Terracina - Death Records

[samantha235]

Death No 136: Filomena Maria Leflem

Registered in Terracina on 1 September 1896

Filomena Maria Leflem died the same day, 1 September 1896 at 1 am, in Contrada le Arene. She was 36 yo, a contadina (peasant), residing in Terracina, born in Havre Semra? Inferiore di Francia, parents unknown, and was the widow of Giuseppe Francesco Di Luzio.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947

Angela

How surprising it is to find someone inquiring about a person who lived in my hometown! Also, one of the persons who reported the death to the civil status officer was the city's midwife (Giulia Giannetti), who is also the great-great-grandmother of one of my acquaintances.

However, the act seems to be in the name of Filomena Maria Lefleur, born in (Le) Havre, Lower Seine, France.

About the presence of the "Terellani" in Terracina in the late 1800s / early 1900s, here is a brief article by a French travel writer of the time:

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There are villages whose entire population lives in Terracina and moves there for six / seven months. Terelle, a small Neapolitan village, sends its men and women there; there is not even a valid person left, except the priests and some "gentlemen" who do not need to work.

Even before the end of autumn, the Terellans arrive. Beyond the canal, they occupy a village of huts like that of Cabila, made of heather, branches and old rotten boards where they nest with their pigs.

They work mainly in the vegetable gardens and in the countryside. Their women serve, they carry the loads, they unload the gandelows, they carry the lime, the stone, the grain, the oil, the wine.

Small, often delicate, they run barefoot, carrying real donkey loads on their heads.
The Terracinese men do nothing, the Terracinese women even less: the Terellana is everyone's servant, she is good at everything; what would you do without her?

Like migratory birds, after all, they are in their migration. Of an animal regularity.
And just like migratory birds, they become restless as soon as summer comes, they gather, bundle up, load everything they have on their heads and vanish at the first fever like the swallow at the first cold.
(Marie René De La Blanchére)
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Thank you for this article. And what a coincidence....I love those!

[samantha235]

This article makes a lot of sense. My great grandmother was 10 when her mother died. According to her, her Mother (Philomene) was gored to death by a bull whilst in a field

The children were then returned to Terelle, presumable to relatives, before being sent off to live with other families in different parts of Europe. My GGmother came to Scotland via Germany with an Italian family from a neighbouring village.

[samantha235]

Ok. This may have taken a bit of a weird twist or may just be another conincidence. As it was mentioned here a midwife reported Philomene's death, and since I have been unable to find her son Giuseppe's birth certificate, I looked at birth's the same day she died.

There is a birth on the same day, attended by the same midwife, of a child called Giuseppe France. Given she was from France, and I've never seen that as a surname, could it be she actually died during childbirth? I can't see her name on the certificate, but it looks different from others I've seen. Is anyone able to look at it please and see if it infers the mother died during the birth?

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947

[AngelaGrace56]

However, the act seems to be in the name of Filomena Maria Lefleur, born in (Le) Havre, Lower Seine, France.

Seine!!! Of course, thank you.

I'm still reading Filomena Maria's surname to be Leflem, which is a name found in Le Havre, France. It's a very clear letter "m" in the margin. However, in the body of the record and in the index it looks more like Leeflem. Hopefully someone else will help to confirm.

Here's the index: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947

Birth No record No 136: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947


Angela

[AngelaGrace56]

Ok. This may have taken a bit of a weird twist or may just be another conincidence. As it was mentioned here a midwife reported Philomene's death, and since I have been unable to find her son Giuseppe's birth certificate, I looked at birth's the same day she died.

There is a birth on the same day, attended by the same midwife, of a child called Giuseppe France. Given she was from France, and I've never seen that as a surname, could it be she actually died during childbirth? I can't see her name on the certificate, but it looks different from others I've seen. Is anyone able to look at it please and see if it infers the mother died during the birth?

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947

This little boy’s birth was registered by what looks to be the same midwife on 1 September 1896 at 10.20 am in Terracina. He was born the previous day (30 August 1896) at 3 pm in the same area ie Contrada le Arene, to a woman who did not give her consent to be named. He was given the name Giuseppe France and sent by the official to an orphanage, accompanied by the said registrant, (the midwife), with a copy of the Birth Act, to be delivered to the Director of the said orphanage, together with the child.

Angela

[samantha235]

Thank you very much Angela. Given he was given the surname French, and my GGreat Grandmother was French, it does seem a little odd, especially given the close timing, same area and same midwife. She definitely had a son called Giuseppe, who was the youngest child, at some point. When he was older he came to Edinburgh to stay with my Great-Grandmother. He died as a young man.

[AngelaGrace56]

...continue to be locked

Terracina records on Family Search continue to be locked but they can be viewed at the antenati site.

Remember that Family Search digitized the records that they publish and that antenati publish, at the State archives who may not have a full set of records since they are the 'second' copies. The town often has a full set of records.

