Number 12 Italian Surname Conti   The surname Conti derives from the word “conte,” which is itself derived from the Latin comes “comitis,” which literally means companion and was then defined as a servant in the retinue of a king or emperor. The term “count” had already become defined as a high-ranking dignitary by the Middle Ages.   Note from Italian Genealogy — Other sites explain that the name Conti is derived from the Latin Comptus meaning “order or control” Early Origins of the Conti family The surname Conti was first found in the cities of Ferrara, Venice, Milan, Pavia, Assisi, Bologna, and Padua. Contarini is one of the founding families of Veniceand one of the oldest families of the Italian Nobility. One of the oldest records of the family was Marco Aurelio Contarini, Roman Consul elected at Padua, took part in the third Consular Triumvirate of Rialto, from 425 to 426. From this early beginning, the family had a long list of positions of authority including: Marco Aurelio Contarini, one of 12 Tribunes who elected the first Doge in 697; Luigi Contarini, Procurator of San Marco in 864; Antonio Contarini, Procurator of San Marco in 865 and many more. Early History of the Conti family  This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conti research.Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1099, 1206, 1308, 1585, 1593, 1580, 1656, 1655, 1656, 1601, 1684, 1677, 1749, 1681 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Conti History in all our PDF Extended History productsand printed products wherever possible.  Conti Spelling Variations Spelling variationsof this family name include: Conti, Conte, Cont, Cunto, Cunti, Contessa, Del Conte, Lo Conte, Loconte, Li Conti, Liconti, Contiello, Contini, Contino, Contìn, Contarelli, Contareno, Contarini, Contilli, Continelli, Continoli, Conticelli, Conticello, Conticini and many more.  Early Notables of the Conti family (pre 1700)  Prominent among members of the family was Conte, Cardinal of Milan in 1099; Ardiccione and Bartolomeo Conte, Bishops in Modena and Novara, respectively; Bernardo Conte, “president” of Turin around this time; Federico Contarelli, head of the Guelph faction in Ferrara in 1206; Matteo Contarelli considered the wisest man in the law courts of the day; Alessandro Contareno brought his family to Ferrara from Venice1308, commencing a line of respected scientists, authors, and artists who brought prestige to Ferrara and to the Contareno name; the Contarini family in Venicewas considered one of the 12 top families in the noble class…From House of Names Click here to purchase Farmers and Nobles Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Geographical distribution As of 2014, 63.5% of all known bearers of the surname Contiwere residents of Italy(frequency 1:756), 11.8% of the United States(1:24,071), 9.2% of Brazil(1:17,439), 6.3% of Argentina(1:5,300), 2.5% of France(1:21,201) and 1.3% of the Philippines(1:58,961). In Italy, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:756) in the following regions: 1. Tuscany(1:360) 2. Umbria(1:363) 3. Marche(1:370) 4. Lazio(1:412) 5. Emilia-Romagna(1:478) 6. Lombardy(1:531) 7. Sicily(1:624) 8. Liguria(1:628) In Argentina, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:5,300) in the following provinces:[1] 1. Santa Fe Province(1:3,222) 2. Córdoba Province(1:3,292) 3. Buenos Aires(1:4,110) 4. Mendoza Province(1:4,201) 5. Buenos Aires Province(1:4,408) 6. La Pampa Province(1:4,731) People The historical Conti di Segni, family Andrea dei Conti(1240–1302), Italian Roman Catholic priest Giovanni dei Conti di Segni(died 1213), Italian cardinal Giovanni Conti (cardinal)(1414–1493), Italian cardinal Francesco Conti (cardinal)(died 1521), Italian cardinal Lotario dei Conti di Segni, Pope Innocent III(1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), Italian pope Michelangelo Conti, Pope Innocent XIII(1655–1724), Italian pope Ottaviano dei Conti di Segni(died 1234), Italian cardinal Torquato Conti(1591–1636), 17th-century Italian military officer Ugolino di Conti, Pope Gregory IX(c. 1145/70 – 22 August 1241), Italian pope a surname derived from the toponym Conty, France (cf. Princes of Conti) Louis Armand II de Bourbon, prince de Conti, Prince of Conti from 1709–1727 Antonio Schinella Conti(1677–1749), Italian historian, mathematician, philosopher and physicist Archbishop Mario Conti, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow Arnaldo Conti(1885–1919), Italian conductor of opera Augusto Conti [it](born 1905), Italian philosopher and educationist Bernardino de’ Conti(died 1525), Italian painter Francesco Bartolomeo Conti(1681–1732), Florentine composer Francesco Conti (painter)(1681–1760), Italian artist Gregorio Conti, birthname of antipope Victor IV Giacomo Conti (artist)(1813–1888), Italian painter Gioacchino Conti(1714–1761), 18th-century castrato singer Niccolò Da Conti, 15th-century Venetian merchant and explorer Rafael Conti(1746–1814), colonel in the Spanish Army Samuel Conti(1922-2018), United States federal judge Servílio Conti(1916–2014), an Italian Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church Stefano Conti, Italian 18th century merchant from Lucca From Wikipedia Conti Links Conti Link from Ancestry Conti Link from Forbears #1 Russo #2 Ferrari #3 Esposito #4 Bianchi #5 Romano #6 Columbo #7 Ricci #8 Marino #9 Greco #10 Bruno #11 Gallo

