Researching a Foundling

[sacesta]

Several weeks ago I posted this image of my 3rd great grandfather's 1827 record of marriage which indicates that Benedetto Aceste's parents are uncertain.



Today, I found this 1802 record of baptism for whom I believe to be the same Benedetto. There is no way to positively identify this person as his parents seem to be missing from the record. I need help deciphering it.

Should I assume this Benedicto to be the same person? Or should I continue the search for Benedetto's record? I was hoping, maybe foolishly, that Benedetto's parents might be listed on his baptism papers even though they are listed as unknown on his record of marriage.

If Benedetto is a foundling, how do I proceed to find his ancestors? Does it make sense to look for his siblings?



Steve

[adelfio]

Did the baptism index list his name as Benedetto Aceste or did it say Benedetto parentes ignotus

Marty

[sacesta]

Marty,
Good point. I hadn't seen the baptism index. On the microfilm, knowing the approximate year of birth I scrolled until I saw dates in the vicinity. I'll see if I can find him on the index during my next visit. Thanks!

[Italysearcher]

There are lots of blog posts on this subject on my website that you are sure to find interesting.

[sacesta]

Yes, Ann. There are! I found the blogs Illegitimacy and Child Abandonment and Why Are There So Many Abandoned Babies? of particular interest. You've given me a strategy for research. Grazie mille!

Great site! I'll be back to visit.

Can anyone identify the people listed below Benedicto's name in this record? I've attached a larger jpeg. The first may have been too small to read.

Steve

[sacesta]

Can someone take a stab at the names below Benedicto's name?

I can read Joseph someone, Antonia someone and another Antonia someone, but I have no idea what the surnames are or who these people are. It looks also like there's someone who is the wife of Vito someone. I'm guessing these names are of the couple that discovered the foundling and the godparents. Am I correct in thinking that the information below the baptized infants name shows where, when and by whom the foundling was discovered?
Thanks again in advance for your help,
Steve

[erudita74]

Steve
So far I can tell you that Joseph's surname is Caprarotta, son of ? and his wife ? Costa, one time spouses in the town. Very end of the documents says wife of Vito Gucciardo.

Since you didn't copy the entire page, it's hard to say whether these individuals were witnesses for other baptisms on the page. That is often the case with church documents. You find info about foundlings in the civil records but, quite frankly, I've never seen such info in church records.

Erudita

[sacesta]

Wow! You're amazing Erudita. Gucciardo is a name I came across on a few other documents I scanned recently. And Caprarotta - I see that now. Translates as Goat Route, doesn't it?

I have the full page. I couldn't sleep last night and I'm dead tired now. I will look later to see if the same names come up as witnesses on other records and maybe post the full page.

I may have to write to Calatafimi for civil records at some point. At present, all that is available for Calatafimi are the microfilms of church records. Still, I'm finding a wealth of info just in those.

Thanks for your help as always,

Steve

[erudita74]

You're welcome, Steve. I'm wondering if we also have Antonio and Anna Di Pietro in the record, but am not 100% on this. It's a really difficult read. Erudita

[sacesta]

Erudita, here's the full page. I went through some of the documents I scanned last week and the name Gucciardo appears on three of them. Antonio Gucciardo is the husband to Antonia Aceste and the parents appear on records of baptism for Jacobus Gucciardo, baptized Aug 1899, Phillipa Gucciardo baptized July 1902, and Salvator Gucciardo baptized Apr 1907. No doubt, there are others I missed. These records date 100 years later than Benedetto's record of baptism, but there seems to be a connection.

I read Anna something too, but thought this was a middle name for Antonia.

Steve

[erudita74]

Steve
There is a surname in the town which is D'Anna, and I'm wondering if Antonia Anna is meant to be Antonia D'Anna, and that she was the daughter of Pietro (D'Anna) and ? (Can't decipher the mother's name at all). Her parents had been spouses in this town. I can't tell if one or both are deceased in this record, but I believe her to be the godmother and wife of Vito. Unfortunately, although the other records on the page are so much clearer, and easier to decipher, these same godparents do not appear in any of the other records on the page. I wish I could help you further with this one, but I'm stuck. Just don't assume that godparents on church baptism records are related to the parties in the record. Sometimes they are, but I've seen many church records where they just happen to be individuals who served in the capacity of godparent. Usually this is the case, when the same godparents' names appear for each or many of the entries on a single page.

Also, I should tell you that, when an infant was not a foundling and of unknown parents,the midwife who delivered the child was often the person selected to be the godmother. The reason for this was that the midwife had established a special bond with the new parents and often stayed at the home for a period of time after the birth to help the new mother. She was also the person who carried the infant to the church to have it baptized and held it at the baptismal font. There was a purification period for the new mother, and she did not attend the baptism of her child.

Erudita

[sacesta]

Did the baptism index list his name as Benedetto Aceste or did it say Benedetto parentes ignotus

Marty

Marty, I went back to the index and I did not find him there, although the Benedetto beside page number 49 is suspect. I cannot make out the last name and wonder if it says something like "parents unknown"?

Steve