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BUCHPROJEKT
Die Familie Montani
To all descendants of Barbara Witschard + Johannes Filius Montani
Invitation
Dear friends, dear relatives, dear family
On the trail of our ancestors - become part of our book project!
We are all descendants of Barbara Witschard and Johannes Filius Montani, who lived in Valais in 1747. Imagine Valais at that time: There is no electricity, no running water, no railroad. Life is hard, shaped by nature, the seasons and agriculture. The people are self-sufficient, farming and raising livestock. In winter, many villages are cut off from the outside world. Their story is also our story - and it deserves to be told: For without them, we would not be here today. This book project aims to preserve our shared heritage and bring the past and present to life. That's why we need you! Send us your biography, tell us about your family, share photos and documents. Together we can create a unique work that will last for generations.
Why this book project?
We are more than just names in old church registers. Our ancestors loved, worked, suffered, celebrated - they have left us this legacy. Let us tell their stories!
Share with us:
Your family history
Photos, letters, documents
Memories and anecdotes
Every story, no matter how small, is a valuable building block for our joint work. Be part of it! Become part of a project that connects the past with the present - and preserves it for the future.
Write to us and help bring our heritage to life! Thank you! Sarah Montani
PS: Do you speak Italian, French or is this text not displayed in your native language? You can change the language in the menu at the top right.
BOOK and E-Book 'The Montani Family'
To all descendants of Barbara Witschard + Johannes Filius MONTANI (1747)
Invitation to participate
Dear relatives, dear family, I am currently writing a book about the Montani family history. It would be a great honor if I could include a portrait of you and your relatives in this book. What is there to do?
1. each family can send me a photo where all family members are together (e.g. parents and where available children).
2. a single photo per person is needed, similar to a passport photo. This is then for the family tree.
3. single persons and couples send photos of themselves, possibly with their parents - of course also with pets or other things that are important to them.
The photos will be included in the book and in our family tree (digital and printed). The family tree is designed to include the ancestors of relatives who have a name other than Montani. For data protection or other reasons, it may be that currently living persons do not wish to be depicted. We will of course respect this. The digital family tree will be online, but will not show the photos of currently living persons. The aim is to have the photos for the book and to bring together photos of our ancestors in one file.
4. so that the family tree is scientifically documented, I need a digital, high-resolution photo of each family, e.g. from the family booklet, birth certificate, etc. Again, see what you would like to share, what is suitable for you. It is certainly nice if we have photos of the family books of our ancestors.
5. biographies: I will write a biography for each person who wants to and helps, or for each family. I need texts from you. What would you like to write about yourself, what would you like to record about your family? Do you perhaps still have death speeches from the deceased that we can use to portray this person? Do you have newspaper clippings, e.g. from carriage rides on a person's birthday? Do you have newspaper clippings from your activities or other things?
6. and of course we are looking for all kinds of photos of our ancestors so that we can include them in the book and make them accessible to everyone. Go in search of old photos. Please label them very carefully (surname, first name, date of birth where available, etc.). You are also welcome to send me everything on paper, and I will digitize the photos and send them back immediately.
7. do you have any medals or similar that our ancestors received? Hunting trophies? Diplomas? Do you have old tools with names engraved on them or something similar? Do you have images of our coat of arms in seals, rings etc.? Take photos of them with the corresponding history. I would be delighted!
8. perhaps there are still newspaper cuttings, portraits of our ancestors, of their undertakings? Please send these too. Here too, we need the exact period, the names, the exact date, the newspaper that published it.
All those who participate: Please send me the material within the next 3-4 weeks, at the latest by March 1, 2025, at which time I can judge whether we have enough material for a book...So, I would be very happy if you and you participate and support me. And again, if you like writing, proofreading, would like to layout the book, if you are good at digitizing photos, please get in touch, it's even more fun together.
Join in!
We are also writing a book about the family members. You are welcome to send us photos and a short text about yourself and/or your family, and we will include your story in the book. Please send all documents by March 1, 2025.
Tell us your biography, tell us your best memories. I would be delighted if you would tell me your story.
