Quilietti – dedicated to Betty 1927-2022
This website is dedicated to
Carolus Antonius Petrius Henricus Van Druten and his wife Elizabeth Quilietti. Their are affectionately known to all the family as Carel and Betty Quilietti Van Drut.
Betty only wanted to know who she was, where she came from, where her name came from. So Carel, the great adventurer did just that. He searched for her roots and found them in a wonderful wee villiage in Tuscany.
She had been swept off to Holland just after the war after their brief romance in Edinburgh.
Without their endless dedication to finding the background of our family our unique and wonderful story could not be told.
Thank you…………….and much love from your extended family……….. the Quilietti clan throughout the world but especially from Helen, Denis and Jamie.
Thanks to your hard work in the early 1990s our family is now truly re-united and that is surely the greatest achievement.
Fondest thoughts of our forefather Emilio Quilietti who died at the tenderest age of 29 years. He came to Scotland and worked hard. He married Valentina Brattisani and they had six children, two who died in early infancy. It is thanks to him, this early pioneer that we are here at all.
His early death and the death of Valentina five years later, left his children orphans. These children soon lost their identity as circumstances left them being brought up by aunts and uncles. The rest is history, our Quilietti family history.
A TRIBUTE To Our Family
- We don’t know how it started or how it all began
- But God created families, as only our God can
- He taught us what it means to love, honour and obey
- Because he wanted a strong bond that’s not around today
- He wanted someone to hold us and for us to show respect for others
- So of course that is when he decided on our mothers
- He wanted someone strong to support us and to love us
- So he created fathers sent from heaven above
- brothers and sisters, they came next
- with that came our forever friends
ITALY – our family trip home
The quest for our family roots has taken us to some beautiful locations in Tuscany. Castelvecchio-Pascoli itself is just a wee village up a winding road from Barga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barga. Barga herself is 22 miles north of Lucca http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca. And Florence is the Capital City of Tuscanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence
The Church of St. Nicoli which is perched on top of the hill is rich in our history. Our visit there in 2005 was truly a wonderful experience. Here we gasped in awe at the precious old books. The old priest was generous and allowed us to look through these documents and capture a bit of our past.
We had a glimpse of the archives in the little Church and the precious books with all our connected names. Wanting to stay in the little room above the church however was not an option as Don Ruggeri needed his lunch. Driving up the nearby mountain through the wonderful scenery you could only really imagine what life would have been like in the nineteenth century for our ancestors. Don’t know how we found the venue however as the Don kept nodding off in the front of the little car. Luckily David Quilietti, the driver that day, was on the ball and kept his cool even although we were now lost deep in the Appenine Mountain Range. The mountains and terrain were beautiful and as we reached the top of the mountain, there it was, the restaurant, Il Tinello, serving local delicacies, local wine served in jugs and as much octopus as you could eat. The Don treated us to lunch and as he gave the waitress a wink we knew that no money was exchanged that day.
The Ponte Vecchio was another site to behold. Didn’t realise it was as steep until I started to walk to the top. We passed this bridge which spans over the River Arno on our way up to Castelvecchio that morning.
The little Cemetery in the village of Castelvecchio Pascoli is such a wee gem. It is a beautifully kept piece of history and the names carved upon the stones were very familiar names. Connected with ours through marriage or by someone in Scotland having a chippie with the name. But the bones of our earliest ancestors are not there. They are still buried somewhere at the rear of the little church on the hill.
The nearby walled town of Barga was nearby. The most Scottish town in Italy. What a find. They have a fish and chip festival every August and even their own Celtic Supporters Club. Our ancestors all have connections here and many of their extended families live here today. The Scottish accents are many and they have their own wee Scottish museum.
Hi when I found out there was a websie about my quilietti family I was so proud of then but thank,s to my antie helen who made this website x
Rozajo I am so glad that you found our website. Would you like to help me make a page about yourself and your dad
great website auntie helen ,ill mail you some new pics x
Thanks Fiona. You know I would like some input about yourself, your sis and your paw. Any nice wee stories would be great. We of course need Tony Snr and Tony Jnr as well. Speak Soon.
