When Francesco Marchisa was born on February 8, 1835, in Fubine, Alessandria, Italy, his father, Cristoforo, was 23 and his mother, Maria, was 19. He married Francesca Ippolita Gotta in 1857 in his hometown. They had ten children in 25 years. He died on January 30, 1918, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, having lived a long life of 82 years, and was buried there.