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''[[Italy|Italy]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Italy Italian Infant Abandonment|Italian Infant Abandonment]]''
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Understanding the history of the Italian infant abandonment system and its name-assignment practices may help you understand how some of your ancestors acquired their surnames and possibly help you find and identify ancestors in the records.  
==Resources==
===Online Resources===
*See [[Italy Infant Abandonment]] for more information.


== History  ==
===Offices to Contact===


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.  
==Background==
'''Ancient Rome to the Middle Ages: '''In ancient Rome, abandoned infants, often exposed to the elements, were sometimes rescued by individuals or institutions. However, systematic care for orphans was not widespread. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church played a significant role in caring for orphans. Monasteries and convents established orphanages, providing shelter, food, and basic education. While these institutions offered a lifeline, conditions were often harsh, with orphans subjected to long hours of labor and limited opportunities.


<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.  
'''The Renaissance and After:''' The Renaissance period saw a shift in attitudes towards orphan care, with a growing emphasis on education and human development. However, the problem of orphanhood persisted, particularly during times of war, famine, and disease. Many orphans were forced to live on the streets, begging or resorting to crime.


<br>Meanwhile, the foundling homes attempted to place the babies with lactating women in foster families, typically in the countryside, though some of the children remained in an&nbsp;''ospizio ''for up to five or ten years or even longer and in some cases for their entire lives. (Kertzer, pp. 85-6, 116.) Naples was an exception; due to lack of funding to pay external wet nurses, the foundling home there attempted to care for the bulk of its abandoned babies within the foundling home itself, without placement with outside wet nurses. (Kertzer &amp; White, 1994, p. 454.) Large percentages of the abandoned infants did not survive infancy. Those who did survive entered a new life in a new place with a new family.  
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Italian government began to take a more active role in addressing the issue of orphanhood. State-run orphanages were established, and social welfare programs were implemented to provide financial support and services to orphans and their families. However, these institutions were often overcrowded and underfunded, leading to concerns about the quality of care provided.


<br>This system -- which began in the areas that later became Italy and which spread to France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Poland, and most of the Austrian provinces (Kertzer, p. 10) -- was finally abandoned in Italy and elsewhere by about the beginning of the twentieth century. Some aspects of the system have re-emerged today in the "safe-haven laws" enacted recently in all 50 states and the District of Columbia within the United States (Guttmacher, p. 1) and in such other countries as Germany, Hungary, the Philippines, Slovakia, South Africa, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, India, and Pakistan, all of which strictly govern but to varying degrees permit some form of abandonment of newborns, all with the aim to help stem infanticide and make abortion rare. (Mueller &amp; Scherr, p. 2.)
'''The Modern Era:''' In recent decades, Italy has made significant progress in improving the care of orphans. Adoption and foster care have become more common, and government-funded programs provide support to families in need. However, challenges remain, particularly for children with disabilities or complex medical needs.


<br>As conducted in Italy for about seven centuries, with varying degrees of success, the infant abandonment system was prompted by "great concern for the lives of women who found themselves in the desperate position of being pregnant and unmarried, with no one to care for their child." (Kertzer, p. 37.)
The history of orphanages in Italy is closely intertwined with broader social and economic factors, such as poverty, migration, and war. These factors have shaped the experiences of orphans throughout the centuries, influencing the types of care they received and the opportunities available to them.<ref>Kertzer, David I. (1991). The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. Oxford University Press.</ref><ref>Terpstra, J. (2004). Abandoned Children of the Italian Renaissance: Orphan Care in Florence and Bologna. University of Toronto Press.</ref><ref>"Orphans (Italy)", ''International Encyclopedia of the First World War'', https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/orphans-italy/, accessed 8 Nov 2024.</ref><ref>"The Adoption Wheel: La Ruota del Trovatello", Grand Voyage Italy, http://www.grandvoyageitaly.com/history/archives/01-2019, accessed 8 November 2024.</ref><ref>"Leaving Italy—The Adoptee", ''Live in Italy Magazine'', https://www.ww2online.org/search-page?f%5B0%5D=field_tgm%3AChildren--Italy, accessed 8 November 2024.</ref>
===Types of Records===
====Information Recorded in the Records====


== <br>Name-Assignment Practices  ==
==Strategy==
 
==References==
The Italian infant-abandonment system generally but not always included the assignment of a surname to the infant upon arrival at the ''ospizio''. Thus while in the ''ospizio ''and later when placed with a family in the countryside, the child bore a surname different from its unknown family of origin and different from the family with which it was placed. (Kertzer, pp. 119-22.) "Until the nineteenth century, foundlings in many areas were baptized with first names only and were not given a last name." (Kertzer, p. 119.)
{{reflist}}
 
[[Category:Italy]] [[Category:Orphans and Orphanages]]
<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>
 
 
 
{| width="75%" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|+
==== Samples of Surnames Assigned to Abandoned Infants  ====
 
 
 
|-
| ''Latin ''or Italian
| Meaning in English
|-
| Della Casagrande
|
"Of the Ospizio"
 
(Of the Hospital or Hospice)
 
|-
| ''De Domo Magna''
| "Of the Ospizio"<br>(Of the Hospital or Hospice)
|-
| Innocenti
| "Innocent One"
|-
| Della Scala
|
Name assigned by
 
foundling home in Sienna
 
|-
| Projetti
|
Name assigned by
 
foundling home in Rome
 
|-
| Esposito
| "Abandoned"
|-
| Degli Esposti
| "Abandoned"
|-
| Ospizio
| Foundling Home
|-
| Incogniti
| "Unknown"
|-
| Circoncisi
| "Circumcised"
|-
| Palma
|
Surname given to child born
 
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>Such names were usually unique. In the Florence ''ospizio'', sometimes an elaborate form of the first name was used for the new surname, such as by pluralizing the first name (Amato Amati, Barbera Barberi) or by abbreviating the first name (Serafino Serafi, Anselmo Selmi). In Milan, from 1475 to 1825, every foundling was given the surname Colombo ("pigeon"), still the second most common surname in Milan and the fifth most common surname in all of Italy. Because of the stigma often formerly attached to children of illegitimate birth, and the manner in which that stigma often was perpetuated by the assignment of surnames that signaled the child's early history of abandonment, efforts sometimes were made to assign surnames that hid that history.
 
