Importance of bautism for Italians

[Granadaiscool]

My GGF was born in Calabria in 1883, moved to Argentina in 1898 with a brother, nephew and uncle and got a son in 1918, died in 1928. The mother of his son was of Spanish heritage but didn't have any parents and spend most her life in an orphanage. They never married.

From what I heard from my mom there was quite a family uproar because he didn't have kids with an Italian woman.

The problem I am having is that I can't locate the birth certificate of my GF Hugo Luis Russo. I also can't find the bautism-act but he married for the church.

My question is the following, how likely is it that in the 1910/1920's the church would not accept a bautism on the reason the parents were not married? And what are the odds the 30 years later accepted to marry a person who didnt have his bautism? And what could the church do to solve this?

And another question that is related. My GGF name was Giovanni(Juan) Russo, his son Hugo Luis Russo and both the marriage and death certificate state that Juan Russo was his father. So it seems to me he must have recognized his son straight away but somehow I can't locate the birth certifcate of Hugo Luis Russo.

Anybody got a possible explaination for this and a possible sollution to find this certificate?

Thanks

[michele68]

Hi
It is possible that this man was baptized in another church when he was big ( usually after 18 years or before his marriage). I think you must search his birth certificate ( not bautism-act) in the village who came from. You should find it. Did you search another records to help your research?
Michele

[Italysearcher]

If you are not baptised you will not be married in a Catholic Church until you are. Sometimes they even insist on confirmation before they will marry you.
Look for the baptism in the year before the marriage in the same church where the marriage took place.
In my experience babies were baptised even if the parents were not married. Even if they were a foundling. It was, and still is, very important to Catholics.
If he was born in Calabria in 1883 he almost certainly was baptised in the local church a few days after his birth.
Your Grandfather was born in Argentina so you must search the local parish church in Argentina. You need someone who is familiar with Argentina records. In Italy one parent can be named on a birth certificate if the couple are not married. Often this will be the father if the couple are actually living as man and wife so that the child will bear his surname. I don't know if this was the case in Argentina.