Grandfather Louis Leo Bacigalupo
Or Luigi Leone or Luigi Giovanni !!!
Parents
Andrea Bacigalupo - Caterina Costa
Louis married ANGELA LOUISE CUNEO on 25 September 1894 in Baltimore, Maryland, where they lived most of their lives at 824 Eastern Avenue. They had 10 children: Andrew Leo, Anthony Leo, John Baptist, Louis Leo II, Crescentia, Joseph, Theodore, Marie Clara, Marie Catherine, and Leonora. A fine crafsman of book-binding, Louis also worked for the US Mint in Washington DC, to which he commuted by train from Baltimore. His immigrant parents apparently quickly assimilated American ways, and he knew little of Italian culture, did not speak the language.
Knowing only that Louis was born "somewhere in Liguria" and was always designated "Genovese" by fellow Italian-Americans, I wrote numerous civic offices in Genoa and throughout Liguria seeking records on him. A number of responses resulted, all negative, the various city halls stating that the surname Bacigalupo is very common in the region, that place of birth must be established before any promising search for records can be undertaken.
A request for a copy of Louis' DEATH CERTIFICATE to the Maryland State Archives on 27 December 1996 ($5.00 fee) brought a copy of his Death Certificate #G-54904, posted 13 January 1997. The Certificate provided little new information, but did confirm his birthdate and place of birth (given only as "Italy," no specific town) and the names of his parents (their origin also listed as "Italy," no given town). The Death Certificate also gave the estimated number of years he'd lived in the United States, again confirming family oral history that he'd been brought to the US by his parents when he was an infant of one or two years old. Not a great "breakthrough," but at least a beginning for the acquisition of official documents on this grandfather about whom I know so little.
8 MARCH 1997. From among the numerous requests for information I'd written to civic offices throughout the Province of Genoa, came a response witten this date from a professional genealogist, Dr Luigi Giuseppe Grasso, who lives in the city of Genoa. He stated something I already knew, that the name Bacigalupo is very common throughout the Region, my ancestors would be extremely difficult to trace, but that he would make the attempt for a fee. He cited a number of towns in which the surname was well known, some of which I'd already encountered in my own research: Fontanabuona, Chiavari, Cicagna, among others. He kindly added that if I could not afford the fee for a professional search, I should write the Biblioteca Leveroni in Cicagna. Though all my correspondence to Italy had been in Italian -- with the essential help of a computer translation program -- this helpful gentleman's handwritten letter was in good English, eliminating all possibility of misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
30 APRIL 1997. I wrote in Italian -- again with the help of my computer translation program -- a letter to Biblioteca Leveroni in Cicagna, giving my grandfather's name and birthdate, the names of his parents, and explained how little else I knew of him, how my many queries to City Halls throughout the Province of Genoa and the Region of Liguria had consistently produced negative results, the responses, if at all, repeating that the surname was too common to search without known place of birth. I considered this letter just one more of the many "leads" I continued to follow, did not speculate about whether or not it would be answered. Put a copy of the letter in my file on Louis Leo, and forgot it.
13 MAY 1997. A letter in excellent English, penned this date, arrived together with a large packet from Cicagna at my home in Santa Fe. The mailing was from Biblioteca Civica "Romeo Leveroni", Comune di Cicagna, written by Il Responsabile Carla Casagrande. Explaining that she was very happy to help me, Ms Casagrande wrote that she'd found in the Records Offices in Cicagna the birth certificate of Luigi Giovanni Bacigalupo, infant to Andrea Bacigalupo and Catterina Costa. The birthdate given was one day later than the date I had from family oral history: not important, as it's a very minor and common inconsistency in genealogical research. The mother's given name, Catterina, contained the double "t," and my family had always written it with one "t," Caterina: again, not important. But my grandfather's middle name was always believed to have been Leo (probably Leone, as he was born in Italy), and this birth certificate gave it as Giovanni. Considering how well all other information fitted the knowledge I had of his origin, I wanted very much to believe that the middle name probably didn't matter that much, and that good Ms Casagrande had finally located the key to gathering more and more facts about him. Further, the birth certificate she'd found also gave the names of Andrea Bacigalupo's and Catterina Costa's parents, opening the wide door to another generation. This of course was extremely welcome news which I wanted to accept without question, but the difference in my grandfather's middle name gave me pause.