Ask for a login and help me:
https://de.geneanet.org/profil/sarahmontani
Have current accesses: Sara Montani, (from Annemarie & Alex), Olivier Montani, Ralph Patrick Montani, Sarah Montani, (from Yolande und Raymond)
Family tree
Please help me to digitize the family tree. In every generation there is at least one person who is interested in the history of the ancestors and has also collected data and old photos. Help me to find this person. And in every generation there are now people who know how to use computers and online platforms. We are looking for these two people to help realize the family tree. Once the tree has been digitized, it can be turned into something unique:
-Every person and every family can display their own tree, starting from themselves. That is very impressive.
-In addition, the ancestors, ancestors and descendants of relatives who do not bear the name Montani can be recorded. This also shows the ancestors and descendants of women who do not bear the name Montani (e.g. due to marriage).
-The digital file can be used to create a printout containing all ancestors with photos. A new level for our family tree, which is several meters wide and not so handy :-)
Data:
March 1, 2025: Co-creators have been determined
June 1, 2025: Family tree is completed
June 15, 2025: Family tree goes to press for the family festival
Printing is only possible if the family tree is updated by June 15, 2025 at the latest.
For our tree, we will use Geneanet. Geneanet is an online platform for genealogy research, where we can create, manage, and share our family trees. It provides access to historical records and genealogical databases.
Privacy Protection
Geneanet ensures user privacy through various measures:
Living individuals remain private: Their data is only visible to the tree owner.
User control: Users can decide which information is public or private.
Data security: Information is stored on European servers and complies with applicable data protection laws.
Data Export
Yes, users can export their genealogical data in GEDCOM format, a standard format for family trees that is compatible with other genealogy software. (Other plattform often don’t allow an export).
Collaboration & Photos
Geneanet is an online platform that allows multiple users to work on the same family tree.
Users can upload and share photos and documents with other researchers.
Family Tree Display
Once the data is uploaded, each individual can be displayed in a personalized family tree, showing their relevant relationships.
In summary, Geneanet is a collaborative, privacy-compliant online platform for genealogy research, offering export functions, photo uploads, and flexible family tree visualization.
What do you do?
All texts by email to sarah.montani@weblaw.ch by the 1th March 2025.
All photos to: Sarah Montani, Bellariastr. 32, 8002 Zurich.
All photos will be professionally scanned and returned immediately. Please do not forget the return address and label the photos with the names of the people depicted.
For their stories and biographies: Please be sure to include their parents' names and dates of birth. Please also state the names of their siblings, including dates of birth, and their children. This helps us a lot in compiling the family tree.
We proofread and correct the texts, so it is possible that the text you send us will be slightly adapted, shortened, corrected and proofread for a uniform reading style. By sending the texts and photos, you agree that the texts may be used for the family book. Among other things, a printed book and an e-book will be produced, and a reading sample will be made available online. It will be available in bookshops and online.
If you send us photos of living relatives, please make absolutely sure that the relatives depicted are aware of this and expressly agree to the publication of the photo.
The Padlina Family
Here is the text of the Padlina family, the descendants of Imelda Montani & Ferruccio Padlina, as an example and inspiration! Thank you!
Andrea Padlina 12.04.1979
Andrea lives in a small town nestled in the mountains, where peaks are reflected in streams and the
silence is broken only by birdsong and the murmur of water.
He has never been a man of many words, but his soul speaks through the flow of water and the quiet
breath of nature.
As soon as he can, he ventures along the paths that bristly meander through woods and meadows, with his fishing pole and
an old hat that bears the marks of time. For him, fishing is not a craft, but a ritual, a
dialogue with life itself. Waiting is a teaching, silence a prayer.
The river has taught him everything that matters: patience in watching the water carve out the rock, the strength to
follow its own course, and the beauty of reflecting the sky even on stormy days. Every overhang, every
rock polished by time, reminds him that life is a journey, and that true wealth is found in simplicity.
As the sun sets behind the peaks and the valley fills with shadows, Andrea stops at the shore. The water,
gilded by the dying light, seems to whisper ancient secrets to him. In those moments, he feels that he belongs to
something greater: to the valley, to the mountains, to the eternal cycle of nature. He is not just a fisherman, but
a keeper of a fragile and precious balance, a man who has found peace in the ceaseless flow of life.
