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Troy's Genealogue

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Family Histories:

CERINI Family History, Part I

The CERINI family has its earliest known roots in the Italian-Swiss canton of Ticino, Switzerland, the only canton of Switzerland that lies south of the Swiss Alps. According to a book of Swiss family names published in 1940, the CERINI name is found prior to 1800 in the area of Giumaglio, in the district of Valle Maggia, canton of Ticino. Between 1800 and 1900 it is also found in Sion, Valais canton, and after 1901 in Zurich, Zurich canton, and Bowil and Oberwichtrach in the canton of Berne.

Our CERINI ancestors came from the Swiss canton of Ticino along the Valle Maggia, one of the three main river valleys of Ticino. John Batista (Gian Batista) CERINI¹ is believed to have made several trips back and forth between Switzerland and California but his two sons and four daughters all emigrated perhaps as early as 1880 and as late as 1892, settling in Sonoma County.

Church of Santa Maria Assunta,
Giumaglio, 1986

Other CERINI Branches

Marin/Sonoma Coast

CERINI families from Ticino are found along the coast of Marin and Sonoma counties from Point Reyes Station and Tomales to Sea View/Salt Point. Although not treated here, noted familes and individuals include:

• Battista CERINI (born ~1833) and John CERINI (born ~1842), found in 1880 at Nicasio Township in the coastal hills between Point Reyes and Novato, Marin County
• Angelo CERINI (born September 1851), immigrated in 1869 and settled in Plantation, Salt Point Township, Sonoma County, by 1880, Westport Township, Mendocino County, by 1900, then moved inland to Ukiah by 1910, and then down to Petaluma by 1920 and Lakeville by 1930; noted in 1930 as a cousin to Martin G. PEDROTTI (1887-1955), son James PEDROTTI (b. ~1851)
• Joseph Peter CERINI (1845-1919) and Angelina Maria (PIEZZI) CERINI, believed to be from Valle Maggia, who immigrated by 1881 and settled in Bodega by 1890, Tomales by 1900, and Petaluma by 1910; descendants allegedly include Dora CERINI and Giuseppe GASPARINI of Giumaglio in Valle Maggia
• Ponsie CIRINI (born November 1878), immigrated in 1895 and settled in Ocean Township by 1900
• Giovanni Nunzio CERINI of Giumaglio, father of:
• Isidoro (1883-1982), immigrated in 1901, settled in Tomales by 1908, and later in life lived in Petaluma
• Romeo (1888-1881), immigrated in 1901, settled in Tomales in 1903, and later in life lived in Petaluma; Romeo is said to have been sponsored by cousin Emil CERINI-GASPARINI (1877-1945)
• Adele (b. 1884-1885), immigrated in 1904 and died soon after arrival in California
• Giocondo (1894-1995), immigrated in 1910, settled in Tomales and later in life lived in Petaluma
• Arcangelo (1896-1940), immigrated in 1914, settled in Tomales and Santa Rosa
• Other children: America, Ignacio, and Mary (GENAZZI)

Santa Rosa

• G. CERINI (born ~1863) and worked as a stone cutter in Santa Rosa in 1910
• Julia M. CERINI (born May 1880) and worked in a cannery in Santa Rosa in 1900

San Joaquin Valley

• John CERINI (b. ~1854) and Frances (CALZASCIO/CALAZASCIA/CASACIA/CASACCIA) (1862-1941), immigrated in 1869 and settled in Township 4 (Fowler/Kingsburg/Selma) of Fresno County by 1900, Township 13 (Laton/Caruthers) by 1910 and Township 15 (Laton/Coalinga) by 1920
• Angelina (TOMASINI CERINI) NESPER (born August 1872), a CERINI widow/ex-wife who had settled in Fresno by 1900
• George CERINI (age unknown) who immigrated in 1882 and was institutionalized at Stockton State Hospital in 1900

DNA Analysis

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing of Aurelia CERINI's son and grandson 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.

