FELICE FRANZI
born. 2-Sept-1835 (or 2-Sept-1836), Albiolo, Lombardia, Italy.
died. 29-April-1917, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
married. 21-November-1860, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
spouse. Teresa Pronzini 1841-1904.Felice is the only one of Andrea & Giuditta Franzi's children to stay in Lumino, Switzerland. He & his wife had 17 children.
Children:-
Assunta Franzi, 1861-1861
Andrea Pasquale Franzi,1863-1928 sp. Marianna Camilla Gernetti
Luigi Carlo Franzi, 1880-1964 sp. Elisa Anna Pronzini
sp. Evelina Camilla Righetti
Eugenia Franzi, 1864-1871
Maria Giuditta Clotilda Franzi, 1866-1960 sp. Claudio Gemetti
Felice Massimino Franzi, 1868-1906 (thought to have died in California, USA)
Giuditta Silorina Franzi, 1869-1902 sp. Ernesto Pronzini
Tommaso Ludovico Franzi, 1870-1870
Infant Franzi, 1872-1872
Eugenina Franzi, 1874-1874
Massimino Eugenio Ludovico Franzi, 1875-1875
Teresa Adele Franzi, 1877-???? sp. Romeo Evaristo Pronzini
sp. Adolfo Frizzi
Amedeo Franzi, 1878-1878
Giovanni Pietro Franzi, 1879-???? sp. Romilda Ghidossi
Giuseppi Attillo Franzi, 1882-1882
Giulio Franzi, 1883-???? sp. Olga Del-Don
Maria Franzi, 1884-1884
born. 11-September-1836, Albiolo, Como Lombardia, Italy.
died. 12-December-1910, Guildford, Victoria, Australia.
Giuseppi Franzi was born in the village of Albiolo near the city of Como in the Lombardia region of Italy. His father was Andrea Franzi, who was born in Switzerland & his mother was a native of Como, Italy, her name was Giuditta Louisa Della-Rosa. At the age of about four years Giuseppi's family left Italy returning to his father's homeland. Giuseppi grew up on a farm in Lumino, Switzerland.
[There is a story which has been passed down though a number of different branches of the Australia Franzi Family, though each branch tells the story slightly differently. The core of the story tells of a young Giuseppi Franzi being carried across the mountains in a basket of hay by a female relative (Mother, Grandmother or his sister). I think if this story is true then it was most likely that it happen when Giuseppi was four years old & the family was returning to Switzerland. As his sister Filomena was twelve years younger then Giuseppi, I doubt she was the one who carried him. Also it should be noted that Giuseppi was twenty-one years old when he arrived in Australia. So it is also unlikely that a female relative could have carried him across the mountains at that time].
Political unrest & the lure of Gold were possibly he reason Giuseppi left Europe in 1855. He travelled to the French Port of Dieppe, where he boarded the "LUCIE". The ship arrived in Australia, at the Port of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria on 8th. March 1855. All of the passengers onboard the "LUCIE" were European, mostly Swiss-Italian.
[One of the other passengers was Giuseppi Barassi, who like Giuseppi Franzi had been born in Albiolo, Italy, they became very close friends. It is unknown as to whether they knew each other from childhood. Years later the two families would become connected by marriage as a grandson of "Joe" Barassi married a granddaughter of Giuseppi FRANZI, George DAVIS & Olive Louisa FRANZI, married in 1929].In 1862 Giuseppi Franzi was 25 years old & working as a miner in Bendigo, he was living at Iron Stone Hill. While working as a miner he met and became friends with a young Englishman called William Jeaves Cooper. William lived with his mother & her 2nd. husband Firmin & Susan Cook & their family. On 8th. August that year he married Miss Mary Ann Jeaves Cooper at the All Saint's Church, in Bendigo. Mary Ann was the sister of Giuseppi's good friend William Jeaves Cooper. Over the next twenty years Giuseppi & Mary Ann would have ten children, Andrew William (Bill) Franzi,Ferdinand Harcourt (Fred) Franzi, Louisa Angelina (Lou) Franzi, Francesco Helson Franzi, Giuseppi Angelo (Joe) Franzi, Edgar Albert Franzi, Charles Thomas Franzi, Louis Oliver Franzi, Violet May (Vi) Franzi & Alfred Edward (Alf) Franzi.
Early in Giuseppi Franzi's married life he became a "Hawker" travelling around the different "diggings" selling food & vital household goods such as blankets, pots & pans. However he continued to do a little gold mining & he did have some small finds. With the money he saved he purchased some land on the river flats near the Lodden River in Guildford. He built a small cottage to house his ever growing family, the building was still standing today, though in poor condition.
Giuseppi's house at Guildford circa 1882.
His first wife, Mary Ann Cooper & their children, Violet May & Louis Oliver.Eight of Guiseppi's children lived to marry & have children of their own but two of their sons died as children. The two who died were Francesco Helson Franzi died aged almost 2 years old & Edgar Albert Franzi, who died aged 4 years.
On the 14th. June 1873, Giuseppi Franzi was Naturalized as a British Citizen. These papers record that Giuseppi was 37 years old & had been born in Albiolo, Province of Como, Italy.
On 8th. September 1876 Andrea Franzi arrived in Melbourne onboard the sailing ship "Wakatipu", he had come to Australia to live with his son Giuseppi in Guildford. This left only one of Andrea & Giuditta Franzi's children living in Switzerland, that being Felice Franzi. He & his wife had seventeen children between 1861 & 1884. Eight of their children died as infants.
[His descendants still live in the area today].Mary Ann Jeaves Franzi nee Cooper died three days after the birth of her tenth child, she was just 38 years old, the child Alfred lived. On the 17th. February 1883 at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Daylesford, Guiseppi married for the second time his new wife had also been widowed her name was Mrs. Ann McAdie nee McKenzie.
[Ann had been born in 22nd. June 1839, Aberdeenshire, Scotland & her parents were William McKenzie & Margaret McPherson. Ann McKenzie married her 1st. husband in 1871 in Eganstown in Victoria, his name was James McAdie. They had at least 2 daughters Margaret Jane McAdie & Jessi Helen McAdie (1876-1878). James McAdie died in August 1882].Guiseppi & his 2nd. wife had only one child a daughter called Edith Ann Jane Franzi, she only lived for 1 day.
In 2nd. November 1893 Giuseppi Franzi's father, Andrea Franzi died at the home of his son where he had lived for the last 17 years, he was 84 years old. He was buried at the Guildford Cemetery. Seventeen years later Guiseppi Franzi died on the 12th. December 1910, aged 74 years, he was buried in the same grave as his 1st. wife and their son Edgar. Giuseppi's 2nd. wife Ann died on the 4th. May 1911, aged 71 years. Her grave is beside that of her daughter & son-in-law (Giuseppi Angelo & Margaret Jane Franzi).
born. 7-July-1842, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
died. France or U.S.A. ?
PIETRO FRANZI
born. 3-Sept-1844, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
died. France or U.S.A. ?
FILOMENA FRANZI
born. 15-Feb-1848, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
died. Cuba ?
married. 7-Feb-1871, Lumino, Ticino, Switzerland.
spouse. Fedele Ludovico De Gottardi
Filomena & her husband had at least two children, one was born in Lumino before they left Europe to live in Cuba. Over the years Filomena wrote letter's to her brother Giuseppi Franzi who lived in Australia.
Children:-
Romoaldo Lodovico De Gottardi, born. 17-Nov-1871, Lumino, Switzerland.
????? De Gottardi, born. Cuba ?
