Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

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.
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momentssun
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Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by momentssun »

First, after fairly extensive searching, it appears I can get no copy of my parents' marriage certificate. Their marriage took place in Ethiopia, in the area that is now Eritrea, in 1973. They had a ceremony on the (now long-closed) Kagnew Station US Army Base as well. Does anyone have any advice - will they consider my application without it? Given that my mother's maiden name is on my certificate, and it traces me back to my Italian ancestors, does it matter whether my parents were married? Thanks.

Second, my grandfather (it is my grandfather's father that qualifies me for citizenship) appears respectively as "Vincenzo Ranallo," "Guerino Ranallo," and "William J. Ranallo" on his birth, marriage, and death certificates. While I know it was not uncommon for first and second generation Italian-Americans to have both Italian and "American" names, I'm not sure how to reconcile this (except that on each certificate his parents are clearly the same on each certificate). Similarly, my great grandfather is "Donato Ranallo" on some records and "Daniel Ranallo" on others.

If anyone has any advice on either of these matters it would be most appreciated.
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momentssun
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by momentssun »

I wanted to add that I will be going through the NY Consulate, and ask one final question (for now ;-) ): My driver's license has my current NYC license but my passport still has a Washington State license. Do I need to use my passport at all during this process and if so, should I get a new one prior to my appointment? Thanks.
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mler
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by mler »

NY will definitely take issue with the given name discrepancy. I had to amend a "Harry" to read "Enrico" even though Harry is a diminutive of Henry (the translation of Enrico). I'm not certain if the documents you mention can be amended, but I am pretty sure that NY will insist on it.

Since your parents had a wedding ceremony on a U.S. Army base, perhaps the Army has wedding records. There is no requirement that your ancestors be married, but it more easily establishes the line. Everything becomes more complicated with missing records.

Your NY driver's license establishes the NY consulate as the one serving your jurisdiction. That your passport was issued when you lived in Washington should not be a problem. They will ask for your passport and will make a copy of the first page.

Your biggest problem, as I see it, is the given name discrepancy.
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tonyric
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by tonyric »

Getting married on a US Military installation overseas means there was a civil record in the country the base was located. Even if the Army has a record of the marriage, it is not a legal document.
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momentssun
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by momentssun »

Thanks.

With respect to my grandfather, I also do not know whether Pennsylvania would allow me to amend either the birth or death certificate to read consistently either Vincenzo Guerino or William John. It seems to me that this might be my stopping place if they won't - otherwise, it simply seems unlikely I can demonstrate this is the same individual who is my mother's father.

Has anyone else encountered this? What types of documents can generally be amended long after an individual's death? Thanks.
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mler
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by mler »

Since every state has different rules, it's difficult to determine whether or not you will be successful in amending the questionable documents in PA.

I can tell you that my Enrico/Harry problem was dealt with on only the birth certificate level. My father's name was Enrico on his bc, and Harry on all his other documents. It was also Harry on MY bc. I was able to amend his name on my bc in NYC with a certified copy of my dad's bc. I did not attempt to amend the marriage certificate, and this did not pose any problems.

If you intend to proceed with this, I suggest that you, at minimum, aim for consistency from bc to bc.
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momentssun
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Re: Dual Citizenship question - marriage certificate/names

Post by momentssun »

Thanks so much. I'll contact the PA dept of health as the website doesn't address this scenario (it is aimed toward people alive trying to amend...).

It is frustrating that his birth, marriage, and death are all different. My mom's bc has "William John" as does his death, so ideally I could amend his birth that way. Thanks!
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