Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

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Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

Dear Bosco People, also Marsicovetere Marotta (?) and Campiglia Families,
also Borra of Turin,

Searching for whomever could help with access to LDS microfilm birth records for my great grandfather, Francesco Domenico Bosco (harpist/violinist), born Marsicovetere 15 May 1845. It is apparently this microfilm number in LDS records: Nati, pubblicazioni, matrimoni, morti, diversi, allegati 1842-1847 - FHL INTL Film [1796269], which came from this link: https://familysearch.org/eng/library/fh ... 1&last=100

According to Francesco's death certificate in Denver, 25 Feb 1912, his natural father was Antony (Antonio?) Bosco, mother Marie Maretta (Maria Moretta?). He may have been illegitimate with different surname in Italy. Had a club foot, which may be in records. Father may have been a lawyer in Italian army. Francesco married Mary Louise Neal in Louisiana in 1871, and had eight children, born in Arkansas and Denver: Clara Elizabeth, Francis William, Mary Amelia, Florence Louise, George Borra, Leonardo Ernesto, Leona Christina and Luella Bedortha.

As to the Campiglia family, I refer to the Bernardo Campiglia family of Marsicovetere who emigrated to Denver and then Southern California. I have just found in my family records what I believe to be a 19th century photo of three Campiglia family members that may be of interest to descendants. My Francesco gave his long-beloved harp to the Campiglia family. According to writing on the back of the photo, the harp (perhaps originally given to Bernard?), went to "daughter Matilda (1955)." The name Richard Pierson is written next to hers, with an address in Whittier, CA. Above that is the name Christine (Mrs. Clyde Malpede), with an address in Santa Monica, CA. I hope to find descendants who know something of the disposition of the harp, and/or ANYthing of life in Marsicovetere. Musical life there is of greatest interest, also anything to do with children sent out with padrones to play harp/violin on streets in Paris/London/New York, also 1857 earthquake in Basilicata, also how Italian Wars of Independence affected that area, any local history, etc.

Bosco family stories say that after an unpleasant childhood, Francesco "roamed Europe for a few years playing music." Would give anything to know who were his musical companions, then, or on 1865 or 1866 ship to U.S. (played their way to pay passage?). Or perhaps he was with a padrone during the "roaming" years. I understand many children who served padrones were from Marsicovetere and Viggiano (see great book "Little Slaves of the Harp," on Amazon.com). It's all such a mystery!

There is reference on the back of the photo to the Vito family of musicians being from the same town -- Joseph, Ed and Elaine (famed harpists of their time). Not sure if there is any real connection with them other than sharing same birthplace.

I am working on a book about an 1860 French violin that was 150 years in our Bosco family. Book completion is June 30, so am on a demanding time schedule in pursuit of ANYTHING on years in Italy. This violin originally belonged to a music teacher named Joseph Borra, born 1811 in Turin, died in 1885, perhaps in Butte, MT. Taught 45+ years in U.S. in 20+ states (!).

I will copy this same posting to several different forums/sites and see what happens. I can be reached through Ancestry or at vneutralzone@gmail.com.

Forgot -- writing on photo says "seven brothers emigrated to Ontario." I'm assuming that means Canada, and this means Francesco's brothers and not Campiglias. Not sure.

Many thanks,
Valerie
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by joetucciarone »

Hi Valerie,

You mentioned that a lot of victims of padrones were from Viggiano. I just found an article dated October 17, 1878 in the San Francisco Bulletin. It's about Pasquale Pisani, a handicapped man from Viggiano, who was sold by his brother, Francesco, to Martino Damiani, a padrone. The article includes the entire, seven-part "contract" between Francesco and Martino. The contract mentioned Pasquale's obligations to Martino, the amount of money owed to Francesco, etc.

Joe
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi,
the 1845 births of Marsicovetere are on line now, but I cannot find Francesco Domenico Bosco birth.. on 16 May 1845 was found a baby of unknown parents, named by registrar: Antonio Quasimondo http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.i ... ewsIndex=0

I believe you don't have the 1885 census, maybe interesting for you:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cc=1807096
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

To Joe and suranji (spelling?),

Many thanks for both your replies. I'm so sorry I am seeing them so very long after they were written.

