Citizenship Jure Sanguinis and discrepancies in records.

[nicedream]

I'm collecting documents for my citizenship request, and was wondering how serious the discrepancies in the records Ihave are...

For my great grandfather from Italy, who is the one I am claiming citizenship from:

1) He was named Saverio Calabretta in Italy, but this later became Samuel Calabretta when he came to the USA. I would imagine this is a pretty common situation.

2) This is the one I am most worried about. All records I can find for him such as his birth record from Italy, his death record, his grave marker, etc., all have him born in 1896. For some reason, his marriage certificate from 1924 lists him as 26 years old, which would mean a birth of 1898. I have no idea why this is, but everything else on the certificate is correct (parents names, birthplaces, etc). The woman at the courthouse pretty much said there is no way to change a record once it exists

For my great grandmother (who I am not claiming citizenship from):

1) Her name maiden name was Clara Avellino, but it is misspelled on the birth record as Clara Avalina.

2) Every birthdate I've seen for her says Feb 1st 1904, except her "official" birth record which says Feb 1st 1905. Again, this is the same courthouse that told me that records can not be changed.

So.... What can I do now? Just go on and hope for the best? Sign a statement of some sort declaring that these are indeed the same people despite the errors in the records? If it makes any difference, I will be going through the Philadelphia consulate.

Thanks in advance....

[pastasugo]

An

[nicedream]

Thanks for your response pastasugo.

How would I go about creating this affadivit? Would I have to see a lawyer to do this, or is it something I can do on my own?

[Xaymara]

I'm under the jurisdiction of the Italian Consulate in Los Angeles and on their webpage they specify what to do in case there is a discrepancy on any of the documents.

DISCREPANCIES:
Check all documents word by word to make sure that there are no discrepancies or changes in the names, last names, dates and places of birth. If there are discrepancies In first and last names, please contact this Office before presenting your application. If there are major discrepancies in dates and ages, you must have certificates amended. All variations or errors must be corrected with an official "affidavit to amend a record" to be requested from the Vital Statistics Office that issued the document or with another appropriate official document. Please have a list of all the discrepancies that you found in the documents. This is required for the Citizenship Office to expedite your request.

Since all ten consulates seem to operate differently, you should call or visit the Philadelphia consulate and ask how to proceed.

Maria

[Petrarca]

You have to get the certificates amended so that the names are exactly the same on all documents. The Office Of Vital records does this (at least in RI.)

I had to get baptismila records, etc to do this...not sure what it's like in CA>

[nicedream]

You have to get the certificates amended so that the names are exactly the same on all documents. The Office Of Vital records does this (at least in RI.)

I had to get baptismila records, etc to do this...not sure what it's like in CA>

Yeah, I heard of getting the records amended. But this courthouse specifically said there is no way of changing records on the books. I feel like I may get stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[pastasugo]

ed

[pascalena]

nicedream,

My grandfather's age was listed as 23 on his marriage certificate in 1902, which would have given him a birth date of 1879 but his real birthdate on his birth certificate was 1874, which would have made him 28; the San Francisco Consulate had no problem with this as they say it was common for them to list their age wrong.

[nicedream]

Thanks pascalena, that makes me feel a bit better. I talked with my great aunt about this recently, and she said that for a while he didn't know his year of birth. I would imagine this situation is somewhat common, but I also heard that dates are very important in the citizenship process.

[mler]

I really need to emphasize the importance of contacting your Consulate. Two days ago I went to Newark with a minor problem with my father's first name. I also had a certified copy of the 1930 census with the name as it appears on all his records. No dice. They told me I had to amend his birth certificate. That means a legal change of name--costly, and a pain in the ****

Anyway, don't take chances. Apparently what is and what is not acceptable depends on where you have to apply.