Nio Padlina 05.03.2021
Nio is a curious and energetic child, born in a small town surrounded by nature. He is fascinated
by fire trucks and stories of heroes working as a team to protect the community.
From early on, he showed great interest in helping others, spending hours imagining what it
it would be to put out fires and save people in danger.
Nio dreams of becoming a firefighter and trains every day with games that test his courage and
his speed.
Despite his vivid imagination, Nio does not draw dragons or fantastical creatures, preferring instead to
create stories of real adventures.
Nio loves to create constructions with bricks, boxes, or whatever materials she finds on hand. With his
creative mind and gentle spirit, Nio grows up as an ordinary child, but ready to leave his
mark on the world.
Moira Padlina - Lancetti 23.06.1982
Moira, a child of the mountains and sports, breathes the thin, pure air of the peaks as if it were her essence.
Every descent on a mountain bike, braving the wild terrain, every ascent on skins to the muffled silence
of the altitudes, every flight in fresh snow that makes her feel free, every climb on the ridges, with the wind that
whispers through the rocks, and every walk on forgotten trails where nature reigns supreme,
represent pure life for her. They are adventures that recharge her body and free her mind and her
soul. Who knows, maybe Nio will share some of these passions, and together they will discover the magic
of outdoor adventure!
Montani - since 1339
DNA Test
The Montani family is probably the oldest family in Salgesch. We are first mentioned by name in the Salgesch archives in 1339. No. 2 are CINA and ZUMOFEN (year 1347) No. 3 are MATHIER in 1353, followed by KUONEN, GLENZ, MOUNIR, OGGIER etc. I hecked this information with Amédée Mounir, former president of the commune. Like the Cinas and Zumofens, we are also residents of Salgesch today, so we have a very long history in Salgesch. It is very rare to be able to go back so far in family history. The name MONTANI used to be de Montanoz, so we had a VON in our name, which indicates a noble origin. So we are the oldest original burghers of Salgesch and the MONTANI family is as old as the burgh itself.
Now the question is, where did we come from, Italy? What were the migration routes that led the Montanis to Salgesch?
Unfortunately, there are not really any writings on this before 1300, and no family registers or church registers either.
DNA TEST:
The only way to answer this question is a DNA test. I had contact with Hervé Mayoraz, a photo of him and his project can be found in the Nouvelliste. He is willing to analyze the history of the Montanis. What he has already found out can be found here: www.vs-dna.ch.
For his work, he needs the DNA of at least 2 men from the Montani family, preferably not from the same line. They should be 6-7 generations apart. A laboratory only analyzes the Y from the male's chromosome; no diseases or similar are stored on this chromosome. Data protection is fully respected. It is not an insecure system like myheritage or ancestry, American DNA databases that have also been hacked.
Hervé Mayoraz's project has a reputable scientific advisory board, and it is the only family genetic test that is not of interest to the pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies, as it does not contain any health-related information. It also has comprehensive information on data protection on the project's website.
So today I'm asking who would like to volunteer for a DNA test. The cost is around 80 for the basic test. This test can be used to find out whether the two men are related far enough apart to make it possible to trace the migration routes. I will send you the article from the Nouvelliste on request, as well as the information on ordering the test KIT. We then need about 5 -6 weeks until we have the results. Who takes part? Only men or people with a Y chromosome.
Le Nouvelliste: https://www.vs-dna.ch/DE/docs/Article%20Nouvelliste%20déc.2024.pdf
Wallis DNA: https://www.vs-dna.ch/DE/index.php
Write your biography
We have put together a few questions, perhaps you would like to answer a few of them and tell us your story? We write about 1 A4 page per person. Please also send a photo of you and your family with your biography. Thank you very much
A few questions for inspiration. If some questions appeal to you, you are welcome to answer them or tell us something completely different. It is not necessary to answer all the questions, we write about 1-2 A4 pages per person.
I will then edit the text for you and we will correct it together. Only what is 100% suitable for you will be published.
I would also like to have a photo of you, and perhaps one of your family and, if available, with your parents or siblings, or your animals. Thank you very much in advance, Sarah Montani 076 343 57 77
Possible questions
Your birthday: XXXXX
School: What do you remember about your school days? Did you have time to play? What did the children play back then? Did you have a best friend(s)? If yes, did you have contact for many years? How did you feel about your school days?
