>My maiden name was Viani. Our family founded a
>town in Liguria that is a part of the Italian
>Riviera. It's a little town by the name of Villa
>Viani founded in the 15th century. Most of the
>inhabitants are named Viani.It has a population
>of about 300 persons.Hope this will help you.
Our family lore mentioned such a town, but I've never found anything about it searching the net other than "near Genoa" which is where my grandmother VIANI is listed as having been born.
In our family's case, it appears that a John VIANI and possibly his brother, Nicholas, came to America (Nicholas in the early 1880s and John in 1890, with his family coming a year later.) They ended up in Houghton Co MI where they were copper miners. My grandmother Marguerite born 1888 in Genoa was daughter of John and Paulina GONZAGA.
The 1900 census shows John and Paulina with Marguerite and 2 younger siblings born in the US, and Nicholas living nearby with four grown sons birn in Italy, one married with kids of his own. In 1910, all were gone, except my grandmother, by then married. Family lore is that they all returned to Italy. There were occasional rumors of contact with them when I was growing up that mentioned this villa Viani, but by the time I was grown, no one could tell me details. Only the last couple of weeks, with work on the 1900 census, was I able to get the names of the Vianis who came to Michigan.
Anyone who can provide more on these VIANIs please contact me. I'll be glad to exchange info if your ancestors include these.
Bob LeChevalier
lojbab@lojban.org
