Our MUSETTI and PELLEGRI families come from the
Province of La Spezia, a region of splendid scenery celebrated by poets
and writers. It is situated in the south-western area of Northern Italy,
and surprisingly, it is reputed to be the most heavily wooded region in
the country. Ninety percent of the people live in the coastal towns and
villages, many of which are holiday resorts. The chief city in Liguria
is Genova.
One of Liguria's most famous sons was Christopher Columbus (1451-1506).
The progenitor of the MUSETTI family was PELLEGRINO MUSETTI,
who was born about 1600. Pellegrino lived in a small frazione
near Castelnuova di Magra. Years later some of his descendants moved to
the beautiful coastal town of Lerici on the Italian Riviera. Lerici is
situated in a bay on the Gulf of La Spezia. The bay is often called The
Gulf of Poets.
The Bay of Lerici attracted two well-known English romantic poets to
the area, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. In 1822, Percy Shelley drowned
during an electrical storm while sailing on the bay. Other immortal writers
like Dante, D'Annunzio and D. H. Lawrence were also attracted to the sheltered
cove of Lerici.
An impressive fortified castle overlooks Lerici; it is a superb example
of Medieval Italy's military architecture. It was this castle that inspired
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley to write one of the horror masterpieces of
all times, Frankenstein. Today, the castle is a youth hostel.
The MUSETTI surname has an interesting origin. Almost a thousand
years ago The Republic of Pisa and the surrounding area was repeatedly
attacked by a particular band of Saracens who ruled Corsica and Sardenia.
The Pisans gave the Saracen leader the nickname Musetto (little
snout). In 1003, Musetto attacked Rome. The Pope asked for help from Pisa.
Pisa's navy successfully destroyed many of Musetto's ships. He barely escaped,
but many of his men were killed or captured. The prisoners, called Musetti,
were sent to work in the marble quarries of Carrara. Eventually, some prisoners
escaped to the mountains of Garfagnana and Lunigiana. Through the years
their descendants assimilated into the general population. There is a Musetti
"stemma"; however, it is not known which branch of the family was
granted this crest.
GIUSEPPE, a descendant of PELLEGRINO MUSETTI, was born
in Lerici on 22 March 1843. Giuseppe married twice. His first wife was
GUILIA
PELLEGRI from Tellaro. They married in 1871. Guilia died several years
later. Giuseppe then married TERESA PELLEGRI in 1888. Guilia also
was born in Tellaro. It is assumed that the two women were cousins; however,
this has not yet been proven. Teresa's lineage has been traced to FRANCESCO
MARIA PELLEGRI. Francesco was born in Tellaro in about 1770.
A genealogy database for the MUSETTI/PELLEGRI family can be viewed in
the Reports Section of Our
Grafted Family Tree, and some early photographs are included
in Our Family
Photograph Album. Also visit
our The Musetti
Surname Resource Center, a place where Musetti's worldwide can
gather and share genealogical information.
Ships They
Sailed - 1888-1928 contains a brief overview and links to specific
information about our immigrant ancestors' arrivals in the United States.
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© 2008 (excluding graphics and music)