<br>For example, in 1862 in Bologna, wet nurses were ordered to register the births of foundlings and provide them with both first and last names, but it was suggested that surnames be derived from words descriptive of things within one of the three kingdoms of nature (minerals, vegetables, and animals), such as Gessi (gypsum), Sassi (stones), Pietra (rock), Monti (mountains), Foblia (leaf), Rosa (rose), Garofonio (carnation), Colombi (pigeons), Leoni (lions). This practice spread through much of the northern part of Italy.
 
[[Image:Certificate of Abandonment of Merico Scherzi.jpg|left|Certificate recording the abandonment of male child born of "genitori ignoti"]]<br>
 
<br>
 
[[Image:Record of Birth of Merico Scherzi.jpg|left|Record of Birth of Merico Scherzi born on 23 Apr 1902 in Orero, District of Chiavari, Province of Genoa]]<br>
 
<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. The above two images show the birth and abandonment records of a baby boy named by the midwife and the priest as "Merico Scherzi"; the certificate of abandonment is interleaved in the volume of records of births facing the page on which the birth is recorded. In this case, in 1902, at a time when the system was virtually ended, the surname was given to the child at the time of baptism, without the mother or father being identified,&nbsp;with the birth occurring on 23 Apr 1902, the baptism occurring on&nbsp;24 Apr 1902, and the abandonment occurring on 25 Apr 1902, in Chiavari, 12.6 km (13.4 miles) away from Orero.
 
&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
 
References:
 
*David I. Kertzer and Michael J. White, "Cheating the Angel-Makers: Surviving Infant Abandonment in Nineteenth-Century Italy." Continuity and Change, 9(03): 451-480. (Cambridge University Press (CUP), 10.1017/S0268416000002423).
**David I. Kertzer, Sacrificed for Honor: Italian Infant Abandonment and the Politics of Reproductive Control (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993).
**David I. Kertzer and Marzio Barbagli. eds., Family Life in Early Modern Times, 1500-1789: The History of the European Family, Volume 1 (New Haven, London: Yale University Press, 2001).
**Guttmacher Institute, "State Policies in Brief—Infant Abandonment" (as of September 1, 2012).
**Joanne Mueller and Lorraine Sherr, "Abandoned babies and absent policies." Health Policy (2009), doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2009.06.002.
 
{{Place|Italy}}  
 
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[[Category:Italy|N]] [[Category:Names_Personal]]

Latest revision as of 14:24, 11 November 2024

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Resources[edit | edit source]

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Offices to Contact[edit | edit source]

Background[edit | edit source]

Ancient Rome to the Middle Ages: In ancient Rome, abandoned infants, often exposed to the elements, were sometimes rescued by individuals or institutions. However, systematic care for orphans was not widespread. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church played a significant role in caring for orphans. Monasteries and convents established orphanages, providing shelter, food, and basic education. While these institutions offered a lifeline, conditions were often harsh, with orphans subjected to long hours of labor and limited opportunities.

The Renaissance and After: The Renaissance period saw a shift in attitudes towards orphan care, with a growing emphasis on education and human development. However, the problem of orphanhood persisted, particularly during times of war, famine, and disease. Many orphans were forced to live on the streets, begging or resorting to crime.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Italian government began to take a more active role in addressing the issue of orphanhood. State-run orphanages were established, and social welfare programs were implemented to provide financial support and services to orphans and their families. However, these institutions were often overcrowded and underfunded, leading to concerns about the quality of care provided.

The Modern Era: In recent decades, Italy has made significant progress in improving the care of orphans. Adoption and foster care have become more common, and government-funded programs provide support to families in need. However, challenges remain, particularly for children with disabilities or complex medical needs.

The history of orphanages in Italy is closely intertwined with broader social and economic factors, such as poverty, migration, and war. These factors have shaped the experiences of orphans throughout the centuries, influencing the types of care they received and the opportunities available to them.[1][2][3][4][5]

Types of Records[edit | edit source]

Information Recorded in the Records[edit | edit source]

Strategy[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Kertzer, David I. (1991). The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. Oxford University Press.
  2. ↑ Terpstra, J. (2004). Abandoned Children of the Italian Renaissance: Orphan Care in Florence and Bologna. University of Toronto Press.
  3. ↑ "Orphans (Italy)", International Encyclopedia of the First World War, https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/orphans-italy/, accessed 8 Nov 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Adoption Wheel: La Ruota del Trovatello", Grand Voyage Italy, http://www.grandvoyageitaly.com/history/archives/01-2019, accessed 8 November 2024.
  5. ↑ "Leaving Italy—The Adoptee", Live in Italy Magazine, https://www.ww2online.org/search-page?f%5B0%5D=field_tgm%3AChildren--Italy, accessed 8 November 2024.
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