Italian Genealogy Records Question

[VXZZZZZZ]

Hey All,

I know it has been a long time since last I posted, but I have a new question that I think some one here may be able to answer...

How far back can I get Italian Genealogy Records for? I have my family tree on my father's side (the Italian side) going back to the early 1700's now. I want to know if I am able to go back further with the records that we all have available to us. or would I have to travel to Italy to find out more info?

I am planning to take a trip late this year to Torre di Ruggiero, Cantanzaro, Calabria, Italy. What should I know before going. if anything? What should I bring/not bring with me? How should I go about looking for more records while I am there? Are there portable scanners that are like slide rulers that are USB powered that I could bring with me to make copies of documents?

Any and all info/help are greatly appreciated....

[PeterTimber]

Your village of interest Torre di Ruggiero www.tuttitalia.it/calabria/64-torre-di-ruggiero also contains a www for the comune itself with photos and information in Italian.

Prior to the 1700's is at best spotty and you will have to rely on historical and/or religious records which may have references to your family. Best bet is to request a catalogue from the antiquarian bookdealer Arnaldo Forni, Editore in Bologna explaining what your reserach objectives are or by wiriting to the regional affiliate of the bookdealer who is located in Capurso, Provincia di Bari...DISTRIMEDIA, Via Casamassima KM11+545z.i.,700010, Capurso (BA) Puglia region. Their e-mail is amminstrazione@distrimedia.it

I found when doing my own family researches that you have to delve heavily into library archives, local libraries for referral to individuals in the area who are genealogically attuned to the medievalhistory of the area. =Peter=

[JohnArmellino]

How far back can I get Italian Genealogy Records for? I have my family tree on my father's side (the Italian side) going back to the early 1700's now. I want to know if I am able to go back further with the records that we all have available to us. or would I have to travel to Italy to find out more info?

I assume that you used the civil records filmed by the LDS to take your family tree back to the early 1700s. Beyond these records, the primary sources will be the church, census, and notary records. Church records can go back as far as the mid- to late-1500s. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) decreed that all churches maintain records and gradually this was implemented. You will have to make some inquiries to determine whether any church records have survived for your town and where they are being kept. Sometimes there is a mother church where all baptisms took place, while at the same time marriages were being held in the smaller churches. In other words, each town had its own procedures. When a church has closed, its records might be found in one of the surviving churches in that town (or even an nearby town) or in the diocesan curia. Notary records are usually kept in the provincial archives. In these records you might find last will and testaments, land records, business transactions, etc. If your ancestors were involved in such things, you might find some information here. To my knowledge, no notary records have been filmed by the LDS. Some church records have been filmed, but in my experience these records have been from northern Italy and Sicily. There are also some census records available. The catasti onciari of 1742 is the most famous. I believe these records are held in Naples.

[PeterTimber]

It would have been more helpful if you provided a surname so that we may have been able to run an immediate cursory check for those of us who have lists of heraldic and other medieval sources that may relate to your family. The research objectives you are embarking upon requires lots of effort on your part in reaching out to as many persons as possible for whatever leads they may possess to direct your efforts more efficiently. =Peter=

[VXZZZZZZ]

Thanks for the replies, any more information anyone wants to provide would also be greatly appreciated!

I have been doing some research into portable scanners, ones that are powered via USB, and have found a few that are in the $300 USD range, which would be ok.

I think I read some where that the church in Torre di Ruggiero had suffered through an earthquake in the late 1600's, early 1700's, but I cannot locate the source of that information right now.

I had just received an email today that told me that Ancestry.com is coming to Mesa AZ on the 22nd and 23rd of this month...I hope to have my netbook by then, and will hopefully be downloading all of their information to my local drive then...

More later, gotta get back to work...

[PeterTimber]

http://www.intercomm.it/calabria/comuni ... _torre.htm
...and its in english.

=Peter=

[Italysearcher]

When I research I use a digital camera of 3-5 megapixels to photograph the documents without a flash. I get a very clear image and it is a lot less hassle and expense than a portable scanner. I also use cotton gloves when handling the old books. The priests are impressed by this respect for their records and so far have always given me permission to photograph the ones I need. Just a tip but take a small notebook and write down the subject of each photo in order. Even scenes of the town and church. It's amazing how confusing it can be later when downloading and labelling.

[VXZZZZZZ]

Hey all, found the link I was looking for, so I wanted to share it...

http://www.intercomm.it/ville/sindacobarb_benven.htm

Welcome from the Mayor of Torre

Great site, since it is tells all about Torre in English...

[rondenardo]

Hi Rookie: Check out my site: I have and am still working on putting all available data from Torre; births, marriages, deaths & info from the processetti records and notorial acts. I would appreciate you keeping in contact with your family info and the decendents that came to the USA or wherever.

Ron Denardo

[rondenardo]

Hi Rookie,
I forgot to include the site: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin ... b=rdenardo

[VXZZZZZZ]

LOL,

Hi Ron...glad that you finally made it to this site (wasn't I the one who told you about it? lol)...I have been here for about a year now, and have been working both here and in your site....I will give you a call later this week...

Vince

[VXZZZZZZ]

BTW Ron,

I have a speculation about my side of the family tree that I wanted to share...going back in the records of Italy, I find it interesting to note that the name Zangari came from the Greek word "Tsangaris" and the Persian word "tsanga" (See below).

Zangari Name Meaning and History
Italian: patronymic from or plural of zangaro, an occupational name from medieval Greek tsangaris ‘bootmaker’, from tsanga ‘boot’, a word of Persian origin. (Source: http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Zangari-f ... story.ashx)

Therefore, I hypothesize that the reason we cannot find any previous records before Domenico Zangari and Caterina Apa could be one of three reasons: 1. because the family had traveled abroad before settling in the town of Torre. (From where, I know not, but hope to unravel that mystery this fall when I take a trip to Torre.) 2., because of the great earthquake that happened in Torre between the late 1600's and late 1700's. And 3., because record keeping was not something of mass importance in those times.

It could be that it is a combination of all three items previously listed, but I will not know for sure until I make the trip...

More Later....

Vince