Le héros des deux mondes dans le sillage du corsaire

Giuseppe Bavastro and Giuseppe Garibaldi’s families were both from the region of Genoa.

More specifically Giuseppe Bavastro’s father, Michele (1729-1787) got married in San Pier d'Arena [1] on February 12, 1752 before working as an engineer in 1760 to expand the port of Nice and to settle there permanently in 1768 with his wife Maria-Hieronima Gaetana Parodi (circa 1729-1804), daughter of the Genoese shipowner Michele Parodi [2], and his 5 children (Gian-Battista (circa 1753-1785), Martino (circa 1755-1801), Giuseppe (1760-1833), Madalena (circa 1765 -?) and Giuseppina Teresa (circa 1765-1804)). An additional son, Paulo was born in Nice in 1768.

To see in detail the genealogy of the family Bavastro, you can visit http://www.geneanet.org/

Giuseppe Garibaldi’s grandfather, Angelo got married on September 1, 1765 in Chiavari near Genoa with Margherita Isabella Pucci (1742-1813) born in Chiavari. He was captain of a merchant ship and had settled in Nice around 1778, as evidenced by the act which grants him the benefit of the freeport on June 8, 1778 [3] that found Gian-Luiggi Alzona found at the departmental archives of Alpes-Maritimes [4].

Michele Bavastro and Angelo Garibaldi belonged to the same generation. Indeed, according to some parochial acts regarding them, Michele Bavastro was born on November 20, 1729 in San Pier d'Arena (not in Nice as it is often written) and Angelo Garibaldi was born around 1741. So they were between 37 and 49 when they lived in Nice on the harbor in 1778.

Although Michele Bavastro does not seem to have been a sailor, there is an Angelo Bavastro among the shipowners of Genoa's "Veloce" in 1809 [5]. Moreover, his wife Maria Hieronima Parodi belonged to a family of sailors, evidenced for example by her brother Gian-Battista Parodi, who was the captain of a vessel on which Giuseppe Bavastro started sailing [6], Domenico Parodi, corsair "le chasseur" of Genoa’s shipowner in 1811 [7] and Pietro Parodi, captain of the "Dauphin" [8] in 1811.

In his memoirs - written by Alexandre Dumas - Giuseppe Garibaldi said in Chapter II that in his youth he ran away with friends to get to Genoa by boat and his father asked a corsair to take him back to Nice. He does not give the name of the corsair, but it is likely that he was a Parodi of the Bavastro family, especially as one of his runaway companions was called Caesar Parodi [9].
[Genealogy of Bavastro]

In the 1822 census, Bernardo Bavastro (1779-1841) lived with his wife Maria Chichisola (circa 1762-1849) in the house he owned (casa Bavastro) on the port of Nice, it is written that he lived off his rental income [10]. He was a cousin of Giuseppe’s, Domenico Bavastro’s son (circa 1721-1786) - Michele's brother - and lieutenant sailor as written in Bavastro’s famous xebec “L’intrepide” ship crew list [11].

Angelo Bavastro (1783-1847), Bernardo’s brother and another cousin of Giuseppe’s, was a hairdresser. With his wife Felicita Salvatori (1796-circa 1838) and their son Francisco (1822 -?). they lived in the same house as the Garibaldi at the port of Nice (Abudarham casa) [12] with his wife Felicita Salvatori (1796-circa 1838) and their son Francisco (1822 -?).

In addition, Rosa Garibaldi (1770-1825), Giuseppe’s aunt and Felice Gustavin’s wife was Rosa Bavastro’s godmother (1800-1862), daughter of Bernardo Bavastro and Maria Chichisola’s. That's why she was given the same first name as Rosa’s, her godmother. The choice for Rosa’s godparents on September 23, 1800 means that the Bavastros and Garibaldis knew each other well and way before 1800. Furthermore, Rosa Bavastro’s parents, Bernardo and Maria Chichisola were not married at the time of the birth of their children Rosa and Gio-Giuseppe (1801 -?), which was quite rare at that time. This may suggest that they were not necessarily very religious ... They were still oddly determined to get married on Oct. 25, 1817 just after the wedding of their daughter with Antonio Dayderi on February 15, 1817.

