Angel Communications

Province of Bari

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:24:17 GMT

Joe has just joined our team to handle searches in the Province of Bari. He now lives in Castellana Grotte, returning to his home town after 25 years in Canada. Civil or parish record searches in the Province will be his specialty.

1814 Civil Census of Arpino

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:37:00 GMT

In 1815 a civil census of Arpino was taken. Each citizen is listed with relationship to Head of Household, name and age. There are also lists of the various professions, tobacconists, ironworkers etc. This record can take your family research back another generation.

1859 Parish Census for Broccostella

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:33:15 GMT

1859 Parish Census for Broccostella is available for consultation. The family groups were updated for several years.

1795 Parish census of Santopadre

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:31:24 GMT

The Stato delle Anime or Parish census for 1795 is now available for consultation without incurring travel costs to Santopadre. If you have searched the LDS films and want to take your research back another generation please contact me.

Coincidences or Fate?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:16:52 GMT

A Welsh client was traveling regularly to Piscinisco to gaze longingly on the former home of her ancestors, wondering who the new owner was and hoping one day to meet him and show him some old photos of when her Grandparents lived there. She also hoped to have the opportunity to rent the place and spend a night under the same roof that saw the birth of many of her ancestors. One day I was contacted by another Welshman who wanted me to research his HOUSE. He had no Italian ancestry but had fallen in love with Piscinisco and bought a property there. I put the two together (with their mutual consent) and it turns out that the new client has a place to rent, and while it is not the ancestral home of my other client it is right next door. One day, she is sure to meet the family who owns the ancestral home, and hopes to at least see inside! One never knows!

Santopadre

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:16:25 GMT

The parish church in Santopadre is dedicated to an English Saint, Folco. The baptismal records go back to 1508 and the church has a parish census dated 1795. What an amazing little town this is high in the mountains of the Province of Frosinone.

Madonna di Canneto at Settefrati

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:14:40 GMT

The Madonna di Canneto appeared near Settefrati and she is the town's Patron Saint. If you look carefully at the photo of the main altar you will see behind a covered niche where the statue of the Madonna remains hidden for most of the year. At the time of the celebration, she is placed on a golden throne and carried by the faithful up the mountain to the place where she appeared. She stays there for 4 days then is returned to her niche for another year. I apologise for the quality of the photos, it was snowing that day and I forgot to take the camera off the 'macro' setting I had been using to take photos of birth certificates in City Hall.

Family Reunion

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 16:11:41 GMT

It was 43 years since his parents had taken my client to visit his relatives in Italy and all he had was photos from that visit made when he was just 7 years old. Phone calls to the families with the same surname in town had produced nothing but we met at the Parish church and proceeded with our investigation. By the noon that day we were eating lunch with 15 relatives, some of whom were visiting from the USA, and none of whom had ever expected to see this branch of the family again. A very emotional day.

Cemeteries

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:57:04 GMT

Deceased Italians are usually placed in “niches” in the cemetery, which are leased, most for 99 years allowing for at least 3 “burials”. In the newer sections of the cemetery the lease is for only 33 years earning more money for the church (or city). Once the body has decomposed, this usually takes from 10-30 years, the bones and ashes are transferred to the “ossario”, a smaller vault within the cemetery, leaving space for the next family member. Most of the niches contain a ceramic photo of the deceased along with a vase for flowers and an eternal lamp. If the lease runs out and is not renewed the bones are eventually transferred by the city (or church) to the underground, communal bone vault through a trap door in the floor. In November each of the niches are decorated with mini lights for the All Souls Day celebration on November 2^nd.

All of the above means that unless your ancestor was famous, or rich you are unlikely to find a gravestone in the cemetery or the exact location of their ashes.

1921 Census of Sora (FR)

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:43:21 GMT

An alphabetical list of Heads of Households (with paternity) is now available for the town of Sora. This census was created in 1921 listing Head of household, other members of household, profession, and dates of birth, and includes the address for most records. It was then used as a 'State of the Family' for the next 10 years and is invaluable for identifying possible living relatives. It includes death dates and occasionally information on family members who emigrated to USA and other countries. If, after consulting the index, you want to view the actual record there is a charge for the digital image. If you want to consult the index, please email me directly at atatangelo@hotmail.com.

