We will begin our story in the early 1800s in Recanati, in the Papal State of Marche in the province of Macerata. Recanati is found in the centre of the Italian peninsula, just north east of Rome, and not far from the Adriatic Sea. ( as shown on the map below – note that besides Recanati there is also Porto Recanati right on the Adriatic Sea)
Recanati has a few claims to fame. For one, it is the home of renowned tenor Beniamo Gigli. ( Mildred Stacy referred to Beniamino as her great uncle!) But it is most famous for being the home of Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi. The beautiful piazza below is named in his honour.
Piazza’s are best experienced in the late evenings when they come to life with the arrival of local families for dinner. We hope to see you there some evening for aperativos!
We believe that your 4th great grandfather Cristoforo Setacci was born here in Recanati on April 6, 1823. This is based on family knowledge and the fact that Cristoforo gave Recanati as his birth place in the UK 1891 England Census, as shown below. The source for the specific date of April 6, 1823 is his monument in the London Hendon Cemetery .
Unfortunately, to date we have not been able to learn much about Cristoforo in Recanati. We know his father’s name was Saverio from Cristoforo’s marriage certificate in London, England. But we have no record of birth or baptism for Cristoforo. We have no record of marriage for his father Saverio. As a result we have no idea idea who his mother was. About all we know is that Cristoforo was an artisan cabinet maker, a skill he most likely learned from his family.
Olive and Mildred Stacey made a trip to Recanati to some time ago ( when? ) to try and find out more about their family roots, but as far as we know did not find anything conclusive. At that time none of the Italian records would have been digitized. Even now Italian records prior to the 1860s are much more difficult to find then those after the 1860s when Italy became a unified kingdom. Italy is now digitizing and transcribing records of birth, marriage and death but it is still a work in process. I have made some progress in understanding the Italian Archives ( the Antenati ) and how to search them. A screen shot below shows what I have found for the Setacci family.
The bad news is I can ‘t find any records for the Setacci family in Recanati. The good news is that I can find Setacci’s ! The other good news is that the Setacci family name returns less than 40 results. Therefore Setacci is not a common name in Italy. We aren’t looking for a common Italian family name like Rossi or Ferrari! This should help us zero in on our Italian relatives. Also, the bulk of those Setacci results are found in the province of L’Aquila in the early 1900s. L’Aquila is not at all far from Recanati. (under 200 km)
There is a strong possibility that the Setacci family moved away from Recanati and settled in L’Aquila. It is possible that these L’Aquila Setacci’s are our relatives.. It might be time for someone to make another trip to Recanati and L’Aquila on the Italian peninsula and finally solve the mystery of the roots of the cabinet making Setacci family.
You must have noticed by now that I keep saying the “Italian Peninsula” and not Italy the country. That is because at the time Cristoforo Setacci was born the country of Italy did not exist. I know, we all think of Italy as an old country, much older than Canada. But the fact is that the two countries are almost the same age. When Cristoforo was born “Italy” was made up of a number of separate Kingdoms. Recanati itself was in the Papal State of Marche. That meant that this state was controlled by the Pope and the Catholic Church. .
But all this is about to change. At least some people want it to change. They envision a united Italy, and preferably a constitutional republic.
It is time to meet the two Giuseppes as did, I believe, your fourth great grandfather Cristoforo Setacci.
How does a cabinet maker from Recanati in the Italian peninsula ever end up in London England in the 1850s? Well, as I have said, it is always exciting, when one of your Greats is directly involved in historical events. And in the case of our Cristoforo , your fourth great grandfather, this is very much the case. His life intersects with some critical Italian historical events and some very famous Italian people of his time. Events and people directly involved in the unification and creation of Italy itself. Events that Cristoforo was involved in, and famous Italians he most definitely knew.
We know from family stories that Cristoforo was involved in the fight for Italy to be unified and become a democratic constitutional republic. We believe that as a result of his involvement that he was exiled from Italy. Family lore has it that he was a follower of Giuseppe Garibaldi, and was even some form of a secretary to Garibaldi. This may very well be true, and I would never doubt family lore. But, there were two famous Guiseppes involved in Italy rising again. Yes it is Garibaldi and his Red Shirts who get most of the praise and the glory for their bravery and heroics but,
Guiseppe Garibald
there was another Giuseppe by the name of Mazzini who you might not have heard of. In fact, Giuseppe Garibaldi was originally a follower of this other Giuseppe, by the name of Giuseppe Mazzini. If Garibaldi was the man of action, Mazzini was the organizer, the brains, the intellectual behind the move to unify Italy and make it a republic. Mazzini was the true revolutionary. And when Mazzini is exiled from Italy, where does he always eventually end up? In London England, his home away from home. Mazzini ends up spending a large part of his life exiled in London. Garibaldi certainly visits London at times, but it is never his home base. Now it could be that Cristoforo works, follows, and supports both of our Giuseppes. In fact that is very likely the case , but there is no doubt that Cristoforo was a supporter of Mazzini in London. We have evidence of that. And in my opinion it is highly likely that Cristoforo ended up in London because that is where Mazzini led him. And it is highly likely Cristoforo did act as a kind of secretary to Mazzini while in London. If you haven’t heard of Mazzini before, I encourage you to please google him, or read one of his books, or a book about him. You will be impressed by this friend of your fourth great grandfather! There are academics who claim Mazzini was one of the most important thinkers of the 19th Century.