Antonio Daidery - or Dayderi, Deyderi, Deiderj (1774-circa 1840), Rosa Bavastro's husband had a business of rope on the port like his father Gian-Battista. His three daughters were married to sailors. His first son Giuseppe was born from a first marriage of Antonio Daidery with Rosa Balestre and he became a close friend of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s throughout his life. When Garibaldi's wife passed away, Giuseppe Garibaldi gave custody of his daughter Teresita to the Deyderis as he was at war. Giuseppe Dayderi who was responsible for repatriating the remains of Anita - the first wife of garibaldi - in Nice. He was one year older than Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was at the head of the militia of the National Guard niçoise to which he belonged from January 1851 if not before, and he was appointed Colonel in 1858. He resigned on January 2, 1860 and went into exile in Genoa in June 1860 after the annexation.

It seems that Giuseppe Bavastro somewhat deserted Nice during the French Revolution since his name ended up on the list of emigrants and was finally removed on 20 Fructidor Year II after the Consul of the Republic of Genoa [13] requested it. However Jean-Baptiste Toselli says in his "biographie niçoise ancienne et moderne" that in 1793 with Laflèche from Marseille he helped some people wishing to emigrate to Genoa. In addition the departmental archives have kept track of his prosecution for bankruptcy by his creditors in 1789 [14].

His association with the merchant Jean-Jacques Donny (circa 1756-circa 1820) who was the owner of the xebec (or chabec or chebeck in French, sciabecco in Italian) "l’intrepide" whose captain was Bavastro seems to have occurred in 1803 [15] [16].

His sister Josefa Teresa Bavastro (1765-1804) was married to Captain Ludovico Boet (circa 1865 -?) whose corsair ship "Alpes-Maritimes" belonged to Joseph Pollan (circa 1748-1799), Donny’s stepfather, a native of Clavesana (Piemonte). The name given to this boat conveys French revolutionary ideas very strongly since it was the name appointed to the new French department [17].

Sailing in the Mediterranean was truly a family affair.


His partner, Jean-Francois Le Clerc (circa 1730-1792), born in Switzerland too, was the head of a large business house and a bank. He had been in the first administration of the City in October 1792 that Paul Barras set up when appointed by the General Danselme [23]. He lived in Nice in 1764 and had obtained the title of baron in 1774 thanks to his business in the free port [24].

Le Clerc must have known the Bavastros and the Garibaldis and they all had common business interests in the port where they all lived in.

Le Clerc and Donny were actively involved in the administration of the city during the French Revolution. The supply of goods has certainly been connected with the presence of Donny in 1794 at the Agency of the port of Nice, as he led one of the three big shops in Nice, Le Clerc and Co.

Massena, Bavastro and Donny have all played an important role in politics during the revolutionary period.

As for Garibaldi - Angelo, Giuseppe’s grandfather and Domenico, Giuseppe's father - their names have apparently never been quoted in local history in this period. They had arrived in Nice only a decade before, but it should be noted that the violence of the revolution didn’t make them want to run away. They had to deal with the situation. Owning a ship has probably allowed them to continue to trade, knowing that the supply of goods was even more crucial as the goods were missing and that the depreciation of the currency did not make trading easy. 

Bavastro was Andre Massena’s childhood friend (1758-1817). They were born only two years apart. Bavastro's father and Massena’s maternal grandfather both worked as engineers in the development of the Port, so they naturally became friends. Jean-Baptiste Toselli indicates that Bavastro offered to Massena before the beginning of the revolution to "associate to set up a small ship and run the sea" [18] and Massena refused. Their friendship was so strong that Bavastro had baptised two of his ships "Massena". During the revolution, Massena stood out from September 1792 in the French army of General Danselme at the time of the invasion of the County of Nice. In 1792, his enthusiasm for revolutionary ideas could explain his zeal; he later became disillusioned especially when he found himself in jail ...

