Genesio Genesi

Born: 27 August 1874 ~Castelleone, Cremona, Lombardia, Italia
He survived and eventually emigrated to America, where his descendants live.

 

Meaning of Genesio [jeh-NAY-zee-oh]: after St. Genesius, a Roman martyr

       Children of unknown parents or those born out of wedlock were given stigmatic surnames like Proietto (castoff), Milingiana (eggplant) and so on.
        A foundling would be named by the civil official who registered the birth.  He might give the child a saint's name or another made-up name as a 'first' or given name, and also a fabricated surname.
        In this case he imposed the first name Genesio (for Saint Genesius).  For a surname, he picked Genesi (jeh-NAY-zee), which in Latin means 'of Genesius'. This foundling's name was written in Latin as Genesius Genesi, meaning Genesio, (son) of (Saint) Genesio.  In the civil records, the given name in Italian is Genesio, and the Latin form Genesi was used for the surname.  The full name could just as logically have been rendered in Italian as 'Genesio di Genesio'
         The birth record below states that the names were given "in accordance with Article 58" of the civil code.  Before marriages could be allowed by civil authorities in Italy and Sicily, marriage banns (pubblicazioni) had to be posted that identified the betrothed, and the parents of the betrothed had to give their consent.  Foundlings had no parents to do so, and early conventions of simply naming them, in effect, Joseph Foundling could make identification difficult.  So the law required that they be given distinct names.  Even when these names were not blatantly stigmatic, an unusual name in a small town would virtually assure that all would suspect the child was born out of wedlock, and if that weren't enough, the word illegittimo on the record sealed the deal.  

 

       When descendants of Italian and Sicilian immigrants contact the birthplaces of their ancestors for civil records, the clerks in the ancestral towns do not make photocopies of the original records.  Rather, they view the records and make 'estratti' or extracts of them.  Unlike the actual records, these extracts do not give details; for example where and by whom foundlings were discovered.  Instead they give only the bare minimum. 
       Below is the Atto di Nascita (Record of Birth) of Genesio Genesi, which is filed in the Registri dello Stato Civile, the Register of the Civil Record, of the City of Cremona.  In the transcription and translation, words I could not quite make out are [bracketed] or shown as ______.  Note the details that are contained in the actual record that are omitted from the extract, which follows.
        The names in the original records are given in the Italian style: surnames, followed by given names.  In the translations, I have reversed the names to the American usage. 
       Genesio was born on 27 August.  The feast day of St. Genesius is 25 August, and I believe that proximity was the reason the child was given that particular saint's name.
        Both the civil birth record and the church baptism record are presented here.  The birth record gives more details than the baptism record, but does not name the child's godfather, which the baptim record does.  The extracts of both the civil birth and church baptism are also presented, and it's obvious that the extracts are mere summaries of the actual documents.
       The records for the foundling Genesio Genesi were kindly made available by his grandson, Jerry Genesio.  Through a common error in the Americanization of foreign names, someone along the way reversed Genesio Genesi's first and last names, so the family surname is now Genesio!
   

 
 
ATTO DI NASCITA (Record of Birth )
 

 

L’anno milleottocentosettantaquattro questo giorno di Venerdi ventotto agosto alle ore nove antimeridiane nel palazzo Comunale in Castelleone, mandamento di [Torefina], Circondario [Lantucia di Frenna]
Divanzi a me Dottor Giuseppe [Sanzaria] Segretario di questo

Comune Ufficiale dello Stato Civile
per delgazione ven-
tuno Ottobre milleottocentosettantatre
È comparsa la Signora Cotti
Rosa fu Andrea, di anni tren-tatre, moglie di Leoni Giovanni, levatrice Condotta di questo
Comune, la quale avendo
assistito al parto di un’ __ ap-presso, mi ha presentato un’ infante di sesso maschile che
dichiara essere nato in questo Comune da una donna che non consente di essere nominate e di padre ignoto ieri giorno ventisette acedante agosto alle ore nove pomeridiane, al quale figlio, in virtu dell’ arto 58 del
__ _____ 15. Gen . 1863 N o. 2602 qual’ ordinamento
dello Stato Civile viene imposto il cognome di Genesi ed il nome di Genesio