The featured photo above is from chef Stefania’s veranda. Another photo from chef Stefania’s veranda. Cooking Class in Salerno Ok, readers.  If you’re even THINKING about making any of these recipes, try not to eat anything for at least 24 hours before.  Yes, they are that dense.  One portion of the lasagna alone is enough for two days of nutrition.   This is a cooking class I took several months ago when I first moved to Salerno.  The chef, Stefania, gives lessons in her gorgeous home up in the hills.  The pictures were taken from her veranda – a spectacular vista of the city and sea.   Stefania spoke only Italian, but in southern Italy, sometimes not a word needs to be spoken to get your point across.  All body movements are not only acceptable for interpretation, but expected.  I even find myself these days spontaneously shrugging my shoulders or putting my hands together in a loose praying pose to indicate…wtf ? …or something equivalent.  It seems to work.    Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook Navigating the language barrier But back to Stefania.  I already had some Italian (language) under my belt, but the rest of the students were new to the language of love (as in everyone loves Italian food).  So, we were all trying out our new grammar on her.  Some of the time she looked perplexed, like, maybe you should take out your dictionary before you open your mouth.  But mostly, she was patient and good natured and was happy to continue the cooking class like a game of charades on a Friday night…putting her thumb and index finger together to indicate a teeny bit of salt, or a small amount of olive oil.  Thankfully, we all received a copy of her recipes, to remove the guesswork.  Before you reach for your phone to Google Translate, try reading through the recipes once to see if you can logically figure out the words.  If you grew up in an Italian household you may find some of the words familiar to your ear. Chef Stefania frying castangole Holding noodles hostage. Making Magic Stefania told us the Lasagne Napoletane was for the big holidays, Easter and Christmas, and for special occasions like a birthday.  We all pretty much know that lasagna in general is layers of noodles and cheese.  But just when I thought her masterpiece was complete, there was another layer to go.  For instance, my mom NEVER used hard boiled eggs-she was from Abruzzo.  I’m sure she would make a face and have some snarky comment about the south and its different food customs and how her Abbruzzesse cuisine was clearly superior to anywhere else in Italy. Italians throughout the country are incredibly single minded when it comes to their regional specialties.  Cream sauce from the north – horrors !!  Who lives like that ! But I digress.  Again.  Not being much of a cook myself or a foodie for that matter, I wanted to get to the bottom line.  Let’s just eat this monster and then quickly follow it up with an ant-acid already.  However, when it was finished, we see her scurry back to her beautifully tiled kitchen and then return with more ingredients.  We’re now going to make polpettine con sugo-meatballs with sauce-while we wait for the lasagna to cook.  Mamma mia!! More food.  Fortunately, they didn’t take too long to make or cook.  And to keep the party moving forward there was wine to be drunk in between courses and scary quasi Italian to be spoken.   This was my very first cooking class in my whole life – and you can imagine how old I am.  Ironically, I’m not a big foodie.  Yes, crazy, I know.  Why am I living here, you wonder.  The quick answer is to learn the language and to travel throughout the country.  I never expected my days to be filled with conversations  about cibo, cibo, cibo (food, food, food).  Constantly. I hear it being spoken on the sidewalks.  “What are you making for lunch?” OR  “What did you pay for that melanzane” OR “Oh that guy at the outdoor market is a crook” OR  What are you making for dinner?”  (this is while I’m eating lunch) OR “ You went to THAT restaurant for dinner?  Hai mangiato bene li?”  (did you eat well there) I’ve even heard very cool-looking teenagers arguing over the best pizza in town and which type of mozzarella do they use. And similar conversations about the best gelato.  Nettuno, hands down, by the way, is THE best in town. Let’s talk about food So I started asking my newfound friends.  “What’s with this obsession about food.”  Can’t we please talk about something else??  One answer was, it’s a good conversation filler, like when you meet a new person and you need an opening line.  “So what’s your favorite restaurant in town?”  The answer could go on for hours, definitely into dinner at a restaurant they both agree on.  My thought on this is that I live in a small city, and frankly, there’s not a whole lot going on that’s more interesting than food…to them anyway.  But, to be honest, for me mangiare (to eat) is one of the verbs I know the best-most tenses anyway.  So, it’s an easy topic of conversation for me to jump into.  After that there’s always the unpredictable weather as a backup. (MUST practice centigrade numbers) But, here’s the real reason they are obsessed with food.  Because everything here is exquisite. It’s really hard to have a bad meal in a restaurant (although I’ve had a couple of boring dining experiences, but not bad food, just boring chefs).  The food is fresh, organic, mostly grown nearby (although I’ve seen some labels on fruit ‘imported from Chile’.  Shocking!!  The cuisine is pure and uncomplicated.  Much to my surprise, hardly any garlic is used.  And spices are mostly limited to salt, pepper, some rosemary and oregano.  It is believed that too many spices will muck up the natural flavors of the ingredients.  And another thing, after all the years of me complaining, ‘Why can’t they just put all the courses on the plate at the same time?’ I’ve finally learned that the Italians’ palates are so sensitized that they need to be able to savor, for instance, a perfectly roasted chicken thigh on a separate dish, (so sad looking all alone on the plate.)  I have a friend, who, when he takes a first bite of something, leans back in his chair, eyes roll to the back of his head, simply to proclaim “La mia maccelleria e il migliore a Salerno.” (My butcher is the best in Salerno.)   The chicken is not to be mixed with the zucchine that is lightly pan fried with olive oil and then mixed with aged balsamic vinegar. He’ll make similar comments on the verdure (veggies), in addition to thanking god for having been born in Italy.  This might explain why my grandfather, Liberatore (such a great name) would have all his food on one plate-part of the Americanization process-BUT, he would eat all his meat at one time, then veggies next, and so on.  A real rebel. The Italians are obsessed with food because they’re passionate, and they’re passionate because they’re Italian.  It’s in their DNA. Very simple.  They have no choice.  And now that I’m a Dual Citizen of Italy, I realize I have to change my attitude about food if I’m going to continue living here.  Duh. But I can’t do it overnight.  I still want to talk about other topics…as soon as I can figure out what else the Italians like to talk about.  Wish me luck. Oh before I forget, did I mention the ‘to die for’ aranciata (rice balls) I ate in Naples yesterday?  OMG, it’s starting.  I’m obsessing about food. I have to go now and have my little cup of caffe (black, no milk, grazie).  But first, let me cleanse my palate with a small glass of water. Attitude change…check !  Prep/Dining Table Cooking Class in Salerno — Recipes

Relationship to Robert Sorrentino Alfonso IV Alfonso IV, byname Afonso The Brave, Portuguese Afonso O Bravo, (born Feb. 8, 1291, Lisbon—died May 28, 1357, Lisbon), seventh king of Portugal (1325–57). Afonso IV was the son of King Dinis and of Isabella, daughter of Peter II of Aragon. Afonso resented his father’s generosity toward two illegitimate sons and in 1320 demanded to be given power, remaining in open revolt until May 1322. His mother reconciled them, but the conflict broke out again. When Dinis died, Afonso succeeded to the throne, but the quarrel was transferred to Castile, which sheltered his half brother. However, when the Marinid sultan of Morocco invaded Spain in 1340, Afonso IV led a force that joined Alfonso XI of Castile in the victory of the Salado River near Tárifa (Oct. 30, 1340). In 1355 Afonso ordered the murder of Inês de Castro, the Galician mistress of his heir, the future Peter I, because he feared the influence of her family in Portugal. Peter rebelled, but Afonso finally was reconciled with him before his death. Beatrice of Castile or Beatriz (8 March 1293[1] – 25 October 1359),[2][3] was an infanta of Castile, daughter of Sancho IV and María de Molina. She was queen consort of Portugalfrom 1325, when her husband, Infante Afonso, succeeded his father, King Denis, as Afonso IV,[4] until his death on 28 May 1357. Daughter of Sancho IV and of María de Molina,[6][7] Infanta Beatrice was born in Toro. She had six siblings, including King Ferdinand IV of Castile and Queen Isabella, wife of King James II of Aragon, and later duchess as the wife of John III, Duke of Brittany.