Overwhelmed - Need Help - Dual Citizenship Application

[Marmino_Lennon]

Hello, I am new to the forum and glad I found it because I am overwhelmed on where to start. I am looking to apply for dual citizenship US-Italy. My great grandparents were both born in Palermo (Terrasani & Corleone). In order, they immigrated to the US, got married in the US, had 10 kids in the US and 1 kid in Italy, then Naturalized in the US after the birth of ALL children, died in the US and then buried in the US. I am assuming the only documents I would need help retrieving from Italy are their birth records since everything else in their life occurred here in the states correct?

I am planning a trip to Palermo in May 2020 and could possibly retrieve the documents myself but that is not definite which is why I'm exploring other options. Who do I write a letter to? Can I email someone? What do I need include? Does it have to be in Italian?

Does anyone have a simple step by step instructional?

After quite bit of research on Ancestry.com, my lineage is as follows:

Great Grandparents: Antonio & Caterina Marmino (Italian born citizens)
Grandmother: Katie Marmino Barnes (US born)
Mother: Martha Barnes Lennon (US born)
Myself: Patrick Lennon (US Born)

Antonio & Caterina did not Naturalize in the US until the 1940's, well AFTER they had all 10 of their kids in Memphis Tennessee and one was born in Italy (Fred).

My mother was born July 1948 which is after the 1 January 1948 required date for gaining citizenship through the maternal line.

Here are the facts:

GREAT GRANDMOTHER
Caterina Ciaramitaro
Other first names - Catarina, Catarine, Catherine, Katie
Other last names (married) - Marmino, Mormino
Possible mothers: Maria Romano or Pietra Licavoli or Bessie Unk
Father: Filippo (Filippe, Philip) Ciaramitaro
Brothers: Guissppe Ciaramitaro, Salvatore Ciaramitaro, Phillipo Ciaramitaro, Domenico Ciaramitaro
Spouse: Antonio Marmino

Born in: Terrasini, Provincia di Palermo, Sicilia, Italy

Born on:
According to ancestry.com - 12/13/1896
According to Naturalization Petition - 12/13/1896
According to her gravestone - 12/13/1891

Spouse:
Antonio (Aka: Anthony, Tony) Marmino (Aka: Mormino)
Married on: February 1912
Married in: Memphis, Tennessee

Children:
Cecelia - 1915
Bessie - 1918
Fred - 1920
Theresa - 1922
Katie - 1924 (my grandmother)
Paul - 1924
Philip - 1926
Leo - 1928
Rose - 1929
Michael - 1931
Martha 1933

Died in: Shelby County, Memphis Tennessee

Died on:
According to ancestry.com - 12/22/1969
According to her gravestone - 12/22/1969
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201 ... ne-marmino

Immigration Information:

Name: Caterina Ciaramitaro Marmino
Petition Age: 47
Record Type: Petition
Birth Date: 13 Dec 1896
Birth Place: Terrasini, Italy
Departure from: Palermo
Arrival Date: 28 Apr 1921
Arrival Place: New York, New York
Petition Date: 23 Jun 1944
Petition Place: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Spouse: Antonio
Petition Number: 2078

Name: Mrs Catarina Ciaramitaro Mormino
Gender: Female
Declaration Age: 43
Record Type: Declaration
Birth Date: 13 Dec 1896
Birth Place: Terrasini, Italy
Arrival Date: 28 Apr 1921
Arrival Vessel Name: SS Asia
Arrival Place: New York, New York
Declaration Date: 19 Mar 1940
Declaration Place: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Spouse: Antonio Mormino
Declaration Number: 2467-d

GREAT GRANDFATHER
Antonio Marmino
Other first names - Anthony, Tony
Other last names (spelling) - Mormino
Father: Paolo Mormino (other possible father - Leo Marmino - uncertain)
Mother: Ciara Culura Mormino
Brother: Ignazio Mormino
Spouse: Caterina Ciaramitaro Marmino

Born in: Corleone, Provincia di Palermo, Sicilia, Italy

Born on:
According to ancestry.com - 12/08/1880
According to Naturalization Petition - 12/07/1882
According to her gravestone - 12/07/1880

Spouse:
Caterina Ciaramitaro Marmino
Married on: February 1912
Married in: Memphis, Tennessee

Children:
Cecelia - 1915
Bessie - 1918
Fred - 1920
Theresa - 1922
Katie - 1924 (my grandmother)
Paul - 1924
Philip - 1926
Leo - 1928
Rose - 1929
Michael - 1931
Martha 1933

Died in: Shelby County, Memphis Tennessee

Died on: 10/28/1950 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159645043

Immigration Information:

Name: Antonio Marmino
Departure from: Palermo
Arrival Date: 10 March 1907
Arrival Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Arrival Vessel Name: SS IL PIEMONTE

GRANDMOTHER
Catherine (Katie) Marmino
Married name: Katie Barnes
Born in: Memphis, TN on May 23, 1924
Father: Antonio Marmino
Mother: Caterina (Katie) Marmino
Spouse: James Pershing Barnes
Married on: May 28, 1943
Married in: Memphis, TN
Sons: James Barnes, Danny Barnes
Daughters: Martha Barnes (Lennon), Peggy Barnes
Died on: March 19, 2009
Died in: Los Angeles, CA
Buried in: Shelby County, Memphis Tennessee

GRANDFATHER
James Pershing Barnes
Born in: Memphis, TN
Born on: January 6, 1919
Father: William Rodwick Barnes
Mother: Ethel Jackson
Spouse: Katie Marmino (Barnes)
Married on: May 28, 1943
Married in: Memphis, TN
Sons: James Barnes, Danny Barnes
Daughters: Martha Barnes (Lennon), Peggy Barnes
Died on: January 1986
Died in: Shelby County, Memphis Tennessee
Buried in: Shelby County, Memphis Tennessee

MOTHER
Martha Jean Barnes
Married name: Martha Jean Lennon
Born in: Galveston, Texas
Born on: July 12, 1948
Spouse: John Charles Lennon
Married on: April 19, 1969
Married in: Los Angeles, CA
Divorced on: 2006
Divorced in: Los Angeles, CA
Current status: Living - 71 years old

FATHER
John Charles Lennon
Born in: Los Angeles, CA
Born on: April 26, 1947
Spouse: Martha Jean Lennon
Married on: April 19, 1969
Married in: Los Angeles, CA
Divorced on: 2006
Divorced in: Los Angeles, CA
Current status: Living - 72 years old

MYSELF
Patrick Kevin Lennon
Born in: Los Angeles, CA
Born on: August 30, 1977
Spouse: Cristina Schmidt (Lennon)
Married on:May 9, 2015
Married in: Los Angeles, CA
Current status: Married - 42 years old

[GLiguori77]

Hi Patrick,

I found this website quite helpful: http://diyitaliancitizenship.com/

It should walk you through how to get the records you need to claim the citizenship. Good luck!

[bbivona]

Regarding your question on how to request your documents from Palermo, I can't speak to that specific comune, but I requested mine from the Comune of Gibellina, Sicily, by e-mail, and they retrieved them within a couple of days and sent them to me. I gather not all comunes are as prompt and responsive. My request was in Italian, although I don't know if that is necessary. In Gibellina there isn't a lot of English spoken and I speak Italian, so it was the logical way to go.

As for a step by step process, the discussion group at the link below is good and at the top of the main page is an excellent step by step guide that I recommend. Below are the links to the main page and then to the step by step guide.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/italian ... um.php?f=5
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/italian ... t3298.html