Gai-Segarini-DeVincenzi-Passenino

[DGai]

Hello. Trying to locate a starting point for tracking down past and present relatives of my great grandparents. All four made their way to the Santa Cruz, California area.

Giuseppe Gai born around 1868 possibly in the Pistoia or La Spezia region

Francesco Segarini born around 1869 in the Varese Ligure area. Immigrated to USA, arrived from Bremen via Ellis Island on Dec 01, 1896

Maria Rosa DeVincenzi born around 1878 in the Varese Ligure area (Possibly born in Cavizzano). She had two sisters in Italy, and a brother in Buenos Aires, South America (possibly John DeVincenzi)

Maria Rosa Passenino born around 1871

Thank you

David Gai

[vj]

Hello. Trying to locate a starting point for tracking down past and present relatives of my great grandparents ...

Hello David!
Welcome to the Forum.
We'll all be happy to see what we can do to help.
Most folks start by gathering all of their family's US records.
In order to research your family in Italy you'll need to know your towns of origin for births and marriages. Italian records are kept at the comune (town) level.
Hopefully your US records will help you identify your town(s) of origin.
If you need any assistance with your US records, many forum members have subscriptions that may help.
Please let us know how we can help.
Valarie
---

Francesco Segarini born around 1869 in the Varese Ligure area. Immigrated to USA, arrived from Bremen via Ellis Island on Dec 01, 1896

Just for everyone’s reference, your 1896 manifest
from ancestry. com (mislinked on the Ellis Island site)
May not be his first trip

Segarini/De Vincenzi Family

(click here) 1896 manifest image

1 Dec 1896 SS Werra, Genoa to NY
Line 4
Francesco Segarini 27, born abt 1869
- single
- laborer
- citizen of USA
- destination S Francisco
- citizen of United states: yes

edit: added header to help sort family information

[Biff83]

1907 manifest for Rosa Gai (Maria Rosa Passenino) and children, Giordano, Anselmo and Bianca Lines 6 through 9
Name: Rosa Gai
Arrival Date: 1 May 1907
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Port of Departure: Havre
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian (North) (Italian)
Ship Name: La Bretagne
Last residence for all: Montaldo?*
Birthplace for all: Rocca?*
Destination: Santa Cruz CA to join husband/father Giuseppe Gai

*Lots of possible towns

Biff

[vj]

Gai/Passarino Family

Hello Biff !
Pretty neat record
Valarie

...
Last residence for all: Montaldo?*
Birthplace for all: Rocca?*
...
*Lots of possible towns
Biff

Best guess
from this site: http://italia.indettaglio.it/eng/cognomi/cognomi.html
Checked for folks currently living in a town beginning with Montaldo, one hit (so far):
15 people in Montaldo Scarampi, Asti, Piedmont

Also in Asti province, there are two comunes beginning with ‘Rocca’
http://www.nonsolocap.it/piemonte/91-montaldo-scarampi/
Rocca d'Arazzo is about 8 km from Montaldo Scarampi

edit: added header to help sort family information

[Biff83]

Hi, Valarie!

No luck finding Passenino or Passanino but there are Passarino's in Rocca d'Arazzo.

Biff

[vj]

Gai/Passarino Family

Hi, Valarie!

No luck finding Passenino or Passanino but there are Passarino's in Rocca d'Arazzo.

Biff

Pretty funny Biff!
I just added Rocca d'Arazzo to my post above.
I originally thought it was a village.
It's a comune just to the NNE of Montaldo Scarampi
http://www.nonsolocap.it/piemonte/53-rocca-d-arazzo/
Valarie

---
edit: added

Passarino may be correct

From roots web CA Death Records 1940-1997
(may have to copy & paste onto your address bar)
http://vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ca/ ... 0000584978

GAI ROSA
Birth: 08/27/1871
Mother maiden: STEFFANI
Father’s surname: PASSARINO
Death location: SANTA CRUZ
Death Date: 02/21/1942
Age: 70 yrs

[Biff83]

1903 manifest for Giuseppe Gai line 27

Name: Giuseppe Gai
Arrival Date: 4 Apr 1903
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Havre
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian (North) (Italian)
Ship Name: La Bretagne
Last residence: Montaldo
Destination: Santa Cruz to join cousin Battista Passarino

Biff

[Biff83]

