Troy's Genealogue

What's New?:

News
Journal

Family Histories:

Lafranchi Family History, Part A-III

Giovanni Battista LAFRANCHI⁴ (1732-~1783)

A26J. Giovanni Battista Lafranchi⁴ was born and baptized on September 10, 1732, in Coglio, Ticino, Switzerland. His godmother was named as Maria Zoppi of Broglio but his godfather's name is regrettably illegible.^{[Bap 1732]} Battista was married as many as six times to: Maria Domenica Delnotaro^{[Mar 1750]}; Maria Domenica Bonetti^{[Mar 1753]} of Giumaglio; Maria Domenica Pozzi^{[Bap 1767]}; Maria Caterina Lafranchi^{[Mar 1772]}; Giovanna Maria Lafranchi^{[Mar 1774]}; and Maria Giacomina (Zamaroni) Lafranchi² of Avegno^{[Mar 1775]}, 10 kilometers downriver. All together Battista fathered 11 children:

Battista and Maria Domenica Delnotaro wed on April 18, 1750, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo in Coglio. Before their marriage they obtained dispensation for the impediment of the second and third degrees of consanguinity (i.e., first cousins, once removed). This relationship apparently refers to their shared descendancy from Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi (I) and Giacomina Giumini, but they were also second cousins going back to great grandparents Giovanni Battista Delnotaro and Apollonia Pozzi. Recorded witnesses to their union were Domenica's father, Antonio Delnotaro, and Pietro Antonio Pozzi.^{[Mar 1750]} Their brief marriage produced one daughter who apparently died young.

After Maria Domenica Delnotaro's death, Battista remarried to Maria Domenica Bonetti of Giumaglio on July 30, 1753, also at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. Battista and Domenica were also reported to have impediments of the third and fourth degrees of consanguinity (i.e., second cousins, once removed) and the third and fourth degrees of affinity (i.e., also related by marriage). Their blood relationship is not known, but may have been among their Pozzi ancestors. Similarly, their relationship by marriage may have been among the Pozzi ancestors of the two Domenicas. Recorded witnesses were Giovanni Guglielmetti and Pietro Antonio Pozzi,^{[Mar 1753]} who had witnessed Battista's first marriage. This marriage may have lasted as long as 13 years and produced two children.

Battista next married to yet another Maria Domenica, this time of the daughter of Don Chancellor Rodolfo Maria Pozzi^•. They wed on February 28, 1767, again at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. Battista and Domenica were similarly found to have the third degree of consanguinity (i.e., second cousins, but the precise relationship unknown) and relationship by affinity in two lines (presumably she was related to Battista's first two wives). Recorded witnesses were Domenica's father Rodolfo Maria Pozzi^• and Giovanni Francesco Pozzi (II)^{[Mar 1767]}, her uncle. Domenica died five years later on January 15, 1772. This brief marriage produced one daughter who died young. Domenica was a week short of her 27th birthday.

Battista's fourth marriage was to Maria Caterina Lafranchi on May 25, 1772, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. Interestingly they were not reported to have had any impediments, suggesting any relationship they had among their mutual Lafranchi and Pozzi ancestors was more than four generations back. Recorded witnesses were Giovanni Francesco Pozzi (II), as before, and Giovanni Giacomo Delnotaro^{[Mar 1772]}, the brother of Battista's first wife. This brief marriage also produced one daughter who died young.

His fifth marriage was three months after daughter Apollonia's birth and likely Caterina's death to Giovanna Maria Lafranchi on January 10, 1774, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. As with his first three wives, Battista and Giovanna were found to be related by the second and third degrees of consanguinity (i.e., first cousins once removed) and also by affinity. Their blood relationship, as with Battista's first wife, stemmed from Giovanni Giacomo Lafranchi (I) and Giacomina Giumini, his paternal grandparents and her great-grandparents. Recorded witnesses were Giovanni Giacomo Delnotaro, the brother of Battista's first wife, and Giuseppe Lafranchi^{[Mar 1774]}, Giovanna's elder brother. As with his previous two marriages, this brief marriage produced one son.