Guiseppe Mazzini
When and how does our Cristoforo come into contact with these two great Giuseppes? To date, given we have no documentation or evidence, we can only guess. My guess is that it would be around 1848 to 1849. Cristoforo is born in 1823 in Recanati. Recanati is a town in the province of Marche. Marche at that time was one of the Papal states in the centre of the Italian peninsula , just north east of Rome. As Cristoforo is born, these Papal States are under the control of the Pope and the Catholic Church. Things however are changing in Europe. Ideas of revolution and constitutions and republics are taking hold. A new Pope, Pius IX is installed in 1846. At first Pope Pius IX seems sympathetic to these new ideas, but this changes as the new Pope realizes he can’t survive the revolutions taking place. He escapes Rome just in time. Through the efforts of the two Giuseppes a new republic is formed in Rome. Giuseppe Mazzini becomes one of the leaders and administrators of this new Roman Republic. His time as the leader of this new Roman Republic, however, is short lived. The French army, under the leadership of Napolean III, comes to the aid of Pope Pius IX. Giuseppe Garibaldi and his men try valiantly to defend the new Roman Republic , but they are no match to for the much larger French army. Garibaldi is forced to retreat. First to the mountains north east of Rome, and eventually to San Marino. Pope Pius IX is then safely reinstalled in Rome.
At the time all this is taking place Cristoforo Setacci is in his idealistic mid twenties. Recanati is not far from Rome. Did Cristoforo somehow get involved with the two Guiseppes at this time? My guess is yes. Either he was involved with Garibaldi in the take over of Rome, or with Mazzini in the administration of the new republic, or with both. Either way Cristoforo would have faced exile when Pope Pius IX returned to Rome and was reinstated as leader of the Papal states .
So let’s step back and think about all this for a minute. If we are right, then your 4th Great Grandfather was involved in the Italian Revolution or as it is known in Italy as the “Risorgiomento. ” The “rising again” of Italy.
Moreover, it is highly likely he was involved somehow or other in the attempted expulsion of the Pope and the Catholic Church from Rome! (maybe best not to share that with your Catholic relatives)
To date I have no documentation on the Setacci family in Recanati. No birth, marriage or death documents. To find out more about the Setacci Family in Italy might involve hiring an Italian genealogist, or taking a trip to both London England and Recanati Italy.
Regardless, I believe Cristoforo arrived in London in the mid 1850s after this unsuccessful first stage of the Italian revolution in Rome. Like Mazzini it is highly likely that he would have had other stops along the way. Probably hiding at times in Switzerland, Germany or France before eventually making his way to London.
Cristoforo is is not involved in the Expedition of the Thousand led by Garibaldi in 1860 that would finally eventually lead to the creation of the unified constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Italy.
We know that because? Because , well , as much as Cristoforo might have wanted to go and join that Expedition , there was a problem. Cristoforo had become smitten with a young lady in London. Her name was Lucy Iles. It is time to meet your 4th great grandmother.
Lucy Iles is born in 1837 in Thornbury, north of Bristol, and directly west of London. She is one of seven children born to Daniel Iles (ropemaker) and Mary Dawes. You can see the entry for your three year old great great great great grandmother Lucy in the 1841 Census below.
Note she has mostly sisters but an older brother named Daniel.
All the Iles children are Baptised into the Church of England together on January 12, 1851. Lucy would have been 12 years old.
Was it common for an entire family to all be Baptised on the same day? If not , why would this have been the case for the Iles family?
And, a few months later that year we find 13 year old Lucy working as a domestic servant in the heart of London.
Yes, Lucy Iles of Thornbury is working as a servant for the Pearson’s of Halifax Yorkshire on Priest Court , St Leonard, Foster Lane, literally in the shadows of St Paul’s Cathedral. Next time you visit St. Paul’s, sneak out the back door and go visit Priest’s Court.
Yes, Lucy is only 13 years old! Her older sister Martha is also working as a servant, but back in the Thornbury area. Yes, all of Lucy’s siblings, except for her older brother Daniel, are still living with Mom and Dad back in Thornbury. So, how is it that little 13 year old Lucy ends up as a domestic servant in the big city of London? Was their some kind of family connection that brought her there? My guess is she followed her older brother Daniel to London. Daniel, was married in St John the Baptist, Hoxton in 1854 just as Lucy would be 6 years later. But who knows for sure, it could have been the other way around for all we know. Maybe older brother Daniel followed his young independent adventurous sister!
We will probably never know the exact circumstances that brought Lucy to London. We however are fortunate that this brave little girl made her way from Thornbury to the big city. For somehow, in the late 1850s in London England, Lucy meets an Italian cabinet maker by the name of Cristoforo Setacci. Or, should I say , Cristoforo somehow meets Lucy Iles. Maybe, as the song goes, “he followed her down to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies, somebody called him ,he answered quite slowly. The girl with the name Lucy Iles ” ? And there the Setacci to Stacey story began. And the rest, as they say, is your family history.
