This is the history of John Gianelli and Dominica Berissa, who emigrated from Italy in the 19th century and settled in Liverpool, and their descendants. We’ll explore their lives and the generations that followed.
Table of Contents
G6: John Baptist Gianelli (1838-1898) and Dominica Berissa (1848-1898)
Birth: John Baptist Gianelli was born in around 1838 in Genoa, Italy.
Migration: life was hard, and many chose to emigrate. Musicians like Giovanni banded together and used their entertainment skills to earn money for food in towns and cities on the trek through Europe. For most, their aim was to reach Liverpool and buy onward passage to America. Giovanni arrived in the Port of London on 14 April 1854 on board City of Boulogne, having travelled from Boulogne in France. He was just 16 years old, but was accompanied by other Italian passengers, many of whom were fellow musicians. They made their way to Liverpool where they settled on the cobbled streets off Scotland Road, known as Little Italy. It is not known why he decided to settle in Liverpool. Some Italian families did not make the voyage to America due to a lack of funds, while others consciously chose to settle in the great port city. A newspaper story about his grandson Joe Gianelli in 1977, reported that John had walked across Europe to escape the poverty of southern Italy, scrounged a lift on a boat across the Channel, and then walked to Liverpool. He left behind his wife until he had enough money to send for her. He also allegedly walked those miles with a destitute child from his village on his back.
Marriage: to Dominica Berissa. It is not known where and how the couple met but given the age difference, it likely occurred after both had arrived in Britain.
Spouse history: Dominica was ten years John’s junior and had also been born in Genoa in around 1848. Nothing is known of her early life or when she left her homeland.
Children: (1) John in 1868, (2) Caterina in 1871, (3) Francisco in 1873, (4) Joseph in 1875, (5) Magdalena in 1879, (6) Maria in 1882, (7) Domenico in 1889. Sadly, Magdalena died in 1885 when aged six.
Occupations: since most Italian immigrants headed for Little Italy upon arrival in Liverpool, there was a demand for boarding houses to accommodate them while they earned sufficient money to pay for onward passage to America. By 1881, the couple ran their own boarding house on Gerard Street. Many of the guests were Italian musicians or ice cream vendors, which were two common trades. In addition to this, John’s occupation in 1891 was given as a traveller, which was likely to mean a travelling salesman of some variety (on his son Joseph’s marriage certificate some eight years later he was cited as a potato dealer). Dominica worked as a charwoman, which was a cleaner.
Residences: in 1871 the young family lived in a boarding house on Circus Street in central Liverpool before opening their own business in Gerard Street. When their daughter Catherine was married in 1890, she gave the family address as 10 Islington Place, a short and narrow road that jutted west off Christian Street and just a stone’s throw from their old home. The census taken the following year shows that the family appeared to run another boarding house here, with seven guests present that day.
- John: 14 Circus Street, Liverpool (1871); 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881-1885); 10 Islington Place, Liverpool (1891-1898)
- Dominica: 14 Circus Street, Liverpool (1871); 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881-1885); 10 Islington Place, Liverpool (1891-1898)
Deaths: the couple decided to retire back to their old village of San Pietro Frascati, near Genoa in Italy. Sadly, they both died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the flue in their house became blocked, possibly by a bird’s nest. Dominica died first on 13 February 1898, followed two days later by John. Their respective estates of £67 19s 10d and £730 (around £57k today) were left to their eldest son, John. Their two youngest children would only have been aged 15 and 8, but no information about their eventual fate can be found.
Notes: John’s birth name was Giovanni Battista Gianelli, the literal English translation of which is ‘John the Baptist’. Some records use the shortened Italian of his name, Gianbattista, while some church records translate it into its Latin form of Ioannes Baptista.
G5: John Joseph Gianelli (1868-1923) and Madeline Frediani (1875-1945)
Birth: John Joseph Gianelli was born in Liverpool during 1868. He was the first child of John and Dominica.
Marriage: on 28 January 1897 to Madeline Frediani at St Francis Xavier’s Roman Catholic Church on Salisbury Street. He was aged 29 and she was 21. This was the second of two marriages between these families as John’s sister Catherine had married Madeline’s brother Joseph seven years earlier.
Spouse history: unlike John, who had been born in Britain, his 21-year-old wife was an Italian native who had been born in the village of Partigliano in Tuscany on 19 November 1875 to Stefano Frediani and Maria Silvestri. Little is known about her early life, but she likely travelled to Britain with her older brothers when just a girl.
Children: (1) John in 1898, (2) Francis in 1899, (3) Dominico 1901, (4) Mary in 1903, (5) Joseph in 1905, (6) Maria in 1907, (7) Stephen in 1909, (8) Dominic in 1912, (9) Albert in 1914. Dominico sadly died in January 1903. Lena went to live with her uncle Joseph in a permanent arrangement.
Occupation: in 1891 John worked a hawker – a peddler or street seller who carried his wares with him – but the census was not specific about what he sold. Over the next decade he opened Liverpool’s first fish and chip shop on Christian Street, which over the next 80 years became one of the best-known chippies in Liverpool. In addition to the chippy their home also doubled as a boarding house for Italian immigrants, and by 1921 John had branched out into ice cream making. These were real family businesses, with John’s sister Catherine and Madeline’s sister-in-law Lizzie working in the chippy, while his children John, Francis, and Joseph all helped to produce ice cream. Following John’s death Madeline continued to run the businesses until at least the outbreak of war in 1939.
