FamilySearch Wiki

Italian Infant Abandonment: Difference between revisions

Page Talk

Italian Infant Abandonment (view source)

Revision as of 20:35, 16 September 2012

30 bytes removed ,  16 September 2012
no edit summary
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 5: Line 5:
== History  ==
== History  ==


From the about the thirteenth century through the end of the nineteenth century, throughout the areas that in 1860 became unified Italy, a pregnant single woman, faced with the loss of her own and her family's honor, would leave her residence to give birth elsewhere and after having the baby baptized, would give (or have the midwife give) the newborn baby to a foundling home (''ospizio'') to be cared for by others. For about a year after giving birth, the unwed mother, in order to pay for her own infants' care, often served in the ''ospizio ''as a wet nurse for the children of others though almost never for her own child. (Kertzer, pp. 131-33, 162-63.) With few exceptions, she would have no contact with her child ever again.  
From about the thirteenth century through the end of the nineteenth century, throughout the areas that in 1860 became unified Italy, a pregnant single woman, faced with the loss of her own and her family's honor, would leave her residence to give birth elsewhere and after having the baby baptized, would give (or have the midwife give) the newborn baby to a foundling home (''ospizio'') to be cared for by others. For about a year after giving birth, the unwed mother, in order to pay for her own infants' care, often served in the ''ospizio ''as a wet nurse for the children of others though almost never for her own child. (Kertzer, pp. 131-33, 162-63.) With few exceptions, she would have no contact with her child ever again.  


<br>Other new mothers anonymously abandoned their infants at the "wheel" (''la ruota'') located in the outside wall of the ''ospizio'', sometimes leaving a sign of recognition (''segno di riconoscimento''), such as the image of a saint, a foreign coin, a torn piece of cloth, or other talisman, to preserve the mother's ability, rarely exercised, of returning to reclaim the child, sometimes a year later or even many years later.  
<br>Other new mothers anonymously abandoned their infants at the "wheel" (''la ruota'') located in the outside wall of the ''ospizio'', sometimes leaving a sign of recognition (''segno di riconoscimento''), such as the image of a saint, a foreign coin, a torn piece of cloth, or other talisman, to preserve the mother's ability, rarely exercised, of returning to reclaim the child, sometimes a year later or even many years later.  
Line 21: Line 21:
<br>But upon arrival at the ''ospizio ''shortly after baptism the new surname was assigned. And once the infant or child was placed with a wet nurse in the countryside, it would be assigned a surname used locally for foundlings (such as Della Casa or Casagrande or Esposito, as shown by a few examples in the table below). For the most part the new surname was used by the child throughout the remainder of its life, though often at the time of marriage or with the births of children to that marriage, the once-abandoned child, even a male child, might assume the surname of a spouse, passing that surname on to the children of the couple.  
<br>But upon arrival at the ''ospizio ''shortly after baptism the new surname was assigned. And once the infant or child was placed with a wet nurse in the countryside, it would be assigned a surname used locally for foundlings (such as Della Casa or Casagrande or Esposito, as shown by a few examples in the table below). For the most part the new surname was used by the child throughout the remainder of its life, though often at the time of marriage or with the births of children to that marriage, the once-abandoned child, even a male child, might assume the surname of a spouse, passing that surname on to the children of the couple.  


<br>
<br>  


{| width="75%" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"
{| width="75%" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|+  
|+  
==== Samples of Surnames Assigned to Abandoned Infants ====
==== Samples of Surnames Assigned to Abandoned Infants ====
 
 


|-
|-
| ''Latin ''or Italian
| ''Latin ''or Italian  
| Meaning in English
| Meaning in English
|-
|-
| Della Casagrande
| Della Casagrande  
|  
|  
"Of the Ospizio"
"Of the Ospizio"  


(Of the Hospital or Hospice)
(Of the Hospital or Hospice)  


|-
|-
| ''De Domo Magna''
| ''De Domo Magna''  
| "Of the Ospizio"<br>(Of the Hospital or Hospice)
| "Of the Ospizio"<br>(Of the Hospital or Hospice)
|-
|-
| Innocenti
| Innocenti  
| "Innocent One"
| "Innocent One"
|-
|-
| Della Scala
| Della Scala  
|  
|  
Name assigned by
Name assigned by  


foundling home in Sienna
foundling home in Sienna  


|-
|-
| Projetti
| Projetti  
|  
|  
Name assigned by
Name assigned by  


foundling home in Rome
foundling home in Rome  


|-
|-
| Esposito
| Esposito  
| "Abandoned"
| "Abandoned"
|-
|-
| Degli Esposti
| Degli Esposti  
| "Abandoned"
| "Abandoned"
|-
|-
| Ospizio
| Ospizio  
| Foundling Home
| Foundling Home
|-
|-
| Incogniti
| Incogniti  
| "Unknown"
| "Unknown"
|-
|-
| Circoncisi
| Circoncisi  
| "Circumcised"
| "Circumcised"
|-
|-
| Palma
| Palma  
|  
|  
Surname given to child born
Surname given to child born  


or abandoned on Palm Sunday
or abandoned on Palm Sunday  


|}
|}


 
<br>


<br>Thus, for example, if an abandoned child named Giuseppe were to have come from the ''ospizio ''to a local wet nurse to be taken in by a local family, the child might be raised with the "Casagrande" surname and, upon marriage to a woman maiden surnamed "Risso," might thereafter in the records of births of their children be referred to as "Giuseppe Risso Casagrande" or "Giuseppe Risso della Casa Grande" or "Giuseppe Risso di Casa," or the like. Sometimes the surnames assigned in the ''ospizi ''were used by the child throughout its life, with no new assignment in the residence location of the adopting family.  
<br>Thus, for example, if an abandoned child named Giuseppe were to have come from the ''ospizio ''to a local wet nurse to be taken in by a local family, the child might be raised with the "Casagrande" surname and, upon marriage to a woman maiden surnamed "Risso," might thereafter in the records of births of their children be referred to as "Giuseppe Risso Casagrande" or "Giuseppe Risso della Casa Grande" or "Giuseppe Risso di Casa," or the like. Sometimes the surnames assigned in the ''ospizi ''were used by the child throughout its life, with no new assignment in the residence location of the adopting family.  
Line 91: Line 93:
<br>On occasion, a person who was abandoned as a child might learn who one or both of his or her birth parents were, for example, when registering for the military or when marrying. Sometimes the records of the ''ospizio ''were coordinated with the birth or baptism record.  
<br>On occasion, a person who was abandoned as a child might learn who one or both of his or her birth parents were, for example, when registering for the military or when marrying. Sometimes the records of the ''ospizio ''were coordinated with the birth or baptism record.  


[[Image:Certificate of Abandonment of Merico Gherzi.jpg|thumb|right|Certificate of Abandonment of Merico Gherzi.jpg]]  
[[Image:Certificate of Abandonment of Merico Gherzi.jpg|thumb|right]]  


[[Image:Record of Birth of Merico Gherzi.jpg|thumb|right|Record of Birth of Merico Gherzi.jpg]]  
[[Image:Record of Birth of Merico Gherzi.jpg|thumb|right]]  


References:  
References:  
Line 107: Line 109:
<br>  
<br>  


{|
{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
|-
|  
|  
Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/1120064"