Father's name change

[bene2950]

My father was born of Italian parents given the first name of Duilio. Parents both died when he was a child and became a ward of the court. When he enlisted in the Navy in WWII he was only 17 and a court ok'd the enlistment and had a name change to William.
I have been unable to get Los Angeles County to send me the document. I have a copy and want an original. I also sent them a copy of the copy. Still no response. It has been over 7 months and numerous phone calls and still no response.
Can I have my father sign a statement and have it notarized to use for Italian citizenship at the SF consulate? What are my options if any. I have all the documents and have sent in for my appointment. I have complete documents on both my father and mother's side. Thank you Bill

[johnnyonthespot]

Which document are you seeking - birth certificate or court order regarding the name change?

If a birth record, is it safe to assume that you have contacted the office listed on this page? http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdea ... ice.aspx#l

How about getting it directly from the state? http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdea ... cords.aspx

Worst case, bring the photocopy with you to your appointment and explain that you will forward the origianl to the consulate as soon as you have received it.

[bene2950]

Thanks for the response. I have my fathers birth certificate but the juvenile court in LA never sent the name change in. The birth certificate shows Duilio Benedetti and his passport and other documents show William Benedetti. I am not sure if I can have him do a court ordered name change then bring that document with me. It would be easier if I could have him sign an affidavit for the name change and submit that with a copy of the juvenile court order from 1944. Not sure if SF will accept that.

[johnnyonthespot]

You can try an "AUTOCERTIFICAZIONE"; the consulate may or may not accept it. Here is the SF consulate's webpage describing the procedure http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/C ... ficazione/ and a Google translation of the same page is at http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... cazione%2F

If I may ask, the copy you already have should state the exact name (and location?) of the court which issued the order - can you please post that information? Also, who have you tried contacting thus far?

[bene2950]

Actually I have the original copy. It was issued in Dept 38 under case number 111719 on March 6, 1944 It shows (Duillo Benedetti) under that shows William Duillo Benedetti They spelled Duilio wrong. The document is dated March 15, 1944. I contacted Los Angeles Juvenile court and they said I have to contact the Juvenile Court in Montery Park. I submitted a JV-570 form to them on August 9th and have no response. I called and left messages and no return call. I am sure they are backed up and I continue to wait. There was no amended birth certificate. I do have a certified copy.

[johnnyonthespot]

Okay, so I went here http://www.247ref.org/portal/access_law3.cfm , clicked the AskNow logo, and chatted with a law librarian in general terms. The most important parts of his reply were:

a) it is best to go to the court in person, otherwise it could take a long time to get a response

b) Juvinile Court records are often sealed, even when not requested or necessary. In that case, only your father would be permitted to obtain a copy of the order

Assuming that it is not practical for you to go to LA, possibly you can pay a local paralegal a reasonable fee (?) to go to the court clerk's office and get the document for you.

[bene2950]

Thank you.