It is October 22, 1860 and Lucy Iles and Cristoforo Setacci are being wed a St John the Baptist Church Hoxton in north east London. As you can see above the Church still exists and is worth a visit to see where your 4th greats were married. St John the Baptist Church, of the Church of England still has an active congregation as you will see if you check out their website via the link above. Cristoforo is from Recanati, Italy. His father’s name is Saviero. Cristoforo is in his mid 30s at the time. He lists his occupation as a Cabinet Maker. Lucy Iles is younger, in her early 2os, and from Thornbury England, just north of Bristol. Sadly Lucy’s father Daniel Iles passed away in his 50s and is not there to witness the wedding of his daughter. Both the bride and groom give their current address as Lucan Place in Chelsea. Is that where they met? Much of this information comes from the document shown below. We aren’t told how old they are, only that they are of ” Full Age.” This I assume means that they were definitely old enough to tie the knot.
It is interesting to note that Cristoforo and Lucy were not married in a Catholic church. I guess this isn’t all that surprising. One can’t blame a young man who was exiled from his home country due to the return of the Pope and the Catholic Church to Rome for not wanting to be married in that Pope’s Catholic Church. We can very well understand why he would choose the Church of England instead. Maybe I am reading too much into this? But I don’tthink so – the Setacci’s – despite Cristoforo’s roots in a Papal State in the Italian Peninsula, chose the Church of England for all their family ceremonies from this point forward.
It is also interesting to wonder about how Lucy and Cristoforo communicated. I assume Cristoforo’s English had become vey good by the time of the Wedding. But, how did it get that good? My guess is young Lucy Iles would have been very instrumental in Cristoforo learning how to speak English.
One also has to wonder: Did any of Cristoforo’s family from back in Recanati attend the wedding? Did Cristoforo keep in touch with people and family back in Italy? Did he ever go back? Would he and Lucy ever have made a trip to Recanati to see the unified Italy Cristoforo had dreamed about ?
Lavinio was the first son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Iles. Your Great Great Great Grandfather Lavinio was born in London in March 1862 . As a teenager Lavinio starts an early and long career as a civil servant with the Admiralty. In the 1881 Census when he is 19 and living with his family at 35 Harrington Road near Regent Park his occupation is listed as a Civil Servant in the Lower Division of the Admiralty. The “Admiralty” of course was the part of the British Government that was responsible for the British Navy.
Mary Letitia Ward is born in May 1865 to Anne Swiney and Edward Ward. She was their first and only child. Sadly she would have little memory of her father as he passed way in early in 1871 when Letitia was only 4 years old. In fact the 1871 Census shows her living with her mother and her grandparents in Westminster. Letitia was baptized at St Annes Church , Soho, Westminster in 1875.
By 1881 her mother has remarried to Robert Ward. Mary Letitia is listed as Letitia only – and as the stepdaughter and scholar, Letitia is 15 years old and has a half sister. They live at 9 Percy Street in the Tottenham Court area.
Lavinio and Letitia are married in 1886 in St Matthews Church, Oakely Square. Unfortunately the church no longer exists as it was demolished in 1977. Below is an old ghostly photo of it.
Lavinio and Letitia have 4 children. All the boys have what to me seem to be very French sounding names. Were French names in style at the time? Or were the boys names slightly Italian? Claud could be Claudio? Maurice could be Maurizzio, and Benard could be Bernardo? Again, I am probably over thinking this.
Claud born 1889
Gertrude – born 1891
Maurice – 1893
Bernard -1894
By 1891 Lavinio is listed as 2nd division clerk at the Admiralty. In 1902 he is listed as working in the Admiralty’s Greenwich Hospital Division. Then in 1911 as assistant to the Clerk in Charge of the Greenwich Hospital Division. Now, before you start thinking that Lavinio worked in Greenwich at the hospital itself, I think I have to correct you. My understanding is that the Greenwich Hospital in actual Greenwich that many of us have probably visited on touristic trips to London stopped working as an actual hospital for the Navy in the mid 1800s. From that point onward the Greenwich Hospital Division became an organisation that funded various projects in support of the navy and its veterans. It became a very important foundation. And with two world wars about to make their appearance I would imagine the foundation would have grown in importance. Yes, Lavinio’s work must have provided him with a strong sense of purpose. And , I believe also influenced later family members. You can find the foundations website here https://www.greenwichhospital.co.uk/
So, if Lavinio didn’t go to work in historic Greenwich every day, then where did he go to work? Well, to a place with just as much historic significance. He worked at Whitehall the home of the British Government. This is confirmed in the 1921 Census. The below is a google maps screen shot of Whitehall and the historic Admiralty Buildings from up above.
Besides Buckingham Palace there is probably not much more of an iconic London location than this. Next time you are watching some event involving the Royals parading up or down the Mall you can point out to people that your Great Great Great Grandfather Lavinio went to work right – there. Which building ? Could he have actually worked here, at Admiralty House?
