Are there records before the Council of Trent (1563) or not?

[john_dominic]

Since, I never got an answer the last time I posted it, i'm trying it again.

I'd like to hear someone, some expert, give a clear answer on it.

Currently, I am approaching that time window in my research and would like to know what to expect, especially since it seems that LDS Records in Palermo go back to 1392, completely exceeding what I thought was the limit of possible non-royal records.

So, has anyone gone back that far and knows if there are records going beyong the Council of Trent, or at least may have heard of someone or have read about it?

Thanks...

[JamesBianco]

The church records of Carini, Sicily are available (and have survived nearly completely) from 1520. Given that most of the adults mentioned (in the initial pages) are over the age of 20 I suppose the late 1400's would be as far as I have been able to trace. Palermo was (and is by Sicilian standards) a large city with an ancient catherdral (or two). You will also find records existing in Trapani and Messina that far back. You will not often find the villages keeping familial type records into the 14th century. In a nutshell they were not required to with any sort of regularity, and what most likely survives from that period are notarial and land records, which were certainly not limited to the nobility, although they must have filled the greater portion of those pages.

[john_dominic]

The church records of Carini, Sicily are available (and have survived nearly completely) from 1520. Given that most of the adults mentioned (in the initial pages) are over the age of 20 I suppose the late 1400's would be as far as I have been able to trace. Palermo was (and is by Sicilian standards) a large city with an ancient catherdral (or two). You will also find records existing in Trapani and Messina that far back. You will not often find the villages keeping familial type records into the 14th century. In a nutshell they were not required to with any sort of regularity, and what most likely survives from that period are notarial and land records, which were certainly not limited to the nobility, although they must have filled the greater portion of those pages.

Ok, that's fair.

And, btw - the church in one of my family's home towns (Caccamo) was built in 1090, so i'm crossing my fingers it can go at least a little bit further back than 1563 (although how much I wish it did, I know it's not going back to the 11th Century.