The Corsicans in Trinidad.

When I was very young, my father told me that he believed that the Agostinis originated in Florence, Italy. He did on occasion mention Corsica.

But not as anything substantial to our family history. When we (my parents and I) visited Italy in 1967, and indeed visited Florence, my father expressed his opinion that this was where the Agostinis originated (1). What I later discovered is that my family migrated from Italy to Corsica. In a nutshell, Corsica, originally was under Italian rule, and was divided between the French and Italians, and the French eventually gained full possession of Corsica. My great, great grandfather, Don Simon Agostini, migrated to Trinidad sometime between 1783 and 1797. The historical records vary on this date, though there is no doubt that Don Simon was in Trinidad before 1800. (David Agostini believes that his arrival in Trinidad was somewhere nearer to 1797, based on documentation that he was there on 5 March, 1797. ( The Ancestors, pp.7, 10)

Although Simon's birthdate is uncertain, it is believed to be around 1769, the same year in which Napoleon was born, and probably in the same city, Ajaccio, Corsica (2).  If this birth date is correct, it would place Simon arriving in Trinidad at roughly 14 years of age, in 1783. Accounts do vary, but it seems to me that the 1783 arrival date is more consistent with historical records which say that Simon arrived in Trinidad when he was 14. If the later dates are accurate, then it would mean that he was in his twenties when he arrived in Trinidad. In any case, the most important point is that he was in Trinidad before 1800. 

Simon fled Corsica when it came under French rule. He sided with the British, and made his home on an island (Trinidad) that would eventually come under British rule, in 1797. Sir Ralph Abercromby took possession of Trinidad in that year. The Spanish (Trinidad was discovered by Columbus on 31 July, 1498, on his Third Voyage) were vastly outnumbered by Abercromby's navy and military. With some sixteen navy ships loaded with artillery and thousands of foot soldiers, Abercromby virtually walked unhindered into Trinidad, and the Spanish surrendered possession of the island without a fight (3). In 1962, Trinidad gained independence from Britain, and eventually became a Republic in 1976.

How the Agostinis weave into this complex story will be told in the following posts. I welcome corrections and additions, realising that there are people far more knowledgeable on this subject than I am. Unfortunately, that knowledgeable number is small, and it will continue to dwindle as they pass on.


(1) I have further (and contrary) information about this to be added later.

(2) Some other suggested dates will be added later.

(3) Information from David Agostini, The Ancestors.