Who knows. One would think he might have at least had a few meetings here. And again, when you think about history and two world wars about to take place, one would think that Lavinio, though he may not have been directly involved, might have at least passed a Prime Minister or two in the course of his day to day work. I think I read somewhere that Sir Winston slept in some of the government offices during the war. What do you say to Sir Winston when you pass him in the hall – in his pyjamas?
We will do a short post on daughter Gertrude in a minute, but this is a good time to mention that she also worked at Whitehall in the 1920s, in the Home Office. And so did brother Adriano – in the patent office.
Where was home for Lavinio and Letitia?
Well, right after their marriage in 1888 they are here, at 28 Albert Street.
I assume this might be a rental property. It has 3 rooms, two on the first floor, and one back kitchen ( on another floor?) , and came unfurnished. It was very close to Regent Park and not far at all from where Lavinio’s parents lived on Harrington Street.
By 1891 they are at 45 Waldemar Avenue in Fulham to the South West, but still on the North side of the River Thames.
By 1897 and until 1901 they are at 4 Yew Grove Cricklewood near Willesden, and then in 1901 they are at 16 Riffel Road, also in Willesden. Around this time Lavinio’s mother moves to this area as a widow. Brother Adriano is also in this area.
The family then moves to the Wimbledon area and 51 Alexandra Road.
They are there in the last two available UK censuses. (1911 and 1921) . Notice the house is very close to the Wimbledon Train station enabling Lavinio to get into work. Lavinio’s brother Atillio Regolos, who is a dental surgeon, lives in the Wimbledon area as well. Lavinio and Letitia’s first son Claud is living with his Uncle Atillio and apprenticing to be a dental surgeon. Claud will eventually live and practice in the Wimbledon area as well. I consider 51 Alexandra , Wimbledon to be Lavinio and Letitia’s family home. It is the home where we find the family during World War One. It is where they live when two of their son’s Maurice and Bernard enlist in the Army . It is where they would anxiously spend their days waiting for these two boys of theirs to return from France.
But they aren’t finished. In retirement, I assume, they move further South of London to Surrey. For the 1939 Register finds Lavinio at Little Hintock, Deepdene Park Road, Dorking at age 77. Letitia is not listed, so we assume she has already passed.
Lavinio passes away 5 years after this at age 82 in on May 8, 1944 at 8 Cotsford Aveneu, New Malden , Surrey. In his will he leaves his remaining effects to daughter Gertrude.
And, unfortunately we have no obituary or record of a cemetery or burial grounds for either Letitia or Lavinio. .
In the 1861 census Lucy and Cristoforo are living at 57 Moorgate Road in Coleman St Stephen Parish. Cristoforo is listed as a cabinet maker . Under place of birth he is listed as an Italian British subject. What is an Italian British subject ? Did Cristoforo have to apply for some kind of citizenship in the UK? I don’t think so, and I have yet to find any documents indicating precisely when he entered the UK – or any document showing that he became a UK citizen. I assume such records were not maintained in this time period. Lucy is listed as home keeper.
The couple start a family.
In 1862 first son Lavinio is born. ( This is the birth of your great great great grandfather!)
In 1864 another son Adriano is born.
Then it is an entire 7 years before the final child is born. And another boy who is given the name Atillio Regolos.
Given all these names are very Italian one has to think that Cristoforo just might have had a huge part in the naming of the boys. Was this normal for the male to name the children back then? Or was this unusual? And there is no attempt at this point to give the boys anglicized names to ease their entry into British society. Far from it, these are proud Italian peninsula names. Notice I keep saying “Italian peninsula” , and not Italy. That’s because Italy as a country was just in the process of being created and unified in the decade in which the sons were born. Cristoforo was maybe celebrating this creation of the new Italy when naming his sons. Now, I don’t know much Italian, but certainly the name Atillio Regolos sounds like the name of a new Roman emperor to me. One also has to wonder where these names came from. Surely not out of thin air. We assume these names contain clues to Cristoforo’s family back in Recanati, Italy. Clues that will help us once we all get to Recanati to do some more family research.
And one also has to wonder: What language were the boys spoken to in? What was the family language anyway? A little bit of both English and Italian? Interestingly Mazzini did set up a school for Italian children in London, but I don’t think the Setacci’s attended it.
The homes the Setacci family lived in during this time period are no longer around. The addresses and streets however are. . As noted above their first home is in 57 Moorgate Road. By 1871 the family had moved to 43 Howland Street. By 1881 they are at 35 Harrington Road. See below.
If you want to take a historic walk to see the locations, a possible route is shown above. The family initially live just North of the City of London but gradually move west towards Regent Park. It is the Regent Park area that becomes their neighbourhood. The above suggested walk would take you past many historic locations that would have existed in the time the Setacci family was coming of age. So, take the walk and imagine the lives they must have led and the places they would have frequented and been influenced by.
Uncle Adriano was the second son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Iles, brother of your triple great grandfather Lavinio. Adriano was born about 1864.
Like his brother Lavinio, Adriano begins his career in the Civil Service as a teenager. While Lavinio is in the Admiralty Division, Adriano works in the Patent Office. How did the boys get these good government jobs at young ages? Did the Setacci family have some kind of connection that helped? Did the brothers travel to work together? Did they take the tube down to the government offices in Whitehall? Was the Patent Office in Whitehall at that time? I would assume so.
