Thank you for the information. I had already found Maria's death act. She is clearly identified as the widow of Francesco Mega. It is interesting to note that her father had lived in Trapani (it did not give his birth place, per se).
Yes, Maria's birthplace is listed as Castelvetrano, but I have have not luck in finding it. She is listed as age 76. I have looked at years 1836-1839, going page by page for those years with and index.
You may need to turn to church records at this point. If you are going to the towns, you might want to contact the local parish ahead of time to ask if they might look for the marriage (give a range of years), and include the information for the baptisms of children that you referenced above.
In addition, to help you understand the records and how to find them, I would recommend the following book:
Italian Genealogical Records: How to Use Italian Civil, Ecclesiastical and Other Records in Family History Research by Cole, Trafford R.
It is the definitive reference source.
T.
Atto di Recognizione? Marriage
Re: Atto di Recognizione? Marriage
Thank you for the recommendation. I just purchased the book and will read it before my travels.
I really appreciate the searching you did. Although the negative result is disappointing it confirms my experience. I conclude that the marriage certificate is among the records in that are missing or illegible, or took place in a comune I have not checked, or a civil record simply does not exist.
I will also send the letters you mentioned to the local parishes before visiting. If you think of anything else, please let me know.
I really appreciate the searching you did. Although the negative result is disappointing it confirms my experience. I conclude that the marriage certificate is among the records in that are missing or illegible, or took place in a comune I have not checked, or a civil record simply does not exist.
I will also send the letters you mentioned to the local parishes before visiting. If you think of anything else, please let me know.
