Handwritten Birth Registration

[nicolep]

I'm hoping I can get some help reading the handwritten portion of my great grandfather's birth registration. It is number 1295. Arturo Paggetti.

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 5.jpg.html

[liviomoreno]

Arturo Paggetti was born in the Civil Hospital on 3 Dec 1888 to a woman who does not want to be named. Name and Surname were invented by the clerk. The birth was declared by an employee of the hospital.

[nicolep]

Wow! Thank you!

Just to clarify, was Arturo's name made up or the mother's? Does it list a father's name?

And why does that mean the mother didn't want to be identified? Does that likely mean he wasn't raised by his family?

[liviomoreno]

As I already said the name of the baby was invented by the officer. The father's name isa not there.
The record does not say why the mother did not want to be identified and doesn't specify who raised the baby.

[bbivona]

Typically you won't ever find the father's name for someone in that situation unless later on he files an act of recognition. Those happen occasionally, where the father files a public document recognizing the child as his biological child, sometimes not until the child is an adult. For example, see this recent item in this forum.
https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/language/43584
And an article on the site about tracing ancestors such as these.
https://www.italiangenealogy.com/articl ... e-marriage

[nicolep]

As I already said the name of the baby was invented by the officer. The father's name isa not there.
The record does not say why the mother did not want to be identified and doesn't specify who raised the baby.

Thanks, sorry, the original reply wasn't clear as to which name had been made up.

And I certainly wouldn't expect this document to answer the other questions, it was more "what does this generally mean in this time and place"

We've been trying to learn about my great grandfather for more than 15 years and with each turn we seem to hit another dead end. I can't imagine that he would have been raised by his mother if she didn't even want to be named. And since he kept this name, I would think he wasn't raised by family as surely they would have given him their surname at least?

We do know that he lived in Bergamo (as all his later documentation indicated that as the place he left when he came to America) and we know that two women wrote him a post card indicating they were his sisters many years later. And he had someone he referred to as a step-brother in Connecticut.

[nicolep]

Typically you won't ever find the father's name for someone in that situation unless later on he files an act of recognition. Those happen occasionally, where the father files a public document recognizing the child as his biological child, sometimes not until the child is an adult. For example, see this recent item in this forum.
https://www.italiangenealogy.com/forum/language/43584
And an article on the site about tracing ancestors such as these.
https://www.italiangenealogy.com/articl ... e-marriage

Oh that is interesting! Arturo is my only Italian ancestor so I'm very new to this specific area of research. For the rest, birth records have always listed both parents even in the case where one ancestor was given to another family at birth. I suppose in cases of abandonment (which, I am assuming is what happened here?) that wouldn't happen but I haven't seen that so far in my research.

The articles are helpful, thank you. It is kind of sad. Arturo always refused to speak about Italy to his children and grandchildren. We assumed he just wanted to assimilate and wanted them to be as American as the neighborhood kids.

[nicolep]

Can anyone recommend a transcription service? I'd like to be able to get an actual transcription for our family records. I initially tried a translator but they had too much trouble reading the handwriting

[bbivona]

Can anyone recommend a transcription service? I'd like to be able to get an actual transcription for our family records. I initially tried a translator but they had too much trouble reading the handwriting

If you're talking about the document above, I can translate it. You're wanting the entire entry translated?

[nicolep]

Can anyone recommend a transcription service? I'd like to be able to get an actual transcription for our family records. I initially tried a translator but they had too much trouble reading the handwriting

If you're talking about the document above, I can translate it. You're wanting the entire entry translated?

Yes, that's correct. I believe it goes on to a second page (the link has another page just after this one that appears to be a continuation). Because we've had such trouble finding Arturo's past, I'd like to have a translation handy for someone who might want to know this information in the future.

Any help you could provide would be so appreciated!

[bbivona]

Harder than I first thought. First page is not bad. Handwriting on page 2 is a bit of a mess. Here is the (almost) complete translation, but with some page 2 gaps. A lot of legalese in these 19th century vital records.

In the year 1888, this day of December 3, at 11:50 a.m., in the town hall.

Before me, Benvenuto Bonetti, the undersigned secretary delegate of the mayor under the act of April 12, 1885, vital statistics officer of the municipality of Bergamo appeared:

Anacleto Maironi, son of Giuseppe, deceased, age 65, domiciled in Bergamo, clerk, who declared to me that at 6 a.m on the second of this month, in the house located at #4 Piazza Barocio, a woman who did not consent to be named gave birth to a male child who was not presented to me, and to whom was given the name Arturo and the surname Pagetti.

To this above record the following witnesses were present. Antonio Gavazzeni, son of Giovanni, deceased, age 51, clerk, and Enrico Bianchi, son of Carlo, age 41, clerk, both residents of this town. The declarant indicated the birth _______ in the official quality to such delegate of the director of this special act in which was given to the aforementioned child the deference of the ________________________ accepted as the true fact of birth. The act read to the ____________ _____________ undersigned.

