Our Family Tree: Chapter 4 - The Ullivelli Family
This is the fourth and final chapter of a handwritten book by my great-grandaunt, Jo Baginski. It covers the Ullivelli family, primarily Julius Ullivelli and his four kids Julius, Louis, Amalia, and Dorothy.
By Johanna Helene Baginski (Linked names open FamilySearch in a new tab; Places in Wikipedia)
Great-grandfather Ullivelli [Julius Ullivelli] was born in and grew up in Florence (Torenyia), Italy. When a young man, he belonged to the Italian Heerskoops, which joined Napoleon in France in 1812 to take part in his war against Russia. (He must have been born about 1787 or so.) His Regiment marched across all Germany to Russia. After the terrible defeat Napoleon's troops suffered, those Grenadiers who were able to, started back to France marching back again across all Germany. Most of the regiments had been so badly beaten, not so much by the “Rahthosen” or Russians but by the bitterly cold and starvation for which they had not been prepared. So they started back, dejected and many wounded, many separated, some in small groups, anyway, just to get back to France. Julius Ullivelli's regiment had been completely broken up, and I believe he started back by himself. He had been slightly wounded and had a little of any money. He wandered through East Prussia till he got to the city of Stolp on the Ost Sea. At that time, about 1813 or so, there was a small group of Italian goldsmiths and amber jeweler workers living in Stolp, because this sea was where the amber was found. I don't know whether Ullivelli knew they were there or if he found out by accident. Anyway, his countrymen made him welcome and nursed him back to health. He stayed there in Stolp and never made any attempt to return to Italy. I do not know whether he had learned the shoemaking trade in Florence or not, but he did work as a shoemaker in Stop, and so did his two sons. He later became a master shoemaker. I think he must have been experienced when he got there. The family never knew much about him. He was a very tall, silent, rather gloomy man. After a while, in Stolp, he married the daughter of a schuhmachermeister [master shoemaker]. They had two sons, Julius and Louis, and two daughters, Amalia and Dorothea.
When my father went on the wandershaft, grandpa told him that when he gets to Berlin to be sure to go see his two Onkels, his mother's brothers who live there.
Some of the first people he went to visit for Onkel Louis and Onkel Julius, both of these were shoemakers. Louis had a very fine shop in Stralauer Straase which he had just put up for sale. He had just bought a big house. His wife was a very pretty, nice woman. Both were very friendly to Pa but made no effort to help him. (He was having a hard time finding work - Berlin was too crowded). They gave him a cup of tea and much good advice. “Always be well dressed, for clothes do make the man” was Onkel Louis’ battle cry. Always have a good-looking coat, smooth pants, and a fine white shirt, but didn’t suggest any way he might find a job so as to be able to dress well. She was the only daughter of a blacksmithmeister who owned a renting house in Berlin.
The city had bought Onkel Louis’ house because the street was to be widened, and his estate was immediately more than doubled. He had just bought a brand new apartment house and could now quit working and live on rentals. But just then, he was appointed as the Armenpfleqer for that section, the overseer of the poor. Paul heard later that he was famous for giving the poor he interviewed much free advice but not else. I don't think he had any children.
Onkel Julius was pretty well off, although not as rich as his brother Louis. He had a sickly wife and one daughter. At that time, she was 12 and very delicate. They had rows of pills and medicines she had to take every little while. I have her photo in my scrapbook. Cousin Flora Ullivelli, she died when she was 14.
Onkel Julius had 1000 dollar Thaler in the bank and looking for a good investment when suddenly the bank went bankrupt, and it was found that the bank officials had stolen the deposits for years. That was the only time Julius had suddenly come unexpectedly to Bartenstein, to visit his brother-in-law, my grandpa. Why, for money?? He said because he heard they always had such fine food there!
He had a little shoe shop on Dragonest Straase. He had over two dozen shoes and boots, the best of which he had in the shoe window. Uncle Julius had one great glorious remembrance. That was when he was a member of the Guardsmen Corps. His troop was on parade at Potsdam when the Queen, wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, ordered him to stop before her and asked him how tall he was. “5ft 11 inches,” he said, “Your Majesty.” She shook her head and said, “Ach, Gott welch min kleiner Guardsmann.” ["Oh my god, what a little guardsman.'] You see, he was the shortest one in the Regiment, which were selected by height, most way over 6ft.
The first Sunday Pa came to visit him, they had several cousins to meet him. The jolliest, liveliest one was the daughter of aunt Amalia, oldest sister of Dorothy Ullivelli Baginski. Then Julius told how, when he was in the 20s, he decided to go to Florence to look up the Ullivelli relatives there. Of course, he wandered, walked from Stolp down to Florence, Italy through Munchen (Munich), and through Switzerland. He arrived in Florence absolutely broke. Not a penny in his pocket, he said. Applied at the German Consulate there. After hearing his story, the Consul gave him a funfflorinstuck [five florins, coins] and sent him on his way home, where he finally arrived penniless and footsore. He said now that he was older, he didn’t regret those undiscovered Ullivellis in Florence, but that wonderful art he has learned since then is there. Of course, he didn’t know about it then, but how he wished he had seen some of it. Pa did visit both Onkels once in a while but never felt close to either of them.
Our Family Tree
This was a handwritten book by my Great Grandaunt, Jo Baginski.
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