Biondo/Brocato/Catalano - hit a wall

[Neener]

This is all great! Any idea on why his wife would change her name from Giuseppa to Josephine?

Also I would love to know how you are finding this stuff. It's awesome but I hate having you guys do it for free.

I used Ancestry.com to locate the records I posted which is a subscription site.

Tessa used familysearch.org to locate the marriage and birth record she posted. This is a free site but you do need to register. Also the records for Cefalu are not indexed and are in Italian.

https://familysearch.org/search/image/i ... %3D1947613

Biff

So she had to search through all the pages to find those entries?

[Biff83]

1910 census for Nicola and family. This census states both Nicola and Giuseppa arrived 1898.

Brocato1910.jpg

Biff

[Neener]

Possible 11 Nov 1896 ship manifest for Nicolo Brocato. Age 20. Last line.

Brocato1896.jpg

Biff

Definitely him. He's the only Nicolo Brocato to come to the states that I have found on Ellis island.

[Neener]

1910 census for Nicola and family. This census states both Nicola and Giuseppa arrived 1898.

Brocato1910.jpg

Biff

No wonder I couldn't find that census-the name is spelled wrong.

[Biff83]

So she had to search through all the pages to find those entries?

For the births (nati), marriages (matrimony), and deaths (morti), an alphabetical index is at the end of that year's birth records. Following the person's name in the index is the birth act number. You did have to search backwards. A working knowledge of Italian terms, particulary numbers, months is pretty essential. Also, I've done a bit of searching myself and there's a potload of Brocato birth records in Cefalu. Since you know Nicola's father's name (Salvatore) from the 1920 ship manifest, you know that any Nicola with a father other than Salvatore is incorrect.

Biff

[Biff83]

Some helpful sources to get you familiar with Italian records as well as word lists.

https://familyhistory.byu.edu/Downloads ... efault.htm

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/ ... _Word_List

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/ ... _color.pdf

Also here are some online videos relative to Italian records.

https://familysearch.org/learningcenter ... 22Italy%22

Biff

[Neener]

So she had to search through all the pages to find those entries?

For the births (nati), marriages (matrimony), and deaths (morti), an alphabetical index is at the end of that year's birth records. Following the person's name in the index is the birth act number. You did have to search backwards. A working knowledge of Italian terms, particulary numbers, months is pretty essential. Also, I've done a bit of searching myself and there's a potload of Brocato birth records in Cefalu. Since you know Nicola's father's name (Salvatore) from the 1920 ship manifest, you know that any Nicola with a father other than Salvatore is incorrect.

Biff

Brocato is to Cefalu as smith is to the US

[Biff83]

This might be the 1900 census for Nicola and Giuseppa. It states his first name as John but his occupation is teamster, same as the 1910 census as a driver, living with in laws Joseph and Mary Catalano. Immigration year 1897 1 year off from 1910 census; marriage in 1899. 1910 census shows first son born 1900.

Brocato1900.jpg

Biff

[Neener]

WWi Draft Reg Card. Birthdate 8 Nov 1875

BrocatoWWI.jpg

Biff

Based on his birthdate I think I may have found his birth record but I can't read the handwriting

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,248295301

[Neener]

Sorry about this but I was wondering if the date of the record could sometimes be different from the date of birth? I found this record of a Nicolo Barracato born to a Salvatore Barracato but the date is in December.

Bottom left of the page. Can someone translate?
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... ,248295301

[Biff83]

Neener,

The date at the top of the birth record is the date the baby was presented at the town hall. The birth date is in the body of the record, sometimes the same but usually one or a couple of days before.

The last record you posted is not for a Brocato, I'm seeing Barracato or Bazzacato. The only name I found in the index is a Nicolo Santo Brocato born in March, father Mariano. The birth year of 1875 is likely incorrect so you'll need to locate the indexes a few years before and after 1875. It's takes some time but you're fortunate that your families' records are available online. The more you search the more familiar you'll become reading the handwriting. The record extraction guides and genealogical word lists I posted links will help.

Biff

[Neener]

Neener,

The date at the top of the birth record is the date the baby was presented at the town hall. The birth date is in the body of the record, sometimes the same but usually one or a couple of days before.

The last record you posted is not for a Brocato, I'm seeing Barracato or Bazzacato. The only name I found in the index is a Nicolo Santo Brocato born in March, father Mariano. The birth year of 1875 is likely incorrect so you'll need to locate the indexes a few years before and after 1875. It's takes some time but you're fortunate that your families' records are available online. The more you search the more familiar you'll become reading the handwriting. The record extraction guides and genealogical word lists I posted links will help.

Biff

Actually those links really did help. I saw barracato as well and thought maybe there was a language barrier coming into the states and it was transcribed incorrectly. I don't know how to get to the index without using the links Tessa posted...I'll keep looking.

[Biff83]

Neener,

I wanted to post to let you know I haven't forgotten about you. Tonight or tomorrow I'm going to take a look again to see if I can find anything in the online records for Cefalu about Nicolo.

Have you had any success searching yourself and do you have any questions about the record formats or search techniques?

Biff

[Tessa78]

Hi Biff

Great job with the census and manifest finds!

I checked the indexes from 1875 through 1878 in Cefalù and the only Nicolo Brocato I found was the one in 1875 that you located whose father was Mariano

T.

[Neener]

I've gone through all of the birth records (the index, not each page) and found nothing.

If the census records are correct, his birth year would be 1877/1878 but the WW1 registration card says 1875.

In 1896 on the Ellis island record the age is listed as 20 (1875/1876)
In the 1910 census his age is listed at 32 (1878/1879)
The 1900 census has his age at 23 (1877/1878)
I'm confused.

And his birthday is probably really 1879 which is the year that isn't in the files...