(Signatures)

Anacleto Maironi
Antonio Gavazzeni
Enrico Bianchi
Benvenuto Bonetti

[AngelaGrace56]

Great job bbivona! I've done a little editing here. There's a little bit in the fifth paragraph that I'm not sure about because of the script, and the wording.

Harder than I first thought. First page is not bad. Handwriting on page 2 is a bit of a mess. Here is the (almost) complete translation, but with some page 2 gaps. A lot of legalese in these 19th century vital records.

In the year 1888, this day of December 3, at 11:50 a.m., in the town hall.

Before me, Benvenuto Bonetti, the undersigned secretary delegate of the mayor under the act of April 12, 1885, vital statistics officer of the municipality of Bergamo appeared:

Anacleto Maironi, son of Giuseppe, deceased, age 65, domiciled in Bergamo, clerk, who declared to me that at 7.40 am on the third of this month, in the house located at #4??? Piazza Barocio, a woman who did not consent to be named gave birth to a male child who was not presented to me, and to whom was given the name Arturo and the surname Pagetti.

To this above record the following witnesses were present. Antonio Gavazzeni, son of Giovanni, deceased, age 51, clerk, and Enrico Bianchi, son of Carlo, age 41, clerk, both residents of this town. The declarant indicated the aforementioned (suddetta) birth in the official quality to such delegate of the director of this special act in which was given to the aforementioned child the deference of the presentation? ________________________ accepted as the true fact of birth.

The last sentence "Letto il presente atto a tutti gli intervenuti si sono i medesimi meco sottoscritti" which basically translates to: "Having read the present act to all the participants, they have (under)signed with me.

(Signatures)

Anacleto Maironi
Antonio Gavazzeni
Enrico Bianchi
Benvenuto Bonetti

Someone else can take a look as well. Not sure about the wording of the fifth paragraph?

Angela

[nicolep]

Wow thank you both so much.

Amazingly enough, I think I now know who raised him. A few weeks back we found a reference to a "step brother" in some military paperwork. I was able to track down the daughter of this step-brother and sent a long shot email asking if her father had ever mentioned Arturo. I assumed they were just close friends. As it turns out, she remembers talking with her father and Arturo about them being raised together.

This also helps explain why there are literally no other Paggettis in Bergamo. All of the ones I've found are in central Italy (in the same town, even!). Now it just makes me wonder why that name was chosen. It doesn't seem common.

Thank you all again for all of the help. I still wish we could have learned who his biological parents were, but I suppose on a real level it is less important who they are than who the people who raised him are.

[AngelaGrace56]

Wow thank you both so much.

Amazingly enough, I think I now know who raised him. A few weeks back we found a reference to a "step brother" in some military paperwork. I was able to track down the daughter of this step-brother and sent a long shot email asking if her father had ever mentioned Arturo. I assumed they were just close friends. As it turns out, she remembers talking with her father and Arturo about them being raised together.

This also helps explain why there are literally no other Paggettis in Bergamo. All of the ones I've found are in central Italy (in the same town, even!). Now it just makes me wonder why that name was chosen. It doesn't seem common.

Thank you all again for all of the help. I still wish we could have learned who his biological parents were, but I suppose on a real level it is less important who they are than who the people who raised him are.

Wow! That is fantastic news! Great detective work there. I'm wondering whether it would be worth you writing away for his military records. Sometimes the Liste di Leva (Conscription Lists) include an address but not always. Having an address would help confirm things maybe.

Angela

[liviomoreno]

Some additional editing:

Great job bbivona! I've done a little editing here. There's a little bit in the fifth paragraph that I'm not sure about because of the script, and the wording.

Harder than I first thought. First page is not bad. Handwriting on page 2 is a bit of a mess. Here is the (almost) complete translation, but with some page 2 gaps. A lot of legalese in these 19th century vital records.

In the year 1888, this day of December 3, at 11:50 a.m., in the town hall.

Before me, Benvenuto Bonetti, the undersigned secretary delegate of the mayor under the act of April 12, 1885, vital statistics officer of the municipality of Bergamo appeared:

Anacleto Maironi, son of Giuseppe, deceased, age 65, domiciled in Bergamo, clerk, who declared to me that at 7.40 am on the third of this month, in the house located at #4??? Piazza Barocio, a woman who did not consent to be named gave birth to a male child who was not presented to me, and to whom was given the name Arturo and the surname Pagetti.

To this above record the following witnesses were present. Antonio Gavazzeni, son of Giovanni, deceased, age 51, clerk, and Enrico Bianchi, son of Carlo, age 41, clerk, both residents of this town. The declarant indicated the aforementioned (suddetta) birth beying him an Official delegated by the director of this Civil Hospital in which the aforementioned child was born, whose presentation was exempted because af his frailty, having ascertained otherwise that the birth was true.

The last sentence "Letto il presente atto a tutti gli intervenuti si sono i medesimi meco sottoscritti" which basically translates to: "Having read the present act to all the participants, they have (under)signed with me.

(Signatures)

Anacleto Maironi
Antonio Gavazzeni
Enrico Bianchi
Benvenuto Bonetti

Someone else can take a look as well. Not sure about the wording of the fifth paragraph?

Angela