Basic information

[genearot]

Hello,
I'm impressed with the response people get on this forum, hopefully this question will also be successful though a simple one, I think.

I have seen that it's possible to find ancestors in the "Comune" records,
provided you know the correct Comune. Can someone explain what records are kept in those archives, and how to continue from there (are there records of people moving for instance)?
Also, what can be found in the province archives.
The reason for these rather basic questions is that The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies is preparing a guide for such research,
helping immigrants to find their roots. I understand a direct request to the archives would have to be in italian, so this is easier.
Any information is appreciated.
Peter Unger

[johnnyonthespot]

Basically, vital records (birth/marriage/death) in Italy are held at the comune (village, city) level by the Ufficio dello Stato Civile - the office of civil status.

Other records of interest to some, especially the Certificato dello Stato di Famiglia (certificate of family status) are held by the Ufficio Anagrafe (registry office) which is another comune office.

It is very difficult if not impossible to obtain vital records from Italy unless you know the exact comune your ancestors were from.

The one major exception to the above is military service records, which are held by the provincial archives. To pick one at random, the military records for residents of Comune di Castelbuono would be held at the Archivio di Stato di Palermo.

You can find more info on this topic at http://genealogy.about.com/od/italy/a/family_tree.htm

[PeterTimber]

Go to http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... tters.html

There are no charges for requests at comune level. =Peter=

[genearot]

Many thanks for very informative answers ! However, as they say,
an answer sometimes leads to a new question; So, if I get it right, knowing the right comune it is possible to find your ancestor in the vital records; either birth, marriage or death. Having done that, is it the right way to go to Certificato dello Stato di Famiglia ? Or will vital records contain parents in such a form that they, in turn, are searchable ?
Again, this is perhaps basic, but still vital if you're about to access Italian records for the first time.
/Peter

[johnnyonthespot]

Are you interested in pure genealogy/family tree type of work, or are you pursuing dual citizenship?

The answer determines which of the various vital records would be most useful.

[genearot]

I guess pure genealogy work best describes it. As I explained when I started on this topic I am gathering general information for The Federation of Swedish Genealogical Societies. This info will then be visible on their website, as a starting point for swedes with immigrants somewhere along their genealogy tree.

[johnnyonthespot]

There are two basic types of birth/marriage/death documents you can obtain from the Ufficio dello Stato Civile:

Copia integrale dell'atto di Nascita/Matrimonio/Morte

and

Estratto per Riassunto per Atto di Nascita/Matrimonio/Morte

The first, the "copia integrale", is an actual photocopy of the handwritten registry entries. The second, the Estratto per Riassunto, is usually a computer-generated "extract" of some of the data from the registry.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Copia integrale are handwritten and often quite difficult to decipher. On the other hand, they contain far more information than the Estratti. Time and place (address) of the event (birth, marriage, death), names of witnesses to the event, midwife's name, and so on. You can find numerous examples of these documents posted by users in the "Italian language, handwriting , script & translation" forum on this board.

Estratti are far more limited but a snap to read. A birth extract, for example, will give the full name and date/time of birth of the child, father's given name, and mother's full maiden name. There may also be minimal notations regarding marriage and or death of the child which were added as the years went by.

Although limited in availability (most comuni did not start maintaining these until the 1870's or 80's), the Certificato dello Stato di Famiglia is useful to genealogists because it will list all the family members in a household, showing their names, date and place of birth, relationship to the head of the household, etc. You can find an example here http://lancione-laura.tripod.com/fmlyrcrds.htm and here http://endav.interfree.it/bill.jpg