Here's an even longer post, with even more additional info on the Bertoni Family ... following the (to me, seemingly very trustworthy) book by Baratti & Candolfi (link in post #26), and note that this is a List of no true Ornithological value, with nothing additional regarding any of the Etymologies, at least not of any of the Birds/Eponyms we've been dealing with this far. It's compiled simply for the fun of it. It's nothing but a true (and somewhat lengthy) side-track ...
The Bertoni Family – a Family of Odd and Peculiar Names
First;
Mosè Giacomo Bertoni (1857–1929), in South America a k a
Moisés Santiago Bertoni, was the second Child (and ditto Son) of Ambrogio Bertoni and Giuseppina Torriani. This
Mosè Giacomo Bertoni married
Eugenia (neé
Rossetti) in 1876, and they had the following
13 [
!] children, originally named:
1. Reto Divicone Bertoni, born 1877, in (the Italian, and Italian-speaking parts of) Switzerland, who died in 1968 (thus
not Reto Divi
done Bertoni, as have been claimed) ... named after the people of
Reti, who in Ancient times occupied the Valleys of today's canton
Grisons/
Graubünden/
Grigioni, claimed to have been the descendants of Etruscans and Egyptians +
Divicone (Divico), a Celtic King of the Helvetian clan/tribe
Tigurini , who victoriously fought the Romans (back in 107 BC).
2. ["our guy"!]
Arnoldo da Winkelried Bertoni, born 1878, in (the ditto Italian parts of) Switzerland, who died in 1973 (originally
not Arnold, n
or Arnaldo de/di Winkelried Bertoni, not at the very beginning of his life, and definitely never ... Winkelr
eid, nor Wi
lkenried ..., as all have been claimed in some texts) ... named after (just like Martin pointed out in post #10): the Medieval, legendary Swiss National hero in the tri-lingual Switzerland (French/German/Italian) known as:
Arnold von alt.
de/
da Winkelried (or without the
von/
de/
da part), a Mythical figure who is supposed to have sacrificed himself, or was killed/slain, alt. died shortly after (or survived, it's hard to say; a Myth is a Myth, if nothing else, he is said to have been involved in) the Battle of Sempach, way back in year 1386 (in the dark Middle Ages). A Symbol of Swiss Patriotism. [In Sweden we know him as the literary, legendary
Arnold von Winkelried] English
Wikipedia here.
3. Vera Zassoulich Bertoni, born 1880, in (the ditto Italian parts of) Switzerland, who died in 1966 (thus
not Vera Zasoulich,
nor Zasolich Bertoni) ... named after the Russian anarchist and revolutionary Vera Ivanovna Zasulich (1849–1919), a k a
Vera/
Wera Ivanovna Zasulič, (in Russian: Вера Ивановна Засулич, transcribed in various ways, in different languages (in Sweden we know her as;
Vera Ivanovna Zasulitj). English
Wiki here.
Later Vera Zassoulich Bertoni became Mrs/
Sra (
Señora) Jiménez, after having married Juan B. Jiménez.
4. Sofia Perovskaja Bertoni, born 1881, in (the ditto Italian parts of) Switzerland, who died in 1974 (thus
neither Sofía Perovskaia Bertoni,
nor ditto Perovskoja) ... named after the Russian aristocrat, revolutionary, and terrorist (or freedom fighter, depending on views), Sophia Lvovna Perovskaya (1853–1881), member of the Russian revolutionary Party
Narodnaja Volja who killed the Russian Tsar Alexander II, in 1881 (she was hanged the same year, after a summary trial). Her Russian name: Со́фья Льво́вна Перо́вская, in Sweden she's known as;
Sofia Lvovna Perovskaja (if known at all, of course). English
Wiki here.
As "Moisés" calmed down, becoming less and less anarchistic (by age one can assume), and more and more truly patriotic (or simply home-sick?), she was called "Helvecia", in the closest Family (compare with
Helvetia,
here, or
Nueva Helvecia,
here). Even later Sofia Perovskoja Bertoni became Mrs/
Sra (
Señora) Mereles, after having married José Mereles.
