Alberto de Fonzo b 1690 Italy

[sfrodgers]

I have been researching family genealogy and have found Italian heritage which makes me very happy, I KNEW IT!!! My mother’s mother’s (6 times) mother was Maria Christina Monza b1700 Italy d 1740 Loudon, Virginia USA. She married Alberto de Fonzo b 1690 Italy d 1750 Loudon, Virginia USA. Their daughter Elizabeth Marie de Fonzo was born 1735 Leeds Parish, Virginia USA, d 1795 in Tennessee, USA.

So, Alberto and Maria immigrated to America between 1700 and 1735, sometime in their 20-30s? In emailing with an Italian genealogy expert he (Peter) said “I don't know if you realized this, but your ancestors are some of the very (very) first Italian immigrants in America....and I'm stressing very. Seriously, it's an amazing thing to have in your lineage. However, although I can tell you that your family came from the area around Milan, I unfortunately also have to tell you that it's nearly impossible to trace that line back due to the records available... but not those in Italy (they date to the 1500s, albeit organized church-for-church), but those in America. Without more exact data here regarding Alberto & Maria the issue is finding which church (not even town) in Italy where they were parishioners!!! I personally wouldn't be able to help outside of what you've already done, I can tell you that your family is lombardo– that is, from the region where Milan is.”

I’d love to find the town or village they came from and to paint the story of their immigration. Did they come together? Was she a very young woman travelling on a ship with mostly men? Did they come as a couple or did they come earlier with their families and meet in America? My trail seems to end with Peter’s comments since I don’t speak the language to contact locals in areas within Lombardi to try and find local records. Can you help at all or know anyone who may be able to?

I will be in Italy for our third trip Oct 20th, in Rome (new) and then thru Cortona to Florence. If I could make connections or even discover family there I would be thrilled!!! My husband and I dream of our place in Italy, seriously researching both property there for fun and for retirement. Family connections may change where we would want to settle down.

[Michael31]

http://www.paginebianche.it/execute.cgi ... =Lombardia

[Michael31]

http://www.paginebianche.it/execute.cgi ... &om=0&be=0

[PippoM]

According to Italian White Pages, "Monza" seems to be definitely a surname from Lombardia, very common indeed.
"De Fonzo" sounds a southern surname, even if it can also be found in he north, maybe because of immigration. It can also have various spellings (Di Fonzo, De Fonzi, Fonzo), so it becomes hard to say where it is from.
It seems like you are going to have a hard work...

[adelfio]

You have done very well in your researching of your family going that far back. Maybe you can share some of your tips for getting records both civil and church with the users online
Thank You
Marty

[hibbard77]

I just found out the other day on ancestry.com that I was indeed a descendant of Alberto. His daughter Maria is my 6th great grandmother, the first Italian ancestry I've found outside of the royal bloodlines. I personally believe it's pretty cool!

[megalownote]

Hi sfrodgers, I just wanted to say Hi, and that your post was very interesting. Alberto De Fonzo and his wife, Maria Christina Monza Were my 8th Great Grandparents.

[dek_tx]

I have something of interest to add to this.

David Russell of Washington County, TN is my mother's 5th great grandfather. My mother's mother was born in Washington County, TN, so these are lines I know extremely well.

I'm in possession of the original bible pages of my mother's 3rd great grandparents Joseph McCurry and Rebecca Tarrant. Joseph is the grandson of David Russell and his wife Margaret de Fonzo? Although the bible clearly states the Jamima Russell's (wife of James McCurry) father was David Russell. Someone failed to mention her mother's name.

Both my my mother and I tested our DNA with 23andMe. My mother is 2.6% Italian. All of those Italian genes are on her X chromosomes which is entirely feasible because David Russell's wife could pass down her X chromosomes to my mother.

This is different from the mtDNA which is passed down only from an unbroken female line. The X chromosomes are passed down from father to daughter and then to her daughters and sons, but the sons can't pass them on to their sons. Margaret de Fonzo? Russell is not our mtDNA ancestor.

Although I work with documentation, DNA has opened new doors. My mom's lines go back more than eight generations in this country, and there is not an Italian name anywhere except for the possiblity of de Fonzo.

[tigerspirit33]

Maria Christina Monza was my 7th great grandmother. I would love to find out more about her and her husband. She is related to me on my mother's side. If anyone can send information my way it would be greatly appreciated. I am not on here much, I actually just found this site looking up Maria. My email is tigerspirit33@yahoo.com.

[Anizio]

Fonzi "de Fonzo" and Fonzo are southern Italian names....but its not quite that simple.

I have Fonzi/Fonzo ancestors from Ortona. BUT just because it is a name typical of a region does not guarantee it IS from that region. Most Italian names descend from personal names. ie. Guidarelli is more typical of northern Italy, but that doesn't mean there were not people named Guido or Guidarello who lived in the south in the 1400s and 1500s and started a surname.

I can tell you for a fact guessing where someone is from based on the name is almost impossible unless it is one of those very very rare names that only came to exist in one place. ie. Fonzi/Fonzo/de Fonzo could be from someone named Alfonzo who went by "Fonzo" - hardly a rare thing.

If I go back in time further on my Fonzi tree and come to someone named "Alberto" born in 1690, then I will let you know. But for now my research in Ortona has not gone back far enough to help say if there was an Alberto around. I can say that on the 1751 Catasto for Ortona there is no one with the surname Monza....but that is hardly definitive.

My ancestors are:

Giuseppe Fonzo born circa 1694 in Ortona, married Maddalena Massari, and they had two kids Domenico Antonio and Tomasso Antonio.

There are also other Fonzo families in Ortona in 1751:

Carlo Fonzi born 1712 and his wife Marta Campione. Their children were Federico, Sigismondo, Marianna, Domenico, Nicola, Filippo, and a daughter whose name I cannot read.

Emanuele Fonzo born 1725 and his much older wife Caterina Secci. Their children were Angela and Giuseppe. Emanuele also had two brothers, Salvatore Fonzo and Francesco Fonzo.

Giovanni Fonzo born 1714 and his wife Angela de Grandis. Their daughter was Vincenza Camilla.

[Anizio]

Doing some quick research online there seems to be reason to suggest Alberto de Fonzo was born in Fanzolo, Treviso, Veneto, Italy.

So one natural step would be to contact the parishes or archdiocese there and see if they have some record for an Alberto de Fonzo born in 1690 or better yet a marriage to Maria Cristina (not Christina) Monza.