Where can I find information about midwives (levatrice) in Genoa (late 1800s)?

[Luciano Tolenti]

Hello everyone,

I’m researching my great-grandfather, Gerolamo Tolenti, who was born in Genoa on July 20th, 1877, from unknown parents and later admitted to the Ospizio per l’infanzia abbandonata.

In the civil birth record, the birth was declared by the midwife Angela Dacia. She appears to have been the person who reported the birth and possibly the one who brought the child to the Ospizio.

I’m trying to understand if there are any records where midwives from that period were registered or documented for example professional records, institutional archives, or any related documentation — there might be a chance that she left notes or that additional records connected to her work could exist, potentially containing more details about my great-grandfather’s origins.

My hope is that by researching Angela Dacia, I might find additional notes or related documentation that could contain more information about my great-grandfather’s origins.

If anyone knows where midwife records for Genoa in the late 1800s might be kept, or has experience researching similar cases, I would really appreciate your advice.

Thank you very much in advance!

Luciano.

[mmogno]

Could you share links to the documents you've already located?

[Farassino]

https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/topic/55469

[mmogno]

The midwife's name was Angela Ghisalberti. I believe her husband's surname is Daccà, not Dacia (which does not exist, at least not currently).

[Luciano Tolenti]

Hi,

thank you very much for the information mmogno, and Farassino for quoting the document.

So her surname would be Ghisalberti — where were you able to find this information?

I will also correct the name to Daccà, because I had understood it as “Dacia.”

Do you think that with her married surname (or her original surname) I might be able to find her records?

Thanks again for your help!

I was able to find her on Family search with her last name and his husband Daccà. That is something!

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... S9?lang=es

[mmogno]

...

So her surname would be Ghisalberti — where were you able to find this information?

I will also correct the name to Daccà, because I had understood it as “Dacia.”

See attached image
...


I was able to find her on Family search with her last name and his husband Daccà. That is something!

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... S9?lang=es


The age also matches. The death certificate could indeed be that of the Angela you are looking for.
Have you tried searching the birth records of foundlings around 1877 to see if Angela Ghisalberti in Daccà appears as the declarant?

Tolenti.jpg

[mmogno]

Here is the original birth certificate of Gerolamo Tolenti. #862.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 68&lang=es

[mmogno]

Angela Ghisalberti 'in Daccà', is listed as the declarant in numerous birth records relating to foundlings for the year 1877. The address where the births occurred was 7 Vico Nuovo Ponticelli.

[AngelaGrace56]

Angela Ghisalberti 'in Daccà', is listed as the declarant in numerous birth records relating to foundlings for the year 1877. The address where the births occurred was 7 Vico Nuovo Ponticelli.

I haven't checked the other records as I'm too busy, but I just want to point out that in Gerolamo Tolenti's birth record it is stated that he was born at No 6 Vico Nuovo Ponticelli.

Just my two cents.

Angela

[AngelaGrace56]

Angela Ghisalberti 'in Daccà', is listed as the declarant in numerous birth records relating to foundlings for the year 1877. The address where the births occurred was 7 Vico Nuovo Ponticelli.

@mmogno

I haven't checked the other records as I'm too busy, but I just want to point out that in Gerolamo Tolenti's birth record it is stated that he was born at No 6 Vico Nuovo Ponticelli.

Just my two cents.

Angela

[mmogno]

@AngelaGrace56
Ciao Angela.

Thank you for pointing that out. I agree that the house number on Gerolamo Tolenti's birth certificate is 6. However, in three other certificates under the letter T from 1877 that I found, also reporting the births of foundlings by Angela, the number 7 is indicated.


#6
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 68&lang=es

#321
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 68&lang=es

#1468
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 68&lang=es

[Luciano Tolenti]

Hello, thank you all very much for your replies — I truly appreciate your help, it means a lot to me.

And thank you, mmogno, for pointing out where you found her surname. Yes, I think it could be the same person on FamilySearch. She seems to have died very young: the birth record shows her as 33 years old, and according to the death certificate she died at 36.

To confirm, Angela appears at Vico Nuovo di Ponticello, number 6.

So, was she like the official midwife? Could it be that she had her practice at Vico Nuovo di Ponticello no. 6? AngelaGrace56 mentioned that could found three records with the same name but at number 7, and there is always some detail that creates new doubts and pushes me to continue researching.

Is this the same street as Vico Dritto di Ponticello, which no longer exists today (except for the Casa di Colombo area) after the urban changes around 1930?

Also, was number 6 a hospital, or rather a private residence or rented house? I don’t think it was the home of my great-grandmother, but perhaps it was Angela’s medical practice. The fact that Angela Daccà was present there suggests that the birth may have taken place at home. This could mean that the mother lived in that building or went there to give birth in secret.

A short summary of the record:

Date of the record
Year 1877 – July 20
At the Town Hall of the Municipality of Genoa.

