When James Dalmazzo was 20 he left home to start life in America. He arrived from Turin to Penn. on the American ship "Liberty", Capt. Sidney H. Burrough, out of Amsterdam. They sailed from the Texel, 4 Aug 1805 - arrived 18 Oct 1805. It is possible that his reason for leaving Italy was Napoleon's conscriptions of young Italian men for the French Army.

He settled in Switzerland Co IN in 1805 (listed for Ohio land purchase). At the age of 31 he married Lucy Johnson on 11 June 1815. Lucy was the daughter of Gabrial and Lucy (Hackley) Johnson, who also lived in Switzerland Co. James and Lucy were neighbors of Judge Joseph Malin. The Judge's son, Ira, married James' daughter, Elizabeth. Lucy and James children were: Joseph, b. 1816; Elizabeth J., b. 25 Sept. 1818; Johnson, b. c1820; and Gabriel J., b. 22 Jan. 1821.

James was elected one of seven First Trustees for Vevay Indiana. He purchased land (Early Ohio Settlers) on 1 Jul 1816 - Switz,IN 03 0323 and on 13 Aug 1836, Switz IN 03 0220. He is listed as owning a tavern in Vevay and later his son, Gabriel Dalmazzo owned Dalmazzo House Hotel. James' wife, Lucy, is listed as a Baptist.

Elizabeth (Dalmazzo) Malin was named as heiress of the Dalmazzo estate in Italy. However, when a family friend, a lawyer, went over to settle the estate he came back and informed the family that there was nothing left. The family was under the impression that the estate was quite large. Within the year the lawyer suddenly became very rich! This would indicate that James Dalmazzo came from wealth (in Turin) and at the time of his departure from Turin, Napoleon was 'drafting' young men for his army, which might be the reason James emigrated.

From the "History of Switzerland County Indiana 1885":

p.1099 "About 1826 or 1827 a person named Thomas Ramsey, who was addicted to inebriation, was induced by some of those who wished to get their liquor without paying to become a candidate for representative. These friends of his after getting him about 'half seas over', would get him on a dray and haul him in triumph to 'Switzerland,' and back to town, after drinking several bottles of wine. This occurred several times. One evening, instead of using the dray, they put him on their shoulders and started for Mr. Dalmazzo's, who was selling 'the ardent' on Main Cross Street. They started from the corner of Min and Ferry Streets and wandered out of the way and over about where Clarkson's, Thiebaud's and Todd's houses now stand, which was rather a low place, and where there was quite a pond of water, they stumbled and fell with Ramsey, and some of them taking him by the feet, dragged him through the water to Dalmazzo's. ...This occurred about a week before the August election."

p.1129 "Malin & Dalmazzo had a store on Ferry Street, we think, midway between Main and Pike Streets, northwest side; and Ira Malin had a saddler shop also in the same building. He sold out to a Mr. Browning shortly after we came."

p.1118 "The first person buried in that lot (burying ground) was Mrs Nighswonger, the grandmother of Mrs. Elizabeth Dalmazzo, widow of Jos. Dalmazzo."

p1210 ... re Julius Dufour "He was married, July 9, 1839, to Ann Elizabeth Malin, daughter of Judge Malin, with whom he lived a happy but brief period of seventeen years, she dying June 8, 1856...He returned to Vevay (from KY) in 1845 to enter mercantile pursuits again, the firm name being J. Dufour & Co., having at different times as partners J. Dalmazzo, Philip Golay, John S. Roberts and John W. Malin, and occupying the building now owned and occupied by O. S. Waldo.

p.1009 "The taxes for the year 1816, levied in the county ... as road tax ... On James Dalmazzo's store, 25 cents".

p.1076/77 "Some time in the year 1819 there were in the prison bounds of this county several persons against whom judgments were obtained, executions issued, and the officer, not finding any property whereon to levy, had delivered them over to the jailer; but the execution plaintiffs refusing to pay the jailer for keeping them confined in the jail and feeding them, they gave bond and security that they would not go outside the prison bounds, which was within the limits of the town; and as most of them resided in town they could live with their families. Among the number were Charles Henderson, John Mendenhall, James Dalmazzo, Edward Patton and John F. Siebenthal."

p.1127 "By special act of the Indiana Legislature, approved January 30, 1836, Vevay was incorporated June 6, of the same year. An election was held on that day at the court house between the hours of 10 o'clock A.M. and 4 o'clock P.M., for the purpose of electing seven trustees of the new town...The ballots were cast by the people, which resulted in giving to Vevay her first seven trustees as follows: John F. Dufour, Francis G. Sheets, Joseph C. Eggleston, William Shaw, James Dalmazzo, Charles Thiebaud and Frederick L. Grisard."

p.1048 "At a meeting of the Baptist Curch of Christ, held in Vevay, December 29, 1832, the following persons united themselves for the purpose of forming an arm of the Regular Baptist Church: John R. Cotton, Benoit Courvoisier, Thomas Morris, Augustine Courvoisier, Frederick L. Thiebaud, Henrietta Thiebaud, Caroline E. Thiebaud, Lucy Dalmazzo, Lydia Kirtley, William Price and Mordecai McKenzie."

p.1133 "The Dalmazzo House is a new hotel, on Ferry Street, kept by Gabriel Dalmazzo." (Vevay in 1876)

p.1189...Re John W. Banta ... daughter, "Lula, born February 27, 1859 (now Mrs. Dalmazzo)."

p.1057 "Mr. Armstrong continued the publication of the Democrate till 1882, when he disposed of the office to P.T. Hartford and F.M. Dalmazzo, who, as a firm, conducted the paper till April 1, 1884, when Mr. Dalmazzo withdrew and Mr. Hartford became sole proprietor, which he still remains."

p.1223 "In partnership with F.M. Dalmazzo he (Philip T. Hartford) purchased the Vevay Democrat...purchasing his partner's interest in the paper in April, 1884".

A Johnston Dalmazzo is listed in the 1870 KY census, age 50 born in Indiana. Since Lucy's maiden name is Johnson it is probable that he is a son of James and Lucy Dalmazzo.

Information received from Ann Stage (a gggg granddaughter of James and Lucy):

"....born in Turin, Italy, in 1784; came to the US in 1805 from Switzerland; became a citizen in 1828 in Switzerland Co. IN; married 1st Lucy Johnson (daughter of Gabriel Johnson & Elizabeth Sebree). The only children I have listed from that 1st marriage were Joseph, b. 1816, Elizabeth (my connection), b. 1818, and Gabriel, b. 1821. Your Johnson must have been in there between Eliz and Gabriel if he was 50 in the 1870 census. Lucy died at age 38 and 2nd wife was Elizabeth Price, w/6 more children. He died 29 Jan. 1846 in Switzerland Co. & is buried in Vevay...."

A G.W. Dalmazo is listed in the 1870 KY census - another possible son?