Finding Adoption Papers

[MCKay]

I've been trying to find Adoption papers for my great grandfather but I haven't had any luck. Maybe someone here can help. My Great Grandfather John Bono (who changed his name nearly three times) came over from Palermo but I haven't been able to find his ship manifest so what I'm going off of is what Ive found on his Alien Registration Card. The rumour in the family is that he was adopted because he was born illegitimately in Gibellina or somewhere around there as all of his documents say something different for a birthplace but Gibellina is the only place we haven't looked for a birth certificate. I'm hoping to recover his birth certificate by getting his adoption papers. Does anyone know how to find adoption papers in Italy? Thanks for any help you can give!

[Italysearcher]

Formal adoption was rare in Italy. If you have a birthdate and place you could search the records for a 'foundling' or abandoned baby born at that time. If neither parent wanted to declare the child as theirs, the baby was given an invented name and turned over to foster parents who were paid to feed it. I suppose if you were too poor to feed the child you might 'abandon' it and them foster it. That was you keep your child and get paid a pittance to feed it.

[MCKay]

How do I do a search for a foundling?

[adelfio]

You need the birth record of John Bono it will list his parents if they wanted to be known
Palermo is both a city and province so its hard say where his records are located at.
About Italian records
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Italy_ ... al_Records

Marty

[MCKay]

Thanks for everything so far. I'm afraid that I won't even be able to search for John Bono's birth certificate as he probably changed his name when he was adopted. Am I missing something?

[Italysearcher]

The manifest will be in his birth name as his travel documents would have been issued by the Commune and they would put his 'official' surname. You might want to contact lostquays @ ymail.com (no spaces)

[MCKay]

thanks for the suggestion. I'll be sure to let everybody know how it turns out!

[adelfio]

Where did your GGF live in the USA and what was his wifes maiden name

Marty

[MCKay]

He lived in Beaumont Texas and Bunkie Louisiana and his wife's maiden name was Tagliarino.

[Tessa78]

Is this the WWII Registration Card you referenced above?

DOB - 1881
Place of birth GIBELLINA
Wife - Lena

Click once to enlarge and again to magnify...


And is that your family tree on Ancestry? Owner cathystrickland28...
Listing John BONONA and Leana Tagliarino...

T.

[Tessa78]

Found this listing for deaths in Louisiana...

POSSIBLE for your John Bono?

Name: John Bono
Death Date: 31 Mar 1949
Death Place: Opelousas, , St. Landry, Louisiana
Gender: Male
Race (original): W
Race (standardized): White
Age: 68
Estimated Birth Year: 1881
Birth Place: Fermo, Italy
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Rena Bono (Possibly a misspelling of Lena?)
Father's Name: Anthony Bono
Mother's Name: Josephine Bono
Film number: 1409448
Image Number: 01869
Certificate Number: 3677
Digital Folder Number: 4215550


Of course, we must keep in mind that the death certificate is one of the most unreliable sources for factual information.

T.

[MCKay]

Yes, yes, I believe these are both my John Bono. I'm not sure how I'd go about getting a birth certificate with all of this though. I've also found that John Bono tended to list a different place of birth on each and all of his papers. But this is the first time I've seen a listing of his parents. How would you suggest going about finding his birth certificate? Also, would his birth certificate list the name John Bono if he was adopted under that name?

[Tessa78]

There are no easy answers to your search for the birth certificate. I think you will need to continue to look for a ship manifest.

Did he arrive with his "adopted" parents? Or did he come alone to the USA? Were there siblings?

Do you have the marriage certificate? It also may hold clues.
What were the names of his children? Sometimes the search is easier if we start with what we KNOW and work backwards...

If John held a Social Security Number, you can write for his Soc. Sec. Application (for a fee). It should also have the names of his parents, but more importantly, his place of birth.
This site:
http://genealogy.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi= ... t/main.jsp


If you establish the EXACT comune/town of birth, you can write directly to the comune to request his birth record. We can give you an address, and help with letters of request in Italian...

T.

[MCKay]

I'm not sure if he came alone or with anyone to the USA but I did hear that he came over on the boat Manilla in 1902. John Bono settled in Bunkie Louisiana as well as in Beaumont Texas with his wife Lina Tagliarino and their eight kids Anthony, Josephine, John, Mary, Lucille, Elizabeth, Sam, and Joe. John Bono was from Sicily, Italy. I'm not sure which province as he listed something new on every document I've found.

I don't think he had a social security number as he never naturalized. I also have something that looks like his A2 card but there really isn't much to work with on it. What do you think?

john bono alien registration form.jpg

bono alien registration form 2.jpg

marriage certificate bono.jpg

[MCKay]

I guess the big question is whether I would be able to search for John Bono or Giovanni Bonanno's birth certificate under that name or would he have had his name changed after adoption and not have that listed on his birth certificate.