[7] On 13 September 1297, when Beatrice was only four years old, the bilateral agreement, known as the Treaty of Alcañices, was signed between Castile and Portugal, putting an end to the hostilities between both kingdoms and establishing the definitive borders. The treaty was signed by Queen María de Molina, as the regent of Castile on behalf of her son, Ferdinand IV, who was still a minor, and King Denis of Portugal. To reinforce the peace, the agreement included clauses arranging the marriages of King Ferdinand and Constance of Portugal and that of her brother, Afonso, with Beatrice; that is, the marriage of two siblings, infantes of Portugal, with two other siblings, infantes of Castile.[7][8][9][a] Beatrice abandoned Castile in the same year and moved to the neighboring kingdom where she was raised in the court of King Denis together with her future spouse, Infante Afonso, who at that time was about six years old.[12] Her future father-in-law “had inherited from his grandfather, Alfonso X of Castile, a love of letters, literature, Portuguese poetry, and the art of the troubadours” and Beatrice grew up in this refined environment.[13] Two of the Portuguese king’s illegitimate sons, both important figures in the kingdom’s cultural panorama, were also at the court: Pedro Afonso, Count of Barcelos, a poet and troubadour and the author of Crónica Geral de Espanha and the Livro de Linhagens; and, Afonso Sanches, the favorite son of King Denis and a celebrated troubadour.[14] After the signing of the Treaty of Alcañices and upon their return to Portugal, King Denis gave his future daughter-in-law the Carta de Arras (wedding tokens) which included the señoríos of Évora, Vila Viçosa, Vila Real and Vila Nova de Gaia which generated an annual income of more than 6000 pounds of the old Portuguese currency.[14][12] After the marriage, these estates were increased. In 1321, her husband, who had not ascended to the throne yet, gave her Viana do Alentejo; in 1325, he gave her other properties in Santarém; in 1337, properties in Atalaia; in 1341, a manor house in Alenquer; in 1350, the prior of the Monastery of San Vicente de Fora gave her Melide, a manor house in Sintra; and later, in 1357, her son, King Peter, gave her more estates which included Óbidos, Atouguia, Torres Novas, Ourém, Porto de Mós, and Chilheiros.[15] marriage was celebrated in Lisbon on 12 September 1309.[6][3] Before the marriage could take place, a papal dispensation was required since Afonso was a great-grandson of King Alfonso X of Castile through his illegitimate daughter, Beatrice of Castile, and Beatrice, betrothed to Afonso, was a granddaughter of the same Castilian king. In 1301, Pope Boniface VIII issued the papal bull authorizing the marriage, but since both were underage, it was postponed until 1309 when Afonso was eighteen years old and Beatrice had turned sixteen.[16][17] It was a fertile and apparently happy marriage. Afonso broke the tradition of previous kings and did not have any children out of wedlock.[b][c][d] Four out of the seven children born of this marriage died in their infancy.[17] Like her mother-in-law, Elizabeth of Aragon, who had raised her as a child, during her marriage Beatrice played a relevant role in the affairs of the kingdom and was “the first foreign-born queen who was perfectly versed in the language and customs of Portugal which facilitated her role as a mediator of conflicts”.[20] She discreetly supported her husband when he confronted his father on account of his half-brother, Afonso Sanches. In 1325 after the death of King Denis, Afonso “who had not forgotten former hatreds”, demanded to be acclaimed king by the court and was responsible for having his half brother João Afonsokilled, and his great rival, his other bastard brother, Afonso Sanches, banished to Castile”.[21] When her husband and her son-in-law King Alfonso XI of Castile fought in the war that took place in 1336 – 1339, Beatrice crossed the border and went to Badajoz to meet the Castilian king to try to reach an agreement that would bring peace to both kingdoms, although her efforts proved to be fruitless.[22] She sent her ambassadors in 1338 to the court of King Alfonso IV of Aragon to strengthen the alliance between both kingdoms which had been weakened when her son, the future King Peter I of Portugal, refused to marry Blanche, a niece of the Aragonese king because of her proven “mental weakness (…) and her incapacity for marriage”.[22] Queen Beatrice and Guilherme de la Garde, Archbishop of Braga, acted as mediators in the quarrel, which lasted almost one year and posed the threat of another civil war in the Kingdom of Portugal following the assassination of Inés de Castro,[16] and in 1355, father and son reached an agreement.[22] On the religious front, she founded a hospital in 1329 in Lisbon and later, with her husband, the Hospital da Sé to treat twenty-four poor people of both sexes, providing the institution with all that was required for its day-to-day maintenance.