Jean-Jacques Donny has also played an important role in Nice during the French Revolution. Born in Neuchâtel in Switzerland around 1756 he became famous in particular by supporting bishop Valperga when General Danselme forced him into exile in Turin [19], which is even more remarkable that he was a protestant as well as a Freemason [20]. Given his wealth and his connections, he had even obtained permission to get married at the Cathedral Sainte Reparate on December 30, 1795 - more importantly - with an Orthodox woman, Gaëtane Ursula Polan (1774-1832).
Jean-Jacques Donny must have had certain qualities and strong relationships to be part of the revolutionary administration in 1792 and 1794 [21] and to be there again in 1800 [22].

His partner, Jean-Francois Le Clerc (circa 1730-1792), born in Switzerland too, was the head of a large business house and a bank. He had been in the first administration of the City in October 1792 that Paul Barras set up when appointed by the General Danselme [23]. He lived in Nice in 1764 and had obtained the title of baron in 1774 thanks to his business in the free port [24].

Le Clerc must have known the Bavastros and the Garibaldis and they all had common business interests in the port where they all lived in.

Le Clerc and Donny were actively involved in the administration of the city during the French Revolution. The supply of goods has certainly been connected with the presence of Donny in 1794 at the Agency of the port of Nice, as he led one of the three big shops in Nice, Le Clerc and Co.

Massena, Bavastro and Donny have all played an important role in politics during the revolutionary period.

As for Garibaldi - Angelo, Giuseppe’s grandfather and Domenico, Giuseppe's father - their names have apparently never been quoted in local history in this period. They had arrived in Nice only a decade before, but it should be noted that the violence of the revolution didn’t make them want to run away. They had to deal with the situation. Owning a ship has probably allowed them to continue to trade, knowing that the supply of goods was even more crucial as the goods were missing and that the depreciation of the currency did not make trading easy.

Giuseppe Bavastro (1760-1833), corsair of Napoleon, had a remarkable destiny. Several books were devoted to him, all more or less fictionalized, especially as he never wrote anything himself. Jean-Baptiste Toselli’s "Biographie niçoise ancienne et moderne" published in 1860 is the most notable (page 71 to 108) (available online on the site of the Departmental Archives of the Alpes-Maritimes) [25].

Bavastro must have fascinated many inhabitants in Nice; for his bravery, his exploits as a sailor and his considerable wealth accumulated thanks to his catches.

Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) could not ignore the reputation of this sailor whom he shared a few relatives with. In 1833, at the death of Giuseppe Bavastro he was 26. They surely must have met. It also seems strange that Garibaldi never mentioned Bavastro, especially since like him, he liked sailing from his early age and clearly they both shared similar values. One of his childhood companions was Caesar Parodi who was from the Bavastro family. Garibaldi did not mention this relation even though he must have been aware of it. He probably didn’t want to be treated as a corsair and reveal his close relations with the Bavastros.

Garibaldi was asked to race against Brazil on behalf of the Republic of the Rio Grande in the years 1837 to 1841 and of the Republic of Uruguay from 1841 to 1848. This image of corsair was somewhat inconsistent with his selfless revolutionary one, and therefore he probably wasn’t very proud of it. Besides, he justified in writing via Alexandre Dumas that "during all the time I was a corsair, my men were ordered to respect the lives, honor and property of passengers" [ 26]. He was somehow in his opinion a Robin Hood like corsair.

Moreover, the very first paragraph of his memoirs mentions Massena, indicating that he was born in the room where Massena "the famous Marshal" was born. The way he speaks of Massena conveys very strongly his admiration for him. Being born in the same room as him seems to mean that he was predestined to a glorious future but also to pursue the same ideals.

When one knows that Giuseppe Bavastro left to Latin America in 1818 to exile and provide assistance to Simon Bolivar in his fight for the liberation of peoples, one can not help but make the confection with Giuseppe Garibaldi who left in 1835 also to Latin America in similar circumstances.

