Coreglia

Pellegrino was born in Coreglia Antelminelli, Lucca, Tuscany between 1793 and 1796. We know he was born there, because Coreglia was recorded as his place of birth on the 1861 census.¹ Lucca was mentioned in his marriage announcement.²

Pellegrino's date of birth can be deduced from his age mentioned on the 1851 (58), 1861 (65), 1871 (76) census returns and on his death certificate in 1879 (85).³

Coreglia was renowed for plaster figure making.⁴ For generations several family workshops made plaster figurines and sent their sons abroad, the Mazzottis among them. For example, Pietro Mazzotti left Coreglia at the age of 19 in 1857 and set up his studio in Münster, Germany, where he was followed by his son and grandson, both named Albert.⁵

In 1883 a school was founded in Coreglia to teach those who wanted to become figure makers and emigrate.⁶ One of the first teachers was Nicolao Mazzotti. Since 1975 the Museum of Plaster Figurines and Emigration has documented Coreglia's history of plaster figure making and emigration from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.⁷

Notes:

¹ Census. 1861. England. St Peter, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. ED 6. p. 3. http://ancstry.me/U5igop : accessed 9 January 2013.

² Marriage announcement. (1822) The Bury and Norwich Post: Or Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, Ely and Norfolk Telegraph. 20 February. MAZZOTTI, Pellegrino and LEEDS, Mary. p. 3a. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ : accessed 5 January 2013.

³ Census. 1851. England. St Botolph, Cambridge St Andrew, Cambridgeshire. ED 6. p. 12. [Ancestry] http://ancstry.me/UE1YTi : accessed 7 January 2013.

Census. 1861. England. St Peter, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. ED 6. p. 3. [Ancestry]http://ancstry.me/U5igop : accessed 9 January 2013.

Census. 1871. England. St Peter, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. ED 10. p. 3. [Ancestry] http://ancstry.me/VhJfz9 : accessed 9 January 2013.

Deaths. England. Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. 22 October 1879. MEDDZZOTTE, Pilgram. Entry no. 322.

⁴ Club I borghi più belli d'Italia. (2003-2008) Coreglia Antelminelli. http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo_en.php?codice_borgo=336 : accessed 13 January 2013.

⁵ Stadtarchiv Münster. (2008) Die Künstlerfamilie Mazzotti. http://www.muenster.de/stadt/fremd-vertraut/detail-atelier_mazzotti.html#PietroMazzotti : accessed 13 January 2013.

⁶ Lands of Lucca and Versilia (n.d.) Museo della Figurina di Gesso e dell'Emigrazione. http://www.luccaterre.it/scheda.php?id=2866&lang=en&PHPSESSID=ikkhskoud52igosqe7ssoe5gb4 : accessed 13 January 2013.

⁷ Ibid.