Perci Family History & Genealogy

Serlo's father was the Governor of Normandy, his grandparents were the Duke and Duchess of Normandy and the Duke and Duchess of Aquitaine. He was a direct descendant of Charlemagne, and was also a descendant of the Viking chieftain Rollo. He was educated at St. Michael's in Normandy, became the canon of the church at Bayeux and later a lay priest. In later life he became a monk, and was given the abbey of Gloucester on 29 August, 1072 by King William the Conqueror. He designed and supervised the building of Gloucester Cathedral. He retired from active work two years before his death and was buried on the grounds of Gloucester Cathedral. His gravesite was accidentally discovered in the mid 1800s during construction on the cathedral grounds. No one is certain if he was reburied there or was moved to Whitby Abbey in northern England. His descendants migrated to the Devon area. Some of them eventually made their way to the new world and settled in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Serlo was considered to be extremely intelligent and well educated and his children were likewise described as being extremely intelligent and well educated. He supervised the collection of taxes for the king and acted as judge in civil court in addition to his duties as Abbot. King William spent the Christmas holidays with him at Gloucester and held court there during the holiday season. Serlo was the spiritual adviser for King William and was a highly respected person in his day. The Searles surname evolved from Serlo, which was a common Norman first name. Through the centuries due to faulty pronunciations some descendants became Sarles, Searle, etc. Serlo's older brother was Baron William di Perci, later Duke William Percy (Anglicized). His branch of the family acquired large landholdings and vast wealth and are still prominent in Great Britain today.

Matt Perci of California was born on November 23, 1895, and died at age 69 years old in October 1965.

Steve Perci of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio was born on December 22, 1900, and died at age 66 years old in October 1967.

Umberto Perci was born in May 1903, and died at age 57 years old in August 1960. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Umberto Perci.

Philip Perci of Brick, Ocean County, NJ was born on March 9, 1925, and died at age 76 years old on March 21, 2001.

Margaret E Perci of Middle Island, Suffolk County, NY was born on September 11, 1934, and died at age 69 years old on December 14, 2003. Margaret Perci was buried at Calverton National Cemetery Section 24A Site 1549 210 Princeton Boulevard - Rt 25, in Calverton.