Cerini Family History, Part G

Maria Innocenza/Perpetua Cerini (1795)

1173241. Maria Innocenza/Perpetua Cerini was born and baptized on November 2, 1795, in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. At her baptism she was christened as "Maria Innocentia," apparently named for her godmother and aunt Maria Innocenza (Cerini) Pozzi. Her godfather was Giovanni Giacomo Pedrotti, her uncle by marriage to her maternal aunt.^{[Bap 1795]} She was afterward noted as "Maria Perpetua" and once as "Maria Giacoma Perpetua" in the church censuses.^{[Cen 1795, 1817]} The name "Perpetua" is likely for her paternal grandmother, Maria Perpetua/Fortunata (Lafranchi) Cerini⁴.

Maria was last recorded in Giumaglio (as "Maria Giacoma Perpetua") in 1817 at the age of 21.^{[Cen 1817]}

Maria likely married Eustachio Perinoni of Someo and died there on January 26, 1838. She was about 46 years old and was buried at the church cemetery in Someo the following day.^{[Dth 1838]}

Eustachio may have gone on to remarry to Giovanna Maria Bonetti by 1846. Eustachio Perinoni fell from a tree and died about August 2, 1864.^{[Dth 1846]} He was buried the morning of the 3rd in the church cemetery in Someo. Eustachio was reported to be 61 years old.^{[Dth 1864]}

Suspected but unconfirmed children (based so far only on death records) include:

Maria Giacomina Cerini (1799-1827)

1173242. Maria Giacomina Cerini was born and baptized on December 2, 1799, in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. Her godparents were her maternal uncle Giovanni Antonio Lafranchi and Marianna Giumini^{[Bap 1799]}, possibly her mother's cousin. She appears not have wed.

Maria Giacomina Cerini (recorded as "Maria Giacoma") died on November 13, 1827, at the age of "about 30 years" (she was two weeks short of her 28th birthday). She was buried the following day at the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Giumaglio.^{[Dth 1827]}

Anna Maria Cerini (1800->1833)

1173243. Anna Maria Cerini was born and baptized on June 8, 1800, in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. Her godparents were Giovanni Antonio Cerini, her grandfather's second cousin, and Mrs. Maria Barbara (Marinosa) Pozzi.^{[Bap 1800]} Anna Maria (presumed to be this Anna Maria, the daughter of Pietro Antonio) married Michele Pedrazzini of the nearby town of Lodano on Monday, April 22, 1833, in Giumaglio. Witnesses were Giuseppe Piezzi and Giovanni Cerini.^{[Mar 1833]}

The Pedrazzini newlyweds likely resided in Lodano.

Maria Anna Cerini (1802->1842)

1173244. Maria Anna Cerini was born and baptized on January 6, 1802, in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. Her godparents were her uncle Giovanni Giacomo Cerini and Mrs. Giovanna Maria (Pozzi) Gasparini.^{[Bap 1802]}

Maria Anna named as godmother to nephew Pietro Antonio Cerini.^{[Bap 1842]}

Pietro Antonio Felice Cerini (1805-1875)

1173245. Pietro Antonio Felice Cerini was born and baptized on May 20, 1805, in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. His godparents were Pietro Antonio Canaverini, of the neighboring town of Coglio, and Maria Pozzi, who was likely his paternal aunt's stepdaughter or daughter.^{[Bap 1805]} Felice married Maria Maddalena Cerini, the daughter of Giuseppe Cerini, on November 27, 1832, at the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Giumaglio. No impediments were recorded, which indicates that either they were not of any known blood relationship or that such relationship was beyond that of second cousins. Witnesses to their marriage were Domenico Filippo Pozzi and Rodolfo Cerini, Maddelena's elder brother.^{[Mar 1832]} Felice and Maddalena had at least five children, including a pair of twin daughters:

Felice was godfather and apparently partial namesake to Marco Felice Cerini, the son of his wife's cousin, Giuseppe Gioacchino and Caterina (Giumini) Cerini^{[Bap 1837]}; nephew Pietro Antonio Cerini^{[Bap 1842]}; and perhaps grandniece Maria Annonziatta Cerini.^{[Bap 1865]}

Son Giuseppe Lorenzo may have made as made as many as three or four trips to Victoria, Australia, before settling there permanently. His first emigration loan, under the name of "Felice di Felice" was for 1,000 francs in 1854. The following year, under the name "Giuseppe Lorenzo fu Pietro Antonio," he put up 500 francs of his own money (rather than take out a loan like most) and settled in Hepburn (1855-1856). Recorded as "Giuseppe di Pietro Antonio," he took out a third loan of 950 francs from Ponziano Rianda in 1858. Finally, according to Gentilli, he returned home in 1861 and afterward returned to Victoria, married, and settled for good in Irrewillipe, 172 kilometers southwest of Hepburn. He died there in 1906.^{[Cheda 341-342, Gentilli 34]}

Maria Maddalena Cerini died on December 3, 1872, in Giumaglio. She was interred two days later at the "new" cemetery of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. She was 58 years old, but reported to be 66 years old.^{[Dth 1872]}

Felice Cerini died two years later on June 26, 1875, at his home in Giumaglio. He was interred the following day at the cemetery of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. He was 70 years old.^{[Dth 1875]}

Giuseppe Cerini⁷ (1809-1864)

1173246. Giuseppe (Maria) Cerini⁷ was born on April 3, 1809 or 1800, probably in Giumaglio, Ticino canton, Switzerland. He married Maria (Elisabetta) Strozzi, a native of Biasca in the Ticino river valley, two valleys over to the east of the Maggia river valley. They had at least five children:

Giuseppe and Maria chose the following godparents for their children:

• Giacomo: Giuseppe's uncle Giovanni Giacomo Cerini and his daughter Marianna Cerini.^{[Bap 1846]}

Giuseppe Cerini reportedly died on May 7, 1864, after the birth of grandson Pietro^{[Bap 1863]} and before the birth of granddaughter Annunziatta.^{[Bap 1865]} He was 54 years old.

Maria (Elisabetta) (Strozzi) Cerini was found dead on October 18, 1886, perhaps at the age of 82.^{[Dth 1886]}

Strozzi-Cerini DNA Analysis

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing Maria's great grandson by a direct female line, Dan Malugani, reveals a maternal lineage identified by Haplogroup T3. This haplogroup traces back from "Mitochondrial Eve" (mtDNA L) in the Ethiopia-Kenya region some 150,000-170,000 years ago. The line later departed East Africa some 80,000 years ago (mtDNA L3) and spread into Eurasia (Haplogroups N, R, and T) where it typifies paleolithic expansion of hunter-gatherers throughout Europe, the Near East, and even into India. About 10,000 years ago (Haplogroup T) they learned to domesticate plants and began settling, forming the world's first neolithic agriculture-based cultures. Their successful technology spread throughout Europe and the Near East but Haplogroup T is only found in about 20% of this region's populations.

Curiously, Hapologroup T3, one of several isolated subgroups after Haplogroup T began settling down, has been preliminarily associated with concentrations in Germany and the British Isles. This by no means implies Aurelia's mother was from these areas but that she at least shared ancestors with those who settled in these areas in more significant concentrations.