italian soldiers died in WW1 and WW2

[lilbees]

Sorry Riccardo. I know I sound grumpy today.

Anyway, The Salerno Archives told me they only have records from 1866. My confusion comes with the fact that he was in service after that date even though his birth year was 1846. My grt uncle Giuseppe registered w/birth year 1844 and my grt uncle Alphonso registered w/birth year 1852.

I have their liste di leva but it doesn't give the actual year they registered. If it was on their 18th birthday one would be 1862 and the other 1870 for the year they actually registered.

From their liste di leva I read the waiver for service for both Alfonso and for Giuseppe. Giuseppe sought a waiver for service when my grt grandfather moved to Sicily in 1874 and my grt uncle Alfonso came to the U.S. leaving Giusepe the only surviving male left. (my 2x grt grandfather died in 1876) as stated on his liste di leva.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq32 ... epg2-1.jpg
http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq32 ... epg1-1.jpg

I am beginning to believe nothing is simple with my family.

I hope this is an adequate explaination for what was going on.

Sorry if I sound difficult.

lilbees

[ricbru]

Lilbees, unfortunately there is nothing we can do.
1866 is the first year of birth for military draft cards.
Usually the draft was at 18 years old.
After 1860, when there was unification of Italy, military was compulsory for 5 years, a big problem for each family who everyone was a farmer, or a labourer.
Without their help in the family, it would have been starting to starve.
Yes, your family that moved so much in the past, things never were easy to research.
And I totally understand you, since I don't find WWI military records in Trapani, because it was bombed during WWII, and all the records were completely destroyed....sigh
bye Riccardo

Sorry Riccardo. I know I sound grumpy today.

Anyway, The Salerno Archives told me they only have records from 1866. My confusion comes with the fact that he was in service after that date even though his birth year was 1846. My grt uncle Giuseppe registered w/birth year 1844 and my grt uncle Alphonso registered w/birth year 1852.

I have their liste di leva but it doesn't give the actual year they registered. If it was on their 18th birthday one would be 1862 and the other 1870 for the year they actually registered.

From their liste di leva I read the waiver for service for both Alfonso and for Giuseppe. Giuseppe sought a waiver for service when my grt grandfather moved to Sicily in 1874 and my grt uncle Alfonso came to the U.S. leaving Giusepe the only surviving male left. (my 2x grt grandfather died in 1876) as stated on his liste di leva.

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq32 ... epg2-1.jpg
http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq32 ... epg1-1.jpg

I am beginning to believe nothing is simple with my family.

I hope this is an adequate explaination for what was going on.

Sorry if I sound difficult.

lilbees

[lilbees]

Forgetting that I probably won't find the military records I was looking for. I have a question.

To my knowledge there wasn't a war during the time period I was searching, what did they do during that 5 years of service? Were they sent to other areas of Italy or just stay in the general region where they lived?

I had never really thought about this before. Should have looked up some history. This may be how he ended up in Sicily from the Naples area. Would they have sent him that far? If so, that may answer how he met and eventually married my grt grandmother.

Angela's father Francesco did quarry work like my grt grandfather so they would have had something in common. As for that part of the family moving around I always remember something my father had said a long time ago, "you always follow the work and therefore you continue to feed your family".

lilbees

[ricbru]

During 1860 or so, in Europe there were many little, middle, and big states, and peace was not a common word.
So probably the new state of Italy, coming out from the connection of little old states, had the need to satisfy safety to its population and to itself too.
So, why not, probably it was the reason why your ancestor moved to Palermo
I hope it helps
bye riccardo

Forgetting that I probably won't find the military records I was looking for. I have a question.

To my knowledge there wasn't a war during the time period I was searching, what did they do during that 5 years of service? Were they sent to other areas of Italy or just stay in the general region where they lived?

I had never really thought about this before. Should have looked up some history. This may be how he ended up in Sicily from the Naples area. Would they have sent him that far? If so, that may answer how he met and eventually married my grt grandmother.

Angela's father Francesco did quarry work like my grt grandfather so they would have had something in common. As for that part of the family moving around I always remember something my father had said a long time ago, "you always follow the work and therefore you continue to feed your family".

lilbees

[lilbees]

Thanks so much Riccardo. Will now do some history reading.

lilbees

[ricbru]

it was my pleasure
bye Riccardo

[favret]

This is fantastic!!!! Thank you so much, I've found many relatives in this database!

[amakonnen]

Hello,

this is a long shot but I thought I would try... My Mother is Half Italian. Her Father tenete Berni was in Ethiopia during WW2. unfortunately she does not know his first name or where in Italy he's from. He was shipped to India (not 100% sure) either on or before 1945. I did look for Berni on
www.difesa.it/Ministro...olture.htm and there are about 67 listed with no detail to narrow it down... any suggestion???

[johnnyonthespot]

unfortunately she does not know his first name or where in Italy he's from.

Have you reviewed your mother's birth certificate? It should show her father's full name, at the least.

Where was your mother born?

[johnnyonthespot]

Also, if there is a chance that your mother knew his name at some time in the past (but has forgotten it), perhaps her social security card application would help. On it she would have had to list her parent's names. See http://genealogy.about.com/od/online_re ... equest.htm

[amakonnen]

She was born in a small town Called Dembi Dollo, in Welega region of Ethiopia.
They do not keep Birth Certificate there and by the time she was grown up and got her birth certeficate from Capital city of Ethiopia Addis Ababa she just made up a name since she has no clue.

But tenete Berni lived or stationed in Dembi dollo Ethiopia and was shipped or went to India (according to her from what she heard from her mother) and never returned. She was born in 1945

[amakonnen]

what makes it harder is this was in Ethiopia and they dont keep any record what so ever. That's why i came to my Italian friends to see if some how i can track Berni down some how.

As far as records in Ethiopia goes its a dead end i spent a lot of time and came up with nothing. My grand mother would have been a good lead but she died a log time ago in Ethiopia.

[lilbees]

Did you try the Catholic Church in Ethiopia? That would be a good place to start. If the child was baptised they would have a record of it.

lilbees

[johnnyonthespot]

Oh my, this is quite an impossible situation...

Was your grandmother Ethiopian then? If not, what do you know about her?

PS: "Dembidollo" is one word.

[amakonnen]

She was ethiopian and i know i have some relatives there that i can track and see if they can help me find if my Mother was baptised and they can get me some kinda of documents....