J, full contracts for the kids are very rare and I will certainly go look at the one you mentioned. Many thanks for taking the time to write a reply.

S, I will follow up on the 1845 record you found. It continues to be very difficult to find my man, no doubt due to illegitimacy. Perhaps my only hope is that he had a club foot and it seems like that would be on a birth record, even or especially in the case of an abandoned baby. You have helped me before, and I appreciate you very much. Thank you!

Valerie O'Conor
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi Valerie, my nickname spelling is suanj; just a nickname!
Abt Francesco Bosco the first step is to find his arrival... because he arrived in USA in some port... I cannot find it, but to find the arrival could be very helpful also knowing the surnames of other persons travelling in same trip... because normally these immigrants traveling in small groups of the same area, protecting each other from harm in the journey, and in a foreign country. I ndon't know if Francesco was naturalized, but if yes in the petition or declaration of intentions maybe he stated his right birthplace... The fact that he was a harpist can not take us too far from Viggiano...
Hoping to find the arrival....
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

Hello Suanj!

Your speedy reply is amazing! I sent you a separate reply because I wasn't sure if you would see the one in the thread. In that reply, there is discussion of a Marsicovetere birth record you sent me after the 1845 records came online, long ago now! I think it is seeming very likely that my man -- deformed by a club foot -- may well have been Antonio Quasimondo born March 16, 1845 in Marsicovetere, abandoned child -- and became Francesco Domenico Bosco, birth date on American records shown as March 15, 1845, died in Denver, Colorado, associated in his Denver years with Campiglia family of Marsicovetere. Father on death certificate is shown as Antonio Bosco. I have looked many many hours for passenger lists to no avail. I believe it was YOU who found the first record of him in U.S., in New Orleans directory in 1866 as a musician. Lived at same address as musician Matteo Calabrese of Corleto Perticara, who I found on a passenger list a year earlier bringing over eight child musicians, so it is likely Calabrese was a padrone. I have researched every person on that passenger list, with no big results. Calabrese died of yellow fever in New Orleans. You've got me all thrilled about it again, so I'm very excited to start new work. Many many thanks.

Valerie
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi, Valerie,
Antonio Quasimodo was born on 16 May 1845 and no on March, and also your Francesco was born on May 1845..
It could be possible that Antonio Quasimodo and Francesco Domenico Bosco was same person? It is hard to say... However if yes he had his passport with his real name and so arrived in USA... You can give me the Matteo Calabrese ship's manifest? I wish read each name..
Thanks,
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

Suanj,

Yes, we should start a fresh thread. This one is very old and frayed! I can't figure out how to attach the Calabrese ship manifest information here. Can send to you separately if you wish, or share with anyone else interested.

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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi Valerie,
I am back!
I believe that something don't matching, and this could be the reason because we cannot find the right Birth record.
Well I searched again and again in the civil records, but no one in Marsicovetere can be your ancestor. The Antonio Quasimodo found, just for a coincidence matching the birthdate ( abt) but he is no your ancestor.... I am pretty sure.
Instead as I said, previously, I think that something don't match... I read the France document you send me privately, I read it with much attention, and I understood that they had difficulties to write Lapetina and so wrote La Petina, and also who write the document wrote Bosco, Briglia, -- Marco. Well the -- was the "de" so de Marco. I thinked that maybe same error or omission may also be on the surname of Francesco....

And in effects, I have some doubt abt the spelling, because no many Bosco in Basilicata region.. Instead I read LO BOSCO and LOBOSCO, both populars.

Another my perplexity was abt the first name: Francesco Domenico...

And also abt the story of Francesco Domenico childhood.. I remember very well abt the bad man that he did not want to learn to play the harp; and if I am right, you said that this bad man was the stepfather or so...
And if I remeber well you said that maybe he was a foundling...

