Annetta was part of the gradual exodus of people from Valletta. There’s little in the immediate historical archive, so information about her is scant.

She is one of my maternal 3 x great-grandmothers.

She was the daughter of Giuseppe Zarb and Sinforosa Corsoni¹. I conclude she was born in the parish of Porto Salvo in Valletta, but I have no clear information about this. Her family listed her as being 63 when she died in 1891², putting her birth date at 1827 or 1828.

Her death certificate is the only place which refers to her as “Anna”³. All other references list her as “Annetta”

Family

She married Emmanuele Farrugia⁴, on Wednesday 18 November 1851⁵ at the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven, Valletta⁶.

Together they had seven children I know of⁷:

• Giovanni⁸
• Fillippo.
• Giuseppa
• Guglielmo
• Victor Hugo, who became an electrician⁹.
• Gio Battista
• George

Notable events

Curiously she is not listed as a housewife on her son’s wedding certificate – her status is blank¹⁰.

Residence

She lived in Valletta in the mid-1850s since this is where her son was born¹¹. The family must have moved to Birkirkara at some point, since her son lived there before marriage¹².

Birkirkara was a lot larger than it is today in the 19th century. It encompassed most of modern-day Sliema, St Julians, San Gwann and Santa Venera.

The family later moved to Qormi:

• In 1860, they lived at Strada Reale, Qormi according to the electoral register¹³.
• In 1870 and 1880¹⁴, they lived at 66, Piazzetta, Qormi according to the updated electoral register¹⁵.
• She died at home in St Julian’s at 9, St Elijah Street, St Julians¹⁶.

Death

She died at 23:00¹⁷ on Saturday 22nd August 1891¹⁸ at home in St Julian’s¹⁹. Her cause of death was uterine cancer.

She was buried in the parish church in Birkirkara²⁰.

Her family registered her death in Valletta, not Birkirkara, on 2nd September 1891²¹.

References

1. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
2. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
3. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
4. Act of death of Emmanuele Farrugia (1893). [online] (948). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 02 Dec 2024][↩]
5. Velin, N. (2024). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html#rowNum=50 [Accessed 20 Nov. 2024][↩]
6. Velin, N. (2024). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html#rowNum=50 [Accessed 20 Nov. 2024][↩]
7. Charles Said-Vassallo (2019). ArabSicilyMalta-Farrugia – Maltagenealogy. [online] Maltagenealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/arabsicilymalta-farrugia/[↩]
8. Act of marriage of Giovanni Farrugia and Grazia Balzan. (1884). [online] (948). Available at: www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024][↩]
9. Velin, N. (2021). Passports in Malte – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/passports.html [Accessed 30 Oct. 2024][↩]
10. Act of marriage of Giovanni Farrugia and Grazia Balzan. (1884). [online] (948). Available at: www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024][↩]
11. Act of marriage of Giovanni Farrugia and Grazia Balzan. (1884). [online] (948). Available at: www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024][↩]
12. Act of marriage of Giovanni Farrugia and Grazia Balzan. (1884). [online] (948). Available at: www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024][↩]
13. Malta Family History (2025). Voters 1860. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20180722215148/http://website.lineone.net/~remosliema/voters1860.htm [Accessed 26 Jan. 2025][↩]
14. Malta Family History (2025). Voters 1880. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20180722215148/http://website.lineone.net/~remosliema/voters1880.htm [Accessed 26 Jan. 2025][↩]
15. Malta Family History (2025). Voters 1870. [online] Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20180722215148/http://website.lineone.net/~remosliema/voters1870.htm [Accessed 26 Jan. 2025][↩]
16. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
17. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
18. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
19. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
20. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]
21. Act of Death of Anna Zarb; (1891). Available at: https://www.certifikati.gov.mt [Accessed 07 Nov. 2025][↩]