Recueil des vues de tous les differens bastimens de la mer Mediterranée et de l'Océan, avec leurs noms et usages / par Pierre- Jacob Gueroult du Pas; source : Gallica, image 21

His settling in a farm in New Orleans in 1821 also sounds like Garibaldi's exile on the island of Caprera in 1860.

Moreover, Giuseppe Garibaldi was a free mason in a lodge and everyone knows it, but Giuseppe Bavastro was also a free mason and probably from an early age, evidenced for example by his friendship with Andre Massena, initiated into Freemasonry in 1784 in Toulon at the age of 26, and his business relationship with Jean-Jacques Donny who was a notorious Freemason and also the owner of "L’intrépide" whose captain was Bavastro [27].

It is suggested that Masonic values could already be present in the Bavastro and Garibaldi families and could even be the reason for their exile to Nice. Indeed, the Freemasons were not welcome in Italy since pope Benedict XIV published his Bull "Providas romanorum" in 1751, which had also been shared by his predecessor Clement XII in 1738. Indeed, apart from the excommunication, the secular body could be solicited so the risk was great for people as well as for goods that could be confiscated.
At the same time Nice was trying to attract wealthy traders by offering them the benefits of the free port and asylum. Subsequently, during the French Revolution the involvement of Freemasons was very active and it also happened in Nice.

The integration of the two families in Nice, which became rich and prospered during and after the French Revolution, could be partly explained by their freemasonship, which advocated republican ideas and the unification of Italy, ideas that Giuseppe Garibaldi embodied perfectly. Masonic lodges flourished in the 2nd half of the nineteenth century, and especially the one called "les vrais amis réunis" (real friends reunited) in Nice. It is likely that the Bavastro and Garibaldi families belonged to this lodge or to the Marseilles lodge "St. John of Scotland" which brought together many merchants and ship captains. [28].

The archives of Genoa should be explored to better understand the relationships that existed with Nice in the eighteenth century.

2) The bas-relief sculptures adorning the golden dome of the Chapel of St. Rita in the Church of the Annunciation in Nice are instruments of passion or symbols related to passion:

• sculpture of left cross, spear, stick with a sponge dipped in vinegar, etc..
• sculpture center: Veronica's veil with the face of Christ
  
• sculpture right: Roman insignia "SPQR" (Senatus Populusque Romani), lantern, ladder, whip, etc..
  

What is remarkable in this tangle of symbols is that on the one hand the usual symbols of passion like the crown of thorns and the nails are not represented and on the other hand the layout of symbols are typically Masonic : scale with 7 steps with the lantern at the top and love lakes formed by the cord.

•  Port Lympia and castle of Mont-Alban dated 01/01/1787, kept in regional archives of department of maritim Alps.  Positif, couleurs au format 6x7. Provenance : Bibliothèque municipale de Nice. Document faisant partie de l'exposition intitulée : "Les Alpes-Maritimes au temps des premiers préfets" Extrait de l'ouvrage intitulé : "Voyage historique et pittoresque du comté de Nice" d'Albanis Beaumont, édité à Genève en 1787 © Droits réservés des archives départementales de Alpes-Maritimes COTE : 03FI 11495 http://www.cg06.fr (découvrir les am/découverte du patrimoine/les archives départementales/outils de recherche/iconographie)
  

• Plan of the port lympia (Cessole library). Positif, couleurs au format 6X7.  Provenance : Reproduction réalisée par Roger Thiéry , Archives Départementales de Nice. Cote : 05PH 00321 http://www.cg06.fr/fr/ (découvrir les am/découverte du patrimoine/les archives départementales/outils de recherche/iconographie). Note the drauwings of boats  including several xebecs

