Lafranchi Family History, Part I
We descend from at least two of the three branches of the sizeable Lafranchi family of Coglio so these pages are divided into those three branches (Parts A, B, and C):
- Part A - Martino Lafranchi1 (<1613->1637)
- Part A-I - Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi (I)2 (1637->1688)
- Part A-II - Martino Lafranchi (Sr.)3 (1685-<1747) and
Domenica (Lafranchi) Guglielmetti3 (1688->1719) - Part A-III - Giovanni Battista Lafranchi4 (1732-<1785)
- Part A-IV - Maria Catterina (Lafranchi) Cerini5A (1780-1847)
- Part B - Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi1 (-<1708)
- Part B-I - Giovanni Battista Lafranchi2 (1673->1740)
- Part B-II - Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (Sr.)3 (1690-~1749)
Early LAFRANCHI Families of Coglio
1745 Fire and Records Reconstruction
A fire destroyed many of the parish records of Coglio on January 24, 1745, but some were saved having been kept in the vicar's home. Baptism, marriage, and death record books were lost. After the loss, the succeeding vicar, Giovanni Battista Pozzi set about reconstructing the books by recording the testimony of parishioners. Among these reconstructed records, three early Lafranchi families were identified:
- Martino Lafranchi (I) and Giacomina Delnotaro, with two sons born in the 1630s(pp. 91-126A; pp. 34-37);
- Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi and Maria Delnotaro, with a son born in 1673(pp. 126B-135A; pg. 38); and
- Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (I)1 and Maria Caneverini, with a son born in 1685(pp. 135B-142; pg. 39).
In addition, Martino Lafranchi named three other contemporary Lafranchis as godparents for his sons: Margherita, Martino (yes, another), and Elena in 1631 and 1637. Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi, who was a generation younger, chose Giacomina Lafranchi as godmother to his son in 1673. The relationships of these Lafranchis are not known and no further records mention them.
No indication was given to the relationships between these three families; however, in one example, the great-grandchildren of Martino (II) and Giovanni Antonio (I) married in 1748 without impediment, indicating that any relationship between the bride and groom was more than four generations away.
Our earliest certain Lafranchi ancestor was Maria Perpetua Lafranchi4 (~1731-1782), the daughter of Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi, however, there were a handful of men by that name at the time. In addition, Maria Perpetua's baptism record was not among the reconstructed records by that name so her mother is unknown, further complicating a firm correlation of her parents. Based on her third marriage record, the likely witnesses for the bride was Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (Jr.), Maria's possible brother, which suggests their father was one of two senior Giovanni Antonio Lafranchis[Mar 1763]--one was the son of Giovanni Battista Lafranchi and the other the son of yet another Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (II). This family history explores both lines.
1808 Census
For whatever reason, Coglio parish censuses (stato d'anime) were not avaiable for microfilming, but the civil census that Emperor Napolean ordered in 1808 was microfilmed. It only named the males in the village but counted 46 males and 46 females among 16 or 17 households, including the pastor. Six or seven of the households were Lafranchis and included a total of 24 males:
- Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi, age 32 (b. October 13, 1776), and two sons. Giovanni Antonio was a great-great grandson of Martino Lafranchi (I). (Our Maria Caterina (Lafranchi) Cerini5 (1780-1847) was a younger sister to Giovanni Antonio. By 1808 she was married and living in Giumaglio.)
- Giacomo Filippo Lafranchi, age 34 (b. ~April 30, 1773), with two sons and a younger brother. Giacomo Filippo was a great-great grandson of Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (I)1.
- Giovanni Battista Lafranchi (Sr.), age 37 (b. ~February 3, 1771), and three sons. Battista was a fiirst cousin to Giacomo Filippo along their the Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (I)1 line.
- Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi, age 49 (b. March 1, 1759), widower with three teenaged sons. Second cousin to Giovanni Antonio along their Martino Lafranchi (I) line.
- Marcello Lafranchi, age 36 (b. ~January 15, 1772), with three sons. Marcello was the elder brother to Giacomo Filippo.
- Giovanni Francesco Lafranchi, age 48 (b. ~October 11, 1759), and two sons. Francesco was an elder halfbrother to Giovanni Antonio.
- Giuseppe Antonio Lafranchi, age 24 (b. April 15, 1784), and younger brother. They were nephews of Giovanni Giacomo.
Martino LAFRANCHI (I)1 (<1617->1637)
A.Martino Lafranchi (I)1 was probably born in Coglio, Ticino, Switzerland, in the early 1600s. He married Giacomina Delnotaro2 and had at least two sons:
| A1. | Martino Lafranchi (II) | 10 Jan 1631 | (< 1687) | (< 56) |
| A2. | Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi (I)2 | 17 Jun 1637 | (> 1688) | (>50) |
Martino and Giacomina chose the following godparents for their sons:
- Martino (II): Giovanni Antonio Delnotaro and Margherita Lafranchi[Bap 1631]; and
- Giacomo2: Martino Lafranchi and Elena Lafranchi.[Bap 1637]
- Bap 1631: 10 Jan 1631 Baptism, Sancta Maria Montis Carmeli, Coglio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland
- Bap 1637: 17 Jun 1637 Baptism, Sancta Maria Montis Carmeli, Coglio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland
Giovanni Giacomo LAFRANCHI1 (<1660-<1707)
B.Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi was probably born in Coglio, Ticino, Switzerland, in the mid-1600s. He married Maria Delnotaro and at least one son:
| B1. | Giovanni Battista Lafranchi2 | 16 Apr 1673 | (> 1713) | (> 40) |
Giacomo and Maria chose Don Giovanni Pozzi, notaio of Coglio, and Giacomina Lafranchi as godparents for son Battista.[Bap 1673]
- Bap 1673: 16 Apr 1673 Baptism, Sancta Maria Montis Carmeli, Coglio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland
Giovanni Antonio LAFRANCHI (I)1 (<1667->1685)
C.Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (I)1 was probably born in Coglio, Ticino, Switzerland. He married Maria Caneverini and had at least one son:
| C1. | Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi (II)2 | 15 Apr 1685 | (> 1712) | (> 26) |
Antonio and Maria chose Martino Lafranchi (perhaps Martino (II)) and Maria Delnotaro as godparents for son Giovanni Antonio.[Bap 1685]
- Bap 1685: 15 Apr 1685 Baptism, Sancta Maria Montis Carmeli, Coglio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland
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