Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
This is very interesting. If true, this means that Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen (born 8 October 1913 in Grytviken, South Georgia was NOT the first person to be born and raised south of the Antarctic Convergence.
Hello to everyone:
Thank you for the interest in my search for my grandmother's birth certificate. Here is what I know about her and her family. Her parents, Eugenio ("Jim") and Caterina Croce Massetti lived in Cerro Tanaro, Italy and were married in 1897 (I think). They left Italy for Argentina and arrived there 22 November 1897. Teresa was born 28 May 1898. It seems very likely that Teresa was born in Argentina, and that is what she stated on her marriage certificate in 1922 ("born Argentine Republic"). She was married previously (in 1919) and on that marriage certificate she stated the was born in Buenos Aires, South America. Various United States census reports show her as being born in South America, but her death certificate simply says "other country." I have seen the reference on Ancestry.com to her being born in the South Sandwich Islands, but I don't know where that reference came from. I have messaged the person who included Teresa in her family tree to ask where she got that information, but I have not heard back.
The Massetti family left Argentina sometime around 1902 and returned to Italy, where Teresa's younger sister Margaret was born. Eugenio moved to the US in 1902, and Caterina, Teresa, and Margaret moved to the US in 1906 to join him, settling in California. Teresa was married several times, had 5 children, and died in San Bernardino, California USA July 6, 1984.
I have requested her U.S. naturalization file which may contain information about her birth, but it may be a long time before I hear back from the US Citizenship and Naturalization Service. I have reviewed every US census report from 1910 through 1940 and have good detail about her and her family living in the US, but very little before their arrival. If she was born in Buenos Aires, I understand that I need to have more information about exactly where in Buenos Aires she was born--what district or area, and I do not have any information about that.
When the family returned to Italy in 1902 I believe they settled in Cerro Tanaro, near Asti. She would have been 4 years old then. Would the local church have documented her birth, even though she was not born in Italy? I would also be very interested in whether a copy of her birth certificate was filed somewhere in Italy. How would I go about finding out?
Thank you very much for your help, and if there is any more information that would help let me know and I will provide it if I can. I have reviewed the Facebook Argentina Geneaology group entries also--thanks to everyone there.
Emily
It doesn't look like Teresa's Birth Record was sent back. I've taken a look, but will go forward a few more years as sometimes they took a while to get back to Italia.
Note: Eugenio was residing in Montaldo Scarampi at this time, as were his parents. You can look there for further records pertaining to Eugenio and his family.
If you require a translation for the marriage banns, let us know.
Fabulous! I can't believe you found this! I would love a translation of the marriage banns, but I don't want to put you to too much trouble. I can take a crack at it with Google Translate. Thanks so much. Emily
I have not inquired in Cerro Tanaro--I don't know how to make that inquiry. I'd love to ask them. I am not familiar with "Part II books".
Here's another question--I'll post this also, but I want to ask you: What sort of documentation was required to enter Italy, or to leave Italy for another country, around 1902-1906? Were passports required? Since my grandmother entered Italy for the first time around 1902, when she was a little girl arriving with her parents from Argentina, would she have been required to have a passport? Were birth certificates or some form of identification required, or could you just show up at the border or at a port and enter Italy? Both her parents were Italian citizens, and she likely would have been considered to be an Italian citizen because of her parents' citizenship, but how would that have been confirmed? Same question with respect to departure--were you required to have any sort of documentation? Hopefully there might be additional information through this line of inquiry (I hope!).
Thanks,
Emily
Hi,
I have not inquired in Cerro Tanaro-I don't know how to do that. If you will tell me how, or if you can point me to a website that gives instructions on how to contact the local authorities in Cerro Tanaro, that would be great. Thanks!
Emily
missemilyanne wrote: ↑24 Jun 2020, 00:12
Hi,
My grandmother, Teresa Massetti, was born in Argentina in 1898. Her parents arrived there in 1897 from Italy and stayed in Argentina for several years before returning to Italy. I can find zero documentation for her birth.
In my experience US naturalization records can help a lot in narrowing down a birth record search. Did Teresa naturalize with her parents? Just in case t helps, here you have a link to a 1922 Ellis Isladn arrival record for her mother that has an added notation that refers to her mother´s naturalization record. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... 3AJN2L-K2W
Thank you for the information about the added notation on Caterina's 1922 return to the US from a visit to Italy. Are you referring to the handwritten numbers "621/67 1-362507-2-24-42" near her name on the manifest? The manifest refers to Caterina as an Italian citizen, so I did not realize that those handwritten numbers meant anything that could be followed up on. To what do they refer?
I have requested Teresa's ntauralization recofrd rom the US Citizenship and Immigration Service but I understand that may take some time to receive.
Thank you for the additional information.
I am trying to help you in a way that makes productive use of my time. I have solved two similar cases recently uaibg data from naturalization files. Yes, you can use those numbers. Send me an email if you want more help on the US side of it.
Thank you very much for locating this document relating to the marriage of my grandmother's parents. I can't believe you were able to find it! Wonderful.
Thank you very much for locating this document relating to the marriage of my grandmother's parents. I can't believe you were able to find it! Wonderful.
Record #48. Birth of Eugenio Domenico Massetti. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cc=1937992
Declaration: 20 July 1876
Date of birth: 17 July 1876 2:30 AM
Place: Via del Castello #5
Father: Giuseppe Massetti, 36 yo, farmer, resident in Montaldo Scarampi.
Mother: Teresa Accaredio(?), daughter of Giovanni, 30 yo, farmer, born and resident in Montaldo Scarampi, Giuseppe's wife.
Side note: On Nov 7, 1896, record #12, married to Catterina Croce in Cerro Tanaro.
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My mom and dad came from two very different classes of Italian society. Dad's mom came from a very aristocrat family and mom's came from farmers and agricultural workers. When my mom's parents came to the US, they left their oldest son Giovanni in the care of my maternal grandmother's parents. I hea...
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