Searching for Italian Swiss Ancestors

[Researcher14]

Surname: Piaggi and Leoni In Northern Italy. Arrived in California 1850 - 1860
My Paternal Great Great Grandparents. He was blue eyed with sandy red hair and freckles.
She was dark with jet black hair and eyes to dark you couldn't distinguish iris from pupil.
Any help or suggestions appreciated. Thank you

[Tessa78]

Hello, Researcher14, and welcome!

Can you provide some additional facts?

First names, approx. years of birth, names of children?

T.

[vj]

Hey Researcher14!
Just for reference, is this your family in 1880?
Thank you, Valarie
(Hi T! )

http://imageshack.us/a/img214/1771/1880x.jpg

Home in 1880:
Alley Between L&M Streets
Sacramento, Sacramento, California

head Fortunate Paige 26, abt 1854 Switzerland
wife Mary Paige 26, abt 1854 Switzerland
daughter Rose Paige 3, abt 1877 CA
son William Paige 1, abt 1879 CA
son Fortunate Paige 2m, Apr 1880 CA
cousin Peter Paige 23, abt 1857 Switzerland
boarder Morris Joseph 49, abt 1831 Switzerland
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note: son's(?) William and Frank's death information
California Death Records
from RootsWeb

Last Name First Name Middle Birth Date Mother Maiden Father Last Sex Birth Place Death Place Residence Death Date SSN Age

PIAGGI FRANK C 04/03/1880 LEONI PIAGGI M CALIFORNIA SACRAMENTO 10/27/1940 548-18-XXXX 60 yrs
PIAGGI WILLIAM V 12/10/1876 LEONI M CALIFORNIA EL DORADO 12/10/1962 86 yrs
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Also, there is a post on ancestry. com from someone who appears familiar with this family
"... I located a family plot in cemetery in Napa county years ago that had a family plot for the Piaggi's. My Great Grandfather assisted in building the orginal cellar at Christian Bros. Winery. The Death Certificate for Maria Cathrine Leoni Piaggi indicates birth place Lucarno Switzerland..." posted by Georgie Golden (Trammell)in 2002 and 2005

[Researcher14]

All of the information posted by Valarie except the Paige Family is information I have posted on various site in the last 15 -10 years. Robert PIAGGI arrived in San Francisco
in the mid 1800's and his wife was Maria Leoni. I have the infornation about the family in California up to the Death of my mothers last Brother (Frank Piaggi). Which ended this line of the Piaggi family as far as I know. The Family NEVER used the name Paige or Paiga. I am not looking form information in the US - I have researched them for over 25 years. I want to learn about them before they left Italy. I have certified copies of All the people mentioned as well as all the children born to them and information about the children of James Piaggi and my Grandfather Frank Robert. Everything I have found is that they sailed from Hava, France and that her her Father was Victorio Leonio of Lucarino Switzerland. however, I have no primary evidence of that, only her Death Certificate and the informant was her daughter.
I am Georgie M. Golden-Trammell

[vj]

Hey Georgie !
Thank you so much for your response. You've certainly been looking for a long time.
Do you suppose the correct location on the death certificate may have been Locarno?
Have you looked into renting microfilms for Locarno from the Family History Center?
I've listed a bit of information that may help in your search below.
If you find any records that you may need help translating, we have members that can help with records in both Italian and Latin.
Thank you again, Valarie
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Your nearest Family History Center can order Catholic Church Records for Lucarno on microfilm.
The cost is about $6 mo (rent), you’ll need to go to the center to order & view them.

Family History Library Catalog:
https://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlc/

Film notes for Locarno:
https://familysearch.org/eng/library/fh ... umns=*,0,0

Title: Registri ecclesiastici, 1580-1899
Authors: Chiesa cattolica. Parrocchia di Locarno (Ticino) (Main Author)
Notes: Microfilm dei registri originali nella parrocchia suddetta.
Testo in latino e italiano.
Baptisms, marriages, deaths, confirmations.
Subjects: Switzerland, Ticino, Locarno - Church records
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And, just in case you aren’t familiar with the Family History Center & Italian records

FamilySearch Centers Home Page
Includes how to find your nearest local Family History Center
https://www.familysearch.org/locations

about Italian Records:
http://www.italygen.info/2010/09/italia ... ction.html

and Italian Records Extraction:
http://www.italiangenealogy.com/italian ... extraction

[Researcher14]

Thank you I am a volunteer at a Family History Center and have done everything that you have suggested over the years. I have just gotten bored with not being able to find anything about this family except someone who lived in Locarno in the 1700's.

[jmtc77]

HI, Have you ever tried to write the Locarno township? They have answered me a couple of times and they were really helpful. Also, a possibility could be the Ticino state archive and see if they have the passport requests.
Good luck,
Joel