The Quilietti Family

This page is dedicated to my aunty Jeanette Henderson Quilietti.  For years she kept her secret safe within her.  Her hubby Bobby Quilietti knew of her parentage but never once did he let her secret out of the bag, although he would tell me sometimes of her father being an Italian and of her mother’s indescretions.

Wedding day Jeanette and Bobby Quilietti

Jeanette to the left with Janet and Robert at the front left and right

HO-HO-HO

Family Quilietti

 The Neri familyAnthony Neri was born on 9th November 1908 in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh’s Old Town.   The area was home to many Italian and Irish immigrants at this time on the City’s history.

Anthony Neri

Anthony’s Parents were Antonio Neri and Angela Valente.  The couple married on 4th October 1891 in the Province of Cassino.  These two families are steeped in the history of the Italian Province of Cassino.  Many of their children left their area after the Unification of Italy and landed in the British Isles, some settling in Manchester and London and other, like our own family settled in Scotland.   Antonio had at least three brothers Domenico, Giuseppe and Daniel who were all found in Edinburgh in various census entries in  the late 1800s.  Antonio was an Itenerant Musician in Edinburgh as documented in the birth certificates of his children.

• The children of Antonio Neri and Angela Valente were
• Antonia Neri born in 1899 in Italy
• Benedetta Neri born in 1903  in Edinburgh.  She died in 1974.  Known as Aunty Benni
• Maria Angela Neri born in 1908- perhaps she was a twin of
• Anthony Neri was born in 1908 –
• Andrea Neri was born in 1910

Anthony  Neri born in 1908 was indeed the true Italian Stallion.   He married in 1933 to Clementina Delassio whose family were from the same area ias the Neri family in Italy. But unbeknown to Clementina  he had already one daughter who was born in 1928.  Her name was Betty Bishop Neri.  The family knew nothing of Betty’s existence until 2010 when Betty’s daughter was researching her family history and stumbled across our site.

Betty Bishop Neri on her wedding day

• Antonio and Clemenina’s eldest son  Anthony Domenico was born in 1934.  He married Francesca Capaldi but the marriage failed and they divorced.   Anthony died in 2005
  

  Antony Neri

• Ernesto Giovanni was born in 1937.  His profession was one of restraunteur.  He never married but was always close with his brothers and sisters.   He died age 72 in 2007
  

  Ernie at the left with sisters Sylvia and Vera

• Peter was born in 1941.  Both Peter and Pat were great friends of myself and Denis and it was with great sadness that he passed away in 2005 very suddenly after returning from holiday to Rome.

  

  

  Fun in Roma outside St. Peter's

  

  Peter Neri with his wife Pat

• Sylvia was born in 1947
  

  Sylvia NERI

• Elvira was born in 1951
  

  Vera

The Neri House

It was  known to Jeanette’s  ‘father’ Septimus that  his wife and Tony  were having a relationship and that Tony was the natural parent of Jeanette Henderson.     This fact has only recently came to light when Jeanette has shared with us her true parentage with us.  A secret she has known about since she was a little girl of about 4 or 5 years of age.

Jeanette enjoying her 80th recently. She is the natural daughter of Antonio Neri and Mary O'Brien Nevin. Jeanette also married our Bobby Quilietti.

Jeanette’s mother was Mary O’Brien Nevin.  Jeanette has told us of her mother’s upbringing in a family who were strict Catholics.  She recalls how her mum was a free spirit who when she was old enough did all she could to rebel against the system.   In the year 1930 she married Septimus King Henderson.  But even marriage could not tame her,  The result of her wild spirit resulted in the birth of four daughters, Jeanette, Jessie, Rose Mary and Patricia..  She was however fortunate to have found her true soulmate in Septimus Henderson.  Because although he knew of his wife’s indescretions  he not only continued to love her, but also loved  all the children equally and never once discrimenated against any of them.

Septimus Henderson

Jeanette remembers as a toddler being taken by her mother to the home of Anthony Neri who lived in Craigmillar at this time.   She remembers playing out back with his children, her half siblings.  Tony Neri was very much the Italian Stallion and it is known that he had many liasons with different ladies from the area.   There are other children of these liasons which have came to light recently as well and who have met up with the remaining Neri sisters.

Fun at the Neri household

With Bobby Q

With her mother-in-law Jeannie Boyle Quilietti

Helen with aunty Jeanette

Lara, centre, with her two sisters Holly and Kirsten. All are grandaughters of Valentina Quilietti. Lara is married to Anthony Neri, son of Peter and Pat

Anthony Neri

Septimus Henderson was truly Jeanette’s father, a lovely man who looked after her as his very own child, as he did with his other children