Umberto Gazzeri

Umberto Gazzeri was born in La Spezia, Genova, in 1884. Bongiovanni records that on his arrival in Chicago, Gazzeri was alone, and without any relatives or friends to whom he could connect. He was attracted by singing and praise by an Italian group, who came from Filippo Grilli's First Presbyterian Church (on Ohio Street). On speaking with Grilli, he was 'immediately converted'. He came to know Luigi Francescon, and was baptised in water with the 'Chiesa dei Toscani' community. On September 15, 1907 Gazzeri was among those who received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit on the "day of sacred memory" in the Assemblea Cristiana, Chicago.

m. Dionisia 'Domenica' Carniglia (1882-1964), who had migrated to Chicago c. 1906.

In 1908 he returned to Italy, evangelizing his sister and his brother-in-law, and other relatives who resided in La Spezia, and his sister Emma Rocchi, who lived in Dorno near Pavia. He may also have returned to Italy again in 1910-1911, centring himself on the town of Sestri Levante, south east of Rapallo, in Genoa - when he returned, he brought his sister in law Teresa Rocchi with him from from La Spezia, demonstrating how church and migration links interacted. In 1914, the family was still living in Rockford, Illinois, west of Chicago. Returning to the USA, he developed evangelization work, until he was, at the request of Giovanni Perrou and the eldership in Chicago, invited in 1917 to go to Erie, Pennsylvania, to be in charge of a community that had formed around the Bongiorno family. He took up work as a machinist, as a way of supporting himself in ministry. He would visit Italy again between 1918 and 1920 going to La Spezia and Gissi, returning to the USA on the Duca d'Aosta in September 1920. He would remain in front of the Erie community until his death in 1924, developing from it a broader evangelization among Italian communities in the western part of the state, particularly in Ellwood City (where he was invited by Nancy Damato), New Brighton, and New Castle, PA.

With Dionisia, he had a number of children, including Anna (b. c. 1909), Tito (Titus) Timothy (b. c. 4 July 1911 - 2 Aug 1993, Hawaii; m. 1. 1933 Verna Tammen; m. 2. Kay Gustafson; changed his business name to Timothy Titus Morrow; m. 3. Dorothea Ann Davis 1918–2003), and Erma (b. 13 Aug 1913, Chicago -29 Sept 2009 Omaha, Neb; 1938, m. Leo Bottazzi in Indiana).

He died in 1924 after contracting double pneumonia. After Gazzeri's death, Dionisia returned to Chicago to live with family on Erie St. with Tito and Erma.

Sources:

Ancestry.com

Bongiovanni, G., Pioneers of the Faith (Wilmington DE, 1971).

Francescon, L., Fedele Testimonianza.