Death Record Translation

[ecampbel75]

Could someone translate this death record?

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 9.jpg.html
Citation: Antenati, State of Chieti, Roio del Sangro, Death Record, 1887, image 19, Supplement no 1
Copy of death certificate for Pasquale Coletta recorded in his native town of Roio Del Sangro

Where did he die? Is there any identifying information in the record - age at death, parents, spouse? What is his occupation?

Thank you,
Alex

101843789_00019 (2).jpg

[Tessa78]

I do not see his age or parents' names.

Dated 25 June 1887 in the town office in Roio del Sangro
Transcription of the death of Pasquale Coletta
What I am reading is that Pasquale Coletta, operaio (worker) died in Prato on 21 October of the last year (1886) crushed by a landslide while waiting to work on the railway line.

T.

[joetucciarone]

Pasquale died a long way from home; Prato is about 300 miles from Roio del Sangro. Prato lies about 10 miles northwest of Florence. While there are hills a mile or so east of Prato, could they have been steep enough for a landslide? The town of Prato Sesia, about 30 miles northwest of Milan, lies on a plain, but is only 25 miles from the Alps, and 50 miles from the Matterhorn. That area seems a much more likely place for a landslide. Just after the two instances of the name "Prato" in the death certificate, there's a 6-letter word that I can't read, although it doesn't look like "Sesia."

[joetucciarone]

The following website describes a railroad built between Romagnano Seisa and Varallo Sesia (known as La linea Novara‐Varallo, or the Novara Varallo line). Prato Sesia is the second stop on the line. According to the site, the line was opened between 1884 and 1886.

https://www.ferrovieabbandonate.it/line ... php?id=294

According to this document, the line was built between 1883 and 1886:

https://mtm.torino.it/it/piani-progetti ... _v-1-3.pdf

Construction and possible accidents were likely in 1886 if that was the year the line was opened.

[ecampbel75]

Thank you everyone for your help.

What does the following line say, middle of the top section: "Pasquale Coletta avvenata in Salmenaio e Prato porgos, ..."?

What does "alla Regia Prefettura" mean? Does it just mean the prefecture sending the record? It seems curious that the province of the death location doesn't seem to be indicated. That might point to the location being in Chieti province or Abruzzo region, but there aren't any towns that are named Prato.

Some of the people from his town travelled for work. They often ended up in Alexandria, Egypt and then about 1900 started travelling to Argentina, Brazil, New York, Pittsburgh, etc. The Prato that is near Florence doesn't match the travel patterns for his village, so I don't think that is it. Prato Sesia is even farther north near Milan. It's possible that he could have gone there to work on the railroad.

[AngelaGrace56]

Thank you everyone for your help.

What does the following line say, middle of the top section: "Pasquale Coletta avvenuta in Salmenaio? o Prato pergos, ..."?

"... Pasquale Coletta which took place (or which occured) in Salmenaio? or Prato - port???"

I'm understanding that it is referring to his place of death. I think that pregos refers to port?

The body of the record says that he died in Prato.

Angela

[AngelaGrace56]

I haven't actually got time to look at this closely, but on thinking about it, because he is referred to as "the Italian worker" (l'operaio italiano) I'm not totally convinced that he actually died in Italia? Just my thinking at the moment.


Edit to add: Futhermore, I'm understanding that the "death extract" has been translated? - maybe from South America?


Angela

[ecampbel75]

I haven't actually got time to look at this closely, but on thinking about it, because he is referred to as "the Italian worker" (l'operaio italiano) I'm not totally convinced that he actually died in Italia? Just my thinking at the moment.


Edit to add: Futhermore, I'm understanding that the "death extract" has been translated? - maybe from South America?


Angela

South America would actually make some sense. Many workers from his village went to Argentina and Brazil. But I haven't seen any records returned to the home village from South America or the US. Only from Alexandria, where there was a large Italian population and a consulate, and from other places in Italy.
It is curious that he is identified as Italian, but it might make sense in the context of working on a railroad, since they probably had workers from all over Europe, so Italian worker would be an identification.
Alex

[liviomoreno]

I believe the death occurred in Greece.
The translation of the death certificate was validated by the Italia Vice Consul C. Bertola in Pireo (greece) 18 March 1887

[AngelaGrace56]

I believe the death occurred in Greece.
The translation of the death certificate was validated by the Italia Vice Consul C. Bertola in Pireo (greece) 18 March 1887

Yes, you're a genius, Livio. And it makes perfect sense because the word "pergos" is Greek. It kept coming up as Greek and I kept ignoring it. (whoops) I couldn't get a translation of the word though. Does it actually mean "port" - do you know.

Angela

[joetucciarone]

Hi Angela - I kept ignoring "pergos" being a Greek word as well. The word preceding Prato looks like Salmenico, which Google identifies as Salmeniko. There is a small village, Kato Salmeniko, about twelve miles east of the port city of Patras, Greece, on the Peloponnese peninsula:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kato+ ... 21.9415999

So maybe "Patro" is actually "Patras"? The following Wikipedia article said construction of the Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways began in 1884 and reached Patras in 1887:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piraeus,_ ... e_Railways

[liviomoreno]

Hi Angela - I kept ignoring "pergos" being a Greek word as well. The word preceding Prato looks like Salmenico, which Google identifies as Salmeniko. There is a small village, Kato Salmeniko, about twelve miles east of the port city of Patras, Greece, on the Peloponnese peninsula:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kato+ ... 21.9415999

So maybe "Patro" is actually "Patras"? The following Wikipedia article said construction of the Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways began in 1884 and reached Patras in 1887:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piraeus,_ ... e_Railways

Patrasso is also mentioned in the document. I strongly believe that Salmeniko is the correct place!

[joetucciarone]

The following newspaper article, dated Saturday October 16, 1886, mentions an earthquake in Greece "just before midnight on Friday" that was most strongly felt in the Ionian Islands, which are about 90 miles west of Patras:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/84383470

This report may actually refer to a very strong earthquake that occurred on Friday, August 27, 1886. Maybe the earthquake made the rocks at the railroad construction site unstable. The death record stated Pasquale died on October 21.

[AngelaGrace56]

Hi Angela - I kept ignoring "pergos" being a Greek word as well. The word preceding Prato looks like Salmenico, which Google identifies as Salmeniko. There is a small village, Kato Salmeniko, about twelve miles east of the port city of Patras, Greece, on the Peloponnese peninsula:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kato+ ... 21.9415999

So maybe "Patro" is actually "Patras"? The following Wikipedia article said construction of the Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways began in 1884 and reached Patras in 1887:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piraeus,_ ... e_Railways

Patrasso is also mentioned in the document. I strongly believe that Salmeniko is the correct place!

Hi there Joe and Livio

Fantastic!!! Mystery solved. I'd also come to the conclusion that the name preceding Prato was Salmenico but that was as far as I got, before receiving a phone call from a close friend from my home town. That was three hours ago!!! (I'm actually an introvert but friends like talking to me. Am totally exhausted now.) Well done you two.

Angela

[ecampbel75]

This is so cool! Thank you everyone for thinking deeply about this. He died in or near Patras, Greece due to working on cleanup efforts after the massive 1886 earthquake. What a story! Thank you for helping me find it.
Alex