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History




ETHNIC SETTLERS IN DERBYSHIRE

by Kathryn J. Farrell
taken from The Peak District by Roy Millward and Adrian Robinson

Although archeological remnants provide important evidence for discovering which peoples settled a particular area, linguistic traces can also help to color in the picture of earlier communities. In the case of the High Peak District of Derbyshire in which Wirksworth fringes the southeast boundaries, both archeology and linguistics can aid in producing a time-line of inhabitants. In prehistoric times, circles, mounds and gravesites indicate an iron age civilization, made up of Celtic tribes, eking out an existence. The river Ecclesbourne, meaning "stream by a church," seems to offer proof that the area around Wirksworth was already a Christian center before the arrival of the Romans. At the height of the Roman Empire in England, ca. AD 200, five Roman roads intersected at the present day Wirksworth Parish Church. From Roman written records, we know that this region had a major lead mining and smelting industry in place. At this point, the people are mainly a mixture of Celts and Romans.

The next major ingredient into the gene pool came from the Saxon invaders in the 7th century who established the Kingdom of Mercia in the Derbyshire region. Very likely they were attracted to the area by the mineral wealth and the need to establish a buffer zone against their enemies of Northumbria. Here we encounter the Saxon place names that are so rife in Derbyshire. The suffix "-worth" means an enclosure or clearing. Wirksworth, surrounded by limestone cliffs, had been deforested early on. The suffix "-low" denotes a burial mound. The "-leah" in Alderwasley signifies a clearing in the wood. Historians know that Matlock (Meslach in Old English) was an Anglo-Saxon center of government because of the translation "the oak where the moot was held."

Although Viking presence was rare in the High Peak, the village of Kirk Ireton (Hiretune in the Doomsday Book), probably could very well have been made up of Vikings from Ireland, since the name means "the farm of the Irishmen." Despite the fact that the Danes only controlled the area for a brief 50 years, being headquartered at Derby in 874 AD, their influence lasted for centuries. Wapentakes are a form of Danish land division, and the carucate, a basis of assessment found in the Doomsday Book is likewise Danish.

No one needs to be told about the Norman invasion of 1066 which caused such profound changes to the lives of the inhabitants of the British Isles. It would come as no surprise, then, to learn that there are Norman architectural fragments in the north and south transepts of St. Mary’s Church at Wirksworth, estimated to have been constructed in the 12th century. What may be surprising would be to discover that the bulk of the church dating from the 1300’s displays a Welsh pattern of construction. Finally, the last major wave of immigration to Derbyshire occurred during the 17th century when German miners were imported to help with the technical difficulties of mining.

By no means is this brief outline of ethnic groups intended to represent the extent of all peoples who moved into the Derbyshire area. For instance, there are unmistakably Spanish-sounding names, such as Fernando, found in the Wirksworth Parish records. Nevertheless, by this introduction to archeological and linguistic evidence, it is hoped that we may walk away with a better idea of who our ancestors were and hence, who we are.

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ETHNIC ORIGINS OF NAMES IN CALABRIA

by Kathryn J. Farrell

When my father was alive, he liked to boast that he was "pure Italian." Since I have been doing genealogical research, I have come to realize that there is no such thing as "pure" when it comes to ethnicity. As proof, all I have to do is look up the origins of my various family names. A glimpse of some of these names and others taken from the Dizionario dei Cognomi e Soprannomi in Calabria by Gerhard Rohlfs should serve as a perfect illustration.

Calabria, having once been known as Magna Grecia, where Greek was mainly spoken, abounds in names of Greek origin. Mangano is a geographic name found in the Peloponnesos. Iellamo is transposition of the letters of the Greek word "gemello" meaning "twin." Mirarchi denotes a high military rank such as general. Procopi is an Italinaized form of Prokopis. Among the "soprannomi" or second last names often used to distinguish family groups of the same name, Chirico, "priest," is derived from Klerikos.

Another people who settled in large colonies in Southern Italy were the Albanians. The name Schipani, which in Greek means "adz," turns out to be an Albanian family name. Musacchio is a variation on the Albanian Muzaki. Tocci is the name of the village Toci in Albania.

