Hello, any help with the name Inquieti greatly appreciated

[Baylis]

Hello,

I am trying to find out a bit more about my great grandfather Cornelius Inquieti 1851-1925.

I have a bit of experience with genealogy, but none when it comes to searching outside of the U.K.

My two basic questions/difficulties are these:-

We were always led to believe Cornelius was from Sicily, but the only mention I have of his place of birth is the 1891 census from Clerkenwell, London, where his place of birth appears to be Parma, Italy.

I know sometimes the stories that are handed down the family aren’t always accurate, but I don’t feel comfortable abandoning the idea he was from Sicily just yet. I know Palma/ Parma isn’t a unique place name and there is a place in Sicily called Palma Di Montechiaro, which was known as Palma around the time my ancestor would have lived there. And I also know mistakes can be made on censuses.

This leads me to my second big problem. I thought I’d search for the distribution of the name Inquieti in Sicily and mainland Italy, but it seems the name doesn’t exist. Am I going wrong somewhere?

Cornelius’ marriage certificate lists his father as Carnelio Inquieti, deceased.

When I search for the name the only place I seem to be able to find the Inquieti is here, in the U.K. from people who appear to be my distant relatives.

I can see similar surnames like Inquartana, Inquanta, Inguanta etc in Sicily. Is it possible there was a name change of some kind?

Thank you for reading this far,
I would really appreciate any help that can nudge me in a new direction.

Claire x

[PippoM]

I think it's very likely, as the Sicilian name form Plama di Montechiaro is "Parma".
"Inquieti" sounds like a surname for foundlings, but it's just a guess.

[Baylis]

Thank you for your reply Pippo. I’m reassured you think Palma Di Montechiaro seems likely too.
As it stands I might have to wait for the 1922 census to see if there is any clarification.

I hadn’t thought of the possibility of Inquieti being a foundling name at all! I think it translates as ‘restless’ or something similar, I’ll double check that.
My ancestor’s father is mentioned on his marriage
certificate, but I suppose the foundling could have been the father or his father etc. I’ll see if I can read up on the history of foundlings in Sicily.

I’ve heard different theories about name changes when coming to the U.K, but they didn’t seem very convincing in this case.

Regards
Claire

[DellaCahill]

Hi Claire,

I too am Cornelius' great grandaughter! Hello
I have been 'doing' ancestry for around 15 years now, and am now digging deeper into the 'Italian' side.
I have had my DNA tested and connected with a few different descendants of our Cornelius BUT none of us have Italian DNA, which we find a little weird. My DNA does state I have Northwestern Europe DNA (this is the same with the other Inquieti descendants).
We too, always thought the Italian side were from Sicily, so I was a little puzzled to see on the census it said Parma, but just thought the hearsay was wrong.
The foundling theory sounds good, as you say Inquieti is ‘Restless’ in both Italian and Spanish, therefore they could have easily used that as his surname.
I can't find him in any Italian records and no passenger lists (as of yet).
Cornelius’ daughter Lily was my grandmother and my mum was bought up the Italian way, with all attending the Italian church in Clerkenwell – I am still in the area where they all lived.
Would love to hear if you have progressed in anyway.

Take care

Della