In 1888 Adriano marries Ada Gertrude Blake at Saint Saviour Church just north of Regent Park .
This Church still exists.
And the couple had a son. Cecil Adrian Setacci born on November 11 1888. Cecil was Baptized in 1889 at St Augustine, Paddington.
At the time the family lived at 47 Donaldson Road in the Paddington area of London. The home still exists. See below.
When young Cecil is 7 years old in 1895 he goes to Westminster, St Augustine’s Church of England School – the same Church in which he was baptized in the Paddington area. See below, Cecil is admission no, 1749 below the three Beever brothers. St Augustine’s was an all boys school in 1895. The school still exists to this day.
Unfortunately Adriano’s marriage does not last. Adriano accuses his wife of having an affair with a Mr. Sam White ( and others apparently) . Adriano files for divorce in November 1899 . It is amazing how well documented this divorce is and how easy it is to find these documents. The below snippet form the British National Archives explains why. In 1899 Divorce cases were still heard in the Supreme Court – though a special division. Getting a divorce at the turn of the century was expensive, and a big deal.
And you can read a bit about the case below.
Interestingly, as seen below, even though the alleged act of adultery was to have taken place in 1893, Adriano does not file for divorce until 1899. He asks for custody of his young son Cecil now 11 years old
And – if you want to visit the location where your Uncle’s adultery/divorce case was decided – you can go to this website and book a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand https://theroyalcourtsofjustice.com/tours/
Adriano does marry again in 1909 when he is in his mid 40s. His new wife is named Edith Augusta – I have yet to figure out her maiden name. Edith Augusta and Adriano have a son by the name of Neville Adrian a year later in 1910. The family live in Neasden, Willesden. As mentioned in other posts, both Adriano’s mother and brother also live in the area about this time. Adriano continues his career at the Patent Office. Later Electoral Registers list him as Board Of Trade Patent Office, and in 1905 as Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Patent Office. ( this sounds like a very important role to me)
Adriano dies at the young age of 56 in 1920. We don’t know the cause of death.
Interestingly , shortly after Adriano’s death , Edith Augusta and son Neville Adrian Stacey move to Melbourne Australia in 1923.
Edith seems to have settled north of Melbourne in Bendigo.
As far as I can tell Neville became a Metallurgist and worked in Mines. I can find him working at Mount Isa Mine in 1958 and later in 1980 on an Electoral roll in Heberton, Queensland Australia. I can’t find any evidence of a marriage or a wife. So did Neville leave any descendants? Do we have Stacey relatives in Australia somewhere that we aren’t aware of?
I have not been able to find out what happened to first son Cecil Adrian from the first marriage. Hopefully someone reading this will know. (note – maybe he was in WW1? Would have been in mid 20s then – a casualty possibly – but no records of it ? )
Cristoforo was not solely involved in Cabinet Making and Family activities in the mid 1860s. And it is here that leads me to believe he worked with Mazzini. While in London Mazzini started various organizations to support the Italian community there. One of Mazzini’s strategies appears to have been to create these types of organizations to lend support to the unification and democratisation of Italy from abroad. One of those organizations was the Italian Working Men’s Association of Mutual Progress. In 1864 this group had 350 members. Setacci is listed as one of the leaders of this organisation.
This is the index to those who participated in the formation of the International , and if you scroll down to the Ss you will find our Cristoforo.
Below is a snip of the information on him.
In 1864 an International Working Men’s Association is formed. Mazzini decides to have his group of Italian Working Men join the newly formed International Working Men. This group comes to be known famously as simply the “International”. Initially Mazzini was hoping to have some influence over this International Group. That, however was not to be, as Karl Marx became its influential leader.
The first meeting of the International was held in St Martin’s Hall in London. St Martin’s hall no longer exists, but it was very close to Covent Gardens. The scene is depicted below. One has to assume that Cristoforo is there.
As shown here in the minutes of the meeting he becomes a member of the initial general council of the International.
A poster displaying the event is shown below. ( ok – I am probably going to get into some copyright issues on some of these photos – but don’t think anyone is going to come after me on some family blog- hopefully) Note that the Italians are providing the musical band and the Germans are providing the singers or choruses.
Subsequent meetings of the International were held at 18 Greek Street in Soho. That address is now a restaurant. So, you could visit 18 Greek Street, have dinner or lunch , and imagine people like Marx, and Mazzini, and most importantly, Cristoforo Setacci meeting there.
Finally , talk about being involved in historic events with famous people, it doesn’t get much better than the below. In 1865 Karl Marx writes a letter from the International to Abraham Lincoln. This letter can be found on the internet quite easily by googling it. There is a link on wikpedia. And Setacci is the last signature of the first set of signatures on the document.
I will leave you to read the letter, and reflect upon it. Your Great is a signatory to a letter written by Marx to Lincoln congratulating him on his re-election and the death of slavery! Something to be proud of for sure. Not to mention the importance of the “International” as one of the first global organizations of working men. As an artisan cabinet maker our Cristoforo surely understood the pressures his craft and his way of life would face with the increase of furniture factories, industrialization and national governments passing laws that would support it all. The International would stand up for the rights of working men like him. And our Cristoforo is one of its founding members.
