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Giacomo Morganti, was living in the district in the time, having married and produced
two children, Maddalena Maria and Henry. He died, however, in 1870 at only 48 years
of age and, as both Lazzaro and Eustachio had probably retumed to Ticino by this
stage, this left Maurizio the only remaining brother in the Colony. He and Maddalena
produced two more children between 1871 and 1872, Adelina Matilda and Dionigi
Pietro, but soon after were saddened by the death of their first son Avelino at eight
years of age. In 1874 the Morgantis produced a seventh child, whom they named
Sofia. Two years later another son was bom and named Avelino in memory of the son
who had died. The high infant mortality rate of the nineteenth century had caused
many parents to refer to their new-boms as simply 'baby' for a year or so until they
could be sure it would Uve; if it died they could reassign the name to another new-
bom.^^ A ninth child Maddalena (named after her mother) was bom in 1878, and the
foUowing year a son David Severino. Six years later, in 1885, Andrea was bora
foUowed by the last child, Henry Alexander, some time after. This brought the number
of living offspring to eleven.^'*
As the Morganti clan grew larger, the family began to extend its land holdings
at Eganstown. Presumably drawing upon the profits from Morgantis' Hotel, as well as
the mining interest which had been maintained, they were able to buy a large tract of
land alongside their original block on 8 June 1872, foUowed by another block on the
opposite side on 16 December 1874.^* In 1876 they acquired two more blocks, one to
the front of their home and one to the rear (ref figure 13). From 'peasants' with very
little property they had become owners of one of the largest holdings in the district.
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