No family history would be complete without at least one name of Norman French origin, introduced into Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries by crusaders who preferred to remain behind. Frequently these names can be identified by the endings -ieri and -ardo/ardi. Thus, my Ranieri ancestors had been called Reynier in France. Bressi had once been Bres. Similarly, Rugiero, spoken in France as Rogier really started out as the Germanic Hrodgari.

Other Germanic names may have come directly from Germany, probably during the reigns of Frederick II and Manfred (1194-1266). Examples are names ending in -berto and -fredo. Names such as Manno could have been a shortened form of Alemanno, the name of one of the tribes invading the Roman empire at the time of its collapse.

The Arabs have also left their stamp on Italian genealogy, especially during their golden age of colonization during the middle ages. Salatino, a variant of the Egyptian Saladin means "justice of the faith." Since the Arabs controlled Sicily at one time, the majority of names of Arabic derivation can be found there, and often translate into descriptive words, such as Modaffier, "victorious," Naimi, "delicate," and Mogavero, "warrior."

By the end of the 1300's, Spain had taken possession of the Southernmost part of Italy and the island of Sicily. Known as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it is not surprising to find names of Spanish origin. DiCiancio means the son "of Sancho." Many other names come from places in Spain, such as Alicante, Galizia and Linares. In fact, many names ending in -es or -ez are likely to be Spanish, such as Ramirez, Consales (Gonzalez) and Martines (Martinez).

If a part of the world has ever been invaded or colonized (and what area hasn't?), then you are going to find ethnic mixing. Italy, with its long history of conquests and migrations has produced a people with a rich and varied background. To know and understand history is to know and understand our origins. Instead of viewing ourselves as "pure" and exclusive, we really must acknowledge that we are intricately connected to each other in one global genetic community.


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SHIPWRECK!

(Recounting the disasters of the Sirio (1906) and the Ancona (1915)

Introduction

Shipwreck! That single word evokes all sorts of horrible images and emotions. Yet a goodly number of our immigrant ancestors braving the Atlantic crossing in the hopes of a better life in the new World survived just such a catastrophe. In fact, according to family lore, my great grandfather Domenico Badolato from Montauro, Calabria, Italy nearly lost his life after a shipwreck, clinging to floating debris all night long until he was finally rescued the next day. This "fact" seems to be the only item all family members agree upon. The rest of the details are conflicting.

According to Uncle Tony, the incident occurred on a fishing boat in the waters off the coast of his village. Contradicting him, Aunt Rose asserts that Domenico was heading toward Argentina when the disaster struck.. No, says Uncle Dick, he was booked on a steamship to New York at the beginning of W.W.I, when a German U-boat torpedoed the liner. Cousin Frank only remembers that during that long, frightening night, Domenico courageously tried to keep a woman from drowning, but had to let go when his strength gave out. Adding to this, Cousin Teresa recalls her father mentioning a porpoise who swam to him and propelled him closer to shore. Although everyone denies ever saying so, I could swear that someone told me his oldest son Giuseppe was on the fated voyage and drowned.

Believing that my great grandfather really did talk about a true shipwreck adventure, I decided to investigate the reports of the innumerable disasters at sea to see if I could find facts that matched the information I had gathered from relatives. Two possible candidates were identified. The earlier episode involved the Sirio, a 2,401 ton Italian steamship destined for Montevideo and Buenos Aires which struck the rocks off Cartagena, Spain on August 4, 1906. Out of the 800 passengers on board, 442 men, women and children drowned. Corresponding with the war-time story, the Ancona, an 8,210 ton Italian steamship departing Naples for New York was torpedoed off Cape Carbonara, Sardinia on November 8, 1915 with 160 crew members and 422 passengers on board.

The Wreck of the Sirio


As reported in the New York Times the day following the August 4 tragedy, the Captain had erringly steered the ship too close to the rocky Hormigas Islands in an effort to save time. Immediately after the impact, terrified passengers surged towards the life boats, trampling many to death, while others jumped overboard in panic without life vests. Shamefully, many of the Italian men pulled knives and fought their way to the life boats, pushing aside women and children and wounding or even killing crewmen and passengers who tried to stop them. They even went so far as to order people out of the life boats as they commandeered them. Unable to control the pandemonium on board, the captain put a bullet through his head. Unfortunately, this desperate act only caused increased chaos. Later it was believed that more people died as a result of the panic than from the collision itself.