[23] In her last wills and codicil, she left many properties and sums for religious establishments, particularly for the Dominican and Franciscan orders, and asked to be buried wearing the simple robe of the latter order.[24][2] Beatrice and Alfonso IV were the parents of the following infantes: Maria (1313 – 18 January 1357),[3][25][3] was the wife of Alfonso XI of Castile,[19] and mother of the future king Peter I of Castile. Due to the affair of her husband with his mistress Leonor de Guzmán “it was an unfortunate union from the start, contributing to dampening the relations of both kingdoms”;[26] Afonso (Penela, 1315[27] – 1317), heir to the throne, died in his infancy.[3][19] Buried at the disappeared Convento das Donas of the Dominican Order in Santarém;[27] Denis (born 12 February 1317 in Santarém),[27] heir to the throne, died a few months after his birth,[3][e] and was buried in Alcobaça Monastery;[27] Peter (8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), the first surviving male offspring, he succeeded his father.[3] [19] When his wife Constance died in 1345, Queen Beatrice took care of the education of the two orphans, the infantes Maria and Ferdinand, who later reigned as King Ferdinand I of Portugal;[29] Isabel (21 December 1324[27][3] – 11 July 1326[27]), buried at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra;[19][27] John (23 September 1326[27] – 21 June 1327[27]), buried at the Monastery of São Dinis de Odivelas;[19][27] Eleanor (1328[30] – 1348), born in the same year as her sister Maria’s wedding,[3] she married King Peter IV of Aragon in November 1347 in Barcelona[31] and died a year after her marriage succumbing to the Black Death.[32][33][19] Queen Beatrice executed three wills and one codicil.[34] She died in Lisbon when she was 66 years old and was buried at Lisbon Cathedral next to her husband as she had stipulated in her will.[2] While the definitive tombs were being built, the royal couple was originally buried at the choir of the church and it was not until the reign of King John I that their remains were transferred to the new sepulchers in the main chapel of the cathedral.[35] These sepulchers were destroyed during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and were replaced in the 18th century. The Livros do Cartóiro da Sé (Charters of the Cathedral) written between 1710 and 1716, describe the burial of Queen Beatrice, very similar to that of her husband, with an engraving that read: Beatriz Portugaliae Regina / Affonsi Quarti Uxor.(Beatrice Queen of Portugal, wife of Afonso IV).[36] Portugal Castile

Number 2 Italian Surname This ancient surname is of pre Christian and Roman origins. Recorded in over seventy spellings from Farrar, Farrah, Pharro and Pharoah, to Ferrara, Ferrari, Varey, Varrow and Ferrarotti, the name derives from the Latin word “ferrum”, through in other countries the later French “ferreor” , and the Middle English “Farrier”. All originally had the same basic meaning of an iron worker, although over the centuries more specific meanings have been applied. In Britain for instance the term refers to a maker and fitter of horseshoes, whilst just as Hoover means a vacuum cleaner, Ferrari is in the late 20th century, a term for all that is most desireable in a car. The earliest hereditary surname recordings in the world are to be found in England, that country being the first to accept and record surnames. It is from there that the examples of the early recordings are entered here. These include Hugo Farrour, in the Poll Tax returns for the county of Yorkshire in the year 1379, and in 1517 Doctor Pharor is recorded in the register of the guild of Corpus Christi, in the city of York. One of the very first of all landowners recorded in the new American colony of Virginia, was William Farrar. He held a grant of one hundred acres “Uppon Apmatcke River” on the north side of the James River. This grant is dated 1626. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Thomas le Ferrur, and dated 1275, in the rolls of the county of Yorkshire. This was during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, known as “The Hammer of the Scots”, 1272 – 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to “develop” often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. © Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 – 2017 United Statesranked 4,364out of 162,253 Argentinaranked 36out of 100 Franceranked 830out of 1,000 Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook Geographical distribution   Ferrari Links Ferrari Link from Ancestry Ferrari Link  from Forbears Shop the Italian Marketplace for your Ferrari Tee Shirt and other great products.  Select our design or make your own.  Printed and shipped worldwide!

