Yesterday Tony talked to two of his second cousins (once removed, I think). They are sons of his mother’s Uncle Blaine, Josephine’s brother, so Louis’ son. Uncle Blaine was a fervent genealogist, and the information I have right now about Domenico is all from his collection, copied by Tony’s mom. Richard and Randy Boudrero went to Italy last year and actually visited some Bodreros in Lagnasco, Domenico’s hometown. Said Bodreros are planning a visit to Logan, Utah this coming spring. Richard confirmed what I suspected: Domenico and his family were Catholic, not Waldensian. Jeffery, his youngest brother, remained Catholic throughout his life. The records of the family were found in the parish of Lagnasco, which has no Waldensian church, so I assumed they must have meant the Catholic parish. And the history of Domenico records the following story about his father:
Francesco grew to be a strong honest man. The following story has been passed from father to son and is written as was retold by Francesco’s grandson.
“One day while Francesco was on his way to the village with his cart and cows, he found a box alongside the road. Upon investigation of the contents within, he found, to his great surprise, it was full of gold and precious jewels. (The reader may wonder how such a chest might be found in such a place. One has only to study the history of Italy to find the answer. The story is one of invasion after invasion. The chest could have been dropped by a conquering army, or by a rich family fleeing with their property ahead of an invading army.) To a poor man, this would have meant wealth and fame; to poor Francesco it meant his duty to take it to the priest. This he did. The Priest thanked him, gave him a blessing and sent him on his way.” This incident, though small, will always serve as a guide for all of Francesco’s posterity.
It’s a wonderful story, and in this case, it served me as a guide for knowing that Domenico’s family must have been Catholic, as the Waldensians do not have priests.
In any case, we have to find time sometime in the next couple of months to visit Logan and Richard so we can really reconnect.
Richard also said that Domenico and Harriet were married in Salt Lake, not in Provo, as the history and Blaine’s 4-generation family group chart say. Perhaps in Salt Lake they kept records farther back than 1870 of civil marriages.
I also found a website connected to BYU-Idaho, I think, which lists where the oldest records of Utah civil marriages can be found. http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/westernStates/utahPre1887Sources.cfm
Evidently, the Family History Library in Salt Lake has a probate docket with Provo marriages from 1852 to 1859. I looked, and Utah Archives has the file too, but I can order the mircrofilm from the FHL and search it myself. Poor archives is still working on my last search request, which was an extremely broad 30-year search in several different places for Domenico’s naturalization record. If we go to Utah, I’ll pay them a visit and find what I need.
I think today I’ll call the Salt Lake County recorder’s office to see if Domenico and Harriet’s marriage record is by chance on file.