Work / hobby: Did you work a lot as a child? In gardens? Vines? Other? If yes: How did you feel about this work? Were you able to pursue a hobby as a child? Learn to play an instrument? Dance? Etc.? Did you take part in a club? (Traditional costume club, soccer club...) What was it like? Would you describe yourself as religious? Did you have to go to church as a child? Confession? Was there any control from the church etc.? How did you feel about the church/religion back then, what do you think today?
Parents and siblings: How did you experience your parents? Were they supportive, always working? Were you on first name terms with your parents? What was it like at the lunch table? What did they eat very often? Did everyone talk a lot or was it very quiet? Were you allowed to talk at the table? Did you have to eat 'quickly'? Which siblings did you share your room with? Did you have your own bed? Did you ever go on an excursion as a family, did you ever go on a trip? Did your parents ever go on a trip? What do you remember? Is there a story you would like to tell?
War, poverty, natural disasters & hunger: Valais has experienced several very severe earthquakes (1946), avalanches and the great Salgesch fire in 1913. Did your parents tell you about this? How did your parents perceive nature? Did you perceive nature as a threat? Until the 20th century, Valais was one of the poorest regions in Switzerland. Did you experience poverty? Were there very poor people in your village? The world wars were in 1918 and 1945. Did your parents talk about the war, were the after-effects of the war noticeable?
Friends & girlfriends, technology: How did you communicate with your friends back then? Did the telephone already exist? Were you allowed to use it? Did you have a washing machine, a dishwasher, a telephone, a TV, a computer? Do you remember a story?
Technology today: How do you experience the use of new technologies? Do you use social media, artificial intelligence? Other? How have you experienced technological progress in recent decades? Are there any social changes that you see as positive or negative?
Being a woman / being a man: What was it like to be a woman? As a man? What were the expectations? Did you feel discriminated against in the past? How is it today? What has changed for the better / for the worse?
Profession: Did you learn a profession? Were you free to choose your profession? Did you have a dream job as a child? Which schools did you attend? What did you do for a living? Did you emigrate? To another canton, to another country? If yes: Why? Was it difficult / relieving?
Best moment in your life: Did you have a very nice moment in your life that you would like to share? What time, what do you remember most fondly? Is there something you are proud of? Did you once make a big decision that changed your life? Looking back, is there anything you would do differently? What mistake should people not make again?
Role models & information: Are you a fan of a personality? Who was famous when you were young? Which songs did you like? Did you have role models? How did you inform yourself in the past? Radio? Television?
Passion; do you have a passion? What do you love to do and forget the time? Do you have hobbies?
Meaning: Is there such a thing as the meaning of life? If yes: What is the meaning of life for you?
Family: Your family, your parents and siblings: When you think about your family, how would you describe them? What makes the Montani family unique? Is there something they all have in common? Do you see your family as more hierarchical and traditional, or more anti-authoritarian? If you have started a family or families yourself, how would you describe your current family? Have times changed a lot compared to the past? What is better, what is less good?
Culture & traditions: What traditions or customs were there in your family? Are there any that are still practiced today? Which festivals were particularly celebrated? Were there special rituals at Christmas, Easter or other holidays? Were there any special dishes that were passed down in the family? Who was the best cook?
Love & relationships: How did you experience your first love? Was it easy or difficult to meet someone back then? Were there marriages in the family that were made out of love or were they more arranged/mediated relationships? How have relationships and the view of marriage and partnership changed over the years?
Upbringing & childhood experiences: What values were you taught by your parents? Which of these do you pass on to the next generations? Was your upbringing strict or relaxed? Were there many rules?
Home & identity: What does “home” mean to you? Has this feeling changed over time? Is there a song, a picture or a smell that immediately reminds you of your childhood? Have you ever thought about leaving Valais? Why did you stay or leave?
Untold stories: Are there any family stories that have not been told for a long time? Is there a legend or rumor about the Montani family? Was there silence or open communication?
Next generation: What can we do today to be a good ancestor? Can we take care of future generations? If so, how? What is your experience of young people today? If you could send a message to the next generation, what would you say? What values or achievements of the Montani family should be preserved for the future? Is there anything you wish for your descendants and/or future generations?