5. Ines Bertoni, born 1883, in (the ditto Italian parts of) Switzerland, who died as a young girl, in 1886 ... named after; who knows? Could be just a pretty name.
6. Misiones Bertoni, born 1884, in (Spanish-talking) Argentina, who died in 1969 (
not Missiones Bertoni), probably named after the Argentinian region
Misiones (where she was born). In the Family she inherited the name every-day names "Inés" (alt.
Ines), after her sadly lost sister. In the Family she was also called 'Tarila'.
Later Misiones Bertoni became Mrs/
Sra (
Señora) Schrottky, after having married Curt Schrottky
*.
7. Moisés Santiago Bertoni, born 1887, in either Argentina or Paraguay? (both Spanish-talking), who died in 1967 ... named after his own Father (in the/its Spanish version!). In the Family he was also called 'Marinero' (the Mariner/Seaman) after having been saved from drowning as a kid (in 1888).
8. Guillermo Tell Bertoni, born 1889, (in Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who died in 1963 (
i.e. the Spanish/Paraguayan Version, thus
not Guglielmo Tell Bertoni, in the Italian way) ... named after another (far more famous) legendary Swiss folk Hero, from back in the 14th century; William Tell (in English), alt.
Guillaume Tell (in French),
Wilhelm Tell (in German),
Guglielmo Tell (in Italian),
Guillermo Tell (in Spanish), etc., etc. – best known for his ability with the bow (and/alt. crossbow), hitting an apple placed on the head of his Son. In Sweden we know him as
Wilhelm Tell. English
Wiki,
here. In the Family, and among friends, this Bertoni, was often called, quite simply; 'Tell'.
9. Aurora Eugenia Bertoni, born 1891, in (Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who died in 1983 ... maybe named after the divine Morning Goddess
Aurora (alt.
Aurōra), known from Latin poetry and/or Roman mythology, who knows? Though note that
Aurora (meaning; dawn/day-break/to become day) was a popular name (on girls) among radical socialists, and other left-wing people, in the late 1800's. Also compare with the first socialist newspaper
L'Aurora, in the Swiss canton Ticino (1901-1916?), where the Bertoni Family (once) lived. Her second name is obviously her mother's, name (Eugenia).
Later Aurora Eugenia Bertoni became Mrs/
Sra (
Señora) Flores, as she married Santiago Flores.
10. Walter Fürst Bertoni, born 1893, in (Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who died in 1971 ... named after another legendary Swiss Patriot Walter Fürst (who is said to have died in 1317?). English
Wiki here.
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz,
here.
11. Werner Stauffacher Bertoni, born 1895, in (Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who died in 1988 ... named after yet another Swiss National hero; Werner Stauffacher
** (also titled
Landammann, one of the 'founding fathers' of today's Switzerland), back in the early 1300's. English
Wiki,
here.
12. Carlos Linneo Bertoni, born 1898, (in Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who also died young, in 1915 ... named after The Great Swedish naturalist, Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the Father of today's Scientific Nomenclature himself, a k a
Carl von Linné, (after having been Knighted in 1757, in Sweden he's rarely called anything but the latter). A name, and guy, that (in this BirForum) needs neither an explanation, nor any further presentation/introduction.
13. Aristóteles Eugenio Bertoni, born 1900, in (Spanish-talking) Paraguay, who died in 1990 ... named after the (more than well-known) Greek philosopher, and multi-talented scientist Aristotle (384–322, BC), alt.
Aristote (in French),
Aristoteles (in German),
Aristotele (in Italian), Ἀριστοτέλης alt.
Aristotélēs (in Greek),
Aristóteles (in Spanish),
Aristoteles, in Swedish, etc., etc.. – often also titled; the very first Naturalist (alt. Natural Philosopher) + the male version of his Mum's name.
What a Crowd! Certainly names in duty to oblige (no pressure from "daddy"). Naming one of his Kids after himself, among such models, seems a bit conceit, or somewhat megalomanic (alt. purely narcissistic).