So I searched in all probable communes where the Young harpist came from and going in France and England, but I don't found your ancestor. I searched abt in a decade, because you know that the Giambattista Lapetina, companion or padrone of Francesco Domenico, well he was born on 1837 in Marsicovetere.
I am pretty sure abt this find.
Well, and as I said I don't found, I searched by Bosco, and Lo Bosco and Lobosco.

But I found a Domenico del Bosco born in Viggiano on 2 jul 1845 #103, son of unknown parents ( the Birth registration was the 4th jul but the child was 2 days old so born abt on 2th jul):
pag 1 https://s27.postimg.org/m9lro4rwj/Domen ... _pag_1.jpg
pag 2 https://s27.postimg.org/p39y21qrn/Domen ... _pag_2.jpg
I believe that this could be your ancestor; I have experience that many italian foundling in USA stated as parents invented names or the names who raised, but no biological parents or adoptive parents..
Viggiano was the main place of harpist players....
Let me know your suggestions,
suanj
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

Dear Suanj,

Oh oh, this is a VERY exciting idea! I see your thinking exactly, and why my ideas about Quasimondo may be mistaken (sent you private message about that, before I read this). I have thought a long time that the birth may have been in a neighboring town, and his wet nurse or adoptive family was in Marsicovetere. I shall IMMEDIATELY look at the Viggiano records. Yes, I think foundlings definitely made up parent names. Another problem is that the padrones often used the same travel papers for several children when moving them from Italy, especially into France, but also to other countries, and that way changed their names. Family story in U.S. was that his (adoptive?) father beat him for wanting to play music, and he "left his town very young," when a "visiting maestro" who said he would teach him to play took him away. Sounds padrone to me! At least the "music slave" situation would have made him MORE valuable for his club foot, because it was all about playing and begging in the streets for the padrone. My sadness is imagining that it is very likely he would have had to spend hours in the streets with no shoe on that foot, and so to have more begging money. This is not too much imagining, I would think. There is evidence that a very few padrones crippled some children to get more money. I have these articles if you wish, but they are in English.

Lapetina
Did you EVER get that Excel file? I think it was too big to attach on this site; I tried several times. If you wish to send email address privately on here, I will send it to you that way. You will certainly see why I was so interested in it. (Wasn't the French document FASCINATING?? Actual documents related to movements of the padrones and "music slaves" are extremely rare.) Very sadly, that file shows no Bosco, Lo Bosco, or any variation, though there are about 200 names of great interest, mostly Marsicovetere but also Viggiano. All padrones, I think, and I'm quite sure they never listed children unless they were their own. At one point, I looked up every other child named on "the French document" shown as traveling with Lapetina and whoever may be that Bosco child listed on there. Brick walls on every single one. Scream.

Supposed mother surname Marotta
I looked a long time for his supposed mother's surname Marotta. None of that name appear in Marsicovetere until some years after he left, though there ARE Marottas in nearby towns. When I was looking very hard, those towns had no records online yet, before 1861.

Supposed father Antonio Bosco
According to old family stories in the U.S., was supposed to have been a military officer (there was a General Bosco in the wars of unification, but that is absolutely no relation). I am also aware that the immigrant himself or his children often made up relations in Italy as being great military people or nobility, etc., and this is nearly always not true. One of his sons had much social ambition, and I think he tried to claim a connection to the general. Silly, I think. I DID find ONE distant reference that is almost believable, of an "old captain" formerly of the Bourbon army and then involved with Carmine Cracco (spelling?) and the brigands in Basilicata around 1861. This would be quite possible. I will try to find that reference for you. It is in Italian. Most written about the brigands is by outside parties of course, as nearly all of them were illiterate. So it is hard to know the truth if the only written records from the time were written by opponents and eventually, the victors. The victors always write the history!

You see it is extra extra hard to find illegimates!

I am on to look at what you found, so exciting! I cannot thank you enough for taking so much time to look, and your inspiration and enthusiasm. You are the best!