When Mazzini leaves the International – I believe due to disagreements with Marx and others on certain topics, and the overall direction of the organization ( though again I am no expert on this history) I believe Cristoforo Setacci does as well as I can’t find his name in the minutes of the meetings of the International after that point. This again supports our thesis that Setacci was heavily influenced by Mazzini.
Attilio Regolos is the third and youngest son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Isles. He is the younger brother of Lavinio and Adriano. ( where does this name Attilio Regolus come from – it sounds very Roman like the name of an emperor)
Interestingly Attilio does not find his final career until he is almost 30. In 1885 at age 14 he is listed as a boy-copyist at the Post Office Savings Bank. Later he is listed in the censuses as being a London Community Council Assistant. But by 1899 at age 28 we know he has registered at the Poly Institute on Regent Street and studying to become a dentist.
And by 1903 he has become a Licensed Dentist and is living on Riffel Road in Willesden area in Northern London.
In the midst of studying to become a Dentist he also gets married towards the end of 1902. He marries Helene Nachmann of Germany. The marriage is listed in the English & Wales Marriage Registration, but to date we have no record of where it took place exactly.
Who is Helene Nachmann?
It is interesting that she is listed right below Attilio in the 1901 census living with the extended Setacci family at Harrington Road. She is listed as a Visitor and a German foreign subject. Besides that we don’t know much about her. Was she already the girl friend of Attilio in 1901? Or was she a visitor with some kind of connection to Attilio’s parents Cristoforo and Lucy? Perhaps some connection to Cristoforo during his years as an exile? And as a visitor she and Atillio developed a romantic relationship? At this point we just don’t know. How or why did Helene Nachmann of Germany come to be living in London England with the Setacci family near Regent Park ? Another mystery to be solved.
Around 1905 Attilio and Helene make a surprising move. I say surprising because the Setacci family is very rooted in London. They always live very close to each other – always living nearby in the same neighbourhoods. But Attilio and Helene move north to Aberdeen, Scotland for a few years. We find Attilio and Helene listed in the Aberdeenshire electoral register between 1906 and 1908 and living at 221 Great Western Road in Aberdeen Scotland.
Maybe it was a good idea for a rookie Dentist to practice initially in a different town! Seriously, we have no idea why the move to Scotland. It is interesting too that while in Scotland Attilio Regolos registers himself as Attilio Regolos. This is about to change. Maybe it isn’t fashionable to be visibly of Italian heritage in the United Kingdom any more. Maybe it is not good for your Dental Practice? Or maybe it is time to try to fit into the higher classes of British Society, and the names Setacci, and Attilio and Regolos just don’t cut it.
Attilio and Helene return to London and purchase a nice new home just outside the gates of the famous Wimbledon Park at 31 Home Park Road. The very Italian/Roman name Attilio Regolos now magically metamorphizes to become the very upper class British sounding name Arthur Royston Stacey.
31 Home Park Road shown below, as it looks now, will become both the family home and the Dental Practice home of Arthur Royston and wife Helene Stacey.
Attilio (Arthur) and Helene have no kids of their own, Arthur however becomes a role model for his nephew, your great great grandfather Claud. For in 1911 Claud is living with Arthur Royston Stacey and practicing with him until he himself also locates his practice in the Wimbledon area as well.
Arthur Royston/Atillio Regolos passes awy at age 66 at Stanton- Wesbury Road New Malden, Surrey on August 17, 1937.
Helena Nachmann Stacey then lives with her niece Gertrude in Worthing Sussex on the south coast of England. Helene passes away in 1944.
Martha Greer Mills, your great great grandmother, was born in 1890 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. She was named after her Grandmother Martha Grier of Ramelton. Her father John Mills was a baker. Her mother was Elizabeth Sproule. Martha has 5 siblings , two brothers and three sisters. Interestingly she is listed on this 1901 Irish Census as Martie.
The family live in the heart of Londonderry at 34 Great James St, not far from the River Foyle.
Martha and her sister Elizabeth (Bessie) come to London England as young women. We don’t know when exactly, but by 1911 the two sisters are both living in the Kensington area of London. Martha is 21 and Elizabeth is 18. They share accommodations with a dozen other young people, mostly young women like themselves at 57 Lexham Gardens.
Martha Greer Mills and sister Elizabeth are both working at the Post Office Savings Bank. Yes, the Post Office at that time leveraged their locations to provide banking services. This may sound bizarre to you – doing your banking at the post office, but it was actually common in many countries for the post office to also provide banking services. Anyway, judging by the article below, it sounds like they needed a lot of clerks !
So let’s take a minute to step back and take a look at the women in your Setacci family tree and think about their significance. We start with Lucy Iles who at a an extremely young age ventures from her home in Thornbury to the big city of London to become a domestic servant at age 13 ! Then we have Letitia Ward, an only child losing her father at a young age, but persevering as her mother remarries. And now we have Martha Greer Mills who comes with her sister as a very young woman from Ireland to find work as a bank clerk in London. Three stories of young strong independent adventurous woman courageously making their way in the big city and the big world. Each of from whom you are descended. (similarly, in another part of your family tree , the Ross sisters – Deborah and Isabel – also courageously travel by themselves from Ireland to Canada at young ages in 1913 in search of new lives in London Ontario. And it is Deborah, your great great grandmother who marries Robert Dixon in Canada.)
