Actual Marriage or marriage promise Document

[rp76226]

Are the attachments below from an actual marriage or a Marriage Promise document?

Ron

[PippoM]

Yes, it's a "solemn promise" ("Atto della solenne promessa").
Marriage in noted on the right, and took place on Nov 26 in the Parish of the Municipality.
As far as I know, during the Restauration age (1815-1860) civil marriage did not exist at all in Southern Italy and Sicily. I don't know how it worked for Jews or possible atheists.

[erudita74]

Ron

Technically, neither side of the document is the actual marriage record. The actual marriage document would be a church marriage record and not a civil document as this record is. This is a pre-unification of Italy document. The left side (left column of the document) is the solemn promise to marry. The couple who was to be married appeared at the the town municipal bldg (civil office) to request that their solemn promise to marry be made. Appearing with them were 4 witnesses who they themselves produced. At the time of their appearance before the civil official(s), their banns of marriage (marriage publications) had already been made. These had been read aloud and posted on the door of the town hall. These had to be read aloud due to the fact that most people were illiterate and could not read. This was to insure that there were no objections or obstacles to this couple being married. If the couple was underage, they had to appear with their parents who would give their consent to the marriage, or they had to present to the town official, the written consent of the parents, if the parents could not physically appear. The couple at this time also presented to the civil official extracted copies of the documents required for their marriage. These documents were copies of their birth acts, death acts of any former spouses, if applicable, death acts of parents, etc. Often a couple could not produce a death act for a grandfather, for example, and just attested that he was deceased and sometimes they did not know the place of his death. The civil official then gave the couple two copies of the document to present to the parish priest. It was the parish priest who would perform the religious ceremony and marry the couple. However, when the civil official prepared the document, he left blank areas in the right side of the document for the parish priest to fill in by hand after he had performed the marriage ceremony. The right side of the document therefore is the Indication of the Celebration of Marriage and not the actual church marriage document. The date at the top of the right column is the date the parish priest actually sent back to the town official a copy of the document with the information filled in. This was after he had performed the religious ceremony. This document has an error. The date at the top of the right column is November 1st, but it should read December 1st. Looking further down the right column where the priest wrote in the info, the celebration of the marriage in the church took place on the 26th of November. So the date of Nov 1st at the top of the right column is a mistake. Also I don't see the names of the church witnesses in the right column. There were normally two church witnesses whose names appeared in the right column and their names were often different than the four witnesses who appeared with the couple at the town hall. So you need a church document for the actual church marriage record. The date of the church marriage was Oct 26, 1853.

Erudita

[rp76226]

Erudita, thanks for your insight, but you apparently contradicted yourself on the date of the marriage. First you stated that the marriage took place on the 26th of November. However, your last sentence stated that the marriage took place on Oct 26, 1853. Which is correct?

Also, what day in November (after "il di") is the civil record? The handwriting is hard for me to decipher.

Also, is there any key genealogical data on pages 2-4?

Ron

[erudita74]

Ron
The month was November not October. That was a typo on my part before 5am. Sorry.

The date of the left column seems to be the 25th. Handwriting is really bad.

The documents presented for the marriage listed on pages 2 and 3.

1. Extracted copy (not an original) of birth act of the groom
2. Same for the bride
3. Act of notification of the banns that were posted which resulted in no opposition to the marriage
4. Extract of death act of mother of the groom- I can’t read her name-no date of death given
5. Extract of death act of father of the groom-again his name is given but no date

[erudita74]

7. The extract of the death act of the father of the bride-only his name given; no date
8. The extract of the death act of the paternal grandfather of the bride-his name is given but I’m having trouble deciphering it. No date given.

#6. Has to do with the death of the paternal grandfather of the groom. It appears to say that the groom did not know the place or date of his death or his last place of residence. I don’t see the grandfather’s name.

Erudita

[rp76226]

Thank you.

[erudita74]

You’re welcome, Ron.
Erudita