Possible 1895 manifest for Maria Rosa DeVincenzi line 3 (247)
Name: Rosa Devincenzi
Arrival Date: 10 Jun 1895
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1876
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Port of Departure: Le Havre
Ethnicity/Race­/Nationality: Italian
Ship Name: La Touraine
Destination: San Francisco, CA

Biff

[Biff83]

California Death Index, 1940-1997
Name: Francesco F Segarini
Social Security #: 0
Sex: MALE
Birth Date: 3 Feb 1869
Birthplace: Other Country
Death Date: 24 Mar 1940
Death Place: Santa Cruz
Mother's Maiden Name: Monteverde
Father's surname: Segarini

California Death Index, 1940-1997
Name: Maria R Segarini
Sex: FEMALE
Birth Date: 11 Jan 1878
Birthplace: Italy
Death Date: 29 Jan 1960
Death Place: Santa Cruz
Mother's Maiden Name: Dipaloi, possibly De Paoli

Biff

[DGai]

Biff and Valarie
Thank you for your replies. This is fantastic. I had seen the text versions of the manifests but I hadn't seen (the details). A few blanks are starting to fill - especially regarding towns of origin.

In a letter from my grandmother (Anna Teresa Gai (Segarini)) she said my great grandfather's family (Gai) was from Asti but she was not able to remember a specific town/village. I seem to remember my grandfather saying both Asti and Piedmont but no specific town or village. I'm going back through everything I have to try and find any links to Montaldo, Asti, etc.

On the Segarini side, my great grandfather (Francesco "Frenchi" "Frank" Segarini) was sponsored by his uncle (Pietro Monteverde) and came to Santa Cruz, California in 1887 at age 17. He became a US citizen when he was 21 and returned to Italy to visit his mother (Theresa Segarini (maiden name Monteverde)) and sister and bring them money. My grandmother says in December 23, 1900 he married Maria Rosa Devincenzi (possibly somewhere near Cavizzano), and brought her and his mother and sister to the U.S. in January, 1901. I have not been able to confirm these dates nor match up manifests... yet. Most of the manifested passengers for Segarini, Devincenzi, and Monteverde center on Varese Ligure.

Thank you for your insight.

Dave

[Biff83]

Hello, Dave

We're happy we could help. Thought you might like to see the following 1900 census which shows your great gradfather Francesco Segarini and his uncle Pietro Monteverde, Pietro's wife and sister. The census verifies Francesco initial year of immigration as 1887 and lists his marital status as single.

1900 census

I also located an 1870 census for Pietro and can post if you like.

We'll see if we can locate a ship's manifest for the correct Maria Rosa DeVincenzi and your great grandfather's mother and sister. That might sort out the towns of origin.

In checking, Cavizzano is a hamlet (frazione) in the town (comune) of Varese Ligure.
http://www.italyworldclub.com/

Biff

[vj]

Segarini/DeVincenzi Family

Clues in the census

Francesco Segarini & Maria Rosa DeVincenzi & families
Census record images from ancestry. com

1930

1920

1910

You can download blank census forms here if you have trouble reading the columns & questions asked
(you may have to copy & paste this link onto your address bar)
http://www.ancestry.com/charts/census.aspx

[vj]

Gai/Passarino Family

Giuseppe Gai and Maria Rosa Passarino and family

Note missing 1930...

1920 census

1910 census

[DGai]

Thank you. The 1870 Census would be great to have if you don't mind posting it. The 1900 census clarified a mystery for us - Mary Martini - is Pietro Monteverde's sister. We have an original receipt for funeral services for Mary Martini's husband and thought she was a Monteverde relative but we couldn't figure the specific relationship.

Giuseppe (Joe) Gai and Maria Rosa Gai (Passenino) that appear in the Ben Lomond 1920 census. It's possible they were missed in the 1930 census because they moved to a remote area called Bonnie Doon.

Both are buried in the Druids section of Santa Cruz Memorial Gardens.

[Biff83]

Dave,

Here's Pietro Monteverde's 1870 census.

1870 census line 21

Name: Peter Monteverde
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Age in 1870: 28
Birthplace: Italy
Home in 1870: Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
Race: White
Gender: Male

edited to add 1880 census

1880 census line 21
Name: Peter Monteverdi
Home in 1880: Branciforte, Santa Cruz, California
Age: 38
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Birthplace: Italy
Father's birthplace: Italy
Mother's birthplace: Italy
Occupation: Works At Powder Mill

Biff