Meanwhile, heroic efforts were underway to rescue the passengers. Many fishermen rowing out to save people were drowned themselves when the disaster victims swamped their fishing boats trying to get aboard. The Bishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil went down with the ship as he was blessing the drowning. In one heart-rending account, one mother being rowed toward shore helplessly watched in horror as her three children, still clutching the mast, went under. Fortunately, Joven Mighel, the captain of a large fishing trawler, managed to pull alongside the sinking Sirio and coerced his crew at gunpoint to take on the remaining 500 or so passengers at the risk of capsizing his own vessel. In turn, he forced the terrified people into his hold at the point of his revolver to prevent just such a calamity.

Safely on shore, the survivors were sheltered in circus buildings and a poor house in Cape Palos, Spain. Children orphaned in the disaster were taken to a foundling asylum. People had lost everything—money, food and clothing and were in desperate need. Thus ends the newspaper account, with assurances that the Spanish government has promised to take every possible measure for the relief of the stricken passengers.

The Wreck of the Ancona


No less horror filled was the sinking of the Ancona, a popular Italian-American liner, which had been making frequent trips between Naples and New York since it had been launched from Glasgow in 1908. Beginning in 1915, German U-boats were lurking in the Mediterranean with the intention of attacking allied war ships transporting troops and munitions to the European front. However, according to ship manifests, when the Ancona left Naples on Saturday November 6, 1915 to make a brief stop at Messina, Sicily, she was carrying no guns or munitions. On board were mostly women and children immigrants along with 83 first class passengers and 12 barrels of gold coins.

At 1:00 p. m. off the coast of Cape Carbonara, Sardinia, Captain Massardo spotted two white turrets and four guns from which flew a German flag, which was lowered and quickly replaced by an Austrian flag. Sensing danger, the captain ordered the ship full steam ahead. What happened next depends upon who was telling the story. In testimony given by the captain, the submarine fired a warning shot, at which point the captain immediately stopped his vessel. In spite of his compliance, the U-boat expelled two shots striking the Ancona both forward and aft. As the Ancona radioed for help, an explosion resulted causing the liner to begin to sink rapidly before any life boats could be lowered. Later, German authorities would claim that the reason why the submarine attacked was precisely because the Ancona refused to stop.

Whatever the rationale, no one disputed the dire consequences. While women sank to their knees in prayers, children ran screaming on deck, and panicking passengers rushed for the life boats or jumped overboard, the U-boat relentlessly shelled the sinking vessel for one and a half hours, creating as much terror as possible. Several people on deck were thus killed as well as one man, one woman and two children in a life boat. Similar to the wreck of the Sirio, panic was responsible for more deaths than the sinking of the ship itself. Many of the lifeboats were overturned, preventing people from getting in. As people scrambled for safety, many drowning in the attempt, eyewitness accounts describe the crew of the submarine jeering and gesticulating derisively. Darkness soon made rescue difficult. Many people were not picked up until the next morning.

For four straight days the New York Times published detailed descriptions and analyses of the event. Reaction of the American public was outrage. In fact, some political commentators signaled this ignominious episode as an act of retaliation against Italy for having recently entered the war. Afterwards, the sinking of civilian passenger liners by German U-boats would become commonplace, barely getting a paragraph in the newspapers.

Because so many residents of the States had relatives on board, the Times published long lists of the names of survivors. At last count, the number was 370. Before everyone could be accounted for, however, the Times (and perhaps the readership as well) lost interest in the story. As is always the case, something new captured the headlines.