Corpus Domini

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:35:50 GMT

Corpus Domini is one of Italy's most beautiful festivals. The tradition began after the Miracle of Bolsena when a priest, with doubts about his faith was performing a mass and the host began to bleed. The Pope declared the Festival of Corpus Domini and it has been celebrated ever since. The streets of the procession route are closed to traffic 24 hours before the procession is to take place and are then elaborately decorated with designs in fresh flowers, rice, coffe grounds, corn etc. and coloured sawdust. After a mass in the town square, the 'communion host' is carried over the carpet of flowers followed by the local bishop, priests, Mayor and town officials and the faithful. The date changes every year so be sure to check for this if you are planning a June visit to Italy.

Customized luxury travel

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:20:19 GMT

If you have a specific agenda for your trip to Italy, whether it is shopping, finding your roots, or just want to have a luxury vacation with all the planning taken care of by an expert, then I can reccommend Ellen Craig Travel. Ellen started out as a client, then became a friend when I was able to introduce her to her Italian family, acting as interpreter in an emotional family reunion.

Personal, luxury travel planning is Ellen's strength, please visit www.ellencraigtravel.com

Experiencing Italy

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:59:59 GMT

A trip to Italy should be a 'caper' you will never forget. To experience the art and culture in a physical way you will need some expert help. Cooking, learning the language, trying your hand at painting or sculpting with experts at your elbow will give you an unforgettable vacation. If this is for you then contact Barbara Hardesty at Da Vinci Capers www.davincicapers.com and I promise you a personal renaissance journey that will last a lifetime.

Writing your family history

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:39:38 GMT

Genealogy provides the basic roots and branches. Personal and family stories can enliven those facts. As you begin your search for your family history there will be times when you wish you could ask questions of those who have passed on. So many questions and no answers. As you think about this, think also into the future, of your descendants and the questions they might want to ask. Follow this link to the Web site of Diane Dassow and Binding Legacies to find out how personal historians can add foliage to your family tree.

http://www.bindinglegacies.com/

How to search the LDS microfilms

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:55:03 GMT

Using the date of birth, order the appropriate film and go to the birth records for that date A translation of the birth certificate can be found on this site. The birth certificate will give you the names and ages of each parent. From this you should calculate the approximate age and check the birth records for that year and the year s before and after if you don’t find it right away. They had a habit of “rounding out” to the nearest 5 years so don’t be discouraged. If you don’t find them then you will have to check the marriage certificate to learn where they were born.
To find the marriage certificate start at the birth date of the child and work backwards. They often had indexes so be sure to check this first to save time. The marriage certificate will tell you where the persons were born, how old they were, and give the names of both sets of parents stating “fu” (already deceased) or “di” (still alive). The bride and groom had to provide their birth certificates and the death certificates of parents if deceased. If the father was deceased at the time of the marriage they had to produce the grandfathers death certificate also so be sure to check the PROCESSI for these documents it will save you lots of time.
Death certificates are not really necessary until you get back to the early part of 1800 when a death certificate of a parent will give you THEIR parents’ names and where they were born.

San Silvestro Papa

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:58:07 GMT

December 31st is the Festa of San Silvestro Papa. In Sora the parish began its celebrations at 8am with several loud bangs (fireworks), again at noon and at 6pm. San Silvestro is the Pope who converted to Christianity the mother of the Roman Emperor Costantino and it is thanks to him that Italy and the world began a rapid acceptance of Christianity.
In the local Parish Church dedicated to San Silvestro in Sora there are several paintings from 1770, and the original baptismal font in a cupboard the door of which is painted with a 17th century baptism scene. The Church also houses a painting of two local Martyrs, Santa Restituta and San Giuliano and the original cornerstone of the original monastery built on the site.

Precepi di Sora

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 22:55:06 GMT

Precepi are Nativity Scenes created by local businesses or associations. They are housed in the old unoccupied buildings, or donated spaces in the historic centre of town. There is Christmas music playing as you walk down the street looking at the various creations. These are just a few of the scenes. Enjoy!