Gian Batista CERINI¹ (~1851-)

1. Batista CERINI¹, also John Batista or Gian Batista, was born in Switzerland, possibly around 1851. He married an Italian-Swiss girl, Josephina and had at least six children who emigrated to America:

Batista emigrated to California but did not live there permanently. He left his wife behind in Switzerland while he made at least two trips to America. While in America he worked at a dairy in Fallon, Marin County, California, just north of Tomales. His last stay in America was believed to be the year of his grandson Dan's birth in 1908.

According to granddaughter Alice CERINE, Batista fought under Teddy Roosevelt in the Indian Wars, but that is yet unproven. He may have attained American citizenship on August 4, 1888 in Sonoma County, California, according to naturalization papers for a Batista CERINI, when he was 37 years old. This would place his birth year as about 1851. Alice also believes he lived to be either 98 or 100 years old!

Pietro CERINI (~1865->1920)

11. Pietro "Peter" CERINI was born about 1865 in Switzerland. He immigrated to America in 1880 and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1895. In 1910 he was living with his sister, Annonziatta, and working as a dairy laborer in Analy Township, Sonoma County, California. By 1920 he was living as a hired farmer laborer with the Marino SOLDATI family on Stony Point Road in Petaluma Township, Sonoma County. It is unknown if he ever married or raised a family.

Annonziatta (CERINI) POMI MARCI (~1867-1929)

12. Annonziatta "Anna" CERINI was born in Switzerland on September 1, 1867*. She married Frank POMI, born in 1866 in Giumaglio, Ticino Canton, Switzerland, and had four children:

Annonziatta's first son, Lodovico, was born in Switzerland in 1887. She and Lodovico emigrated by way of Le Havre, France, arriving in New York aboard the La Bretagne on September 29, 1890, and bound for San Francisco.

Frank POMI died in 1908, at about the age of 42. He is buried at the Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California.

By 1910, Annonziatta was living with her children, brother Pietro, and a hired dairy laborer, Luca MARCI (whom she late married), in Analy Township in Sonoma County, likely along the Gravenstein Highway between Sebastopol and Cotati. Luca was her cousin of uncertain relationship, likely through his mother Elizabeth CHERINI (presumed to be a CERINI relation). He was about 17 years her junior.

Annonziatta and Luca Santino MARCI wed prior to World War I and continued to reside in Sebastopol.^{[Cen 1920]}

Annonziatta (CERINI POMI) MARCI died on July 19, 1929, from heart failure following an automobile accident in which a fire truck struck her vehicle. She died at General Hospital in Santa Rosa within a half hour of arrival. She was 61 years old. Annonziatta was buried on July 23 at the Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, along with her first husband, Frank POMI, her three sons, and younger brother, Dan CERINI.^[Dth]

Per Annonziatta's death certificate, she and Luca had been living six miles south of Sebastopol, near Cotati (which likely conforms to the outskirts of modern-day Rohnert Park) in Sonoma County at the time of her death. She had been a U.S. resident for 37 years, 36 of which she resided in California.^{[Dth 1929]}

After Annonziatta's death, Luca is enumerated in the 1930 census with his step-daughter Mabel (POMI) BELLON, her husband Walter BELLON, and Annonziatta's nephew Doro BERTELLI. They were living along the Gravenstein Highway (Highway 116) in Analy Township, likely referring to the same residence near Cotati and modern-day Rohnert Park.^{[Cen 1930]}

Aurelia Caterina (CERINI) MALUGANI² (~1868-1948)

13. Aurelia Caterina CERINI² was born on August 3, 1867 or 1868, in Valle Maggia, Ticino, Switzerland. She married Joseph Charles MALUGANI², probably in Lago di Como, Italy, and had two children there. In 1889, Joseph emigrated to California, apparently leaving her pregnant with their second child, and she followed in 1893 with her brother-in-law, Antoni MALUGANI, sister-in-law, Catherina MALUGANI, and children, Martina and Charles. Together, Aurelia and Joseph raised eight children (two others may have died young between 1900 and 1910^{[Cen 1900,1910]}):

Aurelia is described as a fussy old woman who routinely pouted when she didn't get her way. She was the family disciplinarian and is remembered to be a perfect shot at throwing her wood sandals at her children when they misbehaved. Son Charles received a "K"-shaped scar between his eyes after crossing his mother. Son Dan still has a pair of her wood sandals, which his dad made from alder, over 80 years ago.

