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A discussion with Ellen Craig of UmbriaAbove on ITALIAN ARCHIVES and how what they contain to help expand your family tree. View this post on Instagram A post shared by UmbriaAbove – Italy (@umbriaabove)
Segno di Croce – sign of the cross or signature? Are we going back to this?
Literacy and the ability to read & write was often a privilege of the wealthy despite the fact that schooling was, officially at least, available to all children between 6 and 9 years of age starting in 1877. Many children of the poor “contadini” were needed in the fields and rarely allowed to attend school. … Continue reading
Season’s Greetings for 2021
It’s been a strange year for everyone and I hope you have all been staying safe from the virus in this pandemic year. Although Italy has been hard hit our team has remained safe thus far, although this new strain is certainly worrying. Despite the frequent lockdowns our team has completed 108 projects in … Continue reading
On-Line Interview on Instagram with Ellen of UmbriaAbove
Saturday 12 noon (Eastern time) I will be the guest of Ellen Craig, of UmbriaAbove on Instagram talking about Italian genealogical research and its challenges. Why not plan to join us. We will be discussing Ellen’s search for her Italian heritage and her living relatives in Sora. We will also be taking your questions. Ellen … Continue reading
13 May 1814 Freed from Napoleon’s tyranny
In both Civil and Parish records there is often a lack of registers between 1809 and 1820. When Napoleon conquered Italy he not only established the keeping of civil records across the nation but he also confiscated parish records in order to know how many baby boys were being baptized in the parish. He didn’t … Continue reading
Catasto Onciario – How and why it was created
In 1740 the Catasto Onciario was proposed by King Charles III (who reigned from 15 May 1734 – 6 October 1759) and and by 1742 regulations had been sent out to all the towns in the Regno delle Due Sicilie with instructions to complete the work by the end of January 1743. Ten years later, … Continue reading
Indexes – how accurate are they and what to do if the name isnt there?
Let’s discuss first the indexing currently underway by Family Search and Antenati. This indexing is being done by volunteers who may, or may not be familiar with the elaborate handwriting of our Italian ancestors. You should try your search on both sites and on Ancestry.com. I have a feeling Antenati is not sharing this project … Continue reading
Violence against women and the law.
It’s a hot topic today but check out this Italian law. To repress the disordered (uncontrolled) vice of the flesh the death penalty is imposed for incest up to the third degree of consanguinity and to the first and second degree of kinship, after which, in both cases, is imposed the penalty of jail, which … Continue reading
Was your ancestor a hunted man?
One of the reasons your ancestor may have left Italy in a hurry is that he was an Anarchist or a socialist, or at least suspected to be one. On June 15th 1904 the Sotto-Prefetto of Sora sent a list of suspected anarchists and others suspected of belonging to subversive parties, to all the … Continue reading
Italian Passports – a good source of information? Not always.
Anyone who is lucky enough to have their Grandfather’s Italian passport would expect that the name, parents’ names, date and place of birth would be as accurate as it could get. And yet, in the past couple of years I have found this not to be the case. From 1869, passports were required to leave … Continue reading
Customised Italian genealogical research