Another successful search

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:35:16 GMT

From: kgodlewski@aol.com

Ann has been researching my family history and has thusfar provided me with information going back 5 generations. At the same time, she helped me obtain documents from the Comune di Sora that I desperately needed for another project but had been unable to obtain on my own. I very highly recommend her services. I wasn't able to provide her with very much information about my family to start with, yet she was able to provide me with a wealth of information that nobody in my American family was aware of. My quest is to find relatives on my grandfather's side that may still be remaining in Sora. Even though many of the branches of our family tree did not bear fruit, Ann persists and searches for another limb!

Please feel free to contact me any time if you have any questions. In the meantime, I wish you much luck with your search!

Kathy Godlewski

Translation of marriage certificate 1859

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:43:19 GMT

Marriage Certificate from 1859

The year one thousand eight hundred and ………………..

The ……. of month of ……………… at the hour of………………

before us ……………………………….(Name of Mayor),

and officials of the Civil State of ………………..(Name of town), district

of…………………… Province of …………………..

They declared in City Hall ……………………………..(name of Groom),

of the age of ………………….. born in ………………..of the

profession of ………………………………… resident of

………………(name of town) Son of ……………(name of father)

of the profession ……………………resident of

……………………..and of …………….(name of mother),

resident in………………….(name of town) and……………………….. ……………..(name of bride) of the age …………………born in ………

………(name of city ) resident in………………Daughter of …………………………………..(name of father) profession……………….

Resident of ………………………………………and of …………………………….(name of mother) resident of ………………..

The above, in the presence of testimony, that here indicated have requested to receive their solemn promise of the celebration (of matrimony) before the Church, in the form prescribed by the Sacred Council of Trent, their planned marriage.

We, after their request, after having read all the documents consisting of

(Here is a list of the documents, usually including the birth certificates of the bride and groom, the death certificate of the father (if dead) and the grandfather (if the father was dead) of the bride and groom and the written consent of the parents to the marriage.)

and Chapter No 6 of the Civil Code, under the title of Matrimony and the rights and obligations of the respective bride and groom, we have received from each in turn the statement of the solemn promise of the celebration of marriage before the Church in the manner prescribed by the Sacred Council of Trent.

The current act was solemnly performed in the presence of four witnesses who are:-

Then follows the names and ages and professions of the witnesses who were often literate persons who showed up for weddings and were probably rewarded for signing the certificate.

The above stated act was read aloud to the couple who were given two uniform copies from the undersigned to be presented to the Parish in which the marriage will be celebrated, of those signed below…before us (and not by the bride and groom who do not know how to read and write.)

Translation of Birth Certificate

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:39:10 GMT

Birth Certificate

Note: the translation is not literal in parts, I have attempted to make the words make sense to you.

Number

Of the year one thousand eight hundred ........................................

the .......................of the month of ...............................................

at the hour of ..............................before us...................................

and the office of the Civil Status of the city of..................................

District of ...................................................................................

Province of the Terra di Lavoro appeared .......................................

age.........................................of the profession ............................

residing .......................................................................................

who presented to us a .....(sex of baby)............................................

accordingly we have seen with our own eyes and he has declared

that the same was born to.....(name of mother).................................

age........................ residing in .....................................................

and to ......(name of father)..............................................................

age.............................of the profession of.....................................

on the ............................................day of the month of................

of the year...................................at the hour of..............................

in the home..................................................................................

The same person has declared that he has given this ....(child)......

the name of ................................................................................

This presentation and declaration before said, was made in the

presence of ...............................................................................

age..........................of the profession of ......................................

residing in .................................and of ........................................

age.........................of the profession of ........................................

residing in ....................................................................................

This testimony is presented before the said persons by...............

................................................................................................

The present act, that we have made, if necessary, was inscribed as

above in both registers, read & declared, and testimony and thence

in the day, month and year as above, signed before us...................

NOTE: On some earlier acts details of the baptism are included.

INDICATION OF THE DAY IN WHICH WAS ADMINISTRATED THE

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM.

Number................

The year one thousand eight hundred........................................

the .........................of the month of .........................................

The parish of ...........................................................................

has returned this on the ..........................................................

of the month of...................................of the above stated year.

The notice that we have returned on the ....................................

of the month of.......................in the year ................................

of the adjacent written birth act, at the bottom has indicated that

the Sacrament of Baptism was administrated to the

.............................................................................................

on the day ............................................................................

It is seen that the notice, after we have cited, we have disposed

of and conserved in the volume of documents on page ...............

We have further charged the parish, the receipt of the same, and

have created the present act, that is written in the two registers.

the birth certificate and indicated that we have signed....

Photo Album: Stato di Famiglia

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:37:48 GMT

Stato di Famiglia

Vol 7 P. 19 Tatangelo Ant.

Foglia di famiglia

Photo Album: Census records

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:43:45 GMT

Census records

1921 census (back)

1921 census

1936 census changes

card file updated

1901 census Pescosolido

Photo Album: San Donato

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:46:29 GMT

San Donato

Near the City Hall

War Memorial

Chiesa Madre-1

Chiesa Madre-3

San Donato-04

San Donato-05

San Donato-06

San Donato-07_edited

San Donato-11

More photos...

Photo Album: Roccasecca

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:30:02 GMT

Roccasecca

Santa Margherita

Santissima Annunziata

Castle

P1110146.JPG

P1110153.JPG

Photo Album: Pescosolido

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:58:42 GMT

Pescosolido

P1130740

Pecosolido

Pescosolido-1

Main Street

Pescosolido from Sora

Photo Album: Arpino

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:18:04 GMT

Arpino

San Michele Archangelo

Interior of church

The square

Arco Arpino

Arpino Arch

Civitavecchia Arpino

Street in Civitavecchia

view of main town

Photo Album: Monopoli

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:52:43 GMT

Monopoli

Monopoli MdaMaddia-01

Monopoli MdaMaddia-03

Monopoli MdaMaddia-05

Monopoli MdaMaddia-07

Monopoli MdaMaddia-08

Monopoli MdaMaddia-09

Monopoli.Mda Amalfitano-5_edited

Monopoli.Mda Amalfitano-7

Monopoli-3

Photo Album: Polignano al Mare

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:24:47 GMT

Polignano al Mare

Polignano al Mare-4_edited

Polignano al Mare-5

Polignano al Mare-7_edited

Photo Album: Santopadre

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:16:28 GMT

Santopadre

Town hall

Gate to the town

Church of San Folco

Altar

Organ

Baptism font

Piazza San Folco

interior street

outside walls

Photo Album: Putignano

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:23:00 GMT

Putignano

Carnevale Putignano-01_edited

Carnevale Putignano-02_edited

Carnevale Putignano-10

Carnevale Putignano-19_edited

Putignano al Mare-4-1

Putignano

S. Domenico, Putignano-1

S. Domenico, Putignano-5_edited

S. Domenico, Putignano-8

S. Domenico

More photos...

Photo Album: Alberobello

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:10:01 GMT

Alberobello

Alberobello 2-01

Alberobello 2-05

Alberobello 2-06

Alberobello 2-16

Alberobello 2-40

Alberobello 2-46

More photos...

Photo Album: Castellana Grotte

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:59:45 GMT

Castellana Grotte

Cast.Grotte San Francesco1693-01_edited

Cast.Grotte San Francesco1693-03_edited

Cast.Grotte San Francesco1693-04_edited

Cast.Grotte San Francesco1693-06_edited

Cast.Grotte Santa Rosa-1

Castellana Grotte-12

Castellana Grotte-4_edited

Castellana Grotte-5_edited

Catt.San Leone Magno-2

Catt.San Leone Magno-3_edited

Photo Album: Settefrati

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:02:31 GMT

Settefrati

Views of Settefrati-5

Church in Settefrati.-1

Church in Settefrati.-3

Church in Settefrati.-6

Views of Settefrati-3

Views of Settefrati-6

Photo Album: Rocca D'Evandro

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:01:43 GMT

Rocca D'Evandro

Parish Church

Main altar & Organ

Side altar

Centro Storico

Narrow street

The old town & Castle

Photo Album: Capri

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:59:45 GMT

Capri

View of the bay

Piazza Umberto

The Faraglione

Down to the beach

Church of S. Stefano Capri

Main altar S. Stefano Capri

Baptismal font. S. Stefano

Casa Rossa-1

S.Sophia, Anacapri-1

Certosa di S.Giacomo-3