The 1933 Kelly’s Directory of Liverpool and Suburbs lists a Madelina Gianelli operating as a fried fish dealer at 143 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool. If this is the same person, then it is possible that they had a second business.
Residences: at the time of their marriage Madeline lived with her brother Joseph and future sister-in-law Catherine, while John lived with his parents. The family remained in the close-knit Italian community, and by 1901 owned a large property on the comer of Islington Place and Christian Street which housed the chippy on the ground floor with a large residential space above and behind also used as the boarding house. This was their home for the rest of their lives.
- John: 14 Circus Street, Liverpool (1871); 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881); 10 Islington Place, Liverpool (1891-1897); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901-1923)
- Madeline: 51 Craven Street, Liverpool (1897); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901-1945); 143 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool (1938)
Deaths: John died at home on 5 November 1923 when aged 55 and was buried in Ford Cemetery after a service at Holy Cross. He left his estate of £1,958 9s 6d (around £80k today) to his wife. Madeline died at home on 20 June 1945, aged 69, and was buried in the same plot as John. She left her estate of £4,394 1s 5d (around £156k today) to sons John and Francis.
Notes: although commonly known as John, in early records he is often cited with the Italian translation of his name (Giovanni), while some church records translate it into its Latin form of Ioannes.
G4: John Baptist Gianelli (1898-1975)
Birth: John Baptist Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 15 April 1898. He was the first child of John and Madeline. Commonly known as Johnny.
Christening: on 1 May 1898 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Occupations: the 1921 census shows that 23-year-old Johnny helped to run the family businesses. City directories from 1933 and 1938 list him as an ice-cream maker and fried fish dealer, yet when the National Register was taken in September 1939 he was curiously cited as a motor engineer. During the war Johnny and his siblings Frank and Maria appeared to take over the running of the chippy from their mother, which they ran together into the 1970s.
Residences: Johnny never married and lived over the shop until his death, taking in a series of long-term lodgers including Anastasia Moran (1945-70), Richard Duffy (1945-56), and John Lucente (1951-70).
- 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901-1975)
Death: Johnny died on 31 August 1975 when aged 77 and was cremated at Anfield Crematorium following a requiem mass at Holy Cross.
G4: Francis Stephen Gianelli (1899-1984)
Birth: Francis Stephen Gianelli was born on 5 December 1899 in the family home in Liverpool. He was the second child of John and Madeline. Commonly known as Frank.
Schools: Frank studied at St Francis Xavier School until he transferred to Holy Cross.
Marriage: on 24 September 1930 to Isabella Seddon at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street. They were both aged 30.
Spouse history: Isabella was born on 9 April 1900, one of the nine children of Henry Seddon and Margaret Jordan, being christened at Holy Cross during April. In 1901 her father worked as a ‘farm carter’ – someone who drove a horse and cart on a farm, a curious occupation for a city-dweller. The family lived on Great Crosshall Street, although by 1921 Isabella lived with her elderly aunt a few doors down.
Children: (1) Madeline in 1931, (2) John in 1934, (3) Francis in 1937. John sadly died aged three.
Occupations: the 1921 census shows that 21-year-old Frank helped to run the family businesses while Isabella was a soap wrapper for Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight. When the National Register was taken in September 1939, 39-year-old Frank was a motor driver (town delivery). However, during the war he appeared to take over the running of the family chippy alongside siblings Johnny and Maria, which they ran together into the 1970s.
Residences: they lived with Bella’s parents until 1938 when they moved around the corner into a terraced house of their own. They lived on Standish Street until at least 1970. An adjoining property was occupied throughout by Bella’s brother Christopher and wife Mary. Her youngest brother George also lived with them during the pre-war period.
- Frank: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901-1930); 49 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1932-1938); 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1938-1970)
- Bella: 49 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1901-1938); 54 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1921); 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1938-1970)
Hobbies and interests: Frank was a very prominent and well-loved member of the Holy Cross Church community and drank in the pubs around Standish Street off Great Crosshall Street.
Deaths: 80-year-old Bella died in hospital on 5 March 1981 after a lengthy illness. She was survived by Frank until his death three years later on 26 October 1984 when aged 84. They were both buried at Ford Cemetery after a Requiem Mass at Holy Cross.
G3: Madeline Gianelli (1931-2015)
Birth: Madeline Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 8 July 1931. She was the first child of Frank and Isabella.
Marriage: to Norman Nelson during 1953. She was aged 21 and he was a year older.
Spouse history: Norman was born on 17 February 1930.
Residences:
- Madeline: 49 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1931-1938); 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1938-1956); 137 Kirkdale Road, Liverpool (1957-1958); 6 Epworth Street, Liverpool (1958-1963); 221 Mill Lane, Liverpool (1964); 90 Gloucester Place, Liverpool (1965-1970)
- Norman: 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1953-1956); 137 Kirkdale Road, Liverpool (1957-1958); 6 Epworth Street, Liverpool (1958-1963); 221 Mill Lane, Liverpool (1964); 90 Gloucester Place, Liverpool (1965-1970)
Death: Norman died at home on 29 May 1990. Madeline survived him for 25 years and died on 23 September 2015. They were both cremated at Anfield Cemetery, Madeline after a service at Sacred Heart Church.
