Saturday 16 February 2013

Bellisario

Sometimes, researching your family history throws up some absolute gems. My family names include Jones, Brown, Morris, Lewis and Little. So when a name like Bellisario pops up you really pay attention!!

I'm originally from North Yorkshire; Middlesbrough (note the spelling) to be exact. I currently live in Cardiff and I had thought that my only connection to the city was my sister-in-law who was born here. Not so.

Thanks to Ancestry I discovered something about my great grandfather (John Russell)'s elder brother, Richard. Richard served in the army (more about him in a future post I promise) between 1858 and 1881; he was demobbed in Monmouth and (probably, I can't find a marriage certificate) there married one Elizabeth Jenkins. The whole Jenkins family moved to Stockton-on-Tees and there was born Frances Georgina Russell.

Apparently, Elizabeth Jenkins was a music hall performer and Richard and Frances followed her in to the profession (as did Elizabeth's other relatives).

On 11 April 1901, Frances married Ernesto Luigi Gabriele Bellisario, a native of...Cardiff! Ernesto (Ernie)'s father was Gabriele Bellisario, a photographer.  I shared this with my sister-in-law; 'Bellisario - that rings a bell' she said. Sure enough, she had some photo portraits of some of her Cardiff family (Chedzoy/Talbot) taken by Gabriel Bellisario - what are the chances?

More to come on the Bellisario connection!



1 comment:

  1. I have a fractal showing the mat...would love to find my ggg grandfather in his negatives...where are the films at this point...the records could tell me of him more...I do have a picture with the mat...torn but enough to see it is a Bellisario...

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