As I was doing research on Italian Heritage Month, I came across Thomas Jefferson’s friend from Italy, Phillip ( Filippo ) Mazzei.  I had never heard of him before, so I decided to dig around and find how this came to pass.  Very interesting and in fact, he was the person that came up with “All men are created equal”.  or at least something very close, which as we know, Thomas Jefferson put into the Declaration of Independence. The contribution of Philip Mazzei to the Declaration of Independence was acknowledged by John F. Kennedy in his book A Nation of Immigrants, in which he states that:[5]The great doctrine ‘All men are created equal’[6][7] and incorporated into the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, was paraphrased from the writing of Philip Mazzei, an Italian-born patriot and pamphleteer, who was a close friend of Jefferson. A few alleged scholars try to discredit Mazzei as the creator of this statement and idea, saying that “there is no mention of it anywhere until after the Declaration was published”. This phrase appears in Italian in Mazzei’s own hand, written in Italian, several years prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Mazzei and Jefferson often exchanged ideas about true liberty and freedom. No one man can take complete credit for the ideals of American democracy. Wikipedia   Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Philip Mazzei, (born December 25, 1730, Poggio a Caiano, Tuscany [Italy]—died March 19, 1816, Pisa, Italy), Italian physician, merchant, and author, ardent supporter of the American Revolution, and correspondent of Thomas Jefferson. Mazzei studied medicine in Florence and practiced in Turkey before moving in 1755 to London, where he became a wine merchant. In 1773 Mazzei set sail for the American colonies, intending to launch the development of olive and grape growing in Virginia. He established an experimental farm next to Jefferson’s Monticello. Mazzei soon became enveloped in the independence movement, and he strongly favoured Virginia’s strides toward religious and political freedom. In 1779 he accepted a commission from Patrick Henry, the Virginia governor, to seek a loan from the grand duke of Tuscany. After being captured by the British and imprisoned for three months, Mazzei arrived in Europe—only to find his every effort blocked by Benjamin Franklin, who believed that the national government alone could contract foreign debts. Mazzei remained in Europe until late 1783, collecting political and military information for Jefferson. He returned to the United States briefly in quest of a foreign service post, but when that effort failed he went back to Europe. In 1788 his four volumes on America, Recherches historiques et politiques sur les États-Unis de l’Amérique septentrionale (“Historical and Political Studies of the Northern United States of America”), were published in Paris. In 1789 Mazzei became an adviser to Stanisław II August Poniatowski, last king of an independent Poland, and in 1802 he began to receive a pension from Russia. He continued for many years to correspond with Jefferson and other Virginians. One of Jefferson’s letters to him—criticizing the Federalists and, by implication, George Washington—created a storm of controversy when it fell into the hands of political opponents and American newspapers reprinted it. WRITTEN BY:  The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica See Article History Writings of Phillip Mazzei from the National Archives. A selective edition of the papers of Philip Mazzei (1730-1816) was an Italian physician, merchant, diplomat, and a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Mazzei acted as an agent to purchase arms for Virginia during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, Mazzei travelled throughout Europe promoting Republican ideals. He wrote a political history of the American Revolution, Recherches historiques et politiques sur les Etats-Unis de l’Amerique septentrionale, which was published Paris in 1788. Also available a comprehensive microfilm edition of the papers of the Italian merchant, philosopher, diplomat, author, and agent in the American Revolution. Includes 2,700 documents from repositories in the United States, Great Britain, France, ltaly, and Poland. 9 reels Complete in three volumes. I. Thomas Jefferson to Philip Mazzei Monticello Apr. 24. 1796. My Dear Friend Your letter of Oct. 26. 