Amazing what a person can accomplish in this day and age when it comes to family research.Knowing my grandfather's history and the great discovery he made in 1896, of the now well internationally accepted cradle of mankind namely the ''Sterkfontein Caves''(See Andre Martinaglia on ''Google'') I often wondered about my unknown family history and relatives which I had never met, possibly still living in the Region of Piedmont in north west Italy. Not having any geneaology knowledge of how to go about tracing my family history in Italy or locating relatives, made it very difficult. This however was about to change, when I came across the name one day in 1993, of Chief Inspector Stasio Felice of the National State Police in Rome, who was looking for someone to correspond with in South Africa. I immediately posted a letter onto to him, explaining my desire to locate family members in Italy. Fortunately after a lot of unsuccessful attempts it suddenly dawned upon Stasio to try the National Telegraphic Post Office in Rome, which had now a electronic tracing system installed which would be able to locate any telephonic user in every region of the country. Stasio found very quickly two families registered in Piedmont, and immediately forwarded me the information, which included their residental addresses. I immediately typed two letters, one for each family, and posted it onto them by airmail. Quite a thing, but the quickest way at the time, with e-mail not yet into full swing, as it is to-day. The waiting game was about to commence. Later I was to find out that it took about 8 days for a letter from Cape Town, South Africa to reach Piedmont, and then the same period of time back.In the case of Bruno Martinaglia in Ivrea, he recieved his letter on the 1st of April, and thought a member of his staff was playing a joke on him -''April Fools Day!''. I was later to find out just how interesting historically the town of Ivrea was,with Camillo Olivetti the inventor of the worldwide known ''Olivetti Typewriter'', which in my case was the one I had used at home to write these very urgent and important letters. Ivrea was also where the Italian Film Industry had begun, the oldest cinema in Italy located there, namely the ''Splendour Boaro'', after the founder Giuseppe Boaro.
Finally after much patient waiting both families replied. The second family to reply were my direct family relatives, namely Nelson Martinaglia from the little village of Aglie, just west of Ivrea. His sister Caterina Martinaglia a spinster, lived like Bruno Martinaglia, and his family in Ivrea.Nelson's grandfather was Domenico Martinaglia, brother of my grandfather Guglielmo, who had also arrived in South Africa in 1905, a few years after the Anglo-Boer War(1899-1902), and became a miner at ''Sheba Goldmine'', in Mpumalanga Province in the north-eastern part of South Africa. Unfortunately soon after his arrival, he contracted the deadly malaria disease, and died - buried at the mine's cementry.In 1911, he was followed by his son Giovanni Vittorio, who became a miner on the Main Reef, west of Johannesburg. He too after two years in October of 1913 had to return, suffering from ''Miners Lung Disease'', passing away in Issiglio, in 1922.
Our family had no knowledge whatsoever of both Domenico and Giovanni being in the country.The communication system of those times was very bad. The journey of a lifetime's wish was about to be fulfilled.
In May 1994, after receiving my invitation from Nelson,Sandra and only son Paolo Martinaglia I boarded a SwissAir flight from Cape Town to Zurich, and from there a connecting flight to Milan, Italy.On arrival they were all waiting for me, very smartly dressed and accompanied by their English teacher friend in Aglie,namely Elizabeth Dickens, who was of great assistance to me during the following three weeks of my stay.After nearly two hours of first driving along the ''Autostrada Highway'' to Turin, Piedmont, and then branching off to Ivrea, finally arriving at their home in Aglie, I was suddenly asked by Paolo if I would be interested to see ''Casa Martinaglia'' in Issiglio, still in family possession. By this time I had been already awake for a good 16 hours, but I was wide awake by all the excitement, and immediately agreed to go. Eighteen kilometers away lay Issiglio, and first we went to the cementry where the family had their own ''Mausemeum'', named after Nelson's mother Giovanna Martinaglia(Falcone) wife of Giovanni Vittorio.Inside recorded with photos and dates of birth and death was the Martinaglia family members who had passed away, which I was allowed to photograph. Thereafter we proceeded to ''Casa Martinaglia'', at Via Sale 1, in Issiglio itself. Here before me stood this large triple story mansion, which my great-grandfather Giovanni Martinaglia had built.I could not believe that I was really standing there, and asked Elizabeth Dickens to pinch me, that I would then know that this was for real, and not a dream.I was to visit the house twice thereafter, and allowed to take photographs, all recorded now on the internet under ''facebook'' Martinaglia Collection''. I was to visit many interesting places in Piedmont during the three weeks I was there, including meeting Bruno Martinaglia, his wife Augusta, aunt Laurina, and three beautiful daughters. Paolo and I heard that Bruno's grandfather Giacomo Martinaglia was also from Issiglio, which really sent my mind racing.In fact I later found out through birth, marriage and death certificates I later obtained from the National Archives in Turin, thanks to the help of Dr. Ricci, that infact we were all family related. My great-grandfather Giovanni and Bruno's grandfather Giacomo were brothers.Their father was also called Giacomo from Issiglio.So the whole affair became a ''Reunion within a Reunion''. Laurina , Bruno's aunt and Caterina Martinaglia, Nelson's sister were often in communication with each other thereafter.