The Arpino family lived for many many years. We visited Mary Hunter some years ago. She was elderly then. Not sure if she would still be around. She has daughters and grandchildren.
Good morning to Quilietti Family.
I need some help and i do hope anyone can assist.
I am writing from Italy and many years ago, when i was a student I was hosted by Agnes Quilietti, wife of Nardo Quilietti.
Agnes an myself became close friends, i went to Edinburgh different times…she was like a second mother for me.
We used to talk on the phone but suddenly she stopped answering the phone. Dont’ ask me how, it was incredible how, I found a neighbour of her in the phone directory and asked for news, as I Could not speak to her for so long. That lady told me tha Agnes died while sleeping. It was a shock for me.
Next week I will be back to Edinburgh after almost 15 years and I know the 16th of May is the anniversary of her death. 10 years……It seems a strange coincidence but I will land in Edinburgh on 16May……
Can you please help me in finding out where she is buried, so that I can go and take flowers on her grave?
Thanks to anybody who can help me
Regards
Valeria
Agnes talked about her Students when we met up with her in the last years of her life. Agnes was interred with her husband in Easter Road Cemetery in Edinburgh I am sure although I do not know the Plot Number. It is great to know that you remember her with great fondness Thanks Valerie
Dear Mrs Helen, I can’t believe I got your answer so shortly. Thanks so much for that.you do not know what it means to me to know where to find Agnes now. So many years have passed but still I have a picture of her with me in front of her white house in Barnton Park Crescent on the shelf of my kitchen. She could not meet my kids, as the first was born in 2004 (I have got 3) and I regret that because I am sure she would have loved them so much!,luckily she managed to meet my future husband in 1999 and she called me the morning of my wedding day to wish us all the best. I remember that she shouted at my boyfriend every time he sat on Nardo’s armchair when we were there!!!!
Now I will be in Edinburgh for business, with my boss, but I will for sure pay a visit to her at the cemetery. I will ask someone there for the plot number. Thanks so much again for being so kind to me! Regards. Valeria
Hi Helen, we have been in contact before and exchanged emails too – just noticed this reference to ARPINO too. Do you have anymore information? Many thanks
I left Belfast in 1957. I knew a girl called Rome Fusco. Would you have any information about her.
Not heard of this name Jo but perhaps someone will read your comment. Could you post this comment on a Fusco page please. That would help.
http://www.quilietti.com/emilio-quilietti-2/the-brattisani-connections-2/the-demarco-connections/. this page would be good
Hi everyone
Not entirely sure if this website is still active, but I’ve been researching the Donati side of my family and came across this site. My great grandfather was Sabatino Donati, husband of Mary and father of Eida Donati. Is there anyone still on here with any more information on this side of the family?
Thanking you in advance, and hello from Ayrshire, Scotland!
Tam
will email you direct Tam. thanks for leaving these most welcome messages
Hi..I have been researching my family history and it matches the Mary Brady / John Smith. I nearly fell of my chair when I saw the picture of Mary Brady as I have the same photograph in a family archive!! I am a Smith. I was born close to Newcastle but my father and grandfather are from Edinburgh. One of your other contributors, Dawn Connelly looks to be my second cousin whom I knew when I was a wee boy. We share the same Great Grandmother, or Granny, Margaret Smith (nee Miller) If you have a contact for her please give her my email address and ask her to get in touch. Thanks.
Hello Jason. thanks for your comment. Let me look for her email address and I will send it to you. That will make us distant cousins as well so would love to hear back from you. I think she got in touch through Ancestry website. So I will look on there and see if I have any information to send you. I have forwarded your email address to Dawn as I don’t have one for her. All done through Ancestry messenger. Thanks Helen
Hi there I am the son of Albert Valenti 1940-2008 I couldn’t believe it when I seen my dad on here I was wondering if anyone has any other pictures or information I’m his youngest boy 31 and he died sadly in my arms when I was a kid , thank you and hope to find out more about my family x
Hi there Gerard. Thank you so much for leaving this comment. I have your father and me sitting as 5th cousins, but not through the Italian side, through the Boyle connections. Very interesting. I have approved your comment and hope that we will have some interest there.