Meanwhile Claud Setacci, your great great grandfather, and first son of Lavinio, is following in the footsteps of his Uncle Attilio. Attilio is a dental surgeon practicing out of his home on Home Park Road just outside the gates of the famous Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. And Claud, your great great grandfather , at age 22 is working and living with his Uncle and training to become a dentist.
Somehow Claud Setacci and Martha Greer Mills cross paths in London. Who knows how? Was Martha a patient at Uncle Atillio’s dental practice one day? Did Claud run into Martha Greer at a Post Office Savings Bank? Claud’s brother Bernard was also working as a clerk at the Post Office Savings bank. Did he somehow introduce the couple to each other? It is fun to guess how your great great grandparents met in London , but we really don’t know. (unless there is someone reading this who knows the true story )
We do know that on the Fourteenth of August 1915 there is a wedding at the Wimbledon Presbyterian Church on Mansell Road a short ten minute walk from the Setacci family home at 51 Alexandra Road.
Yes , Claud Stacey and Martha Greer Mills are married at the Presbyterian Church shown above. Note that the church is still going strong as Trinity United Reform Church , but back in 1915 it apparently had a very strong Scottish congregation. By the time of Claud and Martha’s wedding the congregation had sadly already lost a few men to World War One. The Church sponsored a Soldiers Hall that supported over one thousand soldiers stationed at Wimbledon Commons.
We see above that the Bride and Groom are each 26 years old. Martha was living at 15a Vicarage Gate , just off the Kensington High Street. Lavinio and Leticia ( or Letty for short) , the parents of the groom, act as witnesses, as does the bride’s father – Master Baker and Confectioner John S Mills of Londonderry.
And what is very exciting is that for the first time in this family web journal we have a real-life photo of the event provided by one of their grand daughters! One simple photo, but what a story it tells. It is a beautiful summer day on August 14th , 1915 in Wimbledon. It is, as you can see by the many smiling faces. a joyous, happy family occasion. World War 1 however is looming very much in the background.
Who are the people in the photo? We assume the groom and bride are sitting in the forefront, but after that it is anyone’s guess. The next row is mostly women. I assume bridesmaids and friends of Martha Greer’s – maybe her sister Elizabeth just to the left behind Claud? Maybe Claud’s sister , your great great Aunt Gertrude directly behind him? Is Martha’s mother Elizabeth directly behind the bride? And who could the lady with the frizzy white hair to the far right be? Could it actually be Claud’s grandmother? The 78 year old Lucy Iles Setacci? It would sure make sense! And the women to the left with the wide brimmed hat ? Claud’s mother Letitia? Or his Aunt Helene Nachmann Stacey ? We can only surmise. Or hope someone reading this can make accurate identifications! The men are at the back. We assume the two fathers Lavinio and John are there somewhere, as are Uncles Atillio and Adriano.
And most importantly, we assume Claud’s brothers Bernard and Maurice are there as well. Why is this so important to us? Because in ten days from now Bernard and Maurice will enlist in the British Army for World War One. Does everyone know this? Maybe not, maybe the two brothers haven’t told their parents yet, not wanting to spoil this very special occasion. But I think Claud knows. Despite everyone else smiling he has a slightly stern demeanor. Maybe that was just his personality, but I think it was more than that. I think Claud knows very well what his two younger brother are about to do, and is very concerned. Will this be the last family photo with everyone alive and happy and well ? ( keep reading to find out more about Maurice and Bernard)
Soon after the wedding Claud and Martha Greer purchase the home below at 16 Augustus Drive in Wimbledon.
This home, which still exists, will act as both the family home and Claud’s dental office.
Shortly after the marriage – their first daughter Mildred arrives in 1917 in the midst of WW1. Yes she arrives during one World War and, as we will see, she marries in the midst of a second World War 24 years later.
A second daughter – Pauline arrives in 1920
And a third and final daughter – Olive in 1922
Below shows the 1921 Census for 16 Augustus Road.
It indicates that Claud is a dental surgeon and that his place of work is his Wimbledon home.
It also shows that daughter Mildred is just over 4 years old, and daughter Pauline is just over a year old. Olive has yet to arrive. The family also employs May Alcock to help with the kids and around the house.
The family resides here at Augustus Road Wimbledon for close to 25 years – until about 1940. Then , with the daughters now young women, and a second World War looming they move further south of the City, or at least have another home there. This moving south of London in retirement is a Setacci family pattern.
The 1938 Electoral Register has them at Sprole Cottage , Broad Lane , Surrey in the parish of Newdigate south of Dorking. Note the name “Sprole” Cottage. Why this name? Is it just a coincidence that Sproule was the maiden name of Martha Greer Mills’ mother. We don’t think so.
I found the below on the internet referring to Sprole Cottage in Newdigate, Dorking. Unfortunately the links for the historical society either don’t work or are password protected. Oh no – another trip to England might be required to investigate whether Sprole or Sproule Cottage still exists.
