Mystery of the changing wife

[Anizio]

Hi,

I appear to have a puzzle on my hands.

My ancestor is Celeste Fronzi, Fronzi being a name typical of San Costanzo in Pesaro e Urbino. But he was born in Isola del Piano (thats not the mystery) a very small town, so his family are essentially the only recorded Fronzis in the towns history from 1860-1910.

His marriage and military records record him as Celeste Fronzi, born June 20 1865 in Isola del Piano to Luigi Fronzi and Maria Fraternale/Fraternali (Fraternali/e seeming to be the name given to any orphan found in the area in that time period). Still, no mystery.

I found his father's death act in 1867, lists him as Luigi Fronzi, age 47, husband of Maria Fraternale. Still, nothing strange.

The puzzle begins as I get into the parish records. Celeste Fronzi's baptismal act for June 20 1865, in Isola del Piano, lists him as the son of Luigi Fronzi as what appears to say Maria degli Esposti. (or at least something that is not Fraternale)

Genealogy Text Question.jpg

Are they the same person? Did she somehow get confused about her own name. Is Maria Fraternale just a step mother who Celeste was unaware was not his mother?

But the mystery deepens. There are 4 other church records from the same church in 1864:
June 10: death of Santa Fronzi age 7, born in San Costanzo, daughter of Luigi Fronzi, age 45, and Maria Batisti.
June 7: death of Pacifico Fronzi, age 2, born in San Costanzo, son of Luigi and Maria Batisti.
June 13: death of Celeste Fronzi, age 5, born in San Costanzo, son of Luigi and Maria Batisti.
November 19: death of Maria Batisti, wife of Luigi Fronzi.

So I have what appears to be 1 Luigi, 3 Marias all with different names, all married to Luigi within a 3 year period, no evidence of marriage records, a family who seems to all die within 1 year, and a huge coincidence in terms of some uncommon names and the ages of these Luigis if they are not the same.

Someone help me make sense of this?
At the very least I just want to know the name of Celeste's mother, be it degli Esposti, Fraternale, or both somehow.

[Robin B Mc]

Degli Esposti is a foundling name and many foundlings, in my experience, took another surname - I guess to distinguish them from other foundlings with the same surname.

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/ ... bandonment

I had the same issue with my ancestor Maria la Casasanta Fasciano - she alternately went by la Casasanta or Fasciano, or both. Her father was a foundling, named la Casasanta for it, and then wound up going by Fasciano as well. His daughter went by both/either, while he son only went by Fasciano: http://genealogical-musings.blogspot.co ... aning.html

[Anizio]

Oh I see! That makes so much sense, I had no idea that degli Esposti was also a name abandoned babies. Makes sense now.

Do you think there is enough to go on that the Luigi, father of Celeste, is the same as the Luigi who lost his whole family the year before? The only thing that puzzles me is the lack of any marriage record between Luigi and Maria Fraternale/degli Esposti yet Celeste's baptismal act seems to indicate he was legitimate and that his parents were therefore married.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your help

[suanj]

hi, seeming also strange that:
1864

November 19: death of Maria Batisti, wife of Luigi Fronzi.

and:

Celeste Fronzi, born June 20 1865

from Nov. 1864 to jun 1865, Luigi remarried and had a son, all in seven months??
you are sure abt Maria Batisti death year?
abt Fraternale and Degli Esposti... Degli Esposti is rather indicative of origin (foundling), and I found that in first time the foundlings had this surname or similar surname with same meaning, and after was added a fantasy surname, and in further acts, remained just the fantasy surname (the second)...
Personally, I believe that the secpnd wife of Luigi Fronzi was Maria Fraternale aka Maria Degli Esposti: the same person.. The clerk given a fantasy surname, the priest used in Church records Maria Degli Esposti..
you can verify on Celeste marriage act, the his mother maiden name?
More:
because you don't found a marriage act between Luigi Fronzi and Maria Fraternale/Degli Esposti, not excluding the possibility that Luigi had married Mary even after and before he died in 1867,
it could be also possible, that Maria remained widow and pregnant from her first husband, and Luigi joined without marriage, and given the his surname to Celeste...

However I believe that the Luigi first wife was maria batisti and Luigi second wife was Maria fraternale ( for the registrar) and Maria Degli Esposti for the priest, but one and the same..
regards,
suanj

[Anizio]

That is a very good point, in order for Maria Fraternale to have given birth to Celeste in 1865 it would require a very short time frame. So maybe they are two different Luigis.

I am certain of the death, here is all 4 on the death index for the church in 1864:

Genealogy Text Question.jpg

It makes sense that Maria Fraternale and Maria degli Esposti are the same person, especially since all other Fraternale's of the town seem to have unknown parents. On both Celeste's marriage and his military record it says Maria Fraternale. This seems to be the name she went by.

But if it is the same Luigi, there is indeed a problem with the dates. A dead wife, a marriage, and a new son within 7 months seems unlikely. Although it does say that they were legitimate spouses of the parish on Celeste's birth act. Perhaps they are different Luigis of the same age in the same town, but that also seems unlikely.

I asked the Archivio di Stato di Urbino to check for a marriage and they found no marriage. I will search myself once the Parish records for Isola del Piano are once again uploaded to http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it. They were there a few weeks ago, but then taken down.

The records for Isola del Piano are online for 1866 forward on FamilySearch, but it seems that after Luigi's death the family moved to San Costanzo.

Maria Batisti is definitely not the same as Maria Fraternale. So I will need to figure out if there are two Luigis. :/

[carubia]

BTW, probably all the children died within a week from a virus, such as the flu.

What were Luigi's parents' names on his death record?

[Anizio]

His parents were both dead at his death, they were Antonio Fronzi and Catterina Pezzuoli. And it also says he left Maria Fraternale behind.

[carubia]

It's certainly possible that they married after she became pregnant, so the real issue is whether she could've had a child, who survived, after a pregnancy of only 7 months. I saw such a case once where a woman gave birth to a child in Dec and then again the following July, with the 2nd one not being stillborn (I think he died at age 1). The other obvious possibility is that his relationship with Maria #2 began before his 1st wife died....