G2: Patricia Pauline Nelson (1953-2002)
Birth: Patricia Pauline Nelson was born in Liverpool on 19 December 1953. She was the first child of Norman and Madeline.
Residences: 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1953-1956); 137 Kirkdale Road, Liverpool (1957-1958); 6 Epworth Street, Liverpool (1958-1963); 221 Mill Lane, Liverpool (1964); 90 Gloucester Place, Liverpool (1965-1970)
Death: Pat died in May 2002 when aged 48.
G3: John Gianelli (1934-1938)
Birth: John Gianelli was born in Liverpool during 1934. He was the second child of Frank and Isabella.
Residences: 49 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1934-1938)
Death: John died at home on 11 January 1938 when aged 3 and was buried in the same plot as his paternal grandparents in Ford Cemetery.
G3: Francis Joseph Gianelli (1937-2021)
Birth: Francis Joseph Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 5 April 1937. He was the third child of Frank and Isabella.
Residences: 49 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool (1937-1938); 29 Standish Street, Liverpool (1938-1970)
Death: Francie died on 12 December 2021 when aged 84 and was buried in the same plot as his paternal grandparents in Ford Cemetery after a service at St Anthony’s Church. It is not thought that he ever married.
G4: Dominico Gianelli (1901-1903)
Birth: Dominico Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 23 October 1901. She was the third child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 6 November 1901 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Residences: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901-1903)
Death: 20 January 1903 when aged 15 months. She was buried at Ford Cemetery.
Notes: other than on her birth registration, Dominico is usually cited as ‘Domenica’, but since it is Dominico that is also written on her headstone that is what we will use. She also had a namesake cousin who later lived with her parents, but baptism records show that this was definitely their niece.
G4: Mary Madelina Gianelli (1903-1993)
Birth: Mary Madelina Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 4 December 1903. She was the fourth child of John and Madeline. Commonly known as Lena.
Christening: 20 December 1903 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Residences: by 1911 Lena had permanently moved in with her paternal uncle Joe Gianelli and his wife Annie (and was actually scrubbed off her parent’s census return). They lived in a large 9-bed house on Norwood Grove in an affluent area of West Derby. Joe had found success as a bookmaker, becoming one of the best known in the north of England. When he died in 1928, he left his considerable estate (worth £315,500 today) to Annie and Lena. The National Register of 1939 captured them living together in a large house in the coastal town of Hoylake on the Wirral, perhaps rented to escape the expected bombing of the city. Post-war, Lena continued to live at Norwood Grove until 1960, after which the house was converted into four flats.
- 14 Norwood Grove, Liverpool (1911-1960); 5 Cleveley Road, Hoylake (1939)
Death: Lena died at Edgeworth House nursing home in the village of Bebington on 17 May 1993 when aged 89. She never married.
G4: Joseph Gerard Gianelli (1905-1982)
Birth: Joseph Gerard Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 25 September 1905. He was the fifth child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 8 October 1905 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Marriage: during 1947 to Margaret Kirby. He was aged 41 and she was just 22.
Spouse history: Margaret was born on 19 June 1924. The 1939 Register had captured her living in a typical terraced house on Dell Street near Wavertree Botanic Gardens. This was the home of Thomas Heron and his children, who was likely her maternal grandfather.
Children: two children born in 1948 and 1951.
Occupations: the 1921 census shows that 15-year-old Joe helped in the running of the family businesses. By the outbreak of war he worked as a bookmaker, perhaps alongside his successful uncle Joe. He likely kept an office on Islington. Margaret at this time was a tobacco stripper. By 1951 Joe had become the warden of the Snowdon Ranger Merseyside Youth Hostel, the highest YHA on Snowden, near Rhyd-ddu and midway between Caernarvon and Beddgelert. He held this role for at least 15 years before relocating back to his native Liverpool, where in 1976 at the age of 70 he was an office manager in the city centre.
Hobbies and interests: Joe was an expert mountaineer who was dedicated to safety. Beginning in the early 1950s, he would survey the routes and tracks around Snowden two or three times a week over winter and report any that were treacherous to every youth hostel in the area. Joe became known as “The Snowden Met Man” and appeared in two dozen newspaper articles throughout the 1950s until 1965, primarily warning people against trying to climb Snowden in treacherous conditions. This began out of his interest in photography, particularly that which could be achieved from up Snowden in winter.
Residences: Joe lived with his parents until he married Margaret at the age of 41. The couple moved to Wales straight after their marriage. After living at the foot of Snowdonia until the mid-1960s, Joe moved back to Islington Place where he lived alone above the old fish and chip shop.
- Joseph: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1905-1947); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1977); 6 Pinehurst Avenue, Liverpool (1982)
- Margaret: 3 Dell Street, Liverpool (1939)
Deaths: Joe died in Walton Hospital on 17 September 1982 when aged 76. He was cremated at Anfield Crematorium after Requiem Mass at Holy Cross. Margaret survived him for 35 years and died in Wales on 21 September 2017 when aged 93.