1795. is just recieved and gives me the first information that the bills forwarded for you to V.S. … & H. of Amsterdam on W. Anderson for £39.17.10 1/2 and on George Barclay for £70.8.6. both of London have been protested. I immediately write to the drawers to secure the money if still unpaid. I wonder I have never had a letter from our friends of Amsterdam on that subject as well as acknoleging the subsequent remittances. Of these I have apprised you by triplicates, but for fear of miscarriage will just mention that on Sep. 8. I forwarded them Hodgden’s bill on Robinson Saunderson & Rumney of Whitehaven for £300. and Jan. 31. that of the same on the same for £137.16.6. both received from Mr. Blair for your stock sold out.   I have now the pleasure to inform you that Dohrman has settled his account with you, has allowed the New York damages of 20. per cent. for the protest, and the New York interest of 7. per cent. and after deducting the partial payments for which he had receipts the balance was three thousand and eighty seven dollars, which sum he has paid into Mr. Madison’s hands, and as he (Mr. Madison) is now in Philadelphia, I have desired him to invest the money in good bills on Amsterdam and remit them to the V. Staphorsts & Hubbard whom I consider as possessing your confidence as they do mine, beyond any house in London. The pyracies of that nation lately extended from the sea to the debts due from them to other nations, renders theirs an unsafe medium to do business through. I hope these remittances will place you at your ease, and I will endeavor to execute your wishes as to the settlement of the other small matters you mention: tho’ from them I expect little. E.R. is bankrupt, or tantamount to it. Our friend M.P. is embarrassed, but having lately sold the fine lands he lives on, and being superlatively just and honorable I expect we may get whatever may be in his hands. Lomax is under greater difficulties with less means, so that I apprehend you have little more to expect from this country except the balance which will remain for Colle after deducting the little matter due to me, and what will be recovered by Anthony. This will be decided this summer. I have written to you by triplicates with every remittance I sent to the V.S. & H. and always recapitulated in each letter the objects of the preceding ones. I inclosed in two of them some seeds of the squash as you desired. Send me in return some seeds of the winter vetch, I mean that kind which is sown in autumn and stands thro the cold of winter, furnishing a crop of green fodder in March. Put a few seeds in every letter you may write to me. In England only the spring vetch can be had. Pray fail not in this. I have it greatly at heart.1 The aspect of our politics has wonderfully changed since you left us. In place of that noble love of liberty and republican government which carried us triumphantly thro’ the war, an Anglican, monarchical and aristocratical party has sprung up, whose avowed object is to draw over us the substance as they have already done the forms of the British government. The main body of our citizens however remain true to their republican principles, the whole landed interest is with them,2 and so is a great mass of talents. Against us are the Executive, the Judiciary, two out of three branches of the legislature, all of the officers of the government, all who want to be officers, all timid men who prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty, British merchants and Americans trading on British capitals, speculators and holders in the banks and public funds a contrivance invented for the purposes of corruption and for assimilating us in all things, to the rotten as well as the sound parts of the British model. It would give you a fever were I to name to you the apostates who have gone over to these heresies, men who were3 Samsons in the field and Solomons in the council, but who have had their heads shorn by the harlot England. In short we are likely to preserve the liberty we have obtained only by unremitting labors and perils. But we shall preserve them, and our mass of weight and wealth on the good side is so great as to leave no danger that force will ever be attempted against us. We have only to awake and snap the Lilliputian cords with which they have been entangling us during the first sleep which succeeded our labors.