I have been trying for years to learn more about my great-great grandparents; we have exhausted almost all of the U.S. records available to us, and my next goal is to travel to Italy for research.

Here is my family:

Bartolomeo Giovanni Michele Galfre (son of Michele Galfre & Francesca Monoserro), b. 21 January 1865 in Cuneo (the town), d. 5 October 1952 in Lakeville, Massachusetts.

Married after 24 November 1894 to:

Ernesta Maddelena Bergamasco (daughter of Giuseppe Bergamasco and Giabatta _________), b. 12 May 1874 in Moneglia, d. 8 March 1925 in Middleborough, Massachusetts.

Bartolomeo immigrated to Massachusetts on ship EMS, arriving at Ellis Island on 12 May 1897. Ernesta followed about 1899, but we do not have a date, ship or port of arrival.

Their children were:

2 twins who were born and died, probably in 1895 in San Remo.

Dante Joseph Michele Galfre (1897-1976)

Assunta Madelina Galfre (1900-1986)

Espezzia Angelina Galfre (1902-1993)

Lia Galfre (1903-1991)

Vincent Arthur Galfre (1906-1944)

Elsie Santina Galfre (1910-2004)

Names of cousins in Italy include Claretto (in Busca) and Gerbaudo (in Savigliano).

If you have any connection to my family, I would be very glad to hear from you.

Wendy

Hi Wendy and welcome to Gente! Have you tried writing to either Cuneo or Moneglia to get birth records of Bartolemeo and Ernesta ..... or to get birth and/or marriage records of their parents? What type of information are you looking for? Let us know and we'll see if we can help.

Wendy.. I found this picture on Ancestry ..submitted by a HerlihyMason
Winchester, Massachusetts, USA

trees.ancestry.com/tre...o1KAnT/600

Elizabeth, I did write to the town of Moneglia, but they said they did not have a birth record. As soon as we get to Germany in November, I will begin making plans for a research trip (or several over the next 3 years). I have plenty of cousins still residing in the area, and they have expressed a willingness to help me, which is wonderful.

Nuccia, that is my great-great grandma Ernesta. I have the original photograph hanging in my home. The person who maintains the tree is one of my cousins back home in Massachusetts.

Thank you both for your responses!

My biggest goal at this time is to find out Giabatta's maiden name. We have a family history (written by one of my great-great-great aunts) that says that Giabatta had a brother who was a Bishop. If I can find a marriage for Guiseppe and Giabatta, I can learn her maiden name and see if this is true. I expect to spend quite a bit of time in Catholic churches in the area in hopes of finding their marriage!

Wendy

I know this manifest may have some information thats a bit off but something makes me keep going back to it - I feel like I'm missing something.

Maria Bergamasco about the same age as Ernesta, going to Boston Mass. But the husband is different.....

www.ellisisland.org/se...4958080097

Ernesta did not have any sisters named Maria, but this might be a cousin. Thank you!

autumndivona wrote:

My biggest goal at this time is to find out Giabatta's maiden name. We have a family history (written by one of my great-great-great aunts) that says that Giabatta had a brother who was a Bishop. If I can find a marriage for Guiseppe and Giabatta, I can learn her maiden name and see if this is true. I expect to spend quite a bit of time in Catholic churches in the area in hopes of finding their marriage! Wendy

Wendy,
I never heard of any woman called Giabatta. The nearest name is Giobatta but it's a masculine name and is the abbreviation of Giovanni Battista. Also the surname Monoserro doesn't seem to exist but I assume it could have been mispelled and may be was originally Monsello.

Ada

Thank you Ada - I was thinking the same thing and was hoping that you would stop by.

I was actually wondering if the names could have been GiamBattista and Giuseppa.

Nuccia,
do you mean they might have inverted the parents' first names? May be....

Anyway Giobatta, although a diminutive/combination of Giovanni Battista, it's a name on its own and Giambattista is another variant and a name on its own too. Although ending with an "a" they are masculine.