Hi Ann

I'm somewhat puzzled about your comment. Records for the town of Terracina (1871-1910) are no longer locked. I’ve been searching them these past two days as have others. I’m sorry that you can’t view them, and I’m not sure why. If you click on them, they should unlock. This is what I’ve been looking at here: https://www.familysearch.org/search/cat ... %20Library

The link that you posted earlier to the antenati site seem to be only from 1911 onwards, which is great for us family historians.

Angela

[AngelaGrace56]

Thank you very much Angela. Given he was given the surname French, and my GGreat Grandmother was French, it does seem a little odd, especially given the close timing, same area and same midwife. She definitely had a son called Giuseppe, who was the youngest child, at some point. When he was older he came to Edinburgh to stay with my Great-Grandmother. He died as a young man.

Happy to help Samanatha. If it is him, it sounds like he had a very sad beginning, losing both parents so early in life and then being placed in an orphanage. Hopefully he was only there for a short time. You may like to start up a separate thread for your Giuseppe who came to Edinburgh and see if he can be traced back to Italia. You need to tell us what name he went by – France, Di Luzio, Le Flem? What was his age, and where and when did he die etc. Give us as much information as you know. If you have any records post the link to them. A second set of eyes sometimes sees things we miss. Best to you.

Angela

[arturo.c]

Ok. This may have taken a bit of a weird twist or may just be another conincidence. As it was mentioned here a midwife reported Philomene's death, and since I have been unable to find her son Giuseppe's birth certificate, I looked at birth's the same day she died.

There is a birth on the same day, attended by the same midwife, of a child called Giuseppe France. Given she was from France, and I've never seen that as a surname, could it be she actually died during childbirth? I can't see her name on the certificate, but it looks different from others I've seen. Is anyone able to look at it please and see if it infers the mother died during the birth?

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819947

That would be a very sad story. Given that Filomena Maria was already a widow with young children, she could have gotten pregnant by somebody after her husband's death and might have asked the midwife to omit her name from the child's birth registration, in order to avoid bringing shame upon her family.

The newborn child was sent to the orphanage of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome, and was likely claimed afterwards by his relatives once they knew about his birth.

The historical records of that orphanage are now preserved in the IPAI Archives in Rome, and copies of the records pertaining to the persons taken into care can be obtained upon request.

The application forms are available here: https://www.cittametropolitanaroma.it/h ... o-ex-ipai/

[samantha235]

Thank you all very much. I took a couple of days out as it was slightly overwhelming. Given the amount of coincidence it is unlikely this was not her child. I will write to the orphanage and create a post to see if I can find more information for Giuseppe. I heard today that children registered by a midwife may not be given their mothers name. I wonder if she refused to give her name, or wasn't able to register the child (if this was her) given she was dead less than 14 hours later?

[arturo.c]

Thank you all very much. I took a couple of days out as it was slightly overwhelming. Given the amount of coincidence it is unlikely this was not her child. I will write to the orphanage and create a post to see if I can find more information for Giuseppe. I heard today that children registered by a midwife may not be given their mothers name. I wonder if she refused to give her name, or wasn't able to register the child (if this was her) given she was dead less than 14 hours later?

In my opinion she must have begged Mrs. Giannetti with her last dying breath to promise her that her relatives would not be told about her dying of childbirth, and rather make up a viable cause of death (gored by a bull?) in case she won't survive. They must have eventually found out afterwards, and managed to rescue her child from the orphanage.

[samantha235]

Thank you all very much. I took a couple of days out as it was slightly overwhelming. Given the amount of coincidence it is unlikely this was not her child. I will write to the orphanage and create a post to see if I can find more information for Giuseppe. I heard today that children registered by a midwife may not be given their mothers name. I wonder if she refused to give her name, or wasn't able to register the child (if this was her) given she was dead less than 14 hours later?

In my opinion she must have begged Mrs. Giannetti with her last dying breath to promise her that her relatives would not be told about her dying of childbirth, and rather make up a viable cause of death (gored by a bull?) in case she won't survive. They must have eventually found out afterwards, and managed to rescue her child from the orphanage.

She herself was orphaned as a child so it may be my great grandmother got mixed up with her mother/grandmother, or like you say, she didn't want the family to know. She had 3 daughters so maybe not to frighten them in future, or so that the little boy didn't know and feel guilty. I have to say, having 3 daughters myself, I'm glad if this is her, I've found out now and didn't know before. It's possible her daughters were up in Terelle at that point already so it may be they were none the wiser at that time. I'm going to write to the orphanage. Hopefully if they can find the records I'll know if this is our Giuseppe as our one definitely was brought back into the family.

[arturo.c]

Hello Samantha,

I am so sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but I just found the death record of poor baby Giuseppe, who passed away barely three days after his birth.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=819855