| Home | Italy Research Tools | Italian Form Letters | Passenger Ships | Italian Names | Italian Family Ancestors TREES | Surname Boards and Links | Site Map | |
Obtaining your Italian Family Tree Archives in Italy and in the USA is easier with a better understanding of what is involved, who has the records and if they are likely to still be available.
Thanks to Steven J. Saviello founder & Owner of the Comunes_of_Italy Genealogy Group for sharing this helpful information for your Italian Genealogy Records Research.
|
Where to Write for What:
Comune Archives - (L'Ufficiale Di Anagrafe)State Archives - (Archivio di Stato di _________<Name of Province>)
- Vital Records (Stato Civile)
- Certificate of residency (Certificato di Residenza)
- Certificate of Family Status (Certificato di Stato di Famiglia Originaria)
- Vital Records (Stato Civile)
- Registers of the Offices of Conscription (Registri degli Uffici di Leva)
- Notarial Records (Minute, Attie, Bastardelli, Notarili)
- Censuses
(Censimenti)- Tax Assessment Records or Lists (Catasti)
- Registers of Emigration and Passports (Registri dell'Emigrazione e Passaporti)
How To Format the Addresses:
If you are writing to a Comune (town) use the following ("example") of an address format:No matter which Comune you are going to write you change only the Comune name, Zip code and Province code, which is the (SA) above.
L'Ufficiale Di Anagrafe
Comune Di Salerno
84100 Salerno (SA)
ITALIA
For the Archivio Di Stato ("example"):No matter which Archivio Di Stato you write, you change only the Name, Street address, Zip and Province code.
ARCHIVIO DI STATO DI CASERTA
Via Apia, 1
81100 Caserta (CE)
ITALIA
---
By Stephen J. Saviello,
Owner, Comunes_of_Italy Mailing List
Italian Records / Italian Organization:
Record Responsibility:
- 20 Regions -- similar to States in US
- 103 Provinces -- similar to US Counties
- Within the Provinces are multiple Comuni
Within a Comuni may be several FrazioniRecord keeping - time frame:
- The Comune has been given the Administrative Duties of record keeping.
Civil Vital Records were instituted by Napoleon, but were inconsistently used within Italy after Napoleon, however, the record format is valid today.Types of Records: - There are three basic records plus 1 exception:
- Officially began 1860 - 1870
- In the south of Italy - 1866
- Piedmont - 1839
- Venice - 1870 - 1871
- Many other areas began with Napoleon in the early 1800's
Where records are kept:
- Birth - certificato di nascita
- Marriage - certificato di matrimonio
- Death - certificato di morte
- EXCEPTION - Family certificate - stato di famiglia - when and where available - addressed later.
Where records are available:
- One copy is held at the comune level at the officio di stato civile.
- A second copy is sent to province seat and is in the custody of the "procuratore" in the office of the "procura della repubblica".
- These records are not available for consultation until they are 75 years old, at which time they are sent to the State Archives, where, dependent on resources they may be available for consultation.
- Exception - records less than 75 yrs old may be viewed by the persons self, or family member.
- There are no national archives.
- There are no regional archives.
Officio di stato civile - Civil Vital Records Office - which contains two records classifications:Types of documents available from the records:
- anagrafe - concerned with current living residents.
- ufficio di statto civile - concerned with records of all persons - born, married, died, within the comune (ie Putignano).
Records within the comune reflect birth, marriage, & death, however, if a person married in another comune, the full record is in that other comune. The comune of residence can release a "certificate" of the event, however, a full EXTRACT would have to come from the comune where the event took place. The same is true of births, or deaths.Record content:
- The original - la copia integrale dell'atto - not available except for personal viewing - subject to the 75 year rule of privacy.
- The certificate - il certificato - usually sent unless otherwise specified - contains only minimal basic information.
- The extract - estratto dell'atto - contains most information, but must be requested.
Birth certificate:Birth extract:
- Birth date
- Commune
- Province
- Surname
- Given name
- Town of birth (comune only except on a copy of the Original which can only be viewed which will show the frazione)
Marriage certificate (recorded in brides parish):
- Same as certificate
- Time of birth
- Childs sex
- Parents names
- Marginal notes - i.e. marriage, death, emigration information
Marriage extract:
- Comune
- Province
- Date of Marriage
- Place of Marriage
- Bride & Grooms' names
- Bride and Grooms marriage status (i.e. widowed, divorced etc.)
