Belmonte Mezzagno - FHL Film missing data

[CALOPRESTO]

Hello everyone,

I have run into a dead end searching for the birth records for my Grandmother, who was born in Belmonte Mezzagno, Palermo, Sicily. Until I started this search months ago, my family knew very little about my Grandmother, since she spent years in an orphanage and we had no records of her life before then.

Through researching several microfilms spanning the years 1866-1902, and cross-referencing these to US census records, and naturalization papers, I have been able to trace my Grandmother's parents and grandparents, her Aunt and Uncle, and a sister. And, I've been able to determine her birth year to be 1896. Unfortunately, the birth records for that particular year (1896) are missing from the microfilm. The marriage and death records are there, but the birth records are not. I know her sister Eleonara was two years older and I found Eleonara's birth records in 1894 and my Grandmother does not appear in either the 1895 or 1897 records. So, I'm pretty sure she would show up in the missing 1896 records.

-->Does anyone know another way to find her birth records?

The nuns at the orphanage gave my GM the birthdate of Aug 15, but we're told that was made up since they didn't know her real birthdate.

My GM's name is Giovanina Barrale. Her parents are Luigi Barrale b. 4 Mar, 1870, and Margherita Musso b. 7 Sept, 1871. All from Belmonte Mezzagno. My GM's sister's name was Eleonara Barrale b. 23 Aug, 1894.

I've tried looking through church records to find her birth records, but I can't find Belmonte Mezzagno in any of the church records available at FamilySearch.org.

-->Does anyone know if the Catholic Church records for Belmonte Mezzagno were kept at the church SS Crocifisso in Belmonte or were they kept at one of the larger churches in Palermo?

Any help or advice as to where to look next would be very much appreciated.

[adelfio]

Welcome you can try a letter to the church they will tell you if the records are kept there and I as

Thats the only church listed in the phone book

Parrocchia SS. Crocifisso
Piazza Garibaldi
90031 Belmonte Mezzagno (PA)

Reverendo Padre,

Mi chiamo YOUR NAME. Sto facendo una ricerca sui miei famiglia e ho bisogno delle informazioni dai vostri registri.
I miei antenati provennero da Belmonte Mezzagno,Palermo. Vorrei sapere di più di loro.
Mi risulta che la mia famiglia nella chiesa SS. Crocifisso
Avete i registri della chiesa di SS. Crocifisso from 1866-1902?
Potreste cercare l’atto di battesimo di questa persona nei vostri registri
L’individuo seguente è il mio antenato. Quanto segue è tutto ciò che so di questa persona: Giovanina Barrale.
Data di nascita: 1895-1897
Luogo di nascita: Belmonte Mezzagno
Nome e cognome del padre: Luigi Barrale
Nome e cognome della madre: Margherita Musso
Se non avete i registri corrispondenti, potete fornire l’indirizzo
dell’archivio dove in cui i registri possano essere trovati?
Vi ringrazio in anticipo per il vostro gentilezza e premura.

Distinti saluti
YOUR NAME EMAIL/ ADDRESS and small donation for the church

[CALOPRESTO]

Wow. Thanks for such a quick and detailed reply. I will try your suggestion. Do you think it will help to write for the civil records as well, or will I need her actual birthdate first?

[adelfio]

You can try that,but something you should know when Family History goes into the Italian comunes to photograph records to put on microfilm they make the deal to give them a copy of the films they have copied for the right to film the records of the town . So if the town you are researching is on film the the comune is looking at what you are looking at they at the Family History Library. They are not going down to a dusty old room and opening a dusty old registar
The ones there are not filmed by FHL that is a different story thats why it takes so long to get a responce for records from Italy when you send for records by mail.
Thats why I always recommend to research the films here if they are available here before writing for records overseas whether they are at FHL,Familysearch, ancestry.com or wherever they are at

Marty

[Joannsalvo]

Hi,
Did you look in the 10 year index for her name?
If she was adopted she may have been in an orphange in another town.
My great-grandfather was a foundling from Termini Immerese but settled in Belmonte Mezzagno.

