GARGARO FAMILY

I had no idea that my there was Italian roots in my background, until my family research on my mother's side led to this discovery. Now with the older family members passed on, I may never know the details of why my gt.gt grandfather, BENEDETTO GARGARO migrated to Wales.
It is known that in the mid 18th century, Italian rural society went through major changes. These were a growth in rural population outstripping resources, rising food prices and by the turn of the century the impact on the "stagnant rural life" of the occupation forces of Napoleon's revolutionary armies. Most commentators at that time thought that the increase in migration would be a short term phenomena. The North of Italy had started the process of industrialization which was supposed to absorb people from the land when times got hard. Many other factors also contributed and by the 1870's the main regional origins of Italian emigration to Britain were the valleys of Parma in the north, and the Liri Valley, half way between Rome and Naples. A railway network had been started by this time and this helped the people from the Liri valley to migrate to the North of Italy, and then onto Britain.
The people from Parma were predominately organ grinders, while the Neapolitans from the Liri Valley (now under Lazio) made ice cream.
(these details obtained from the web site of the Anglo-Italian Family History Society).

Benedetto's place of birth is not known, but may have been Naples. My only reason for thinking this is that he was an Ice Cream vendor for many years (as evidenced by the Census returns). His birth place on the returns is only shown as Italy (Italian Subject) - how much easier if a town had been noted as well).

I know from his marriage certificate that his father was Joseph Gargaro and that 2 of Benedetto's siblings also came to Wales. The 1901 Census shows that Domenico (aged 40) and Mary (aged 36) were with the family as that time.
Mary was married to Joseph DI COBELLIS, and they had a daughter Teresa (aged 5).

When and how Benedetto came to Wales is unknown at this stage. He was born about 1857, and on 29th Sept 1885, he married Mary Ann BARRY in Cardiff Wales.
Mary Ann was 15years old at the time. They had 9 children:

Johanna born 1903
Rosina born 7 June 1886 (my maternal gt. grandmother)
Joseph born 1888
Mary born 25 May 1890
Samuel born 1 Dec 1892
Richard James born 30 apr 1894
Ellen Mafeking born 1900
Catherine Antonia born 1906
Gelardo Alberto born 1897

Rosina married George Watson on the 26 December 1906 in Cardiff Wales, and after a few years discovered that George was already married. She must have been devasted as the family were devout Catholics, and this may have been the reason that she migrated to Australia, no doubt pregnant at the time. My grandfather, George Joseph Watson was born in Sydney 19th January 1911, and the birth certificate shows the father's name as George Watson, Labourer at the Fitzroy Docks Cardiff, supposedly 27 years of age and born in Dublin Ireland.

Rosina moved to Brisbane, when I don't know, because on the 4th April 1920 she married David Henry SMITH, using the name Rosina GARGARO, and having the occupation of Spinster. The marriage took place at the Mission Hall, Leichhardt Street, Fortitude Valley. When I showed the certificate to my mother, she couldn't understand why the marriage took place at the City Mission, but now that we are aware of more of the facts, can understand that Rosina felt that she could not be married in the Catholic church because of her first "marriage".
My grandfather was the only child born to Rosina, and never spoke of any family background till the day he died.
The life of Rosina came to an end on 27th November 1964.

Other siblings also migrated to Australia:

Ellen married Richard Hartley 27 Dec 1921 in Cardiff and they migrated to Australia in 1924 with their daughter Rosena Maria.

Richard James was the other sibling who came and his is another story in itself.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of Benedetto, but there is a small photo of Mary Ann with her son-in-law Bill Partridge (Joan's (Johanna) husband).
Having trouble uploading this, and will try in another post.