Help Finding Birth Parents of Italian Child

[Swan14]

I am trying to figure out where I need to look to find the birth parents of an abandoned or adopted child in Carolei, Cosenza, Italy? I am looking to discover the parents of a child born in Carolei, Cosenza, Italy in 1901. I am researching on behalf of my newly discovered cousin. We found each other through DNA, and her father was adopted, so she has no known family. Her health is failing, and I would like to uncover the identities of her father's birth parents as a gift to her. I am hoping the documents I need to search are available online at a site like Family Search. Can anyone help me?

I found his birth certificate online, but it does not appear to name a father, and where they usually list the mother's name it only says, "Una Donna Che non consenta di ...(Unknown word?)... nominata". I do not speak Italian, but on google translate it came back as something like, "A woman who does not wish to be named".

Is there a way to uncover this individual's birth parents without going to Italy? If so, where do I have to look, and what do I have to look for? I also have a copy of the birth certificate, if you think there may be any clues listed on it that I may have missed.

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

[suanj]

if the child had been entrusted to a woman to be raised, it is very likely that she is the biological mother who does not want to be named. if instead the child has been sent to an orphanage, there is no hope to know something.
There are no resources to look for the parents of a foundling. That's all: read on the birth record if the child has been given to a woman. Normally the baby was given to same woman, because she claims the child,but don't wish recognie it..... She was the biological mother.....
No other way to know something.
The birth record is the only available document.
Regards,
suanj

[Italysearcher]

There are several posts on my website you might find helpful but SUANJ is right, it is very difficult to trace with any certainty the biological parents.

[Swan14]

Do you happen to know what phrases I should be looking for and where on the certificate that information would be listed? I didn’t think it would list the name of who the child was entrusted to, and never thought to think that could be the birth mother. I will have to try to translate the complete document. They are hand written and sometimes hard to make out the words. Thank you both for your time and help.

[Biff83]

You could post the document on this site's Language/Translation section for help on deciphering the writing.

Biff

[Swan14]

Ok thank you very much. I didn’t know that. I will look into it later today.

[suanj]

Hi,
The informant was usually a relative or friend or neighbor of biological mother.

Sometimes the informant was the biological mother herself, who claimed to have "found" the child behind her door.

Regarding thephrase, you could find: Mrs. X, aged xx, daughter of yy, wife of zz, asks that the child be entrusted to her and undertakes to raise him in his house, and to report to this authority whenever he is required.

the phrases were different, from clerk to clerk, but the meaning was that…

regards,
suanj

[suanj]

Some year ago, a news from italian tv.. a old woman, more that 100 years of age, wanted to know the her mom name. She was a foundling.
I know that really the Birth record in the civivil record is the second step, almost in the past time, I don't know currently, and the first step, was a complete report abt the woman that don't want to be named…. The notice was on a case so…
Why 100 years… because the italian law allows access to the secret files of a foundling, after 100 years. Because it wish PREVALENT THE RIGHT OF THE MOTHER on the right of the child. That is, the will of the mother not to be named prevails over the child's right to know the identity of the mother.
So the lady was over 100 years old, a rare case, and she had the right to know who she was. She was the daughter of the village teacher, who had fallen in love with a local man, and had had this child, born of the relationship, and had not recognized her at birth, AND EVEN don't requested to breastfeed her or raise her!

Regrads,
suanj

[Italysearcher]

Where would we find these secret files. I have never seen them.

[suanj]

No one have access. Needs to pass 100 years,tobe the foundilng,to make a request to judge, the judge must to ppove, and then the old foundling can read....
So to say that you never saw one, they are secrets.... But they exist....

[Italysearcher]

That's very interesting. 100 years ago (1919) it is very possible that the mother or parents were recorded when the child was taken to the Brefotrofio. Prior to 1900 I believe in most cases the abandonment was completely anonymous and not always by the choice of the mother.

[suanj]

No, because years ago I spoke with a lady from northern Italy, unfortunately now deceased, for a search. Speaking of my research, the lady told me that her grandfather was also a foundling, and was abandoned by a woman who did not want to be named. He was born in 1871. Both the foundling, and his children and grandchildren, and until about 15 years ago, before the lady died, all worked hard to find out who the woman who had abandoned her son in 1871 was.
And the lady told me that from the Town Hall clerks that she had known the existence of the secret folder of foundlings to which none of the descendants had access.
I was shocked, then, listening to the story told by Italian TV in the following years, I realized that the secret folder exists.
Surely it exists on the foundling unrecognized neither by the father nor by the mother, and who appears to be the son of a woman who does not want to be named.
I don't think it exists for those abandoned at the WHEEL. Probably does not exist even for the children of the "OBLATES" that is the great ladies of high society who had lovers and who became pregnant went to give birth in very private structures, and had their faces covered by a veil to avoid being recognized. These children then, was foundlings, with fantasy names, and were entrusted to families(many times in the farms) in nearby villages.
suanj

[Italysearcher]

Maybe it was kept by the town to ensure that none of these related children married each other in the future!