After husband Joe died in 1924, she and her youngest daughter and son lived at 926 Cherry Street in downtown Santa Rosa.^{[Cen 1930]} There Philomena worked as a hotel maid and Dan worked as a service station operator.^{[Cen 1930]}

Daughter Philomena cared and provided for Aurelia for seven years after Joe's death. So when Philomena passed away in 1931 at the early age of 30, Aurelia was thoroughly devastated. To help out, 12-year old granddaughter, Hazel MALUGANI came to live with her for a year. After that Aurelia moved in with her youngest son, Dan.

Aurelia (CERINI) MALUGANI died on January 28, 1948, after a 3-day hospital stay at San Rafael General Hospital in Marin County. She had been living with her son, Dan MALUGANI at 63 Hilarita, Mill Valley. She was buried on January 31, 1948, at the Calvary Cemetery in Santa Rosa next to her husband and youngest daughter Philomena.

DNA analysis of
Aurelia's maternal lineage

Carolina (CERINI) BERTELLI (~1871-)

14. Carolina CERINI was born about 1871 in Switzerland, likely in Giumaglio, Ticino canton. She first had a daughter by an Austrian* man and later married Prisilliano BERTELLI, a native of Preore, Trentino-Alto Adige, in northeastern Italy, then under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They started their family in either Preore or Giumaglio, Ticino, Switzerland, and had ten children:

Prisiliano appears to have made several trips between Switzerland and America while Carolina stayed behind in Giumaglio raising their younger children. When Olga immigrated in 1907 she stated that she was joining her father. Later in 1911, Prisiliano accompanied daughter Giulia, departing Le Havre, France, aboard the La Provence on March 4. They arrived in New York on March 11 and he was labeled as a "non-immigrant alien," stating that his wife Carolina resided in Giumaglio, Switzerland, and that he was bound for Petaluma, Sonoma County, California.^{[Pass 1911]}

BERTELLI Home, Giumaglio, 1986

Children Claudina, Doro, and Emil may have immigrated together in July 1920. If Carolina ever immigrated (and I have yet to find any record of her in the U.S.) she would have come after 1920.

Prisilliano BERTELLI died on July 15, 1947, in Marin County, California.

Addelida (CERINI) BELLON

15. Addelida CERINI was born in Switzerland. She married Cornelius BELLON of Italy and had at least three children.

Cornelius BELLON died in January 1973 while living in Lackawanna, Scranton County, Pennsylvania.

Dan CERINI (1872-1947)

16. Dan CERINI was born on June 27, 1872, in Switzerland. He emigrated to America in 1888 and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1894.^{[Cen 1920]} He never married.

Dan lived near San Joaquin, southwest of Fresno, Fresno County, California, as early as 1920 where he had a butcher shop.^{[Cen 1920]} By 1930, Dan was living on a farm along Manning Avenue, likely southwest of Fresno outside of San Joaquin.

At the time of his death he had been residing in Caruthers, a little town south of Fresno and was noted to have lived in the community for 21 years and in America for 61 years.^{[Dth 1947]}

Dan CERINI died at the General Hospital of Fresno County in Fresno on October 18, 1947, following a four-day hospital stay. He had suffered for two years from arteriosclerotic heart disease. He was 75 years old.^[Dth]

Arrangements for removal were provided by Lafferty and Smith of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California. He was later buried at the Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, Sonoma County, with his elder sister Annonziatta and her family.

Dan's parents are listed on his death certificate as "Robert CERINI" and "Jophine CERINI," both of Switzerland, as provided by the General Hospital of Fresno County.

Continue on to Part II