143
 Genesi Genesio
        
illegittimo

 

Il bambino suddetto sara rimesso all’ Ospizio _____
_____ di Cremona da apposito _________________ Mu-
nicipale, [siloficiando] al ___________ una Copia
dell atto presente perche sia conseguata al di-
rettore dello stabilimente insieme al ____________
la quale dichiarazione viene fatta alla presenza
di Rosetti Benedetto di Gio-Batt Impiegato Muni-
cipale, e di Cremoseoli Dr Achille fu Francesco, dot-
tor in legge, entrambi d’eta maggiore e qui re-
sidente, testimonii scelti dalla dichiarante levatrice.
Data lettura del presente atto alla dichiarante
ed ai testimonii sudetti, l’hanno meco sottoscritto, 

             Cotti Rosa dichiarante
Rossetti Benedetto testimonio ~ Dr Achille Cremoseoli testimonio
               D Giuseppe [Sanzaria] Uff.
 

 

The year eighteen hundred seventy-four this day of Friday twenty-eight August at hour nine AM
In the Town Hall in Castelleone, district of
[Torefina], Envrons of [Lantucia di Frenna]

Before me Doctor Giuseppe [Sanzaria] Secretary of this

Town, Official of the Civil Record
delegated on twenty-
one October eighteen hundred seventy-three
Has appeared Mrs. Rosa Cotti daughter of the late Andrea, age thirty-
three, wife of Giovanni Leoni, Licensed midwife of this
Town, she having assisted at the birth of a
 _____ neighbor, has presented to me an infant of the masculine sex who
She declared to be born in this Town of a woman

who does not consent to be named and of an unknown father
yesterday, day twenty-seven of waning August at hour nine PM, to which child, by virtue of Article 58 of
__ _____ 15. Jan . 1863 No. 2602 by which
Ordinance of the Civil Record is imposed the surname of  Genesi and
the name of
Genesio

 

143
 
Genesio Genesi
        
illegitimate

 

The said child will be remitted to the Hospice _____
_____ of Cremona by special Municipal ______
___________, [siloficiando] to ___________ a Copy
of this record therefore is sent to the director of the establishment together with ____________
This declaration was made in the presence

of Benedetto Rosetti, Municipal Employee, son of the living Giovanni
-Battista, and of Dr Achille Cremoseoli, doct-
tor of law, son of the late Francesco;
both of age and here re-siding, witnesses chosen by the declarant midwife.
Given the reading of this registration to the declarant
and the witnesses, they, with me, have signed below. 

               Rosa Cotti declarant
Benedetto Rossetti witness ~ Dr Achille Cremoseoli witness
               Don Giuseppe [Sanzaria] Official

 
Extract of the Record of Birth

 

 TOWN
 OF CASTELLEONE

province of Cremona
 

office of demographic, electoral
and tax services

registry office tel. 0374/356318
public record office tel. 0374/356319
fax 0374/356317 -  ext 26012
e-mail: demografici@comune.castelleone.cr.it



Extract for summary of the register of the records of BIRTH
-------------------------------------------------------------
Released - on specific request - with indication of fatherhood and motherhood under art. 3 of DPR 2 May 1957 n. 432

THE OFFICIAL OF THE CIVIL RECORD
 

          having examined the register of the records of birth of this Town
        for the year       1874        at No.    143                Part:   first            Section   ==     U. 1st

         
CERTIFIES that:

Genesio GENESI

fatherhood: == ==     motherhood == ==

         
          WAS BORN in          CASTELLEONE

          at hour            nine pm                                            and minutes     zero
 
          on the DAY        TWENTY-SEVEN

          of the MONTH   AUGUST

          of the YEAR       ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR

sex

M

 