Note that the spellings of their Original given names differ somewhat to what's claimed in quite a few other texts on the internet. Their Original names seem to follow the way their name/s is/was, or ought to be written, in the languages spoken, in the Country where they, each and every kid, were born respectively. Mosè/Mosés simply followed the traditions of every Country where his kids were born, one after the other ...
Disclaimer: Take all of the above for what it's worth. I haven't dug very deep in every other detail, neither in any year/s in the various parts of all those (more or less famous, or infamous) people behind the Names of the Bertoni kids. See it as a rough sketch (a sort of 'fun to know') of; from whom they all got their (odd-ball) names, and how each name was written (and the very start of their lives) respectively. And note (again) that;
only Arnoldo ("Arnaldo") was/is commemorated in Ornithological nomenclature, at least as far as we know.
The explanations of all those names, of all those Kid's, are (in parts) based on what's told in
this document (all in Italian, found
here;
Approfondimenti, No.8);
I nomi dei figli di Eugenia e Mosè (though without understanding much Italian, helped/supported by
Google Translate).
And, as always;
don't hesitate to remark on any of it, if I've got something wrong (even in the most minor detail).
The whole Family, incl. Mosé's Mother Giuseppina (Arnoldo's Grandmother) left Europe in early March 1884 [
i.e. on the 3rd of March 1884 (on the 8th, according to other documents?)] and emigrated to South America, where they arrived in/to Buenos Aires [30th of March 1884], thereafter they lived in Argentina for a couple of years, before they settled down, for good, in Paraguay [in 1887]. In doing so Giuseppina left her husband Ambrogio, as well as her younger Son Brenno (1860–1945), and followed her oldest (surviving
***) Son on his adventure, across the Atlantic ... and onwards.
There's far more to tell (not Guillermo Tell
), but this will simply have to do.
Enjoy!
Björn
____________________________
*Curt Schrottky (1874–1937), was a "Russian" Entomologist (or "Polish", if preferable, he was born in today's Poland), who became the Son-in-Law to "Moisés Santiago" Bertoni (Sr.) and Brother-in-law to "Arnaldo", after having married the Daughter/Sister Misiones ('Inés'), in July 1908. Thereby he became part of the Bertoni Family (at least in the outskirts of it/in the extended Larger Family/marrying into it). Schrottky described several insects (mostly Bees/Wasps) and gave quite a few of them the scientific name bertonii, like the Bee "Megachile bertonii" SCHROTTKY 1909 (here), clearly: "Dedicada al señor A. de Winkelried Bertoni", as well as coining the (Ichneumon Flies) Genera named Bertonia SCHROTTKY 1906 (here), equally dedicated: "Zu Ehren meines Freundes A. Winkelried Bertoni bennant, dem glücklichen Entdecker dieser sowie vieler anderer für Fauna Paraguay's neuer Arten". All the other Insects/bugs/Species I haven't checked (simply couldn't be bothered). More about Mr Schrottky here.
**Noteworthy is (or at least it could be) that Arnoldo da Winkelried Bertoni (or Arnaldo de Winkelried Bertoni, if the Spanish version is preferable) also named a bird after the same hero; the "Myiachus Stauffacherianus" (in his work of 1901, on pp.117-118): "... ; especie dedicada á Werner Stauffacher, uno de los tres héroes del Grütli" (thus it's not aimed at his younger Brother, which is easy to believe). His younger Brother was only a kid when this bird got its name.
***Ambrogio and Giuseppina did have an even older Son; Enrico (born in 1844), but he died as a young man (in 1866), prior to Giuseppina's emigration, the same sad faith also struck their Daughter Elvezia (born 1865) who also died in her youth/prime (in 1883), which might explain why Giuseppina couldn't leave her (favourite?) Son Mosè (the future Moisés). In South America and Paraguay, Giuseppina was known as Josefina (until her death in 1908).
Well, that's them, that's the Bertoni Family!
End of Post.
/B
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