Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Birth Name: Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti
Date of Birth: March 24, 1919
Place of Birth: Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: February 22, 2021
Place of Death: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Ethnicity:
*father – Italian
*mother – French, some Sephardi Jewish
Lawrence Ferlinghetti was an American poet, painter, and social activist. He co-founded City Lights Booksellers & Publishers.
Lawrence was the son of Clemence Albertine (Mendes-Monsanto) and Carlo/Charles Leopoldo Ferlighetti. His father was an Italian emigrant, from Chiari, Province of Brescia, Lombardy. His mother was born in New York, to a father from the Caribbean, who was of at least part Sephardi Jewish descent, and to a French mother.
Lawrence had two children with his former wife Selden Kirby-Smith.
Lawrence’s paternal grandfather was named Firmo Ferlinghetti. Firmo was born in Gussago, Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy.
Lawrence’s paternal grandmother was named Dominica.
Lawrence’s maternal grandfather was Louis Thomas Herman/Hermann Mendes Monsanto (the son of Charles Cadet/Carlos Mendez Monsanto and Louise Josephine Caroline Hurard). Herman was an author, and a professor of languages. He was born at St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and had at least part Sephardi Jewish heritage. Carlos was the son of Jacob Mendes/Mendez Monsanto and Marie Therese Vertu, who were from Curaçao. Louise was born on Martinique.
Lawrence’s maternal grandmother was Clemenca/Clemence-Josephine Eugenie Rouvillain/Rousillian (the daughter of Jean Baptiste Florimond Rouvillain and Marie Adelayde Julie Opron). Clemence-Josephine was born in Martinstart, Somme, France.
Sources: http://www.bsnews.it
Genealogy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti – https://www.geni.com
Lawrence Ferlinghetti on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Lawrence’s parents on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Immigration record of Lawrence’s father – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Lawrence’s maternal grandparents, Louis Thomas Herman/Hermann Mendes Monsanto and Clemenca/Clemence-Josephine Eugenie Rouvillain/Rousillian – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Lawrence’s maternal grandfather, Louis Thomas Herman/Hermann Mendes Monsanto – https://www.findagrave.com
his father Carlo Leopoldo Ferlighetti was the son of Firmo Ferlinghetti. Firmo was born in Gussago, Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy.
http://www.bsnews.it/2018/05/26/lawrence-ferlinghetti-lorigine-non-e-a-chiari-ma-a-gussago-e-bovegno/?refresh_ce
I also believe his maternal grandmother, Clemenca/Clemence-Josephine Eugenie Rousillian/Rouvillain, was French (from Somme, North France -> https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24ZP-HVX) but not Jewish.
maternal grandfather: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130027155
It’s unclear if he was born in Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands. He might have been a convert to Catholicism too.
tag “Portuguese Jewish”