Stuck - Follow up from my previous posts

[dangli]

I have received a great deal of help here following up on one of my lineages...but now I find myself at a dead end.

Through help here, I was able to identify my GGM's original last name as LISBONA. All records and oral history point to her being from San Fele and being born around 1877. There are two San Feles we've been able to identify; one from near Avigliano (where she birthed her child out of wedlock) and one near Montefalcione. I have looked at films for Montefalcione and have written twice to the Comune near Avigliano. There are no records from either location in the years around 1877.

The one original italian document found was the atti di nacita for the birth of her daughter. In it, it describes my GGM as both residing in San Fele and living in Avigliano. I have looked for baptismal records for the year her daughter was born, but according to the descriptions of the films, it is the one year missing (1895 - of all the luck ).

Can anyone give me some advice as to which direction to take now?

[Chinzia]

Well this is really interesting!

My GGF was too born out of wedlock, but in Acireale Sicily in 1883. His name last name was Lisbona.

He was the illegit son of a Baron/ maid?

I've been told by by uncle that Children born orphans/bastards were given made up surnames, Lisbona being one of them.

[johnnyonthespot]

If the baby was left at an orphanage or otherwise abandoned by its mother, it would have been given a made up name, that is correct. However, if the mother kept the baby, then he would have been given the mother's surname.

The birth acts for these two scenarios are very different in form and it would be clear which case applies simply by looking at the act (atto). In the latter case (mother keeps baby), the birth act would look like any other, except that there would be no father's name shown. The birth act for an abandoned infant is substantially different; it will include information on where the infant was found, the circumstances of the foundling, the clothing, blankets, trinkets, etc, which were with the infant when found, who has taken responsibility for the care of the infant, and so on.