Then Nelson was to tell me about a sister of grandfather who left for Switzerland, and was never heard of again. I promised to see what I could do about tracing her once back in Cape Town. What I found out was actually amazing. Approaching the Swiss Consulate General in Cape Town, I was referred to Mrs.Ruth Dreyfuss of the Minister of Interior in Berne, Switzerland, who became so interested in my research so far that she made out an enquiry to the ''Police Missing Persons Buro'', to see if they could find trace of our missing relative. Well they could find no trace of her, which was the bad news, because she might have married and another surname. The good news was that in Switzerland from 1582, part of our family crossed from Valsolda,Lake Como into Ticino Canton and eventually settled in the town of Cadro, just north of the city of Lugano. Later generations became quite famous and well known people in their community, some of them serving on the Muncipal Council. Later tracing and writing to Graziella Martinaglia in Lugano, I was to obtain the book entilted ''Cadro'',written by Illario Borelli, which covered the family with photos from previous times, plus history. Some Martinaglia's remained at Valsolda, with one branch of the family moving to Milan, where they are still located to-day.Then came a letter from Margrit Martinaglia in 1996, who had read about my research in their local newspaper, and decided to write to me.Margrit was from Winterthur, a town just north of Zurich.She decided to accept our invitation to visit South Africa and to travel to the ''100 year celebrations of Guglielmo's discovery of the Sterkfontein Caves'', to meet the rest of our family as well, who would be present.Shortly after her arrival a letter suddenley arrived from Cadro, Switzerland from Gian Marino Martinaglia, who was looking for his family relatives, in the German part of Switzerland where Margrit came from.They had also lost contact with each other.It was a great experience for Margrit all around, and one that she will never forget.
During 1997, my cousin Raymond William Martinaglia ordered a book on geneaology of the Martinaglia family worldwide, which he later recieved, and passed onto me. Here I was to find what I already for a long time had suspected. Three Martinaglia families in France!By this time I had also recieved record of our earlist recorded ancestor from the ''Police Missing Person Buro'' in Berne, Switzerland which was certified later by the University of Zurich, being ''Obertus Martinaglia de Reparia'' in 1306 of Rivara, Piedmont, which tied up with Nelson Martinaglia's research of family members from 1384, only they had dropped the ''De Riparia'' side of the surname, in the same town.Like before I wrote to both families, and recieved a letter a few weeks later from Jean Martinaglia, from Concarneau, in the north west of France, looking for his uncle's family.After World War 1 his father and uncle left Cadro, in Switzerland and settled in France, later marrying French women, and going their seperate ways, eventually losing contact with each other. So after receiving Antonie Martinaglia's letter from Thonen-les-Baines, on Lake Geneva, I made a copy of Jean's letter and forwarded onto to him, with the necessary contacting telephone number. Not long thereafter did I recieve a letter from Jean telling me that Antonie had contacted him, and after many years their families were now reunited.So in turn through my correspondence with them they came to know about their relatives in Switzerland and North Italy. Anotonie who had once stood outside the ''Martinaglia Pharmacy'' in Interlaken, Switzerland, did not go inside to introduce himself, because he had no idea that they were his direct family cousins who owned the business, and were working there. Well it was not long, and he took the whole family to Cadro, meeting members of his long lost family there.
Interesting as well how a branch of the Martinaglia family landed up in the German speaking Canton of Switzerland. Margrit had a full family chart in that regard, starting with Silvestro Martinaglia in 1620 at Cadro, followed by Antonio Martinaglia in 1649, followed by another Silvestro Martinaglia in 1683, then another Antonio Martinaglia recorded in 1713, and again a Silvestro Martinaglia born in 1758. A following recorded family member, Amadio Martinaglia, born in 1827, married later Maria Busca. Amadio was born in Florence in Italy, and he and Maria then moved to Turin, Piedmont, where Luigi Alessando Vincenzo Martinaglia was born. He later married Wihlemine Haas from Basel,Switzerland where they later both relocated. This branch of the family are still living in this part of Switzerland to-day as already mentioned. The older members of the family still speak Italian, and the younger generation German.
Finally we reached the year 2011 with the age of the internet. About a year ago on ''facebook'' I found two elderley ladies living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, namely, Susana and Ines Martinaglia, who's forefather had also originated from Cadro, immigrated to that country and settled there.The informartion of these family members of which I had already read about from the book ''Cadro'', suddenly became a reality, and I started because they were on ''facebook'' quickly introducing them to the family worldwide. By this time some of our younger members of the Martinaglia family were already living in London(Jason and Darren Martinaglia) and Cleone Symons in Ohio, United States America, with another cousin in New York.
Now thanks to the power of the internet and ''facebook'', everyone after hundresd of years(nearly 500 years) are all communicating with each other. The English language playing the part, when the other languages are not understood, as language of communication. One thing is for sure this will certainly continue for generations to come, where much will be shared . May it be a joyious one!.