Ada

Hello Ada,

I'm not sure where "Giabatta" comes from, as the name is not listed on Ernesta's passport or death certificate. My aunt put the family history together and has a document somewhere with the name on it... She is just at an age and in such health at this time as prevents her from looking for the documents.

Monoserro could certainly be something else. The writing on the documents we have is very difficult to read. My aunt did her best to transcribe everything, but errors are a natural possibility .

I am sharing the following documents, and perhaps you will have some insight about them:

freya-newenglandgeneal...ments.html

Thank you!
Wendy

Here is just a tiny bit more on the family. We know the name of one of Bartolomeo's siblings (but not how many he had overall) - Giovanni. Giovanni's descendants are still in Italy and I am in touch with the family on that side. Most of them still live in the Cuneo and Busca area.

Ernesta had the following siblings:

Bartholomew
Giovanni (called Uncle John, lived in Boston for sometime, then returned to Italy, married, and died not long after)
Peter (he was a twin, but the twin died; he went to Chile and began a fabric company)
Archie (my aunt Espezzia says in her "Galfre History" that she wouldn't even attempt to spell his name)
Angelina

The Bergamasco family knew the Gola family in Moneglia. The Golas also came to Massachusetts, and married into the Galfre family. Ernesta's mother was unable to nurse her when she was born, so Anna Gola, a wet nurse, nursed her.

Grandpa Bartolomeo worked as a baggage master at Ventimeglia and spoke very good French. Either his parents or grandparents came from France.

In a letter from 1923 sent to the family by Uncle Peter (he was in Los Andes, Chile then), there are 2 addresses written on the back. One is for Bartolomeo Spiazzi in Moneglia; we're not sure if they were relatives or friends of the family, but I believe it is the Bartolomeo Spiazzi who was the father of Raimundo Spiazzi, the Catholic theologian.

Since family lore says Ernesta had an uncle who was a Bishop (and it would have to be someone on her mother's side, since there were no Bergamasco bishops), they might have been referring to the connection with Raimundo Spiazzi.

There was also a Norina Bergamasco in Florence (via del Pelegrino 31 Firenze). I wonder if she is the woman Giovanni (Uncle John) married. It was leg trouble that sent him back to Italy (from Boston); he went to a place with "hot sands" that would make his leg feel better.

Hmm... This seems a bit disjointed, I know. I was just adding bits of information in case they would help.

One last thing: This is my maternal line (me, my mother, my Nana, Lia Galfre, Ernesta Bergamasco), and I had my mtDNA tested back in 2006. I fall under haplogroup H1. Not sure how many folks with mtDNA roots in Italy fall under the same haplogroup, but I thought I would share.

Thanks again!
Wendy

Hi Wendy,
from the beginnng I was nearly sure that your ancestors surname was not Galfre but Galfrè. In English accents are not used but in Italian they are and pronounciation changes.
The correct surname for Francesca is Manassero and not Monossero.

I'll take a look at the other documents and see if I can find something else.

Ada

In my opinion Bartolomeo's wife did not travel as Ernesta Bergamasco but, as you can see on her passport, she was Maddalena Bergamasco and seen that the passport was issued on April 13, 1899 she probably left soon after as the document was valid for one year.
From the description she was 4.11 tall, hair and eyes chestnut. Age 25 and had a son Dante 2 years old travelling with her.
Bartolomeo in his military document: Height 5.5, blond hair and light blue eyes. Occupation: carter. But in his passport they say he had hair and eyes chestnut and had blond mustaches. Occupation: Porter. He changed his residence from Busca to San Remo but the color of his eyes.....


Ada

Thank you, Ada. I will have to locate the accent mark for posting. In my family tree software, I have placed the accent over the "e". I will do some research on "Manaserro" and see if I can find anything. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Off to bed now - I look forward to catching up in the morning!

Wendy

THIS is the link for the Italian White pages where you can insert surnames and see what comes out. You can insert for Where,
CN which is for the province of Cuneo
or
Piemonte as this is the region which includes all other provinces.


Ada