Great-gran's 130-year-old fling uncovered as her family discover 3,000 relatives

02 February 2024 , 17:26

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Bob Brooker and a picture of Antonio Tocci (Image: BNPS)

Ciao about this for a shock - a pensioner delving into his family past found he has 3,136 Italian relatives after his great-gran had a fling with an Italian lothario.

Bob Brooker, 72, accidentally uncovered the 130-year-old scandal when his mum Doris died and left him lots of old photos.

He searched through an ancestry website and learned his biological great-grandad was not Royal Marine Thomas Woombell, but Antonio Tocci. The randy Italian immigrant and organ grinder lived opposite his ­great-gran Annie at Tooting, South London, in 1891. She and Antonio had an affair while Thomas was serving overseas, which resulted in her getting ­pregnant with Bob’s nan.

Bob's great-grandmother Annie (BNPS)

Bob thought Marine Thomas Woombell was his ancestor (BNPS)

Bob said: “It appears Annie got a bit too close to Antonio’s organ grinding while my supposed great-grandad Tom was away from home serving in the Royal Marines. I had no idea and I don’t think my nan knew. I don’t know if even Thomas knew."

“I was surprised to learn I am part-Italian but I was even more shocked to discover my extended Italian family runs to more than 3,000 relatives I didn’t know I had.” Bob uploaded his DNA results to the website and was contacted by Jack Torch, a grandson of Antonio."

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An Italian casanova named Antonio Tocci turned out to be Bob's real great-grandfather (BNPS)

Their DNA showed they were related, but the confused pair could not find a common ancestor at first.

Bob, who lives in Lyme Regis, Dorset, eventually discovered Jack’s grandad had lived opposite Annie and the truth dawned on him.

Antonio shows up in a family photo (circled) (Family/BNPS)

It emerged Antonio, originally from Frosinone, was “quite the lad” and fathered at least 13 children in ­Victorian London. He was such a character there is even a Facebook group for his long list of descendants.

Bob has spoken on the phone to some of his Italian relatives and plans to travel to Frosinone to meet them in the near future.

Martin Fricker