, had studied at the seminary but then he came out and had done the course cadet in the police. In time of war he was deported to Germany but returned at the end of the war and resumed his career. Unfortunately, fighting the bandit Giuliano in Sicily was wounded in the leg. Lame from the after-effects of the injury, he had to leave the Carabinieri and was hired as a policeman in the town of Camporgiano. Shortly after he had reached retirement, died of lung cancer. Instead, they are still living the two daughters of the Seventh, Anna and Mirella. Both are now retired elementary teachers. Anna, who married a man of the Valley, in the province of Avellino, where he lived for many years, now lives with her husband in Livorno. He has a son married. Mirella, who married a railroad worker, has lived for many years in Livorno, then came back in Garfagnana where they got married two daughters, now lives in house in the City of San Romano.

The two sons of Caesar, in this February 2002 are still living. Guido lived the first years Monzone where his father lived and worked. He studied in the College of Solihull before and at the High School of La Spezia then. In time of war he was recalled and made the course cadets. Newly appointed second lieutenant, September 8, 1943, was captured by the Germans and taken first in Poland and then in Germany. Here he joined the Italian Social Republic, was trained and returned to Italy with the Division "San Marco". Later it passed to the Division "Italy" and with this he remained until the end of the conflict. He graduated in Philosophy and Letters in 1948, he taught the first college in Solihull, then to the Magisterial Mass, then to the High School, and finally at the Liceo Classico, more and Massa. He has published many textbooks of Latin and many historical works. He now lives in Monzone with his wife Lisette. The daughter Marcia, however, married to a radio engineer, continues to live in Massa. It 'a degree in literature, but works as a clerk Office Valuation Office. She has two children students: Mark and George.

 From the sons of Azelio, however, only daughters were born female (A son of John, Robert, died a child), Seventh had only daughters and female, the two sons of Caesar, Guido has only one daughter and two females Mario and one male. The latter, Fabrizio, in turn, has a son, James, who is the only male in the latest generation of Pellegrinetti living in Italy.

 

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