The 1939 England and Wales Register shows the Staceys near Godstone , not far from Dorking. Daughter Mildred’s wedding in 1941 however takes place in Newcastle on Tyne, and at that time, from what I can tell, Claud and Martha are living at Wilson Gardens in Newcastle on Tyne. One wonders if this home home in Northern England was a temporary refuge from the WW2 bombing of London.
Finally, later in the 1950s, the family is found at 26 Sondes Place Road in Dorking and remaining their until 1961 and probably beyond.
I mentioned earlier that daughter Mildred arrives in WW1 and marries in WW2. We will do a more detailed post on Mildred and sisters Pauline and Olive in the future once we have some more family photos to share. Here we will just mention that on June 2 ,1941 at All Saints Church in Newcastle on Tyne that Mildred Stacey is married to a Sargent in the Canadian Royal Army Service Corps. His name is William James Dixon of London, Ontario, Canada.
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Trip – 1954
In 1954 Claud and Martha take a trip to North America. They are both in their mid 60s at the time. We don’t know if this was their only trip to North America or not, but this one is well documented in a couple of shipping lists .
They travel first on the ship the Nova Scotian. They depart from Liverpool on May 19, 1954 and arrive in Boston 12 days later on May 31, 1954. Boston however is not their destination. No, they are headed to Pawtucket Rhode Island. Why Pawtucket? Well, guess who moved to the USA in the mid 1920s? Remember the very young sister who came to London from Londonderry with Martha Greer? Yes Martha Greer’s younger adventurous sister Elizabeth! Bessie (Elizabeth) is now living in Pawtucket at 52 Oswald Street, and her married name is name is Elizabeth Mills Kinnell. One must think this would have been quite the joyous reunion. How long had it been since the two sisters had seen each other? (and BTW this means you probably have cousins in the Pawtucket area !)
And, not only that, Bessie’s son Galway Mills Kinnel becomes a well known Pulitzer Prize winning poet. Again, I encourage your to Google your great grandmother Mildred’s first cousin Galway Mills Kinnel. (your first cousin a few times removed0 I think you will be impressed. Or order one of his books of poetry. I love this poem of his.
After their stay in Pawtucket, did Claud and Martha travel on to Canada to visit their daughter Mildred and family in Hamilton Ontario ? I have to think they would have. And I am hoping someone reading this has photos, or at minimum memories of this visit by their grandparents that we can post here!
It turns out Judi Dixon does remember this trip of her grandparents to Canada. She was ten years old at the time. She remembers her parents building a cabin at their summer home in Oliphant, Ontario on the Bruce Peninsula. The extra space was needed because her grandparents were coming all the way from England for a visit. Her parents jokingly named the small cabin they were building “Sproule Cottage” because that was the name of their home back in Surrey England. ( again, Sproule was the maiden name of Judi’s great grandmother Elizabeth Mills)
Claude and Martha arrive back in Liverpool at the end of September 1954 on the Empress of Scotland , either sailing out of Montreal or Quebec City.
Visitor from Canada – 1959
In 1959 Martha and Claud drive down to the South of England. I am assuming they drove down, but they may have taken the train. Or it is possible they didn’t drive down to Southampton at all. It could be their visitor took the train up to London.. The visitor is Martha Greer Mill’s older brother John Sproule Mills. Martha Greer Mills ( or as her brother called her “Martie” ) and her family, despite all leaving Londonderry at relatively young ages for different parts of the world, must have kept in close touch over the years. Yes the visitor is your great great Uncle John Sproule Mills of Saskatoon. John Sproule Mills arrives in Southampton from Montreal on the Saxonia of the Cunard Steam Ship Line on May 29, 1959.
As you can see above , he gives the Stacey’s in Dorking Surrey at his intended destination. And he intends to stay for ten weeks! I can’t tell for sure whether John Sproule brought his wife Ethel or not . There only seems to be one person listed on the passenger list. The Stacey’s and the John Sproule family remained close over the years. Judi Dixon tell us that her mother Mildred did go to visit her Mills cousins in Saskatoon, and that the daughter of John Sproule Mills would visit Olive Stacey’s daughter in London.
John Sproule, after living in various parts of Canada and the U.S. settled in Saskatoon Canada as had his brother Alexander. John Sproule was a school principal for many years and played a prominent role in the city of Saskatoon. He was the Mayor of Saskatoon for a number of years up to 1953. One wonders if the Stacey’s might have visited the Mills family in Saskatoon on their trip to Canada in 1954. You can read a bio below that can be found in the footnotes of his John Sproule Mills’ Wikipedia page. It is from a City of Saskatoon publication honoring its mayors.
And note below how Mrs Martie Stacey is named in his obituary in 1972.
We believe Claud Stacey passes in February 1971 while residing at the Bryn Nursing Home Upper Killay Swansea. ( to be confirmed- this might make sense as would be near his daughter Pauline I think)
Martha Greer Mills Stacey passes away later in the 1980s.( to be confirmed)
I would love to be able to post here their obituaries once we find them.
I have not been able to find a cemetery in which either Claud or Martha Greer rest. If anyone is aware of one, please let us know.