Battista's sixth and final marriage was to Maria Giacomina Zamaroni² of Avegno, five months after the birth of son Battista (Jr.) and likely Giovanna's death. They wed on March 4, 1775, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo. While not related, before their marriage they obtained dispensation from the Bishop of Como to forgo the traditional three declarations, likely because Giacomina was already pregnant, as evident by the birth of their first son five months later. Recorded witnesses to their marriage were Giacomina's brother Francesco Zamaroni (Jr.) and likely cousin Pietro Zamaroni, both of Avegno.^{[Mar 1775]} Battista and Giacomina had four children together.

Continue on to the Zamaroni Family

Battista and his wives chose the following godparents for their children:

1. Apollonia (1): Giovanni Giacomo Delnotaro, Domenica's younger brother, and Mrs. Maria Caterina (Delnotaro) Canverini^{[Bap 1752]}, Battista's and Domenica's mutual cousin;
2. Apollonia (2): Giovanni Francesco Pozzi (II)^• and Mrs. Maria Domenica (Lafranchi) Delnotaro^{[Bap 1756]}, Battista's cousin.
3. Francesco: Giovanni Antonio Pedrotti^• and Mrs. Mariangela (Lucchini) Pozzi, both of Giumaglio^{[Bap 1759]};
4. Caterina (1): Giovanni Francesco Pozzi (II)^•, Domenica's uncle, and Maria Caterina Caneverini^{[Bap 1768]}, Battista's cousin;
5. Apollonia (3): Giuseppe Lafranchi, Battista's cousin, and Mrs. Giovanna Maria (Lafranchi) Delnotaro^{[Bap 1773]}, Caterina's cousin;
6. Battista (1): Giovanni Francesco Pozzi (II)^• (as above) and Maria Angiola Lafranchi^{[Bap 1774]}, Giovanna's younger sister;
7. Battista (2): Giovanna Giacomo Pozzi, half-brother to Francesco, above, and Mrs. Maria Domenica (Fanora) Lafranchi^{[Bap 1775]}, Battista's cousin and his late wife Giovanna's mother;
8. Antonio: Giovanni Antonio Delnotaro and Mrs. Giovanna Maria (Caneverini) Guglielmetti^{[Bap 1776]};
9. Caterina (2): Carlo Antonio Pozzi, nephew to the Pozzi godfathers above, and Giacomina's sister Maria Caterina Zamaroni of Avegno^{[Bap 1778]}; and
10. Caterina (3)⁵: Giacomina's brother Martino Zamaroni of Avegno and Mrs. Maria Caterina (Caneverini) Pozzi (as above), Battista's cousin^{[Bap 1780]};
11. Battista (3): Pietro Zamaroni of Avegno, a likely relative of Giacomina's, and Mrs. Maria Caterina (Caneverini) Lafranchi.^{[Bap 1781]}

Giovanni Battista Lafranchi died between Febaruary 1782, when he witnessed son Francesco's wedding^{[Mar 1782]}, and June 1784, when his grandson Giovanni Antonio Pedrotti was born.^{[Bap 1784]} As such he would have been about 51 years old.

After Battista

Giacomina went on to remarry to the three-time widower Antonio Cerini (V)⁵ on April 24, 1784, at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo in Coglio. Recorded witnesses to the their marriage were Giacomo Pietro Pozzi, Antonio's son-in-law, and Giovanni Giacomo Pedrotti^{[Mar 1784]}, husband of Giacomina's eldest stepdaughter Maria Apollonia Lafranchi. They had one son together:

After Giacomina's remarriage, she moved to Giumaglio where she and his children lived. With them was apparently her daughter Caterina⁵ who had married Antonio's son Pietro Antonio.^{[Cen 1795]}

Continue on the Cerini Family

Antonio Cerini⁵ died between 1802 and 1805 and Maria Giacomina (Zamaroni Lafranchi) Cerini²followed on December 22, 1806.^{[Dth 1806]} He was in his early 60s and she around 52 or 53 years old.

Continue on to Part A-IV