There has been much speculation and anticipation about the new ‘Antenati’ site and what records it will contain. The State Archives in Italy house many historical documents including civil records, military records and notarial records which are the records of most interest to Family Tree researchers.
The digitzation of records at the Italian State Archives is being done exclusively by Family Search. The records they digitize are available on their website only to their members and to others at their Family History Centres. Family Search is digitizing only records that will aid their members in completing their family tree. Therefore they are not digitizing notarial records and rarely military records.
Only ‘stato civile’ documents held by the State Archives and digitized by Family Search will be uploaded.
Family Search’s copies are locked for the general public and only available to members or at their Family History Centres or affiliated libraries due to the contractual arrangements with the Italian Government.
Records digitized by Family Search at the Tribunal offices or the Comune offices are not subject to this agreement and these you will find on-line and unlocked at www.familysearch.org.
The Antenati site is owned and operated by the Italian Government’s ‘beneculturali’ division. The State Archives hold copies of records created for civil use from 1809 (or thereabouts) until 1865.
After 1865/1870 2nd copies for all Italian Comunes were sent to the Tribunal for conservation.
Certain Tribunals have now transferred their copies to the State Archives for the period 1870 and up to 1940. These records will be included in the antenati site. They are also available at the Family Search History Centres.
Other Tribunals have permitted Family Search to digitize the records they hold that are NOT being transferred to the State Archives. These records will be available on-line and unlocked at the Family Search website.
Example 1 Settefrati, Frosinone.
Go to the catalog and search for Settefrati, Frosinone. There are 3 items available.
First item: Italia, Frosinone, Settefrati. Stato civile : Comune, 1861-1929
| Settefrati (Frosinone). Ufficio dello stato civile; Settefrati (Frosinone). Ufficio dello stato civile |
Click on the first item and you will be taken straight to Family Search’s website and allowed to search the unlocked records because they were digitized on site at the Comune office in Settefrati and are not subject to the contract that Family Search has with the Beneculturali. These records will NOT be uploaded to the Antenati site.
The second item: Italy, Frosinone, Settefrati, civil registration (Comune) = Italia, Frosinone, Settefrati, stato civile (Comune), 1866-1929 is the same thing just missing 1861-1865 and searchable at the Family Search site. These records will NOT be uploaded to the Antenati site either because they were also digitized at the Comune offices.
The third item Registri dello stato civile di Settefrati (Frosinone), 1813-1865
The ‘notes’ section tells you that they are microfilms of the original records at the State Archives. These records are locked, and only available to members or at the Family History Library. WHY? These records are the ones held at the State Archives and subject to the contract with Beneculturali. These records*** have been uploaded to the Antenati site in the section Archivio di Stato di Caserta.
***There are a number of ‘missing’ years in the 1813-1865 books held at the State Archives. It’s unfortunate that the Comune did not provide these missing books to Family Search when they were digitizing the other records. If you need them, angelresearch can get those records for you!
Example 2 ROME.
You will need to scroll down the list and find ‘CIVIL REGISTRATION’ which are the only records that have been, or will be, uploaded to the antenati site.
 Registri dello stato civile di Roma (Roma), 1810-1814, 1871-1930 Author: |
Roma (Roma). Ufficio dello stato civile; Archivio di Stato di Roma; Tribunale di Roma |
Even though Family Search indicates that the Napoleonic records for 1810-1814 are digitized these are still not uploaded to the antenati site. On the website, in the section ‘Il territorio e le fonti’ we read that the upload for the Archivio di Stato di Roma is only partially complete so these records (1810-1814) are coming!
Be patient! There are times when the antenati site is unbearably slow and if you get a page that indicates the site is ‘off line’. This usually means there is an overload of users. Come back later or use the Family History Centre site.
And remember……if you find the whole thing just too confusing or frustrating angelresearch has its experts ready and waiting to help.
My next post will cover the uploads from the State Archives in Frosinone. To be sure you don’t miss it, click on ‘follow me’ and you’ll be notified when a new post is published.
Angel Research and Genealogical Services 
Thanks Ann. I thought LDS was digitizing this site. But this is a good indication of what is to come & why sometimes I can’t get to a page on antenati. Unfortunately, not only are the uploads slow in coming, but antenati doesn’t have other smaller cities, like my OTranto, Lecce, Puglia. And the fact that some years are missing from the site on larger cities [Napoli], is often frustrating. Too, while LDS is doing this, why don’t they have English [etc.] translations for the “search” pages? I have to keep my Italina to English dictionary handy every time I search there.
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Hi Kathleen, The initial pages on antenati are in English. Top right corner allows you to choose the language. Considering that this is an Italian Government site we are lucky they have given us this much. I suggest you make a list of the keywords in ‘One Note’ and keep it on the main screen at the side while you search to save you checking the dictionary each time.
If you look at the ‘Land and the Sources’ you will see that the Archivio di Stato di Lecce is still being digitized. Go to Family Search and you will see that they have the records locked. They say it covers 1809-1900 but you won’t have access via antenati until they are uploaded by the Italian Government.
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Mille grazie, Ann. So glad to be back on your mailing list. Patience is something I thought I had learned raising my 6 kids. Genealogy takes that a thousand times higher.