21 MAY 1997. This date I wrote Ms Casagrande (in English), informing her of my happiness and gratitude for her productive search, and of my question about the middle name -- Leone or Giovanni. I also contacted by e-mail Signor Giulio Salemme of Vezzano Ligure, who'd expressed much interest in my search and had volunteered to assist me if at all possible. Signor Salemme is an active participant in an Online Forum for Italian Americans researching ancestry.
22 MAY 1997. Signor Salemme, via e-mail, offered to translate the full hand-written Record of Birth, which is lengthy, and much of which I could not read. I could of course, particularly with the help of Ms Casagrande's explanatory cover letter, read names, dates, bits and scraps of other information where the handwriting facilitated use of my imperfect Italian. But the Record of Birth, obviously from a very large ledger, had long paragraphs from which I absolutely could not interpret script into words. Accepting Giulio Salemme's generous offer of translation, I sent airmail a xerox copy of the entire document to him.
29 JUNE 1997. Giulio Salemme sent typewritten translations of the two documents found by Ms Casagrande in Cicagna: the marriage registration of Andrea Bacigalupo and Caterina Costa, and the registration of birth for Luigi Giovanni Bacigalupo. Much interesting background information, including names of presiding local officials and witnesses, and the charming fact that Andrea Bacigalupo walked (apparently quite a distance) from his home to Cicagna civil offices on the day after his son's birth to register that birth. It seems unlikely that a child with same name (except for the middle name) born on the same date as my grandfather, to parents with the same names as my great-grandparents, could be a coincidence, NOT be my grandfather. Months of research, however, have shown me that the family surnames are common in Italy (comparable to Smiths, Joneses, etc, in the US) and that not infrequently given as well as surnames apply to numerous individuals. So I'm biding my time, awaiting acquisition of other requested documents -- primarily immigration and census records -- which will hopefully confirm beyond doubt that Grandpop Louis' origins have finally been tracked down.
JULY 1997. On a visit to Baltimore, I went to the home of my aunt Crescentia Bacigalupa Azzaro, daughter of Louis Bacigalupo. At age 90, Crescentia remains physically active, mentally alert. In fact, I caught her by surprise while she was vigorously mopping floors! I told Aunt Crescentia about the correspondence I'd had with Ms Casagrande, told her of the records found, and of the difference in middle names, Giovanni rather than Leo. Crescentia acknowledged that her mother was notorious for changing names, calling people what she preferred rather than what they were actually named, and had given the middle name Leo to three sons, as well as naming one daughter Leonora. Crescentia did not doubt that her mother might have changed her father's middle name when she married him. And after a lifelong devotion to St Joseph, Crescentia vehemently added that she'd be pleased if her father actually were a Luigi Giovanni rather than a Luigi Leo. More importantly, when I asked if she'd ever heard that her grandparents and father had come from a place called Cicagna, she replied that she remembered her mother occasionally teasing her father with the taunt "What do you know? You come from Cicagna." Though 90, this strong and vigorous aunt is to be trusted where memory is concerned. I'm almost convinced that at long last, after generations of not knowing, we may have found Grandfather's origins. I've written the kind Ms Casagrande to this effect. And, never hesitant to ask for more help, have requested her aid in securing Italian passport and emigration records for Louis' parents. We know Luigi was brought to America when he was an infant of one year, in the year 1870 or 1871. When we find those records, and if they confirm that infant Luigi Giovanni, not Luigi Leo, came to America in one of those years with parents Andrea Bacigalupo and Caterina Costa, I'll surrender all doubts.
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