Geremia Petris
No photo available
Husband: Geremia Petris
Birth: 8 Apr 1894, Zoppola, Friuli
Father: Giovanni Battista Petris Mother: Rosa Taiariol
Death: aft 1915
No photo available
Wife: Unknown
Birth: Mexico
Father: Unknown Mother: Unknown
Death: Unknown
Marriage: California?
Children: Unknown
Geremia is something of a family mystery. He was born on April 8, 1894 to Giobatta Petris and Rosa Tajariòl. He was the second son, but, as his older brother died after only eight days, Geremia was the eldest child of the family growing up. He was the same age as Andrea Quattrin, and they grew up friends.
Just before he turned 18, Geremia’s parents decided to send him to California to live and work with his cousin Pietro Bortolussi at the Italian Swiss Colony Vineyard in Lemoore. On April 2, 1912, he boarded the Duca D’Aosta in Genoa, bound for New York. He arrived on April 17th with $30 in his pocket—quite a tidy sum for a 18-year-old immigrant. Half his wages were sent back home to the family. According to the passenger list, he was 5’ 8” with a dark complexion, brown hair and brown eyes, and was in good health. It also says he was nt a polygamist nor an anarchist. Good to know.
In 1913, his uncle Domenic Tajariòl, cousin Giovanni Tajariòl, and Valentino Cecco joined him, giving his name on passenger records as the person with whom they were going to stay in America. That was the last confirmed fact we have about him, and the California part of the family never knew what happened to him. One source said that he married and died in California. Another said he moved to British Columbia instead of going home to fight in World War I. The only new lead we have is that Rosella Bomben, daughter of Geremia’s youngest sister Mora, wrote in 2022:
About Uncle Geremia, I can only tell you that my mother told me that during the war of 1915-18 (the First World War), he came to fight in Europe but with the French; this was a great regret for my grandmother Rosa “that he didn’t fight with the Italians for the liberation”.
As a non-Frenchman, the only way Geremia could have joined the French Army was by joining the French Foreign Legion. According to The Garibaldian Volunteers in France during the First World War (Heyries, 2016),
On 6 August 1914, Ricciotti Garibaldi, much like his father, Giuseppe, had done on 7 September 1870, offered his services to the French Republic, sending a telegram to the Italian press and to the French government where he called on other volunteers to join him. Six (out of seven) of Ricciotti’s sons followed his example.
Geremia seems to have answered this call. The Garibaldi Legion was only formed officially in November and was disbanded in March of 1915 so the ex-patriots could return to Italy and join the Italian Army once Italy officially entered the War. In those four short months, they fought in the three Battles of the Ardenne, suffering over 50% losses. The troop did not really distinguish itself particularly, but the newspapers later picked up the story of the Volunteers and mythologized to in order to drum up pro-War sentiments in both France and Italy.
Geremia seems to have survived. Or, at least, he was not among the casualties reported by https://theworldremembers.org/search-the-names. But he did not return to Italy to continue fight there. Again, according to Rosella’s mother, he went back to California after serving in France, married a Mexican girl, and had children. After a while, he stopped communicating with the family.
The mystery continues. If anyone knows anything, please email me at [email protected].
Husband: Geremia Petris
Birth: 8 Apr 1894, Zoppola, Friuli
Father: Giovanni Battista Petris Mother: Rosa Taiariol
Death: aft 1915
No photo available
Wife: Unknown
Birth: Mexico
Father: Unknown Mother: Unknown
Death: Unknown
Marriage: California?
Children: Unknown
Geremia is something of a family mystery. He was born on April 8, 1894 to Giobatta Petris and Rosa Tajariòl. He was the second son, but, as his older brother died after only eight days, Geremia was the eldest child of the family growing up. He was the same age as Andrea Quattrin, and they grew up friends.
Just before he turned 18, Geremia’s parents decided to send him to California to live and work with his cousin Pietro Bortolussi at the Italian Swiss Colony Vineyard in Lemoore. On April 2, 1912, he boarded the Duca D’Aosta in Genoa, bound for New York. He arrived on April 17th with $30 in his pocket—quite a tidy sum for a 18-year-old immigrant. Half his wages were sent back home to the family. According to the passenger list, he was 5’ 8” with a dark complexion, brown hair and brown eyes, and was in good health. It also says he was nt a polygamist nor an anarchist. Good to know.
In 1913, his uncle Domenic Tajariòl, cousin Giovanni Tajariòl, and Valentino Cecco joined him, giving his name on passenger records as the person with whom they were going to stay in America. That was the last confirmed fact we have about him, and the California part of the family never knew what happened to him. One source said that he married and died in California. Another said he moved to British Columbia instead of going home to fight in World War I. The only new lead we have is that Rosella Bomben, daughter of Geremia’s youngest sister Mora, wrote in 2022:
About Uncle Geremia, I can only tell you that my mother told me that during the war of 1915-18 (the First World War), he came to fight in Europe but with the French; this was a great regret for my grandmother Rosa “that he didn’t fight with the Italians for the liberation”.
As a non-Frenchman, the only way Geremia could have joined the French Army was by joining the French Foreign Legion. According to The Garibaldian Volunteers in France during the First World War (Heyries, 2016),
On 6 August 1914, Ricciotti Garibaldi, much like his father, Giuseppe, had done on 7 September 1870, offered his services to the French Republic, sending a telegram to the Italian press and to the French government where he called on other volunteers to join him. Six (out of seven) of Ricciotti’s sons followed his example.
Geremia seems to have answered this call. The Garibaldi Legion was only formed officially in November and was disbanded in March of 1915 so the ex-patriots could return to Italy and join the Italian Army once Italy officially entered the War. In those four short months, they fought in the three Battles of the Ardenne, suffering over 50% losses. The troop did not really distinguish itself particularly, but the newspapers later picked up the story of the Volunteers and mythologized to in order to drum up pro-War sentiments in both France and Italy.
Geremia seems to have survived. Or, at least, he was not among the casualties reported by https://theworldremembers.org/search-the-names. But he did not return to Italy to continue fight there. Again, according to Rosella’s mother, he went back to California after serving in France, married a Mexican girl, and had children. After a while, he stopped communicating with the family.
The mystery continues. If anyone knows anything, please email me at [email protected].