[1] Sampierdarena was annexed in Genoa in 1926
[2] La Marina ligure di Napoleone 1797-1814, Virgilio Ilari, Piero Crociani, 2011, page 84, http://www.archive.org/details/NapoleonsLigurianNavy1797-1814
[3] Archives Départementales des Alpes maritimes, cote 03B 0084.8.6.1778 : ports-francs
[4] Garibaldi, orizzonti mediterranei, Gian-Luigi Alzona et al., Paolo Sorba Editore, 2009, page 31
[5] La Marina ligure di Napoleone 1797-1814, Virgilio Ilari, Piero Crociani, 2011, page 98
[6] Op.cit., page 88
[7] Revue africaine, journal des travaux de la société historique algérienne, 1872(11), page 442
[8] La Marina ligure di Napoleone 1797-1814, Virgilio Ilari, Piero Crociani, 2011, page 98
[9] Mémoires de Garibaldi, Alexandre Dumas, imprimerie J L Borgeaud, 1860, chapter II « mes premières années », page 5
[10] Recensement 1822 lot 1, page 725 on 800 http://www.cg06.fr/fr/decouvrir-les-am/decouverte-du-patrimoine/les-archives-departementales/outils-recherche/outils-de-recherche-et-archives-numerisees/
[11] La Marina ligure di Napoleone 1797-1814, Virgilio Ilari, Piero Crociani, 2011, page 102
[12] Recensement 1822 lot 1, page 735 on 800
[13] Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, Document L 0034 (An II), 181 feuillets
[14] Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, Document 01B 0160 (Sénat de Nice since 11/01/1788 to 7/3/1791)
[15] Biographie niçoise ancienne et moderne ou Dictionnaire historique, Jean-Baptiste Toselli, tome 1, page 80
[16] La franc-maçonnerie dans le département des Alpes-Maritimes sous le consulat et l'Empire, Yves Hivert-Messeca, 1989, october-dicember - On the site Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, http://www.cg06.fr/ (Bibliothèque)
[17] Le quartier maritime de Nice en 1800, Jules Cablat, Nice Historique 1900(9):164-167 (page 164)
[18] Biographie niçoise ancienne et moderne ou Dictionnaire historique, Jean-Baptiste Toselli, N°2, 1860, page 51
[19] La triste destinée de Mgr Valperga di Maglione, évêque de Nice, Mons. Denis Ghiraldi, Recherches régionales 2003 (166), on the web site of Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, http://www.cg06.fr/ (Bibliothèque)
[20] La franc-maçonnerie dans le département des Alpes-Maritimes sous le Consulat et l'Empire, Yves Hivert-Messeca, Recherches régionales, 1989(109) – On the web site of  Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, http://www.cg06.fr/ (Bibliothèque)
[21] L'activité économique de Nice pendant les années 1794-1795, Antoine Demougeot, Nice Historique 1969(2)33-52 (page 34)
[22] La mairie de Nice de 1800 à 1803, Paulian et Torrini, Marc Bouloiseau, Nice Historique 1986(38) : 3-14 (page 11)
[23] Réorganisation des autorités civiles de Nice en octobre 1792, A-J Rance-Bourrey, Nice Historique 1911(4):57-68 (page 66)
[24] Archives anciennes et révolutionnaires, Sénat de Nice, document 01B 0179 - 09/02/1773 - 19/12/1777 (archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes)
[25] Biographie niçoise ancienne et moderne ou dictionnaire historique [...],Toselli (Jean-Baptiste), Nice, 1860, 2t. réunis, 384 p. : portraits h-t., 357p. http://www.cg06.fr/cms/cg06/upload/decouvrir-les-am/fr/files/rr109-1989-03.pdf (bibliothèque numérique/Armoriaux et biographies)
[26] Mémoires de Joseph Garibaldi, publiés par Alexandre Dumas, 1860 Borgeaud éditeur, chapter VII et VIII
[27] La franc-maçonnerie dans le département des Alpes-Maritimes sous le consulat et l'Empire, Yves Hivert-Messeca, 1989, october-december - On the web site of Archives départementales des Alpes-maritimes, http://www.cg06.fr/ (Bibliothèque)
[28] Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire  Saint-Jean d'Ecosse de Marseille, une puissance maçonnique méditerranéenne aux ambitions européennes – Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire, Cahiers de la méditerranée, 2006 http://cdlm.revues.org/