Need Help!

[tturci]

I have a mystery with some of my Italian family. My great-grandfather is listed as adopted on the family tree my grandfather wrote. My great-grandfather was born Canuto Fami in Cavezzo, Modena in 1887, but his name was changed to Harry Canuto Turci. Interestingly, on the tree my grandfather wrote, he has siblings of a different last name. This surname is Lugli. He has a sister named Desolina and another named Karina, both born before him. His father was a Lugli with an unknown forename, and his mothers name was Louise Lugli (Turci). Could he have been adopted before his mother met the Lugli father? Could he have just been born of unwed parents and then the mother decided to give him her last name? (I read a previous post about trovatello). It's frustrating.

Any information would be appreciated.

Below is a photo for reference.

[Tessa78]

Here is the birth record for Canuto Fami in Cavezzo on 2 February 1887.
There is an annotation of "recognition" as her natural child in what looks like 1906 by Luigia Turci

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

EDIT TO ADD:

Here is the recognition - #1 in parte II in 1907.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

Before the official appeared Luigia Turci (daughter of deceased Francesco), widow of Amadio Lugli, laborer, born and residing in Cavezzo, and presented a copy of the act of recognition that she asked the official to transcribe into the Register of births.
Recognition of natural born son (a notarized document)
Dated 23 December 1906
The basics...
On 2 February 1887 was born to her a male child who was declared to the official and given the name Canuto and surname Fami, parents unknown.
The child was given over to the Congregation for the Poor in Mirandola. Luigia attested that said child was born to her and requested that he be given the name Canuto Turci, son of Luigia Turci, and this be annotated in the margin of his birth act.

T.

[tturci]

So that makes Luigia my great-grandfather's biological mother?

[tturci]

Thank you so much for the information you've given me! It means so much!

Do you know Italian? I have questions about the documents, but I cannot read Italian. It is also in cursive which makes it more difficult.

[Tessa78]

Post your questions.

There are many of us ready to help if we can.

T.

[Tessa78]

So that makes Luigia my great-grandfather's biological mother?

Yes.

T.

[tturci]

Thank you, here are some of my questions:

1.) Why did Luigia Turci recognize Canuto as her son so late? You said that she recognized him as her natural born son in 1907, though he was born in 1887, almost 19 years later.

2.) Did Luigia give birth to Canuto and then give him up? I'm trying to understand why Canuto was given to the Congregation of the Poor in Mirandola in the first place if he already had a biological mother.

I will have more questions coming, I am still trying to process a lot of this.

[Tessa78]

Thank you, here are some of my questions:

1.) Why did Luigia Turci recognize Canuto as her son so late? You said that she recognized him as her natural born son in 1907, though he was born in 1887, almost 19 years later.
I am sorry if I mislead you. In 1887, Luigia did not acknowledge her son. He was presented to the official as parents unknown. Why she waited so long is a mystery. Perhaps she waited until her husband Amadio Lugli had died.

2.) Did Luigia give birth to Canuto and then give him up? I'm trying to understand why Canuto was given to the Congregation of the Poor in Mirandola in the first place if he already had a biological mother. Yes, she gave him up. The child was presented to the official by Paolo Bellini, a surgeon, who indicated that the mother did not want to be named. So the parents were unknown. He was put under the care and protection of the Congregazione di Carita'.

I will have more questions coming, I am still trying to process a lot of this.

T.

[tturci]

Ah thank you! I'm guessing that Luigia was probably very poor and couldn't support him? Interestingly, I linked a record that I found below basically stating that his mother was dependent on him for support (money). Note that he also added the first name Harry, probably to sound more anglicized.

[tturci]

Also,

1.) Does it say when Amadio Lugli died? Or maybe how old he was?

2.) It mentions Luigia's father Francesco, is there any name for Luigia's mother?

3.) I see "Motta" mentioned multiple times. Is that a place?

[Tessa78]

Also,

1.) Does it say when Amadio Lugli died? Or maybe how old he was? No, neither fact is mentioned. I will search for his death act.

2.) It mentions Luigia's father Francesco, is there any name for Luigia's mother? No.

3.) I see "Motta" mentioned multiple times. Is that a place? Yes, Motta is a frazione (hamlet, village) of the town of Cavezzo.

While looking back at the birth act for Canuto, I see that the presentation and declaration were made by the surgeon in Motta, and that the child was sent by the official to the Congregation of the Poor
"Said child is sent by me to the Congregation of Charity of Mirandola through Francesco Turci, who is in charge of this, I am returning a copy of this document so that he can deliver it to the president of the said Congregation together with the aforementioned child."
So it would appear that the child was indeed given up - and this may have been Luigia's father mentioned who was to deliver the child to the Congregation of the Poor.

ADD:

Here is the birth act of Desolina Lugli in 1877.
Father: Amadio Lugli, 36, farmer
Mother: Maria Luigia Turci, 26, his wife.
Child born on 24 March 1877 in the house in Motta #146.
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

There is a notation of her marriage in 1901 to Regolo Neri.
At her marriage, her father Amadio was deceased.
Here is the record (#12)
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 2.jpg.html

T.

[tturci]

It sounds like Luigia must've given birth to Canuto, couldn't care for him, and asked her father Francesco to take Canuto to the Congregation of the poor?

[tturci]

The record of Desolina is accurate, as we have photos of her in our family album. She was Canuto's sister.

[mmogno]

Attachement to recognition
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

[Tessa78]

Attachement to recognition
http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

This is the typewritten copy of the handwritten record that was posted above. There are no other documents in this allegati, unfortunately.

T.