Regards,
Valerie
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by boscodesc »

Dear Suanj,

This document is helpful as to 19th century illegitimate/foundling children. It may be available in Italian also.

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

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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi Valerie, in the last 15 years I made so many searches also abt foundling and the leitmotif was and is Always the same: the parent's names given or stated on the documents, or by family rumors are Always false, invented or changed in some part so to make a more credible story.
By my experience, and what I understand abt this story, is that Antonio, was no Antonio Bosco but Antonio Marotta or similar spelling, and his wife was Maria, unknowm maiden name, and they was the family who raised by Commune payment. Normally with the money to raise the foundling, spent by Commune to family, well it fed the couple, and were feeding their natural children, and maybe some lunch to foundling, but no all days...
the choice to play the harp was a natural predisposition of the child but also a choice because he could not run and play like other children. I can imagine the man who beat him because he wanted the child work, and bring money home, but the child he loved music. And to man It has seemed a miracle to sell it to a padrone...
The france document is very interesting. The file is ok, but I don't download, because is no a my work, you said that Lapetina was to top so I read just abt Lapetina, no all names.
I am positive abt Domenico del Bosco after so many years, this is the first record that could be interesting. Abt the birthdate, oh ma here on IG forum the 90% or more of searches abt italians immigrated in USA, well the birthdate in USA is wrong .. anyone know.. no I believe instead that the better way is to see if this Domenico del Bosco remained in Viggiano and for bad luck we cannot search in military records (they are no on line), because if he is your ancestor he don't make the militar service, being in foreign country... The arrival record.. no success.. and we cannot make more for now!
Merry Christmas.
suanj
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by Jcox129 »

I am so curious if I have a connection to Marsicovetere. I see someone mentioned the family of Vito harpists in Chicago. My GG Grandfather Bernardino Vito was born in Italy in about 1855 and moved to Chicago. The first he appears in the census is in 1880 Chicago living as a boarder with his occupation listed as musician. He married Louise (or Marie Louise) Votta in 1881 in Chicago. All census records have him listed as a musician, music teacher, or retired musician. Family members say that he played the harp beautifully. All census records also say that he was born in Italy, as does his naturalization record. But his death certificate from 1933 says that he was born in France. Also, his father on the death certificate is named as Bernard Vito. I have never been able to find a record of any siblings or parents, but the fact that the other Vito family on Chicago who were harpists came from Marsicovetere makes me think that he may have, too. The France connection also makes me wonder.
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

Hi,
interesting the 1880 census, because his birthyear is 1850

Belarbino Vito

United States Census, 1880

Name Belarbino Vito
Event Type Census
Event Date 1880
Event Place Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Gender Male
Age 30
Marital Status Single
Race White
Race (Original) W
Occupation Musician
Relationship to Head of Household Other
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Other
Birth Year (Estimated) 1850
Birthplace Italy
Father's Birthplace Italy
Mother's Birthplace Italy
Sheet Letter D
Sheet Number 108
Person Number 11
Volume 2



Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

Joseph Russo Self M 23 Italy
Rosa Russo Wife F 19 Italy
Angeline Russo Daughter F 0 Illinois, United States
Angelo Russo Father M 60 Italy
Grozio Russo Mother F 45 Italy
Barlee Josea Other M 49 Italy
Ruff Arbeiter Other M 52 Italy
Mary Arbeiter Other F 50 Italy
Belarbino Patoso Other M 47 Italy
Pescala Patoso Other M 19 Italy
Anton Babouse Other M 23 Italy
Belarbino Vito Other M 30 Italy
Dominic Barla Other M 36 Italy
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... cc=1417683
you think that is more probable 1850 birthyear?
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Re: Bosco, Francesco Domenico - Marsicovetere - also Campiglia

Post by suanj »

the 1880 census was taken on 5th jun 1880, but in september he married the first time:


Berardino Vito

Illinois Marriages

Name Berardino Vito
Spouse's Name Carmela Josca
Event Date 13 Sep 1880
Event Place , Cook, Illinois

maybe Maria Louise was the second wife...
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