Declaration
Appearing before the Civil Registry Officer:
Angela Daccà, about 33 years old, residing in Genoa.

She declares that:
in the house located at Vico Nuovo di Ponticello, number 6,
a woman who did not consent to being named (“una donna che non consente di essere nominata”) gave birth.

• the mother existed and was present at the birth
• but requested to remain anonymous
• therefore, by law, she is not named.

Witnesses
Giuseppe Moretti
Giovanni (or Giacomo?) — surname possibly Carle/Carlo
Both residents of Genoa.

The record also states that:
• it was read to those present
• it was signed by the declarant
• the witnesses did not sign because they were illiterate.

I am trying to find out whether documents related to Angela exist where she may have left notes about my great-grandfather. Since he was an esposto , “Tolenti” might not be his real surname — it could have been assigned. Could Angela have chosen it? She was the midwife and the one declaring that the mother asked not to be named. Was this a secret birth, or was anonymity common in such cases?

I have heard that when the mother requested secrecy (or paid for it), the midwife was sometimes the only person who knew her identity. In some cases, these professionals kept personal notebooks that, with luck, ended up in hospital archives.

He may also have been sent to a balia (nodriza), but this is part of the research I am doing step by step. My goal is to reconstruct my great-grandfather’s life from birth until his emigration to Argentina — whether he came alone, had family, was adopted, or remained in the ospizio until adulthood.

Thank you again for your constant help.

[mmogno]

...

A short summary of the record:

#862
Date of the record
Year 1877 – July 20
At the Town Hall of the Municipality of Genoa. Ufficio Secondo, Parte 1a

Declaration
Appearing before the Civil Registry Officer:
Angela Ghisalberti in Daccà, about 33 years old, residing in Genoa.

She declares that:
in the house located at Vico Nuovo di Ponticello, number 6,
a woman who did not consent to being named (“una donna che non consente di essere nominata”) gave birth.

• the mother existed and was present at the birth
• but requested to remain anonymous
• therefore, by law, she is not named.

Witnesses
Giuseppe Moretti
Giacomo Canale
Both residents of Genoa.

The record also states that:
• it was read to those present
• it was signed by the declarant
• the witnesses did not sign because they were illiterate.

...

[Luciano Tolenti]

Thank you, mmogno!

I have already sent a message to the Archivio di Stato di Genova asking about records related to Angela. I wrote to them:
Sto conducendo una ricerca sulla storia di un mio antenato, Gerolamo TOLENTI, nato il 20 luglio 1877 a Genova, in Vico di Ponticello n. 6, e dichiarato come "figlio di ignoti".

Dai documenti in mio possesso, risulta che la levatrice che assistette al parto e presentò il bambino allo Stato Civile fu la Sig.ra Angela DACIA.

Con la presente, chiedo cortesemente se sia possibile reperire informazioni su questa professionista nei Vostri fondi, in particolare:

Nel fondo Ospedali Civili di Genova (Pammatone), sottoserie "Maestre levatrici e praticanti" (1856-1879), per verificare il suo domicilio o eventuali registri di servizio.

Se esistano verbali di consegna o allegati alle nascite del 1877 firmati da lei, che possano contenere annotazioni sulla madre o sulle circostanze del parto in Vico di Ponticello 6.

L'obiettivo è tentare di risalire a eventuali dettagli che la levatrice potrebbe aver registrato privatamente o d'ufficio riguardo alla madre del bambino.

Ringrazio anticipatamente per la Vostra disponibilità e per il prezioso lavoro di conservazione documentale.

Luciano Tolenti

Buenos Aires, Argentina

and this was their reply:


AS-GE - SALA STUDIO <as-ge.salastudio@cultura.gov.it>
6:58 AM (3 hours ago)
to me

Gentile utente,

in merito alla sua richiesta, la informiamo che purtroppo non esiste un indice generale di tutti i nominativi presenti nei nostri fondi: di conseguenza non possiamo né confermare né smentire la presenza di documentazione relativa alla persona di suo interesse.

Per quanto riguarda invece nello specifico la documentazione dell'ospedale Pammatone, la informiamo che è conservata presso l'Archivio Storico dell'Ospedale San Martino e la invitiamo a contattarli di persona.

Cordiali saluti,

Apart from this, I found that there seems to be a specific documentary series called “Maestre levatrici e praticanti addette alla sala maternità (1856–1879)” in the archive of Pammatone Hospital, where she should appear.

I will continue researching.

Thank you again!

[mmogno]

The midwife's name is Angela Ghisalberti in Daccà, NOT Angela DACIA!!!!!

Check
https://www.cittametropolitana.genova.i ... abandonada

https://sabliguria.arianna4.cloud/patri ... -di-genova

If you write, it may be useful to attach Gerolamo Tolenti's birth certificate to the email.

007176499_00382.jpg