Barga Genealogy Research Group

The Barga Genealogy Research Group (BGRG) was formed several years ago by people whose ancestors came from Barga and the neighboring villages. These ancestors left Barga to sell plaster statues, fish and chips and gelato in countries all around the world. The purpose of the BGRG is to foster interest in Barga and to help members discover their roots from this area.

The Group has grown to 72 members in seven countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, Italy and the USA. The Group has its own website where genealogical data can be shared

All this week, the BGRG has been holding a  reunion in Barga to meet each other and to give members a chance to see their ancestral home.

One of the BGRG’s projects is to digitally photograph all of the church records from the seven parishes within the Barga Comune (Albiano, Barga, Castelvecchio, Loppia, San Pietro, Sommocolonia, and TIglio). The records include baptism, marriage, death, and stato d’amine (census) and some go back to the 1400’s when they were written in Latin.  The photographing of the records will help to preserve the original documents by reducing the need for people seeking their ancestry to handle them and also will facilitate research. (full article about the BGRG here)

For many it was their first trip to Italy. There were various functions: tours, meals with traditional dishes and other events. One of the key events was on Sept 9 at the Sagra Della Polenta e Uccelli in Filecchio where the group had dinner and raised a glass of wine with the members’ relatives who have remained in Barga. There were be more than 70 people visiting Barga during this week.

One of the members, Max Griffin, held an exhibit of the plaster statue studios founded by Barghigiani. It included pictures, catalogs and statues from various studios including the Caproni Studio which was a major studio in Boston during the early part of the 20th Century. (article here)

This morning in the Palazzo Pancrazi there was a final meeting of the group with the Mayor of Barga to formally close the weeks events. You can hear the Mayor's speech in full by clicking on the link below (in italiano and english) 

 

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5 Responses to “Barga Genealogy Research Group”

Comments

1. dannyboy Sep 13 2007 / 4pm

   Is that Laura Gonnella doing the translation?
   Please say hello to her from the Montgomerys. We’ve tried to e-mail her a few times in the last couple of years, but haven’t gotten through.
2. doggybag Sep 17 2007 / 1pm

   hello Dan, yes it was Laura Gonnella translating … I have passed on your message, expect an email from her shortly .. ciao
3. Max, from Barga Geneology Sep 21 2007 / 3pm

   Yes, that is Laura Gonnella doing the translating and she did an excellent job helping me with the Caproni Cast exhibit and getting posters and brochures made. If you’re anticpating an email response, she does not check her emails when in Italy so it may ne Thanksgiving before you hear from her.
   A big thanks, too, to Keane for your help and support in spreading the message to the world about my exhibit and the BGRG.
4. JLCaproni Sep 22 2007 / 1pm

   The BargaNews website is terrific and will help us stay in touch with the happenings in Barga. Listening to the vocal replay of the Mayor’s closing speech with Laura translating took us back to the day it actually happened. I was extremely excited when I heard Laura’s voice again as she was a godsend to us all and contributed so much to the success of the Caproni family reunion and the BGRG. Grazie and grande kudos to Roger “Max” Griffin, during our trip we came to know you and love you, and Peter, Missy and I can’t wait to see you again, hopefully in Bordeaux for our next trip ? You are an amazing person, and we cannot thank you enough for the beautiful staging of the exhibit, sharing all of your knowledge of the Caproni family and business, showing your personal collections, and all of your time spent with us all during our fabulous week in Barga. How incredibly giving and unselfish of you, we will treasure this week as the most amazing time sharing this learning adventure with new and old friends and family. I am still reading literature, maps and documents that we received and wish we were there now. Until the next time, Ciao Julie Caproni
5. Tony Youngs Feb 29 2008 / 1pm

   Hi Laura,
   I am trying to find my grandfathers birthplace, which is believed to be in a village in the Barga area.
   His name was Vittorio Gonnella, born 1867.
   We don’t know when came to England, he married Maria Luise Butteri in England. She was born in Holborn/London.
   Are you by any chance able to help me?
   Thanks very much.
   Kind regards
   Tony Youngs, Colchster, England

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