—I will forward the testimonial of the death of Mrs. Mazzei which I can do the more incontrovertibly as she is buried in my grave yard, and I pass her grave daily. The formalities of the proof you require will occasion delay. John Page and his son Mann are well. The father remarried to a lady from N. York. Beverley Randolph e la sua consorte living and well. Their only child married to the 2d. son of T. M. Randolph. The eldest son you know married my eldest daughter, is an able learned and worthy character, but kept down by ill health. They have two children and still live with me. My younger daughter well. Colo. Innis is well, and a true republican still as are all those beforenamed. Colo. Monroe is our M.P. at Paris a most worthy patriot and honest man. These are the persons you enquire after. I begin to feel the effects of age. My health has suddenly broke down, with symptoms which give me to believe I shall not have much to encounter of the tedium vitae. While it remains however my heart will be warm in it’s friendships and among these will always foster the affection with which I am Dear Sir Your friend & servt Th: Jefferson RC (DLC: Miscellaneous Manuscripts); with two emendations noted below; endorsed by Mazzei as answered 5 Jan. 1797, beneath which he subjoined the following notes at a later date: “ò scritto poi ai 21 Aprile per il solo [affare] del Moniteur, ed ò incluso la lettera del Ferri. poi il 4 xbre 97. inclusa alla Casa V. in Amsterdana” (translation: I wrote on 21 April for the sole concern of the Moniteur, and I enclosed Ferri’s letter. and then on 4 Dec. 97. enclosed to the house of V. in Amsterdam). PrC (DLC); with one change not found on RC (see note 2 below). Tr (DLC); consists of extract in TJ’s hand of the first nine sentences of the third paragraph. Tr (MHi: Martin Van Buren Papers); consists of extract in TJ’s hand of the first nine sentences of the third paragraph; at head of text: “Extract of a letter from Th: Jefferson to Philip Mazzei. April 24. 96”; enclosed in TJ to Van Buren, 29 June 1824. Tr (DLC: Monroe Papers); consists of incomplete extract in an unidentified hand of the first nine sentences of the third paragraph, parts of the seventh and eighth sentences and all of the ninth sentence being torn away; endorsed on verso by Monroe: “1809. Letter to Mr. Mezzai.” Enclosed in TJ to Madison, 24 Apr. 1796. Mazzei’s letter of 26 Oct. 1795, erroneously recorded in SJL as a letter of 26 Oct. 1796, was received from Pisa on 15 Apr. 1796, but has not been found. For additional clues to its contents, see TJ to Mann Page, [16 May 1796]. A letter from Mazzei of 11 Apr., received from Pisa on 9 Sep. 1796, is also recorded in SJL but has not been found. TJ did not receive the Van Staphorst & Hubbard firm’s letters of 10 Oct. 1795, the first of which informed him that the bills applied to Mazzei’s credit had been protested, until September 1796. I immediately write to the drawers: see TJ to Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 24 Apr. 1796. For his letters to the Dutch firm on 8 sep. 1795 and 31 jan. 1796, which have not been located, see TJ’s correspondence to Mazzei on those dates. On his departure from Virginia in 1785 Mazzei had given John blair and Edmund Randolph power of attorney to manage his affairs in Virginia (Mazzei to TJ, 26 Oct. 1785; enclosure to TJ to Mazzei, 5 Apr. 1790; TJ to Mazzei, 2 Aug. 1791). dohrman has settled his account: see Madison to TJ, 4 Apr. 1796. For TJ’s request to Madison to invest the money for Mazzei, see TJ to Madison, 24 Apr. 1796. e.r.: Edmund Randolph. our friend m.p.: Mann Page. Another Mann Page, mentioned by TJ later in this letter, was the son of the elder Mann’s half brother, John Page (Richard C. M. Page, Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia [New York, 1883], 63, 70–1). Acting in Mazzei’s behalf TJ brought suit against Kemp Catlett, the purchaser of colle, Mazzei’s property near Monticello, and did not receive final payment until 1805. anthony Giannini’s suit against TJ as Mazzei’s agent was decided in TJ’s favor in August 1797; see MB, ii, 937, 973, 1161; TJ to Mazzei, 30 May 1795; Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., to TJ, 27 Feb. 1793; TJ to Charles Lilburne Lewis, 4 June 1793. Mazzei’s request for a testimonial of the death of his first wife in 1788 probably related to his marriage in 1796 to Antonia Antoni (ANB). 1. Preceding sentence and possibly the one before it inserted by TJ at the end of the line. 2. In ink on PrC TJ canceled “with them” and interlined “republican.” 3. TJ here canceled a passage reading, “lions in the field and councils when you were here.” https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-29-02-0054-0002