Surname Discacciati

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larzus
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Surname Discacciati

Post by larzus »

I have an ancestor called Charles Ambrose Discacciati born 1782 apparently in Italy. I have no idea where in Italy he might come from or if this is actually an Italian name at all?

I find him first in Newport, Isle of Wight where he was a jeweller in the 1820's. He married Mary Woolfrey in Dorset in 1828 and they lived in Newport. They only had one child that I know of and Charles died in 1840 on Isle of Wight.

The various English records mangle his name greatly. Once it is written as Charles Ambrosio Discacciati. In later years, half the family dropped the whole last name and gave their surname as 'Ambrose'.

He was a jeweller/silversmith/clockmaker in different records, and sometimes a merchant. He always gave his place of birth as 'Italy', nothing more specific. I actually have no idea where to begin looking for his origins. It is possible he had earlier family and Mary Woolfrey was his second wife, but this is uncertain. He was Catholic.

How do I even begin?
Anizio
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Re: Surname Discacciati

Post by Anizio »

Discacciati is an Italian name, it is from Lombardy. Specifically from Rovellasca in the province of Como.

However, Italian civil records, for the most part, do not stretch before 1809. You would need to go through parish records. However, just because the Discacciati family is from Rovellasca doesn't mean your ancestor (who I'm guessing is actually named Carlo Ambrosio) is from there, he could have been born in a nearby community or Milan which is not far.

It is an uncommon name so one way would be to try and find your ancestor in another tree (all Discacciati stem from the same family for sure, there are less than 100 people today in Italy with the name, so imagine how many there were in 1780).

Records from Rovellasca are on Ancestry.it, however as I said they only go so far. Your ancestor would need to be found in Parish records, which would likely be held in the diocese archives. If you are willing to pay someone, or make a trip to the town or diocese archives, you could likely find his baptismal record (in latin).

If you think he may have been married before, you could try to find his marriage record. It is possible that if he married after the age of 26, and while still in Italy, a civil record may exist. (but not online). To do this would require some shots in the dark - hope he was born AND married in Rovellasca, hope that marriage took place at a time when there were civil records, and hope the town of Rovellasca is willing to browse at least a few years given such vague information.

Depending on what course of action you want to try, I'm sure people here could help.
TIP: When asking for records from Italy, do NOT ask for an "estratto." ALWAYS ask for a "copia integrale." A photocopy of the original Act will contain more information
paola52
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Re: Surname Discacciati

Post by paola52 »

Hi!
Discacciati are found mostly in Lombardy and , within Lombardy, in the Province of Como
http://www.cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognom ... ISCACCIATI
This is a site that maps surnames according to the entries of the White Pages
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Paola
Researching Provinces of Varese, Como and Milan and the valleys around Turin
paola52
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Re: Surname Discacciati

Post by paola52 »

This is the site of the Diocesan Archive of Como, where the copies of parish records for the Diocese are kept
http://www.centrorusca.it/en/content/Parish-Archives
They are very kind and helpful so you can try to contact them
archivio@centrorusca.it
Ciao
Paola
Researching Provinces of Varese, Como and Milan and the valleys around Turin
larzus
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Re: Surname Discacciati

Post by larzus »

Thank you all for your replies, I am following up and hopefully will learn something soon! I had not realized it was an uncommon name, this might help.
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