 

ON THE RECORD THAT WAS CONSULTED THERE WERE NO ANNOTATIONS REGARDING MARRIAGE

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
         Castelleone, 2 November 2012
 
 

THE OFFICIAL OF THE PUBLIC RECORD
deputy - Rosa Castelli

 
 
 

Battesimi  (Baptism Records)

DAL  VOL  22   pag   99  no  143            

No 143
Genesi
  Genesius

Anno Domini 1874 . Die . 28. Augusti

fil. ex Ignotis parentibus natus heri hora nona pomeridiana uit a me
subscriptus hodie baptizatus. Patrinus fuit Cattaneo Joannes fil Laurentii et
Lena Parzaia.  Ad cognomen fuit adjunctum nomen Genesius, in-
fantem xxxx fuit presentatus ab obstetrice Cotti Rosa et Lena Panzaia
 

 FROM  VOL.  22   page  99  no  143          

No 143
Genesius
     Genesi

  Year of Our Lord 1874 . Day . 28. August

son of unknown parents born yesterday nine PM, was by me, the
undersigned, baptized today. Godfather was Giovanni Cattaneo son of Lorenzo and
Lena Parzaia. To his surname [Genesi] was added the given name Genesio. The in-
fant xxxx was presented by midwife Rosa Cotti and by Lena Panzaia
 

 

Extract of the Record of Baptism

 
 
                    DIOCESE
                    OF CREMONA

              PARISH                                          of St. PHILLIP and JAMES, apostles
                  Address                                   Via San Realino No. 9
                  Town                    
CASTELLEONE   Zip 26012   Province  Cremona

 

CERTIFICATION OF BAPTISM
(for uses that are not prohibited)
 

             From the Register of                                                           showing    
             Baptisms (vol. 22                      Page   99       No.  143    )       that:
     
         
GENESI GENESIO                                    
 

                Born at Castelleone                                   on 27 August 1874 
               has been baptized in this Parish,
                on day 28 - - month of August - - year 1874

              REMARKS
             
The godfather was Mr. GIOVANNI CATTANEO son of Lorenzo of this
              parish.

              In faith:

             CASTELLEONE, 8 FEBRUARY 2014

 

THE PASTOR          

Don AMADEO FERRARI          
   don Amadeo Ferrari                     

 
 
 
DISPOSITION OF THE CHILD

       The record shown below describes where Genesio lived during his minor years.  It references a 'Register of Foundlings', which evidently is a civil register that documents the disposition of these children.  Presumably every municipality had such a register, but to my knowledge, none has been microfilmed by the Mormon church, nor otherwise made public.  

 
         
 

FORM
A. S. -37

 

Modification 37  


Ministry for Heritage and Cultural
Activities

STATE ARCHIVES OF CREMONA

 

            In the Register of Foundlings of the year 1874 at no. 185 is shown:
            Genesio GENESI, born at Castelleone on 27 August 1874, entered the Orphanage of Cremona on 29
            August 1874
            On 2 September 1874 assigned to Luigia Fiori, wife of Giuseppe Poncini, of Pellegrino Parmense
            The 1st of April 1880 assigned to Luigia Orlandoti, wife of Pietro Rodolfi, of Salsomaggiore
            On 27 November 1886 assigned to Maria Bagassi, wife of Giuseppe Cazzarini, of Lugagnano Val d'Ardi
            Consigned permanently to the couple Bagassi-Cazzarini on 21 June 1880
            By decree of the District Court of Lugagnano of 12 July 1889 the same Giuseppe Cazzarini was named
            legal guardian of Genesio Genesi.
            Cremona, 31 January 2013

 

  THE DIRECTOR
Angelo Bellvedi
 
       
 

Click HERE for more about foundlings.

 

The Lady of the Wheel is a fictional account of events in the life of one foundling. Click on the book's cover below for more about the book.

 

Generations:

Genesis

1

2 3 4


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