Emilio Giovanni Andrea Onorato Mangiavacchi

Who was Emilio Giovanni Andrea Onorato Mangiavacchi?

Mr. Emilio Giovanni Andrea Onorato Mangiavacchi was an Italian-born clerk and Titanic passenger who tragically lost his life in the ship’s sinking on April 15, 1912. Born on August 16, 1864, in Bibbiena near Florence, Tuscany, Mangiavacchi was a well-educated man with a taste for adventure, whose life journey took him from Italy to Chile and eventually to the United States before his untimely death at the age of 47 (forty-seven).

Early Life and Family

A Privileged Upbringing

Emilio Mangiavacchi was born into a comfortable middle-class family in Tuscany, Italy. His father, Federigo Mangiavacchi, was a magistrate, while his mother was Enrichetta, née Mochi. This background provided young Emilio with a solid foundation for his future endeavors.

Education and Wanderlust

Well-educated and filled with a spirit of adventure, Emilio’s thirst for new experiences led him far from his Italian roots. His education would serve him well in his future travels and career pursuits.

International Adventures

Chilean Firefighter

By 1890, at the age of 26 (twenty-six), Mangiavacchi’s wanderlust had taken him across the Atlantic to South America. In Chile, he found employment as a firefighter for Cuarta Compañía de Bomberos in Concepción. This experience not only provided him with valuable life skills but also allowed him to become fluent in Spanish, adding to his linguistic repertoire.

Return to Italy and Marriage

After his South American adventure, Emilio returned to his homeland of Italy. It was here that he met and married Nella Bianciardi (born 1879) around 1903. Their union would be blessed with four children, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Mangiavacchi’s life.

Life in America

Immigration and Family Life

In 1904, shortly after the birth of their first child, Julius, the Mangiavacchi family embarked on a new adventure. They emigrated to the United States, departing from Genoa and arriving in New York on October 12, 1904, aboard the ship Buenos Aires. The family settled in New York, where they welcomed two more children:

• Federico (born 1907)
• Harry (born 1910)

Career and Residence

By 1910, the Mangiavacchi family had established themselves in The Bronx, residing on Fulton Avenue. The U.S. Census of that year listed Emilio as a realtor. However, by 1912, he had transitioned to working as a clerk in a New York-based Italian bank, earning a respectable salary of $100 per month.

The Fateful Journey

Health Concerns and European Travel

Towards the end of 1911, while his wife Nella was pregnant with their fourth child, Emilio made the decision to return to Italy for medical treatment. He was suffering from an unspecified but persistent ailment that required attention. The operation in Italy was reportedly successful, and after his recovery, Mangiavacchi spent some time in Paris before making arrangements to rejoin his family in New York.

Boarding the Titanic

Emilio Mangiavacchi boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg, France, as a second-class passenger. His ticket, number 32861, cost £15 11s 7d (15 pounds, 11 shillings, and 7 pence), a significant sum at the time, reflecting his middle-class status.

The Tragedy and Its Aftermath

Loss of Life

Tragically, Emilio Mangiavacchi did not survive the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. His body, if recovered, was never identified, leaving his family without closure.

A Posthumous Child

In a poignant twist of fate, Emilio’s wife Nella, who had been pregnant at the time of the disaster, gave birth to their daughter Maria Emilia later in 1912. This child would never know her father but would carry his name.

American Red Cross Relief

The American Red Cross provided assistance to the bereaved Mangiavacchi family. Their report paints a touching portrait of Emilio:

“The husband was drowned. He was returning from Italy where he had undergone a successful operation for a long-standing disease. He was a clerk in an Italian bank in New York City, earning 100 dollars a month, and was a man of education and culture. He is survived by a wife, 33 years of age, and four children, the youngest of whom a baby born since the disaster, and the eldest a boy seven years of age.”

The Family’s Return to Italy

Following the birth of Maria Emilia, Nella Mangiavacchi made the difficult decision to return to Italy with her children. In September 1912, they sailed back to Florence, where living expenses were lower and they could be closer to relatives, including Emilio’s brother.

Legacy

Emilio Giovanni Andrea Onorato Mangiavacchi’s life, though cut short, was one of adventure, perseverance, and family devotion. From his early days as a firefighter in Chile to his pursuit of a better life for his family in America, Mangiavacchi exemplified the spirit of many immigrants of his time. His tragic death on the Titanic left a young family without a father, but his legacy lived on through his children and the story of his final, fateful journey.

In a cruel twist of historical irony, Nella Mangiavacchi passed away on April 14, 1960, exactly 48 years after the night the Titanic struck the iceberg, forever linking the family’s history with one of the most famous maritime disasters in history.