Research Strategy Ideas Needed

[donnawright]

I have had zero success in getting documents from Sorano (GR). I even had people IN Italy request documents with no success. Say too busy with the living.

This is what I found on the familysearch.org site...... The Family History Library has few provincial and statewide collections. The library does have one large regional record for Toscana. This collection includes approximately 250 communities and their frazioni (hamlets). The records are arranged by year and are, for the most part, in alphabetical order by the name of each town. Most records include the years from 1809 to 1865. To find this collection, look in the Author Search of the Family History Library Catalog.
TOSCANA (REGIONE). UFFICIO DELLO STATO CIVILE

I found it in the catalog, but there are more than 3200 films. And the descriptions in the film notes look strange to me also. Anyone searching in Tuscany has this problem. I'd like for someone to look at the film notes and see what I mean, and if you have any ideas on how to tackle this beast, please share. You will see, for example, females in one birth year and then (A-Z) in parentheses. I have both paternal grandparents and their families in this group but do not know their years of birth, death, etc.

[maestra36]

Donna
I did those regional films years ago for the town of Bibbona. Actually at the time, I didn't know I was even looking for that town, as the the passenger list had the town of Cascina on it as the last residence. When I rented a roll of marriage film for that town, for a 10 year period, there was no one in the town with the surnames I was searching. Then months later, I discovered the the regional microfilm to which you are referring. I have to look through the family history catalog to try to remember what I did first. I was successful with it, once I got started. I'll get back to you after I refresh my memory. I found the actual films easy to navigate. I remember that they were basically church registers. You do need a year (or close estimate) to get started. I see you don't have that. I had estimated years of birth for the people based on their death records in the U.S. I am just trying to remember how I focused in on the film which had the town of Bibbona, as I was doing this for a cousin, and neither of us had ever heard of the town before and we were laughing so hard on the phone when I discovered his ancestors from there.

[maestra36]

Donna
When I started the regional films, since I had a year of birth-the estimate of 1859 was from a number of U.S records which were all in agreement-I started with the regional film which was

Nati Maschi A-Z 1859 FHL INTL Film
1119560

This had all the towns on it, but births only for 1859 for males. I found the person for whom I was searching, as he had an odd name, Olinto Legnani. Once I found him in the one parish register, I got the names of his parents and then took it from there. You really need to have an estimated year of birth or marriage or whatever to get started.

[donnawright]

I think first of all I need to understand the listings. I copied the first ones in the list - not necessarily mine - to use as illustration.

In the illustration below, there is Maschi A and B. Maschi A has A-Z and so does Maschi B. The literature says these records are alpha by town. I read it to mean this A-Z is alphabetical by town? Perhaps Maschi B is a continuation of A, but if that were so, A should be A- L (or some other letter in the middle of the alphabet) and B the rest of the towns since the directions say they are listed in alpha by town.

Nati Maschi A (A-Z), 1808-1817 Femmine A (A-Z) 1808-1817 Maschi B (A-Z) 1808-1817 FHL INTL Film
1137508 --


This next one is Fem B; the film up above is Fem A (A-Z). Same question.

Nati Femmine B (A-Z) 1808-1817 FHL INTL Film
1137509

Nati Maschi C (A-Z) 1808-1817 Femmine C (A-Z) 1808-1817 FHL INTL Film
1137510

Nati Maschi D-E (A-Z) 1808-1817 Femmine D-E (A-Z) 1808-1817 Maschi F (A-Z) 1808-1817 Femmine F (A-Z) 1808-1817 FHL INTL Film
1137511
Nati Maschi G-K (A-Z) 1808-1817 Femmine G-K (A-Z) 1808-1817

I know my GF's year of birth, and it is not within this range of years, but I should be able to find his father and mother once I know more. I've asked at my local FHC and they don't have a guess on what the A,B,C, etc mean and, therefore, which films could be the right ones.

Any guesses on interpreting what the A,B,C, etc means of this index? I have plenty to do and many unknown people in Tuscany to find. Further down, the films become gender specific AND year specific (not even a range of years to look thru.... just one at a time), and it seems impossible.

Thanks for response.

Donna

[maestra36]

Donna
It's been so many years since I did the regional microfilms for a distant cousin who is now deceased, so I no longer have a list of the actual films I did. As far as I understand it, it says at the top of the listing on the LDS website that the surnames are in alphabetical order and that the names (I believe that refers to the town names) are in parentheses.

So for film # 1137508

Nati Maschi A (A-Z), 1808-1817 Femmine A (A-Z) 1808-1817 Maschi B (A-Z) 1808-1817 FHL INTL Film


I believe this film will be births of males whose last name starts with the letter A (for towns whose first letter is A through Z or, in other words, for all towns) for the years 1808-1817. On the same film will be females whose last name starts with the letter A (for towns with the starting letters A-Z) for the years 1808-1817, also will be males whose surname starts with the letter B, for towns starting with letters A-Z, for the years 1808-1817.

I think this is correct but, as I say, it's been such a long time since I actually did some of these films. I know this had confused me at the time as well, but I always managed to rent the right roll of microfilm. I just hope I am not steering you wrong. I wish there was someone else on this forum who had viewed these films recently.


Nati Maschi P (L-Z) 1818-1827 Femmine P (A-F) 1818-1827 FHL INTL Film
1118614

This one I believe would be males whose last names begin with the letter P, but only towns whose names start with letters L-Z) for the years 1818-1827 will be on this film. For females on the same film, the last name would start with the letter P for towns in alphabetical order from A to F) for the same years as the male births on this microfilm.