Who keeps archives in italy

[delboy007]

Do italian churches keep records like they do in England if not where are records of birth , marriages etc ususally kept ?

[johnnyonthespot]

The official records of birth, marriage, and death are held by the comune (city/town) where the event took place, in the Ufficio dello Stato Civile - the Office of Civil Status. Generally speaking, you can contact that office by writing to:

Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Comune di [city/town name]
[CAP Code] [city/town name] [2 letter province code]
ITALY

You can also do a web search for "comune di [city/town name]" and from the comune's official web page seek out an email address for the Stato Civile.

Italian civil records commonly date back to some period in the early to mid 1800's, depending on the comune. For earlier records, your only option is to pursue church records from the parish where an event occurred.

[maestra36]

Italian churches individually keep records, so you would have to know the parish name and contact the church directly. Copies of the records of individual parishes have been kept at the diocese level only since 1917. Prior to that, churches were not required to send copies of their records to their diocese, although some parishes may have done so.

The problem is that some parishes no longer exist which existed several hundred years ago. They may have been destroyed by earthquakes or other such natural disasters. I have this problem in my one ancestral town where the old church, which housed the records, was buried in an earthquake. So the only records for the town are state civil records which began in 1809. On the microfilm for that particular town, there are some earlier church records mixed in with the state civil records, but it's a hit or miss kind of thing.

[delboy007]

Thanks that is a great help. Fortunately the church I have in mind is still standing so hopefully will have records.

[maestra36]

You're very welcome
Peg

[maestra36]

One thing to keep in mind is that some Italian churches do not have a resident priest. An individual priest may be the administrator of more than one parish, sometimes even in neighboring towns, so this could be a glitch to getting information from a particular parish.

[maestra36]

Also, unlike getting copies of state civil records for free from most town anagrafe or registry offices, churches do expect donations for record copies they send out. Never send a personal check or postal money order, as they have a problem cashing those.

[johnnyonthespot]

Unless there is some special reason for seeking church records, you would probably get better results from the Ufficio dello Stato Civile.

For that matter, you may even find that you can access microfilmed copies of original records by visiting your local Family History Center (an adjunct of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - "the Mormons"). Can you give us some idea of what information you are seeking; the approximate years and name of the comune?

[maestra36]

Carmine
I completely agree with you. The state civil records, especially if you access them yourself from microfilm, are a wealth of information you just can't get any other way, as far as I am concerned.
Peg

[maestra36]

Personally I feel you should only try for church records for the earlier years when there are no state civil records available.

[donnawright]

I was just about to ask a question when I saw this thread. Here's my deal. I am working for information from the comune of Sorano in Tuscany. Their records are 1900-1910 and then the FHC says to refer to a very large regional collection for all of Tuscany, more than 3200 films. I got the first one recently and I already knew the date, fortunately. Each film is very specific to a year---no range to look through.

As it turns out, my great grandfather is there, but it is his baptismal record, and only a one-line extract. Unlike birth records that give the age of the father of the child, there is nothing to help me go back another generation.

My question,,,, since this is a "regional" collection, is there a place within the region,,, some other repository,,, where records are? The comune of Sorano ignors my requests, and I have sent people there and calls have been made on my behalf, and no response. They will not provide anything. Without birth records, I'm doomed, I fear.

Donna

[johnnyonthespot]

You can try the provincial archives ...

Archivio di Stato di Grossetto
Piazza Socci 3
58100 Grosseto
ITALY

Email: as-gr@beniculturali.it (remove the spaces)
Email: arcstato@gol.grosseto.it (remove the spaces)

Web: http://www.gol.grosseto.it/puam/arcstato/hmarchi.htm

[donnawright]

Thanks, I'll try the provincial archives and see what I get. The comune of my mother's people in Calabria has been great... but Sorano.... no go...

[johnnyonthespot]

Thanks, I'll try the provincial archives and see what I get. The comune of my mother's people in Calabria has been great... but Sorano.... no go...

I have a similar problem. My maternal grandparents came from Malvito in Cosenza and the stato civile officer there has been absolutely fantastic, never taking more than two to three weeks to send documents in response to the many requests I have sent.

On the other side of the coin is my paternal grandparents' comune. In three years and many requests (air mail, express mail, email) to the stato civile and to the mayor, I have never received a single response of any kind. Nothing.

It is incredibly annoying and frustrating.

[Italysearcher]

Try writing and saying you need the document for citizenship purposes. Quote

Accludo una copia della mia lettera addi …(date of original letter)……………
Dopo ( number of months.) mesi non ho ancora ricevuto alcuna risposta.
Temo che la mia lettera sia andata persa o sia stata dimenticata.
Vorrei chiederLe, ai sensi della legge 241/1990 sul diritto d accesso ai documenti amministrativi, se può gentilmente interessarsi a questo caso, affinché io possa ottenere una riposta entro un tempo ragionevole.
La ringrazio per la sua gentilezza. Attendo con fiducia una risposta.






gennaio(January), febbraio(February), marzo(March), aprile(April), maggio(May), giugno(June), luglio(July), agosto(August), settembre(September), ottobre(October), novembre(November), dicembre(December)
Enclosed is a copy of my letter of [date]. [Optional- This was my second request to you without receiving your reply]
After almost 3 months, I still have received no reply.
I fear that my letter has been lost or forgotten.
I would like to ask you if you could kindly intervene in this case, according to law 241 of 1990 regarding access to public documents, so that I may receive a reply within a reasonable time.
Thank you for your kindness. I trust to hear from you soon.

If that doesn't work.......send in the troops!