List of Ancona surviving passengers published in the New York Times 12 November 1915

Accardo, Giuseppe Dattori, Nicola Iannotti, Giuseppa Reali, Annina
Acquarulo, Luca D'Aversa, Francesco Irsa, Gannaro Reali, Figgio
Adreatta, Luigi D'Aversa, Luigi   Rega, Carlo
Aurelio, Giuseppe DaVerso, Lorenzo Lacana, Andres Rendano, Michele
Allotta, Giuseppe De Biasi, Italo Lamberti Assunta Riberia, Liberta
Altizio, Mauro De Francesco, Grazia Langella, Michele Ricciotti, Francesco
Amati, Santa De Francesco, Salvatore Lenta, Ciro Ridolfi, Antonio
Araccioni, Cristina Delgato, Rosa Lombardo, Pasquale Rima, Felice
Araccione, Giulia Delgatto, Venezia Londa, Brunilde Rocco, Giuseppe
Azzaglini, Itarlone Del Guidice, Michele   Rosselli, Giovanni
  De Luca, Cristina Malinconio, Angelo Rosetti, Maria
Bacciocchi, Roberto De Luca, Francesco Marino, Pietro Ruggeri, Martino
Baglivi, Emilio De Luca, Maria Marra, Natale Ruggero, Francesco
Balenti, Pacmanonto De Pietro,Giovanni Marricelli, Angelino Ruggiero, Michele
Balsamo, Aniello De Popolo, Calogero Martini, Giovanni Russa, Antonio
Basso, Antonio De Rosa, Silvia Martini, Luigi  
Belli, Ludovico Desimone, Maria Mazzrulli, Clelia Salomone, Alfonso
Belli, Pietro De Simone, Rosa Mazzrulli, Emma Sammarco, Giovanni
Berardi, Bartolo Di Cesare, Giovanni Mazzrulli, Giuseppe Sannino, Salvatore
Biaco, Luigi Di Glin, Madallena Meli, Gaspare Santo, Catone
Brescia, Nicola Di Giacomo, Francesco Merci, Luigi Santo, Giuseppe
Buffaletti, Brunhilda Di Gueri, Adelaide Mersier, Rosa & 3 children Sanucci, Pasquale
Buffaletti, Giovanni Di Gueri, Albertina Miglicacchio, Michele Saverio, Angelo
Buffaletti, Linda Diliberto, Antonio Milo, Maria Scarso, Carmela
Buffaletti, Luigi   Milza, Giovina Scettro, Vincenzo
Buffaletti, Luisa Esposito, Pasquale   Scugli, Raimondo
    Orlandini, Vittoria Serra. Persano
Caciamo, Giuseppina Fabiani, Giovanni   Sintoni, Pietro
Cafasso, Annina & 2 sisters Farina, Donato Palomba, Anniello Sitoni, Michele
Camara, Giulia Felici, Eusebio Panico, Michele Solimeni, Carrado
Canelli, Nicola Ficarra, Domenico Panico, Pellegrino Sorrentino, Salvatore
Capelli, Giulia & 2 sons Filberti, Adelaide Pappalezo, Salvatore Speranza, Giulia
Carboni, Giulio Finizio, Domenico Parella, Vincenzo Stellato, Francesco
Carico, Giovanni Forli, Oscar Parietta, Annina Strati, Teodoro
Castelli, Giovanni & 1 child Forinicano, Michele Paroletti, Francesco  
Castello, Jolanda Pasquel, Alissandro Tacoli, Gaetano
Cavallo, Grazio Garofalo, Anniello Passuto, Angela & daughter Tialone, Adelina & child
Cavallo, Lodovico Garofalo, Gina Patrulli, Gaetano Tombono, Domenico
Cincotta, Antonio Gentili, Antonio Pellegrino, Francesco Torrisi, Giuseppe
Circo, Raimondo Gironi, Francesca Perazzetti, Luigi  
Contras, Giuseppe Grazianelli, Mauro Petrella, Giovanni Ventimiglia, Annina
Corete, Raffaele Grazianello, Nicola Piscione, Alberto Vico, Carolina & 1 child
  Greil, Cecile L. Puglisi, Assunta Vincenza, Maria
D'Antonio, Peppina Groakehino, Michele   Viola, Lorenzo & Vittoria
Dattori, Giovanni   Reale, Agostino Vossineo, Giovanni
      Vranobile, Antonio

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