A photo of the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven and St Dominic - Valletta, Malta

Girolamo Bonnici

Girolamo was part of the 19th century migration out of Valletta to the (at the time) calmer village of St Julian’s. He loved Valletta enough to move back later on in life.

A photo of St James church - Valletta, Malta

Rosina Grech

With a life spanning half the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Rosina was part of upwardly-mobile society that moved from the capital to the quieter town of Sliema.

She is one of my maternal great-great-grandmothers.

A photo of the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven and St Dominic - Valletta, Malta

Emmanuele Farrugia

As the Imperial government’s Attorney General, Emmanuele must have been influential in 19th century Maltese society.

He is one of my maternal 3 x great-grandfathers.

A photo of the Valletta skyline - Valletta, Malta

Salvatore Bonnici

Having moved from the hustle and bustle of Valletta, Salvatore saw St Julian’s grow from a summer village to a town in its own right.

He is one of my maternal great-great-grandfathers.

A photo of the church of St Catherine of Italy - Valletta, Malta

Florentina Farrugia Gay

Florentina’s life spanned the end of the 19th century and most of the 20th. Her official documents show the slow change in Maltese life from Italian to British influence.

She is my one of my maternal great-grandmothers.

A photo of the Valletta skyline - Valletta, Malta

Giovanni Battista Felice

A descendant of the Felici family, Giovanni’s surname may have been the result of a typo in his official records.

This person is one of my maternal great-great-grandfathers.

A photo of the Parliament building - Valletta, Malta

Giovanni Farrugia Gay

Giovanni is a curious individual who used a double-barrelled surname on occasion. His court case is a seminal work, still quoted in Maltese courts and Parliament more than 100 years later.

A photo of the church of St Catherine of Italy - Valletta, Malta

Giuseppe Felice

Giuseppe is something of a curiosity because almost all official documents about him contradict each other.

He is one of my maternal great-grandfathers.

A photo of St James church - Valletta, Malta

Emmanuele Darmenia

Emmanuele Darmenia was a trader from Valletta, but it’s hard to say what he traded in. All the information I have is from official state records.