G4: Maria Gianelli (1907-1993)
Birth: Maria Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 18 October 1907. She was the sixth child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 3 November 1907 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Marriage: on 17 April 1948 to Giacomo Busani. She was aged 40 and he was 33.
Spouse history: Giacomo, commonly known as John, had been born in Bristol on 15 April 1915 to a mother with the maiden name of Silva. In September 1939 when aged 24 he lived alone in a semi-detached house on Moffatdale Road next to Anfield Cemetery.
Upon the declaration of war there were some 73,000 resident Germans and Austrians living in the UK. Home Office internment tribunals examined the case of each one and separated them into three categories: Category C were viewed as ‘friendly aliens’, B as subject to some restrictions, and A were considered high risk and sent to internment camps being set up across the country. Mussolini declared war on Britain and France on 10 June 1940, and overnight all 20,000 Italians resident in the United Kingdom saw themselves classified as enemy aliens. The situation was very different to just nine months before however – the defeated British Army had been rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk just days before and the country faced the very real threat of an imminent German invasion. Churchill was keen to ‘collar the lot’ and then ‘pick out the good ones’. More than 4,000 Italian subjects, mainly men, were arrested on or just after 10 June 1940. These were predominately those who had lived in Britain for less than 20 years, and who were between the ages of 16 and 70.
Amongst those interned was John Busani. At this point he was 25 years old and had been born in England, so why he was interned is not known. It is possible that he was a member of the Italian fascist party and therefore consider a security risk.
The increase in numbers of internees led to a serious space problem and following offers from the Canadian and Australian governments, more than 7,500 were shipped overseas. John sailed to Canada on the SS Ettrick on 3 July 1940. As the war progressed, many aliens were released and by August 1942 only 5,000 remained interned, but this still included John. He remained in Canada until shipped to the Isle of White onboard the SS Monsted, arriving on 27 July 1943. The sea-front hotels & guest houses in Ramsey and Douglas were surrounded by barbed wire fences and houses internees for the duration of the war. John remained interned there until 2 March 1944, among the last to be released.
Residences: 13-year-old Maria is curiously scrubbed off her parent’s 1921 census return, although we know that she lived at home until well into her thirties. After their marriage the couple lived on Moffatdale Road until the end of their lives.
- Maria: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1907-1947); 1 Moffatdale Road, Liverpool (1949-1993)
- John: 1 Moffatdale Road, Liverpool (1939-1982)
Occupation: when the National Register was taken in September 1939, 31-year-old Maria worked as an unpaid domestic helper, probably keeping the home while the rest of the family worked in their businesses. Several of her adult siblings also lived at home, along with several boarders, so this was probably quite a job. During the war Maria and her siblings Johnny and Frank took over the running of the family chippy from their mother, which they ran together into the 1970s. John was a terrazzo layer – someone who made walkways, floors, patios, and panels by placing marble chips and other fine aggregates on a bed of concrete.
Deaths: John died at home on the final day of 1982 when aged 67 and was buried in Anfield Cemetery. Maria survived him for 11 years and died on 23 May 1993, when aged 85. She was cremated at Anfield Cemetery and her ashes put on the grave of her husband.
Notes: John was never registered to vote, perhaps due to his background.
G4: Stephen Gianelli (1909-1973)
Birth: Stephen Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 20 November 1909. He was the seventh child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 5 December 1909 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street. Madeline Frediani was his godmother.
Marriage: on 15 June 1938 to Tamar Elizabeth Bullen. He was aged 28 and he was 24.
Spouse history: Tamar was born in Liverpool on 27 December 1913 to grocer’s clerk Edmund Bullen and wife Maggie Blake Armistead. The family lived in a flat above a shop on the main Kirkdale Road, with Tamar christened at nearby St Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church on 11 January 1914. She still lived here with her mother at the time of her marriage.
Children: (1) Nora in 1942, (2) a girl in 1944.
Residences: the newlyweds moved out to West Derby where they lived in a new semi-detached house on Eaton Gardens. They lived there into the 1970s, sharing their home with Tamar’s mother Maggie throughout this time.
- Stephen: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1909-1938); 87 Eaton Gardens, Liverpool (1939-1973)
- Tamar: 27A Kirkdale Road, Liverpool (1914-1939); 87 Eaton Gardens, Liverpool (1939-1968)
Occupations: Steve was a terrazzo layer with apparent specialism in laying the concrete that the marble chips were laid upon. He served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during the war. His last job was as a security guard.
Deaths: Tamar died of ovarian cancer on 1 December 1968, when aged just 54. She was cremated at Anfield Crematorium after a service at St Paul’s Church. Steve died of lung cancer at home on 20 July 1973 when aged 63. He was also cremated at Anfield.
Notes: an incident happened on the afternoon of 30 May 1952 which was change Steve’s life forever. Whilst waiting at Hamilton Square Station, Birkenhead, Steve fell from the platform as an electric train approached. The driver, William Blackwell, applied the brakes, but the train passed over Steve before coming to a stop. Miraculously, he avoided the live rail and was discovered under the second coach.