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Thanks, Ann, an excellent article which answers all my questions about which records will be uploaded. Only one question – why does Filignano only have marriages for 1810 and processitti for a few years on Antenati? Where are the birth and death records?
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Thank you for explaining this subject (from what I have seen so far no one else has sufficiently done so). There is one town I am not clear on however; Palma Campania. The years 1809-1863 (listed under Caserta), and 1864-1865 (listed separately) both collections have been available at LDS libraries for some time and are available now at the Antenati site. I was curious however if the subsequent years (1866 and onward) have been located and if the Palma Campania records were eventually going to be uploaded to Antenati (and if so, would it be listed under Caserta or as part of modern Naples)??
Thanks!
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The civil records for Palma Campania after 1865 should have been sent to the Tribunale di Napoli. (Keyword search under catalog) Family search appear to have digitized some towns there but Palma Campania isn’t one of them. The town itself should have original records after 1866 which you could request from them directly. The antenati site is uploading only records held by the State Archives (at the moment anyway) which in some cases does include the Tribunal records (i.e. Frosinone) but not usually. If you need help with requests to the town or on site research done there please ask for a quote.
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Hello ,, How can I find the death certificate of my g grandmother Francesca Visocchi Maiden name DiMambro. Born about 1860’s Her son my grandfather Rosario or Rosato Visocchi Born 13 Mar 1891 Cassino. In my research has Sant’ Elia Fliumrapido listed.. Please advise, Thank you very much, Louise
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Unless she died after WW2 it is unlikely you will find her death certificate as all civil and parish records were destroyed and although some death records were reconstructed it was usually done for inheritance puposes. Sant’ELia is close to Cassino and the situation is the same for their civil records. However many parish records for Sant’ELia did survive.
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Hi Ann, Thank you for your reply. Is there a link to Sant’Elia parish records??
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I am afraid not. They have to be searched personally and with the priest’s permission.
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Hello Ann, Are you for hire to find this info for me in Sant’Elia? I am planning a trip to Cassino and Atina to the land of the Visocchi’s . May I ask to you know of a tour guide? please advise.Thank you Ann I enjoy your videos
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I can do that for you and provide a guide for your visit. Email me at itlaysearch@gmail.com with the details.
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Hello Ann I tried to reply to the link provided but it would not go through.
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Sorry a typo. italysearch@gmail.com
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Hi Ann,
Are there records for the Ancona/Marche area from 1850.
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If you check the Family Search catalog you will see they have only digitized records from 1862. Anything earlier than that would have to come from the church.
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Hello Ann, I was wondering if you can help me. I am looking for my great great grandmother’s parents. Where would I find records of people born on montemaggio in lazio Italy? Are the records in montecassino? On the family search I found all her children records but not her birth or death or her marriage record. My mother told me I may never find the records because cassino was destroyed during the war and everything burned to the ground. Where would I find records earlier than 1800 for montemaggio? I would appreciate any information. Thank you , Mary
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I am not familiar with the town of Montemaggio but if it close to Montecassino your mmother is right you may never find anything for your ancestors who were born after 1865 and before 1946 unless they were still alive after WW2 and reconstructed their civil records. All parish records prior to 1945 in Cassino were also destroyed exept for a few in Cairo. There are documents for 1743 if you have arrived at someone born before that year.
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Hi, I have been researching records on the Antenati website for Lapio, Avellino, Campania but there are no records for 1815. Could these records exist, but are just not uploaded to the Antenati website? If so, what path should I take to gain access to the missing records? Thank you!
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Many towns are missing records for 1815. This was the year that Napoleon was ousted from Italy and many stopped doing the civil records. A year later the new government decided to keep the system and records were restarted. Your only option is parish records for that year.
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Hello Ann and thank you for being there. I used to be able to search the antenati site for several years in the 1850s. But now those records have disappeared. Family Search has their records locked. Where do I look for these records (Lucca, Capannori) online for the 1850s, which were available previously (scanned but not indexed) please?
Many thanks.
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http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/v/Archivio+di+Stato+di+Firenze/Stato+civile+della+restaurazione+1816-1860/Capannori+provincia+di+Lucca/
For those years you need to look in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze.
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I am having a hard time finding anything about my ggrandmother Maria Politano(March1860) from Avellino,Campania ..can you suggest a start where to look ..I do belong to my ancestry my heritage and also have searched in Family Search .I do have a nice size tree but when it comes to her absolutely nothing . Thank you in advance
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I’m interested in two types of records from Naploli: (1) civil records post 1865, whether they will be digitized and uploaded to either Antenati or FamilySearch; and (2) church records from before the Napoleonic era.
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It all depends on Family Search and if they can get permission to digitize records from the Tribunal after 1865. Keep checking their site. They will appear there first. Parish records publication will depend on the Diocese and I haven’t heard anything. Keep checking italianparishrecords.org.
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Hi Ann,
Do you know if any records from Guarcino are digitized and on line through ANTENATI and/or family search? My wife has been trying to search for her Mizzoni family from that Comune.
Thanks
Dave & Maria
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My book will give you all the information you need on records available for Guarcino. Family Search and Antenati have very limited records but the town appears to have everything. The church is missing some years but their records go back to 1600’s.
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Thank you for your response. I have ordered your book and it seems a trip to Guarcino may be in our future!
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