Great-grandmother's First Name

lmegliol · Post by **lmegliol** » 27 Jul 2007, 18:17

It was suggested to me to post my problem on this forum to see if anyone might have suggestions or help to offer me.

I am trying to determine my great-grandmother's first name. She was born in Lacedonia, Avellino, Campania, Italy on August 14, 1900. Her last name was Pierro. She came to the US in 1916.

I would like to request a copy of her birth certificate from the commune, but I would like to do so using her first name. In the US she used the name Elizabeth, but I have found absolutely zero records that show anything other than Elizabeth as her first name, and the earliest of those records is from 1930.

I've searched Ellis Island, ancestry.com, and a few other sources and nothing has come up. I've searched for her relatives using those same sources hoping that she would appear as an adjacent record, but nothing has come up. All attempts at getting answers from distant relatives have also come up short.

I could always try to request the birth certificate from the commune using the information I do have, but my command of the Italian language is limited to a few dozen words. I do not trust myself to translate a letter that could explain this situation.

Any suggestions or help?

Thanks in advance.

JamesBianco · Post by **JamesBianco** » 27 Jul 2007, 18:39

Try Elizabetta (and also on occasion Isabella), that should work.

Essgee · Post by **Essgee** » 27 Jul 2007, 19:40

Here is page one of her arrival record into Boston. Next page was inaccessible:

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3849 ... ge1rl4.jpg

Mother appears to be Portia (Porzia) and grandmother possible Fortunata? Maiden name is Brandolino (Brantolino).

The civil records for Lacedonia are on microfilm....birth, death, marriage records of the comune. You can rent them at the Family History Library branch nearest your home. Go to www.familysearch.com

Good Luck

suanj · Post by **suanj** » 27 Jul 2007, 19:41

Betta, Bettina, Elisa, Lisa.. are all Elisabetta diminutives.. regards, suanj

suanj · Post by **suanj** » 27 Jul 2007, 19:47

Essgee your link is absolutely perfect! kisses, suanj

JamesBianco · Post by **JamesBianco** » 27 Jul 2007, 21:34

Essgee wrote: Mother appears to be Portia (Porzia) and grandmother possible Fortunata? Maiden name is Brandolino (Brantolino).

I believe it reads Portia Brandolini whose mother was Faustina.

wldspirit · Post by **wldspirit** » 28 Jul 2007, 01:21

Faustina....is that a common name in Italy?
I grew up with a Faustine, she and I were the only two in school to have uncommon names.....I got stuck with DeLisa....which is an Italian surname......

Lee

Essgee · Post by **Essgee** » 28 Jul 2007, 02:49

Thanks suanj...

And thanks James....I couldn't quite make it out!

Essgee · Post by **Essgee** » 28 Jul 2007, 02:51

wldspirit........

Your name is not actually uncommon. Rather it is rare and special.....a perfect match for you!

wldspirit · Post by **wldspirit** » 28 Jul 2007, 03:58

Thanks Essgee......call it a sign of the times.....

Back then, everybody was named Mary, Kathy, Susan and Debbie.....
now I love unusual names.....I named my grandaughter Trinity after the Holy Trinity.....I'm now re-thinking that, should of been Holy Terror!!!!!!

Have a great night!!!!
Lee

suanj · Post by **suanj** » 28 Jul 2007, 05:13

wldspirit wrote:Faustina....is that a common name in Italy?
I grew up with a Faustine, she and I were the only two in school to have uncommon names.....I got stuck with DeLisa....which is an Italian surname......
Lee

Faustina is the diminutive of FAUSTA female first name( male version: Fausto/Faustino).. kisses, suanj

lmegliol · Post by **lmegliol** » 30 Jul 2007, 05:14

Essgee, thank you very much for putting the effort into researching this for me, but I think that must be a different person you came up with. Pierro was my great-grandmother's maiden name. She was 15 or 16 when she came to the US in 1916, and she was married to my great-grandfather two years later.

In any case, I am very glad to hear about the Lacedonian records being available at the family history centers. I've never used their services before, so I imagine there will be a bit of a learning curve, but I am looking forward to it.

Thanks again!

Essgee wrote:Here is page one of her arrival record into Boston. Next page was inaccessible:

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3849 ... ge1rl4.jpg

Mother appears to be Portia (Porzia) and grandmother possible Fortunata? Maiden name is Brandolino (Brantolino).

The civil records for Lacedonia are on microfilm....birth, death, marriage records of the comune. You can rent them at the Family History Library branch nearest your home. Go to www.familysearch.com

Good Luck

JamesBianco · Post by **JamesBianco** » 30 Jul 2007, 07:53

lmegliol wrote:Essgee, thank you very much for putting the effort into researching this for me, but I think that must be a different person you came up with. Pierro was my great-grandmother's maiden name. She was 15 or 16 when she came to the US in 1916, and she was married to my great-grandfather two years later.

Line 25 of that manifest is Elisabetta Pierro, age 16. Isn't that right? I think Essgee found the correct manifest no?

lmegliol · Post by **lmegliol** » 30 Jul 2007, 15:10

Ah. My apologies. I misunderstood some of the previous discussion above, and I looked at the wrong line.

Everything there looks like it should be correct, with one exception. I have her mother's maiden name as Mary Divengentis, which is not close to what is listed there. I got her mother's maiden name from her SS-5 record.

Everything else is so close though!

lmegliol · Post by **lmegliol** » 30 Jul 2007, 15:13

One other question about that passenger list. There are dates hand-written or stamped toward the end of the line for many of the passengers. The date is long after the date of arrival. What is that date?

Great-grandmother's First Name

Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name

Re: Great-grandmother's First Name