Hello everyone,
I'm a descendant of a family with various spellings of the surname: Ottoman-Malki, Italian-Malchi, French-Malqui.
This is a very specific and small surname, originating from only a few particular places.
The earliest documented mention of this family name appears in the writings of Rabbi Raphael Mordechai Malki (born around 1630 in Livorno, Italy). He is considered the first to bear this name openly. He was a descendant of a family that had been forced to convert to Christianity, and his Christian name was Raphael Angelo Guaz.
He publicly announced his Hebrew name once he was free to practice Judaism openly after finding refuge in Italy.
He arrived in Livorno with a group of family members. Later, he traveled to Palestine (the Land of Israel), where he raised his family.
We know that the connection to the Jewish community in Italy persisted through ongoing correspondence (letters they exchanged) and visits for money collections.
Their stay in Palestine lasted no more than three generations, likely due to the harsh living conditions.
I am currently researching the Turkish branch of this family, particularly in Aydın (Aydin), Turkey.
I have several reasons to believe that they were identified as Italian citizens (or protected subjects) and maintained close ties to Italy throughout. Let me explain:
The family continued to intermarry with other families of known Jewish-Italian origin, such as Rousso and Cadranel.
There is also an oral family tradition that we are descendants of the historical figures I mentioned.
In the Cairo branch, known family members received Italian passports for the entire family (I have copies of some of these documents), and their given names were distinctly Italian—such as Clement and Lietto—which are not commonly found among Jews outside of Italian communities.
Some Italian phrases reserved into the spoken language of that family, which was Ladino.
I personally has 10 precent of Italian DNA, which is significant and higher compared to other Turkish spharadic DNA matches I have. and I also have pretty close DNA matches with 100 recent known Italian heritage
I have two specific questions/requests:
I am researching whether family members in Aydın, Turkey, held Italian passports or any equivalent protective documents (e.g., consular protection or Ottoman-era "protégé" status).
Regarding the Cairo branch: Under what circumstances could an entire large family across three generations qualify for Italian passports? Also, how can I search for the detailed records or claims related to those passports, in the hope of finding a direct connection to Italy?
Thank you for any help or insights!