- Birth place and date of bride and groom, or alternately their ages
- Bride and Grooms vocations/profession
- Current residence and citizenship of bride and groom
- Presiding official or priests name
- Witness names
Death certificate - found in comune where death occurred -
- Same as Marriage certificate except no birth dates, only ages
- Parents names
WARNING - if in a hospital, it may be a different location from the comune of residence, since not all comuni have hospitals. A transcription is provided to the comune of residence, however, a full extract must come from comune where death occurred.Death extract:
- Commune
- Province
- Date of certificate
- Surname/Given name
- Residence
- Born at
- Birth date information, or approximate age
- Marriage status
- Date and place of death
Family Certificate - stato di famiglia (state of the family):
- Hour of death
- Address
- Parents names
- Profession
Two names:Research by Mail:
- stato di famiglia originario (original state of the family)
- stato di famiglia storico ( historical state of the family)
- Should be available for births >1911, (based upon the 1911 census and (later)
- Can be constructed for earlier dates, from individual documents, if the town office staff is willing, and should cost approximately $40.00.
- Kept at ufficio di stato civile
- Documents all members of the family - past & present, died or moved away.
Suggestions:Writing the letter:
- Write in Italian.
- Use typewriter, or word processor.
- Limit the request to one or two items of information at a time.
- Most useful is stato di famiglia storico - if available, might be worthwhile requesting it even if you think it is not readily available.
- If researching 2 families from the same era and location simultaneously, consider asking for both at the same time records will only have to be researched once for both.
- Provide all available information.
- Provide the purpose of the request.
- Do not give or imply a deadline unless absolutely necessary, and then explain it.
- Include your return address on your letter, and on the self-addressed return envelope.
- Don't put stamps on envelope - use International Postal Coupons as an additional courtesy.
1st part of the letter:
- Address to: ufficio di stato civile in the comune of interest
- Include zip code if known
- If no zip code is available, include the Province name (or abbreviation) in parentheses following the town name.
- Start with "Dear Sirs,"
- End with "Sincerely yours"
2nd part of the letter:
- should identify who is making the request (include reference to the address you have included in the letterhead)
3rd part of the letter (ending part):
- Requests the specific information & includes all the available information surrounding the request (use your imagination and provide any specifics that will allow them to single out your requested individual).
- Request the EXTRACT!!! rather than the certificate.
- Request the data on "non legal paper" (in carta libera) - unless you need it for legal purposes.
- Include the fathers name of the individual if possible
Additional information:
- Thank them in advance for their time and effort.
- Request they charge you for postal and document expenses.
- Include a self-addressed (unstamped) envelope
Conscription Records:
- Research at the comune level for a single name with date supplied should cost approximately L1,000 per certificate.
- Research at the comune level for a single name with name only supplied should cost approximately L10,000 per certificate (approximately $8.00).
- Personal consultation is all right for records <75 years old with prior permission from the procura della repubblica.
Conscription began in 1865 for all males age 18 in some parts, however 1873 for most parts.Two copies made, held at:
- Includes all males born 1855 to present.
- Referred to as "registro di leva" (conscription records)
State Archive has records of each military district within the province boundaries.
- Military archive of the military district.
- Initially provided to the "procura della repubblica" and after 75 years provided to the State Archive.
Records contain:Letter Requesting Conscription Records:
- Name
- Parents name
- Commune of residence
- Birth date
- Commune of birth
- Vocation
- Ability to read/write
- Physical description
- Draft boards determination of eligibility
File from Stephen J. Saviello,
- Addressed to the Archive Director (Archivio di Stato di (province of interest (i.e. Bari)
- Provide as much information re the person as possible (same rules as requesting birth, marriage, or death record information)
- Provide a reason for the request.
- Request their suggestion for further research in records peculiar to their region.
- Request a copy of the document - it may contain some additional information you haven't requested.
