Help with translating Italian letter 1932

[kmdefever]

I am gathering documents for a citizenship appointment and one of the last documents I need to procure is the Italian birth certificate for my great-grandfather.

My mother has photocopies of two Italian documents from my great-grandfather's hometown, Savoia di Lucania (Potenza). One is his baptismal certificate (1889) and the other is a letter from my great-grandfather's parish, dated 1932.

It's my mother's belief that the letter says that he wasn't issued a birth certificate and that his baptismal certificate IS his birth certificate. It's my understanding that this was not uncommon, especially in small Italian towns in the 19th century.

If that's indeed the case, I'll know to contact the parish for certified proof of his birth and not the ufficio demografico.

Could someone please translate these and let me know if my mom is right?

Also, when I contact Sovoia di Lucania to get a certified copy, should I enclose a copy of the baptismal certificate? How do I say in Italian, in effect, 'I want two of these please, but certified.'

Thank you so much!

[carubia]

I don't think that what the 1932 letter says. There's no discussion there of baptism or birth records and no mention of a person's name. Instead it appears to concern someone's decision to marry in their church and a request for a 25 Lira payment to the church.

The other record is indeed a baptismal certificate.

[kmdefever]

Thank you, carubia!

[PippoM]

This is the birth record of your GGF:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cat=782084

You'll have to get a certificate, or a certified copy of it from the Commune of Savoia di Lucania.
Baptismal certificates only are needed for ancestors born in years when there were no civil registrations (but this is not the case).

[Tessa78]

When writing to the comune for a certified copy of the birth act, you should write your request in Italian, and be sure to include your photo ID and your email address. Also include a copy of the birth act above that Pippo has found for you.

Address:
Ufficio dello Stato Civile
Piazza Plebiscito
85050 Savoia di Lucania (PZ)
ITALY

Help with letters in Italian:
http://geocities.ws/paulanigro/italian- ... tter3.html
http://geocities.ws/paulanigro/italian- ... talrecords

T.

[kmdefever]

Thank you SO much, Pippo and Tessa.

I had already looked up the mailing address for the records office in Savoia di Lucania, but boy, I could use help with my letter writing. Thanks for the reference links. Do most folks request Italian records via snail mail or is initial contact via email okay, do you think?

And, Pippo-- how did you find my GGF's record so quickly?! That's a 3200-page document. Truly amazing. I want to send you a box of Fave dei Morti. Thank you.

[Tessa78]

We suggest that you send a "snail mail" letter with your photo ID, and follow up with an email if they have not contacted you via email.

T.

[PippoM]

I'm not a magician!... Registers are ordered by date, and every register has an index by surname. Moreover, I knew your GGF birthdate from the certificate above, so I didn't even need the index.