I have had great success writing to the town for extracts but my ancestors were actually born in Belmonte Mezzagno.

Where was she married?
I hsve all the films on definite and I am happy to help.
You can contact me directly at joannsalvo@aol.com
Thanks,
Joann

[CALOPRESTO]

Thanks Marty and Joann! I appreciate your responses very much.

Marty,

That's what I was afraid of. If the 1896 birth records are missing from the sequence of filmed records that I have, it must mean the book was not available for filming. I suppose it could be that that book was lost or destroyed in the 100 years or so before FH went in to film it. I'm thinking of taking a trip to Sicily next year. Do you know if the dusty books in the dusty rooms are open to visitors?

Joann,

I only have the 10-year indexes for 1866-1875 and 1876-1885. I have used these to find other ancestors. I would need the 1896-1905 indexes which I haven't found. Do you know the FHL film number that has that index on it? I have films 1963085, 1963086, and 1963087. I didn't see any others in the film notes for Belmonte Mezzagno that applied to the years I was looking at. I would be very happy if you have the info on one of the films you have or if you can help me identify which film(s) I'm missing.

[CALOPRESTO]

Hi Joann,

I forgot to mention that my GM came to New Orleans (via New York) in 1899 at age 2. She travelled with her mother and sister. Apparently, her father (my GGF) was already here, but I've not found when or how he came here. My GGF died (we think in 1905) and my GGM put the two young girls into an orphanage in New Orleans because she couldn't care for them (or so the story goes). I think, but haven't proven yet, that my GGM died two years later in 1907. I have found census records for my GM and her sister at the orphanage in 1910. The sister (according to family stories) died prior to 1911 (the year my GM was pulled out of the orphanage). I have found records of the sister at Charity Hospital in New Orleans in 1910, but no indication of whether she died there or not. [Note: My GM was pulled out of the orphanage by relatives, so she wasn't actually adopted. They took her out at age 14 and immediately married her off to my GF in 1911.]

[Italysearcher]

You should try writing to the town also. They often do have the records that are missing from the films.
Adelphio, the LDS filmed at the State Archives NOT in the individual towns. The State Archives hold the second copy of these records and sometimes a second copy was not made for some reason or lost or destroyed by some means.

[CALOPRESTO]

Thank you Ann. That's great news! I will write to the town as well.

Thanks,
Chris

[mpizzo]

I was in Belmonte Mezzagno in February. The church's records are in really poor shape. Write to Father Ugo di Marzo at the SS Crocifisso. He speaks decent English. I don't have his email address.

The State Civile in Belmonte has records after 1870. The employees told me that there was a fire around that time. Write to Bruno Francesco at elettorale@comune.Belmonte.Pa.It. I am not sure if Bruno speaks English (I only spoke to him in Italian).

--Matt Pizzo

[CALOPRESTO]

Thank you Matt! This is great information. I appreciate it very much!

-Chris

[CALOPRESTO]

UPDATE! Just got a response from the State Civile (Bruno Francesco). They sent me my Grandmother's official Birth Certificate!

This fills in the missing piece of family history and validates all the other research I've done on her side of the family.

This also will make my 81 year old Aunt very happy. She had almost no information about her mother for all these years.

Many thanks to all of you who helped with suggestions and research!
You're the best!

[adelfio]

Great job Chris!!

Marty

[martaronachinnici]

I have just returned from Belmonte Mezzagno. The parish priest was such a wonderful help. He looked up my grandfather's name in the church records, and found his baptismal information. I was so excited, I forgot to ask for my grandmother's information. My grandfather was Lorenzo Martarona, and my grandmother was Maria Chinnici. I would recommend contacting the church to see if they have your family on record.

[CALOPRESTO]

Thank you! It's been awhile since I've been on here. Thanks for thinking of me and my research. Would love to travel to Sicily and do some direct research. Will do so someday, I am sure!