The rescuers were led by Arthur Evans, who said “The moment I saw the man fall I ran to the phone and asked for the current to be switched off. Then the train driver and I crawled under the train and found the man under the second coach. By a miracle he had missed the live rail. As he was too heavy for us we crawled back for help. A guard, a porter and two passengers came under the train and helped us to get him to the platform.”
Steve was rushed to Birkenhead General Hospital with severe head and arm injuries, including the near amputation of his right arm, which was later completed in surgery. Police remained outside the hospital until he was identified at 3am the following morning.
Six weeks later, Steve appeared in Birkenhead Magistrates’ Court, charged with attempting to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of the train. Witnesses, including the driver and several passengers, testified that he had jumped from the platform. Blackwell stated that he saw Steve leap with his arms and knees up, concluding that it was a deliberate act. Witnesses on the platform also confirmed seeing him jump, and there was no sign of any disturbance among the passengers that might have caused him to fall.
Medical evidence, however, complicated the case. Dr. D.R. Dunn, a senior orthopaedic surgeon, noted that Steve had no memory of the incident and had cried out, “Do not push me,” during his early days in hospital. While there was no history of fainting fits, the doctor acknowledged that his injuries could have caused memory loss.
Steve’s wife testified that there was no domestic trouble or reason for him to attempt suicide. His lawyer, Mr. H. Munro, argued that there was insufficient evidence to prove intent, but the court found him guilty. However, he was given a conditional discharge.
Determined to clear his name, Steve appealed the conviction at Birkenhead Quarter Sessions in December 1952. His defence argued that he was convicted on insufficient evidence and that he had no memory of the event. He stated that he had no financial worries, was happily married, and had no intention of taking his own life. He recalled nothing of the day beyond his morning routine and could not explain why he had been in Birkenhead.
During the appeal, his wife again mentioned his hospital ramblings, including the cryptic phrase, “Don’t push me, it’s worse than Glasgow Rangers”. However, the court upheld the original ruling, dismissing his appeal with costs.
G4: Dominic Gianelli (1912-1918)
Birth: Dominic Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 4 August 1912. He was the eighth child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 14 August 1912 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Residences: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1912-1918)
Death: Dominic died on 31 May 1918 when aged just five and was buried in the family plot in Ford Cemetery.
Note: some sources cite him as “Dominico”, but since it is Dominic that is written on his headstone that is what we will use.
G4: Albert Angelo Gianelli (1914-1986)
Birth: Albert Angelo Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 3 December 1914. He was the eighth child of John and Madeline.
Christening: 13 December 1914 at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on Great Crosshall Street.
Marriage: to Doreen Herrod during 1943 in Liverpool. He was aged 28 and she was 24.
Spouse history: Doreen was born on 15 April 1918, the second child of Joseph Herrod and Catherine Mary Corson, and was christened at St Bridget’s Church in Toxteth. Her father was a painter who in 1921 worked for the Liverpool Corporation at their Lister Drive power station. The family lived in a small red brick terraced house on Goswell Street next to Wavertree Playground, wedged between two train tracks but also close to a large park. In 1938 they moved around the corner to a flat above a shop on the main Picton Road.
Children: (1) Stephen in 1952.
Occupations: in 1939 Albert was a terrazzo layer while Doreen was an accounts clerk.
Residences: the newlyweds appeared to alternate between living with their parents.
- Albert: 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1914-1945, 1948-1952, 1955-1956); 10 Rathbone Road, Liverpool (1945-1947)
- Doreen: 75 Goswell Street, Liverpool (1918-1939); 135A Picton Road, Liverpool (1939); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1945, 1948-1952, 1955-1956); 10 Rathbone Road, Liverpool (1945-1947); 18 Eversley Park, Storeton Road, Birkenhead (2003-2005); Salisbury House Residential Home, 83-85 Egerton Park, Birkenhead (2007)
Deaths: Albert died in Liverpool on 27 March 1986, when aged 71. Doreen survived him for over two decades and died on 27 April 2008 when aged 90. They were cremated at Landican Crematorium in Birkenhead.
G5: Caterina Gianelli (1871-1943) & Joseph Frediani (1862-1916)
See the Frediani line for the history of Caterina and her descendants.
G5: Francisco Gianelli (1873-?)
Birth: Francisco Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 22 November 1873. He was the third child of John and Dominica. He was commonly known as Francis.
Christening: on 16 December 1873 at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church on Grosvenor Street. He was confirmed in the same church on 12 December 1884.
Marriage: on 4 December 1900 to Margaret Mooney at St Joseph’s. He was aged 27 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Margaret was born in Liverpool on 4 August 1877 to general labourer Michael Mooney and his wife Mary, who were likely Irish. She was christened at Holy Cross during September. The family had little money and lived in a series of small court houses off Scotland Road. These cramped houses were very poor quality, with just a single toilet and tap shared by the entire court.
Children: (1) Dominica in 1902, (2) Mary in 1903, (3) Joseph in 1905, (4) Francis in 1907.
Residences: the family lived in a series of dinghy court or small terraced houses within the same neighbourhood. For example, Spring Place was a tiny terraced house on what can only be described as a ginnel off Springfield Street near Lime Street Station.