List-Owner, Comunes_of_Italy Genealogy Group
New York City Entry Points By Year:
The State of New York opened the very first examining and processing center for immigrants in 1855, Castle Garden, on an island off the southwest tip of Manhattan. Immigration remained purely an affair of State, not federal, government until 1875. In that year Congress asserted its Constitutional prerogative to legislate immigration affairs by passing a law forbidding entry into the USA of criminals and women "brought for lewd and immoral purposes".
From 1875 the reception of immigrants was handled as a joint State/Federal system. The Secretary of the Treasury signed a contract with the New York State Commissioners of Emigration to continue its services at Castle Garden. On April 18, 1890, the Secretary terminated the contract and the Treasury Department assumed total control of immigration at the Port of New York. The New York State authorities refused to allow the federal government to use the Castle Garden facilities.
On April 19, 1890 the US set up a temporary center in the old Barge Office near the Customs House on the southeast foot of Manhattan. Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892. On June 14, 1897 the original wooden structure burned to the ground. ALL administrative records for Castle Garden for the period 1855-1890 and MOST records for the Barge Office and Ellis facilities were lost. [Ships passenger lists still exist as these were in the custody of other agencies] The barge Office was reactivated and used until the new Ellis Island facility opened on December 17, 1900.
By
Stephen J. Saviello. 1997
Includes information obtained by Gay Raab.
Information Provided on Each US Census by Year:
File from Stephen Saviello
Owner Comunes_Of_Italy Italian Genealogy Mailing List.
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board administers a Federal
retirement benefit program covering the nation's railroad workers. The records it maintains
deal primarily with the administration and payment of these benefits. The Board will provide information from its
records on deceased persons for the purpose of genealogical research. However, it will not
release information on persons who are still living without the written consent of that person.
The fee for searching our records is $27 for each individual
on whom records are requested. This fee is payable before any search is attempted.
It is not refundable, even if we are unable to locate the information requested or if the file has been destroyed.
Your check or money order should be made payable to the Railroad Retirement Board, and
sent to the
Office of Public Affairs, Railroad Retirement Board
844 North Rush Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092.
The Railroad Retirement Board, like the Social Security
Administration, was not established until the mid-1930's, and it began maintaining its own
records of all covered rail service in 1937. Therefore, the Board's records
are essentially limited to individuals who worked in the rail industry after 1936. The Board would not have any records of persons
who died prior to its inception. Nor would it generally have any pertinent
records of persons whose rail service was performed on a casual basis and/or was of
short duration. Also, the Board's records are only on persons whose employers were covered under the Railroad Retirement Act.
Employers such as street, interurban, or suburban electric railways are not covered under
this Act.
The Board's records are kept by the railroad employee's social security number and a person's
social security number often appears on his or her death certificate. In some cases, if that
number is not available, having the employee's full name, including middle name or initial,
and complete dates of birth and death may be of some help in determining whether we have
any records of that person. However, in dealing with relatively common surnames, it is usually not
possible to make a positive identification without the employee's social security number.
Requests for genealogical information should be sent directly to the
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Office of Public Affairs
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092.
Generally, the Board requires at least 30-60 days to reply to genealogical inquiries.
[ Ref: http://www.rrb.gov/mep/genealogy.asp ]
For future reference
Bookmark this
site To
get out of "Frames" right click on one of the links above and
choose "Open in New Window" If
you paid to be linked here, please complain to the site that linked
you here as this is a totally free genealogy site for all to use and
enjoy!
Disclaimer:
The author of this site provides these links as a matter of convenience and does
not necessarily endorse what you may find there nor the accuracy of the
information contained therein.
This website is best viewed with a 800 X 600 screen resolution
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated.
F R E E - Website Hosting Provided by:
Italian Form Letters
Italy Genealogy Family Tree Help
Italian Names
Passenger Ships
Genealogy Record Keeping
Translation Help-Aids
Genealogy_Surname_Boards
USA_Genealogy Guide
Italian
Genealogy Online and all things Italian
or copy a link above and paste onto a new browser window.
Last Revision: 25 October 2019
Webmaster
Thank you for your consideration and have fun with your family-tree research!
Copyright (c) 1999 - 2020 by
ITALIAN GENEALOGY ONLINE
http://geocities.ws/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *