Are you looking for an Italian surname? Do you need more information about your family heritage?
This is the right place to start your genealogy search.
Thanks to the help of many, my ancestry details are making their way back to the early 1800s, if not late 1700s. I'm sure this is just a drop in the well for many others here, but was curious to know how far back everyone has gotten with their searches to date?
It's funny how today we think that everyone would know all of the details of their deceased relatives to some extent, and would think to document that information somewhere- however at the time that many of my relatives were alive, the focus was moreso on simply STAYING alive and keeping the family lineage alive. As a result, I'm sure they didn't take alot of time to think about jotting all of these details down and keeping them all in a box.
I hope all of you like me are still continuing to get some leads on details to keep your motivation up!
Actually you are right about as far back as where 75% of Italian genealogical researchers are able to trace. Most don't have access to church records, which can (in some cases) take you into the 1500s.
I am fortunate that the LDS church has microfilmed my grandmother's town (Carini) in terms of church records, which begin in 1528. 90% of her ancestry was still in that town (Paternal and maternal) in the 1500s. As a result My grandmother's (born 1922) ancestry charts (not including siblings or cousins, just direct blood line grandparents) includes 1600 pages.
Of course there are many duplicate ancestors (interbreeding lol)
Wow James, that is really impressive! You are very lucky to have that kind of detailed info.
One of my extended cousins, also a member here (Frank Rosaio), just got back from being over in Italy, and as always provided some excellent updates. He has been a huge asset to us in piecing things together. Without him I probably wouldn't know much more than I knew about my family 10 years ago (and that wasn't a whole heck of alot).
I agree as well gentlemen. I have been able so far to research back on my fathers side (PIAZZA ARMERINA ) Sicilia back to the mid to early 1800's. Fortunatley for me LDS has also Microfilmed the towns I am looking into.
Your point about the families just trying to stay alive I also agree with. However, for the sake of my lineage I keep whatever I think would be of help to my future generations for research. Everything I have found in my research I have copied 4 times. One for each of my children and one for my wife. There is also my master copy. I feel it is of utmost importance for the grandchildren of MY grandchildren to have this pasted down to them.
How wonderfull would it be to have a journal handed to you with everything about your family for hundreds of years past.
Although, I have to admitt, it is also very enjoyable to find the information by researching it!!!!!!
Michael Romano
Chi va piano va sano e va lontano
Those who go slowly, go safely and go far
Looking for family history in Piazza Armerina, Aidone, and Musomelli Sicily.
Names researching: Romano, Nigrelli, Ristagno, Piazza Maida Triolo.
Thanks to the help of many, my ancestry details are making their way back to the early 1800s, if not late 1700s.
...
I hope all of you like me are still continuing to get some leads on details to keep your motivation up!
If the civil records of your ancestral comune include processetti (sometimes called allegati), pay particular attention to these documents. They contain extracts from the church records that will often permit you to extend your lines. If the processetti is available and substantially complete, then you should be able to extend your lines to the mid/early 1700s and occasionally to the late 1600s.
Romano1970 wrote:
How wonderful would it be to have a journal handed to you with everything about your family for hundreds of years past.
When I started asking my father if we had anything of the sort from our relatives re: our family tree, he told me he knew his father had done some research, and my father had some of it but not all. The sad part is, of the research my grandfather HAD done, there were apparently rubbings from family tombstones in the documentation. They have since gone lost. As a result I can't stress enough to make MULTIPLE copies of whatever you have found to date! Having the data is also great to have on a hard drive, flash drive, CD, whatever, but the big problem is all of that data can still get erased or lost. I still think on paper in a "family" hope chest or collection is the best way to go.
I have just recently started to use processetti for my research. I think I'm correct in saying these are documents required when two people are getting married.
They give birth records for the couple getting married and also informatiom about their parents and grandparents and if the death record is included for their grandparent then the grandparent's parents' names will be on that on the death certifcate too.
The further you go back the documents are then in Latin.
I ordered my processettis through my local Family History Centre and through information found I've been able to go back 3 generations from that document.
I'm sure John maybe able to explain this in more detail for you.
Emmy
There are two great books that explain the different types of records (with translations), that I am sure you all know about, but, I will list them here for those who are not familiar with them.
"A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors" by Lynn Nelson (a softcover book, reasonably priced).
"Italian Genealogical Records" by Trafford R. Cole (a hard cover book with extensive detail).
Either one would be very helpful to anyone who is reseaching Italian records.
As you can see from Emmy's post, processetti can be an invaluable source. These documents, first required by a Napoleonic Edict of 1808, were required by the state before a couple could get married. Some towns stopped requiring processetti at the end of the Napoleonic Era in 1815, but most Southern Italy towns continued the practice until unification circa 1865. As Emmy pointed out, processetti include the birth certificates of the bride and groom. Each particular situation determined what additional documents were required. In its simplest form – when all of the parents of the couple to be married were alive and present in the town to consent in person to the marriage – the processetti would include just the bride and groom's birth extracts and the pubblicazioni posted in anticipation of the marriage. In the most extreme case (where all of the parents were deceased), processetti would include the bride and groom's birth extracts, the parent's death extracts, the grandparent's death extracts, and the pubblicazioni. In addition, the death extracts of any deceased spouse would also be included. However, in the case of multiple spouses, only the last spouse's death extract would be included. Finally, certain other extracts and notary records might be included, such as the consent of an absent father, adoptions, the recognition of a child once abandoned to the ruota di proietti, notarized statements of paternity or death where the relevant civil record could not be found, etc. A virtual gold mine for genealogists! Different towns enforced these requirements differently. All of the required death extracts were not always required or presented. For example, only the grandfather's death extracts would be included in some towns. If your town of origin has these records, I would suggest that you order the relevant films. What town are you researching?
It has been a wonderfully journey ever since I started doing a family tree, on my fathers side the Mosca's I've been able to go back to somewhere around 1820 in the province of Macerata, my mothers side about 1850 in Corrientes, Argentina, on the other hand her mothers side Gallo I was able to go back to 1738 in Malvito, Cosenza, Italy. I haven't had that much luck with the allegatti records, the ones I found only had the brides and groom birth information but did not have birth records for either parents or grandparents, just names and it was in badly written latin that not even Lucap could translate it. And in two other cases it seems like whoever did the original filming of the records skipped many couples or they were missing at the time, and I haven't been lucky with getting responses from churches in Italy. But all in all it has been a great experience that without your help( everybody here) I would not been able to have, thanks a lot!!!!!!
Looking for the surnames Mosca( Marches ), Pizzoglio (Piedmonte), Chiacchiera, Lobasso(Bari), Gallo(Malvito), Azzolina (Messina).
From what I'm piecing together from notes and family info, I am researching Giusvalla near Savona, and Pareto. I might have to come back and update this with better info but that is what I have at the moment.
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...