- Francis: 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881); 3/9 Court, Holly Street, Liverpool (1900); 4/3 Court, Clare Street, Liverpool (1902); 13 Spring Place, Springfield Street, Liverpool (1903); 9/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1906)
- Margaret: 2/6 Court, Bent Street, Liverpool (1881); 13/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1891); 6/1 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1900); 4/3 Court, Clare Street, Liverpool (1902); 13 Spring Place, Springfield Street, Liverpool (1903); 9/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1906); 12/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1914)
Deaths: Margaret died in 1914 when about 34 years old and was buried in Ford Cemetery. Nothing more is known about the fate of Francis.
Notes: Francis is missing from the 1891 census, and both Francis and Margaret are missing from the 1901 and 1911 census.
G4: Dominica Gianelli (1902-1978)
Birth: Dominica Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 22 February 1902. She was the first child of Francis and Margaret.
Christening: on 3 March 1902 at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church on Grosvenor Street.
Marriage: in 1940, at the age of 37, Dominica married Hugh Williams.
Children: their only child was born in 1941.
Occupation: Dominica worked in the chippy and by 1939 was the manager.
Residences: the 1921 census shows that Dominica lived with her uncle John Gianelli and family in their large property on the comer of Islington Place and Christian Street, which comprised the chippy, a boarding house, and an ice cream making business. She still lived there almost two decades later. After wedding Hughie the young family lived in a red-brick terraced house on Lugard Road, part of a reasonably new estate in the Aigburth, until at least 1970.
- Dominica: 4/3 Court, Clare Street, Liverpool (1902); 13 Spring Place, Springfield Street, Liverpool (1903); 9/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1906); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1921-1939); 15 Lugard Road, Liverpool (1945-1970)
- Hughie: 15 Lugard Road, Liverpool (1945-1970)
Deaths: Dominica died in Liverpool on 31 March 1978 when aged 76.
G4: Mary Gianelli (1903-1977)
Birth: Mary Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 14 August 1903. She was the second child of Francis and Margaret.
Christening: on 23 August 1903 at St Francis Xavier’s Roman Catholic Church on Salisbury Street.
Marriage: on 4 February 1924 to Peter Sylvester Burns. She was aged 20 and he was 19.
Spouse history: Peter was born in Liverpool on 3 July 1904, one of at least seven children of Stephen and Margaret Burns. He was christened a few weeks later at St Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Kirkdale. The family lived in just around the corner on Leyden Street, moving a few yards to Lamb Street by 1911. His father was a dock labourer. Peter’s mother had died by 1921, when he lived with his father and sister in a court house off Boundary Street.
Children: (1) Margret in 1924, (2) Dominica in 1925, (3) Eileen in 1930, (4) Peter in 1931, (5) Dennis in 1936.
Occupations: when aged 16, Peter worked as a ‘houseman’ in the offices of the Liverpool Echo newspaper on Victoria Street. This was someone employed for cleaning, maintenance, and other general work to keep a property presentable and running smoothly. He later became a driver.
Residences: in 1939 the family lived in a terraced house on Rendal Street near Anfield Cemetery. It appears that by 1942 they had swapped houses with Mary’s cousin, the recently widowed Madelina Jones. They lived on the Islington main road until 1959. By the 1970s they had moved out of the centre to a semi-detached house on a housing estate in Aintree.
- Mary: 9/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1906); 48 Rendal Street, Liverpool (1939); 58 Islington, Liverpool (1945-1959)
- Peter: 6 Leyden Street, Liverpool (1904); 57 Lamb Street, Liverpool (1911); 4/9 Court (Painter’s Buildings), Boundary Street, Liverpool (1921); 48 Rendal Street, Liverpool (1939); 58 Islington, Liverpool (1945-1959); 42 Rugby Drive, Aintree (1973)
Deaths: Peter died in Walton Hospital on 6 May 1973 aged 68. He was cremated at Anfield Crematorium on 10 May. Mary died suddenly on 28 May 1977 when aged 73. She was cremated at Anfield Crematorium after a service at the Church of the Holy Angels on Westvale.
G3: Margaret Marie Burns (1924-2010)
Birth: Margaret Marie Burns was born in Liverpool on 13 July 1924. She was the first child of Peter and Mary.
Marriage: to Joseph Gerald Wilson during 1951. She was aged 26 and he was 23.
Spouse history: Joe had been born on 27 May 1927 to engine fitter Richard Wilson and his wife Susan McCabe. In 1939 the family lived on Wernbrook Road near Anfield Cemetery.
Children: they had one child in 1951.
Residences:
- Maggie: 48 Rendal Street, Liverpool (1939); 58 Islington, Liverpool (1945-1950); 23 Worcester Drive, Liverpool (1977)
- Joe: 36 Wernbrook Road, Liverpool (1939-1949); 23 Worcester Drive, Liverpool (1977)
Deaths: Joe died in Liverpool on 5 August 2002 aged 75. Maggie died on 27 May 2010.
G3: Dominica Burns (1925-2009)
Birth: Dominica Burns was born in Liverpool on 29 December 1925. She was the second child of Peter and Mary.
Residences: we know that she lived with her parents until at least 1959, when she was aged 34.
