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Genealogy freccina How to Start freccina Step 3 - Find the names of parents

Step 3 - Find the names of parents

Genealogy Research in Italy

You have place and date of birth, that is to say, a definite starting point. Your research backwards can start, and you will be limited only by the availability of original sources, time, or money in case you want to hire a genealogist to research for you. Consider that from a certain point backwards (varying with places) all records will be localized, that is available only in local parishes or archives in Italy.

You don't know where the Records you need are kept
­­­>Check the Availability of Civil Records for your place and date
Click on your province below to see if the years you need are available for your municipality and province - A new window will open, when you have checked close it and you'll be back here

That place and year are not available from public archives. They are too recent.
­­­>You have to reach the point in time when civil records are available. To that purpose, you can request the municipality for an extract of birth with names and ages of parents: click here for a model form: copy and paste it within your text editor, and make the necessary changes.

Make it easy for Italian municipality officials to fulfil you requests:

  • state your connection to the person requested, so as to comply with the Italian privacy law, and give the reason for the certificate (citizenship, administrative, research)
  • include an envelope with your address possibly already with Italian stamps
  • include Italian money to pay for the certificates. Consider about 1500 Lire/1 euro per certificate, plus shipment if you cannot include Italian stamps.

That place and year are available from public archives.
­­­>You can start your research:
  1. If there is a Latter Day Saints' Family Center within your reach and you feel at your ease in understanding handwritten Italian, you can order microfilms for the years you need and get started.
  2. You have planned a trip to Italy, and want to spare some time in the archives: check addresses and opening times for the archive you are interested in, that is the province capital for your municipality. Before going, make a phone call to the archive there to check if your municipality is in that archive or in another, or missing.
  3. If the municipality was in the Stato della Chiesa, you won't have any Civil Records to search from until after 1870, or your municipality may have changed province during the 20th century, so you'll need another archive.
  4. It is also possible that the acts for a municipality are kept in the Archive of the previous province (i.e. Acts for Bussi and Popoli, now in the Province of Pescara, are kept in the archive in L'Aquila)

You can engage a genealogist to make a localized search for you from archives in Abruzzo (we also research in nearby provinces - Isernia, Campobasso, Frosinone, Rieti - with a reimbursement of expenses). Though it is true that each search is different, it is also fair that you may have an idea of what can be obtained with your money. We have developed therefore two research plans, which up to now seem to work well

Basic research: from father to father along the paternal line, as far back as possible in the Civil Records, not including siblings at each generation apart from those accidentally found, 190 EUR (research, copies and English translations of documents, email reports, shipment to you)- Time necessary: 1 month, report by email on advancement of search.

  1. Civil Records available 1809 - 1928 : 6 generations approx. 450 EUR
  2. Civil Records available 1809 - 1910 : 5 generations approx. 350 EUR
  3. Civil Records available 1809 - 1900 : 4-5 generations approx. 300 EUR
  4. Civil Records available 1809 - 1865 : 3 generations approx. 250 EUR

    You need to check what years are available for your municipality

However, your starting point may be different and you'll need a more limited time span. In this case you can use the fees above as a guideline, and request a different timespan in the form.
Classical search: from father to father along the paternal line, as far back as possible, including siblings at each generation, possibly their marriages if noted in the birth acts and available in the archives, fees as above + 50 EUR every extra hour - you can authorize up to a certain sum to keep track of your expenses. The fee includes research, copies and English translations of documents, email reports, shipment to you. Time necessary: 1-3 months, periodical reports by email on advancement of search.

That place and year are not available from public archives - They are too ancient or missing.

­­­>Proceed to Step 4

STEP 2 ««    »» STEP 4

Genealogy research: index | | how to start: Step 1 - Find the place of birth | Step 2 - Find the date of birth | Step 3 - Find the names of parents | Step 4 - Research in the 19th century | Step 5 - Research in the 18th century | Step 6 - Research in the church records ||| Other resources: Italian archives | lists of surnames | genealogy forums | postings | articles and records | research fees | request a custom estimate | useful links

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