- 48 Rendal Street, Liverpool (1939); 58 Islington, Liverpool (1945-1959); 42 Rugby Drive, Liverpool; 76 Rowan Drive, Liverpool (1977)
Death: Minnie died in Liverpool on 20 December 2009 when aged 84.
G4: Joseph Gianelli (1905-1906)
Birth: Joseph Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 4 April 1905. He was the third child of Francis and Margaret.
Christening: on 15 April 1905 at St Francis Xavier’s Roman Catholic Church on Salisbury Street.
Residences: 9/6 Court, Comus Street, Liverpool (1906).
Death: he died aged 18 months and was buried in Ford Cemetery on 4 November 1906.
Frank was mentioned in an article in the Liverpool Echo on 13 September 1975:
G4: Francis Joseph Gianelli (1907-1973)
Birth: Francis Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 1 July 1907. He was the fourth child of Francis and Margaret. His mother died in 1914 when Frank was just seven years old.
Marriage: he married Jessie Jones on 31 July 1932 when they were both 25 years old.
Spouse history: Jessie had been born in Liverpool on 13 December 1906 to Gerald and Mary Jones. She was christened on Christmas Eve at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church on St Domingo Road. In 1911 the family lived in a terraced house on Rivington Street near Stanley Park. Her parents had an impressive 12 children, although only five still lived and four were at home. Jessie’s father worked as a general labourer for a dry soap works, as did her eldest sister, Mary.
Children: (1) Della in 1933.
Residences: in 1921 Frank lived with his wealthy uncle Joe Gianelli in his large house on Norwood Grove in West Derby. After Della’s birth they moved to a brand-new housing estate in West Derby, built to rehouse families displaced by the slum clearances of Scotland Road. The estates proved unpopular with many however, and by 1938 the family was back in their old neighbourhood in a smaller terraced house on Balfour Street. They lived here for at least the next three decades.
- Frank: 14 Norwood Grove, Liverpool (1921); 22 Rothbury Road, Liverpool (1934); 34 Balfour Street, Liverpool (1938-1970)
- Jessie: 15 Rivington Street, Liverpool (1911-1921); 22 Rothbury Road, Liverpool (1934); 34 Balfour Street, Liverpool (1938-1970)
Occupations: Frank briefly served as a merchant seaman before becoming a builder’s labourer, specifically a marble mason. Mary worked from a young age as a chocolate dipper for Barker & Dobson on Whitefield Road, which was on its way to becoming one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in Britain.
Military service: Frank enlisted into the Royal Artillery on 28 March 1928 for an initial period of six and a half years. He was given serial number 779915, but his service appears to have been short lived as he was discharged four months later under paragraph 370 (VI) of the King’s Regulations, which was likely due to him failing his training or otherwise being considered incapable of becoming an effective soldier.
Deaths: Frank died in Liverpool on 5 April 1973 when aged 65 and was cremated at Anfield Crematorium after a service as St Anthony’s Church. Jessie survived him by almost a quarter of a century and died on 28 October 1997 aged 90. She was cremated at Springwood Crematorium.
Notes: he started to be recorded as ‘Joseph Francis’ from around 1927. He was described as 5 feet and 8 inches tall with brown eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion. It is interesting to note that the 1939 Register has his year of birth wrong, putting him older than he was.
G3: Della Gianelli (1933-2021)
Birth: Della Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 13 September 1933. She was the only child of Francis and Jessie.
Residences: Della lived with her parents until their deaths and called Balfour Street home for at least 60 years.
- 34 Balfour Street, Liverpool (1955-1970, 2002-2008)
Death: on 30 September 2021 when aged 88 and was cremated at Springwood Crematorium. It’s not thought that she ever married.
G5: Joseph Gianelli (1875-1928)
Birth: Joseph Gianelli was born in Liverpool during 1875. He was the fourth child of John and Dominica. He was commonly known as Joe.
Marriage: on 5 April 1898 to Annie Anderson at the Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas with St Anne on Chapel Street near Prince’s Dock. He was aged 23 and she was 21.
Spouse history: Annie came from Göteborg (Gothenburg), the second largest city in Sweden, having been born there during 1877 to fruit dealer Peter Anderson.
Children: they had no children of their own, but appeared to have adopted Joe’s niece Lena, who lived with them for the remainder of their lives. They also took in their nephew Francis after the death of his mother, Joe’s sister.
Occupation: in 1891 15-year-old Joe worked as a hawker, like his elder brother, who was a street seller who carried his wares with him. Joe became a labourer and in 1901 worked on tunnels, but his fortune changed drastically when he found success as a bookmaker. Joe became one of the best known in the north of England with some of the biggest commissions then on record. From at least 1919 Joe kept an office at 18 Union Street, a smart street close to Prince’s Dock in the city centre.
Crime: Joe got himself into trouble with the law in July 1911 which landed him in court. After an evening drinking with friends in the Black Bull on Warbreck Moor, he and Alfred Powell got into horse and trap and attempted to drive home. A passing policeman, seeing that they were in no condition to do so, ordered them to dismount. At that point the two men began to assault the officer, striking him in the body, kicking his legs, and breaking his whistle. They apologised for their behaviour in court and were given the choice of a 20 schilling fine each or 14 days in prison.
Other: on the evening of 3 August 1922 at about 9pm, Joe and three friends were driving home along Chester Road when a “lady cyclist” suddenly turned onto the road from Queensferry Road and promptly fell of her bike. To avoid her, Joe’s chauffeur swerved suddenly and hit the kerb, throwing the car onto its side and all the passengers onto the pavement. Luckily no one was injured, although the incident served to show Joe’s wealth at this time.
Residences: At the time of their marriage, Joe lived on Brown Street, while Annie lived a few doors down. They remained in the close-knit Italian community, and in 1901 lived with Joe’s brother John and family in the boarding house that they ran on the corner of Islington Place and Christian Street. Following Joe’s business success, the couple moved into a large 9-bed terraced house on Norwood Grove in an affluent area of West Derby, where they would live for the rest of their lives.
The only exception to this seemed to be after the outbreak of war in 1939 when Annie and Lena had a large house in the coastal town of Hoylake on the Wirral, which they perhaps rented to escape the expected bombing of the city.
Following Joe’s death, Annie and Lena took in a series of long-term lodgers through to the 1950s, including couples, families, and single people, although it is possible that part of the large house had been converted into an apartment. Norwood Grove was fully converted into four flats in the 1960s.
- Joe: 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881); 10 Islington Place, Liverpool (1891); 26 Brown Street, Liverpool (1898); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901); 14 Norwood Grove, Liverpool (1908-1928)
- Annie: 15 Brown Street, Liverpool (1898); 2/4 Islington Place, Liverpool (1901); 14 Norwood Grove, Liverpool (1908-1958); 5 Cleveley Road, Hoylake (1939)
Community: in March 1918, Joe spent £1,000 (around £60k today) on war bonds to help Liverpool beat Glasgow and take the record for the highest takings in a single week. His donation was listed in the Liverpool Echo on 9 March, and it is noticeable that the other large donations were from companies or other organisations rather than individuals like Joe. During the next war, Annie was thanked in the Liverpool Evening Express in November 1941 and again in November 1943 for contributions of ‘silver paper’ to help their cot fund at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital.
Deaths: Joe died at the Central Nursing Home on Rodney Street on 1 November 1928 when aged just 53 (despite what his obituary says!) and was buried in Ford Cemetery. He bequeathed £9,442 16s. 9d. (around £315,500) to Annie and Lena. His esteem was demonstrated in the obituary printed in the Liverpool Echo on the very day that he died:
The death occurred at a Rodney Street nursing home, this morning, of Mr. Joseph Giaenelli. Mr. Gianelli was in his 55th year, and was one of the best-known bookmakers in the North of England. He had lived in Liverpool all his life, but came of Italian parentage. He leaves a widow, but no family. He was a member of the Liverpool Commission Agents’ Association, serving on the committee of that body for a time. As befitted one who worked some of the biggest commissions on record, Mr. Gianelli had gained a name for scrupulous fairness in his dealings, and was well respected wherever he went.
This was followed by another article three days later:
Sportsmen generally, and bowlers particularly, in which latter pastime he took a great interest, heard with much regret of the sudden death of Mr. Joseph Gianelli. Mr Gianelli was a generous supporter of bowls, and the several clubs with which he was connected in Liverpool were frequently the recipients of handsome and valuable prizes for their mains. He was one of the oldest members of the Royal Excelsior Bowling Club, Aintree, where his genial character and good sportsmanship made him deservedly popular.
Annie died at home on 26 January 1958 when aged 81 and was buried in Anfield Cemetery. She left her estate of £1,274 16s. 6d. (the equivalent of £22,200 today) to her still spinster niece Lena.
Notes: in March 1918, Joe spent £1,000 (around £60k today) on war bonds to help Liverpool beat Glasgow and take the record for the highest takings in a single week. His donation was listed in the Liverpool Echo on 9 March, and it is noticeable that the other large donations were from companies or other organisations rather than individuals like Joe. During the next war, Annie was thanked in the Liverpool Evening Express in November 1941 and again in November 1943 for contributions of ‘silver paper’ to help their cot fund at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital.
G5: Magdalena Gianelli (1879-1885)
Birth: Magdalena Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 8 September 1879. She was the fifth child of John and Dominica.
Christening: on 21 September 1879 at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church on Grosvenor Street.
Residences: 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool (1881-1885)
Death: Magdalena died aged six and was buried in Ford Cemetery on 8 October 1885.
G5: Maria Gianelli (1882-?)
Birth: Maria Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 20 March 1882. She was the sixth child of John and Dominica.
Christening: on 13 April 1882 at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church on Grosvenor Street.
Residences: 73 Gerard Street, Liverpool
Notes: Maria does not appear on the 1891 census and there is no further record of her.
G5: Domenico Gianelli (1889-?)
Birth: Domenico Gianelli was born in Liverpool on 13 April 1889. She was the seventh child of John and Dominica.
Residences: 10 Islington Place, Liverpool (1891)
Notes: There is no further record of him.
One Response
Hi, my dad is Stephen – born in 1952… to Albert and Doreen 🙂 I showed my family this thread, it was a great read!