3 Family Tree Tasks Need Your Attention

3 simple, worthwhile family tree tasks set you up for a new year of genealogy discoveries.

It can be hard to find time for genealogy with the holiday season looming. But I'm sure you can find a moment here and there. And when you do, these 3 tasks are the perfect thing to accomplish before the year is through. Knock them off, and you'll be all set for bigger and better family tree achievements in the coming year.

1. See What's Missing

Review yourself and your direct ancestors (up through your second great grandparents) to see what's missing. Since these are some of the first people you entered into your family tree, it may be a long time since you've given them any attention.

• Have you found every available census record for them?
• Are there birth, marriage, or death records available that you couldn't find before? What about obituaries?
• Have you gathered the draft registration cards or military records for your men?
• If anyone from this group was an immigrant, have you found their ship manifest and naturalization papers?

A funny thing happened to me recently. I wanted to use the new LiveMemory™ feature from MyHeritage, but I had to do it through the phone app. (I had bad results, by the way. I still need to find a perfectly-lit, crisp photo to try. When I tried it on people I know very well, I hated the results.)

While I was using the app, I saw an unexpected hint for my Grandma Lucy's 1954 obituary. I couldn't access this particular Ohio newspaper with my free subscription, but I found it on Google News. There, for the first time, I saw Grandma Lucy's obituary, and I found her mother's obituary! I couldn't get her father's obit because that publication date was missing.

This proves how important it is to re-investigate your closest relatives.

2. Fix Errors Hiding in Plain Sight

Export a GEDCOM file from your family tree and open it in Family Tree Analyzer. This free program points out errors you can fix, including a mother who's too old to have that baby, someone who died before they got married, and "siblings" who were born too close together.

With your GEDCOM open in FTA, click the Errors/Fixes tab. Along the top of the window you'll see 32 types of errors, each with a checkbox. You can click the Select All button and then below that, click the little button with the downward arrow at the top of the Error Type column. Choose Sort A to Z. You may find that some of these errors should be excluded.

• Couples with same surnames. My people come from small towns where everybody shares a small number of surnames. This happens a lot. Removing this type of error brings my error total from 988 down to 584. (My family tree has 82,072 people!)
• Possible Duplicate Fact. My family tree has mostly Italian marriages where there are two recorded sets of marriage banns. That's not an error even if it looks like one. But I'm not going to uncheck this type of error because I see a few duplicate marriage facts. These must have happened when I realized I could merge people, and I overlooked the extra marriage fact. In other places I have duplicate residence facts. When I look at them in my family tree, one fact has a source citation, and the duplicate does not. These may be leftovers from a bad Ancestry sync I had a couple of years ago. I'm going to check these all out. If I did uncheck Possible Duplicate Fact, my error total would drop from 584 down to 59!

See what you can do to whittle down your error list. I know you'll be glad you did.

3. Check Locations

Use Family Tree Analyzer again to spot obvious typos in place names. Once you've opened your GEDCOM file in FTA, click the Main Lists tab to view the Individuals tab. Two columns in this list have place names: Birth Location and Death Location. One at a time, click the little button with a downward arrow beside the column name and choose Sort A to Z. Now all the place names are in alphabetical order. You may have lots of blanks at the top, as I do.

I must note that the Birth Location list will seem as if it's not entirely in alphabetical order. It turns out the locations are grouped by country, then state/province, then town, then street. So my United States locations are near the bottom of the list. My mother's Bronx New York, birth location is way, way down the list. Once you realize that, this task becomes easier.

Scan the list one screenful at a time and see what sticks out to you. If my list had 10 "Elmira, Chemung County, New York, United States" listings in a row, and then one "Elmyra, Chemung County, New York, United States", the mistaken "Elmyra" would stick out as being a typo. Make any necessary corrections to your family tree (wherever you build it), and then do the same with the Death Location list. First click that same little button with the downward arrow and choose Clear Sort, then sort the Death Location column A to Z.

Finally, switch from the Individuals tab to the Families tab. Scroll over to the Marriage Detail column which shows marriage dates and locations. Sort that column A to Z. This is a little less efficient, but still worth a look. The column is sorted by date, but the dates are treated like text. Because of that, my first non-blank rows are:

• 1 APR 1813 at Santa Paolina, Avellino, Campania Italy
• 1 APR 1824 at Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore, Largo Chiesa Madre, 2, Pescolamazza, Benevento, Campania, Italy
• 1 APR 1824 at Chiesa di San Giorgio Martire, Via Gradoni San Giorgio, Colle Sannita, Benevento, Campania, Italy

This sorting method means that fewer of the same addresses will be grouped together. But it's the first time I'm seeing all my tree's marriage locations in one place, and that's still a good chance to proofread.

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When you've done what you can on these 3 tasks, be sure to synchronize or republish your updated and scrubbed family tree. Come January, you're on to bigger and better genealogy research!

See what other magic you can do with Family Tree Analyzer:

• Pluck the Stragglers Out of Your Family Tree
• Finding and Fixing an Awkward Typo in Your Family Tree
• Free Tool Finds Details You'll Want to Fix

Quick Note: I've never done this before, but there will be no new articles for the next two weeks. Hundreds of my past articles are always here for you.

Why Your Immigrant Ancestors Came Here 'Legally'

Learn the truth about your ancestors' immigration and citizenship process.

Years ago when women wore slips beneath their dresses and skirts, other women would tell them—very discreetly—if their slip was showing. They'd try to save the lady any further embarrassment. Well, if you're still bragging "My ancestors came here legally," I must tell you, your slip is showing.

Of course they came here legally. The process was incredibly easy for them. Basically, if your immigrant ancestors were not Asian, senile, or likely to become a public charge, all they had to do was show up. And here's why I say that.

United States Immigration Laws, 1790–1952

Let's look at the immigration laws that likely affected your ancestors. It's a long list, but it probably had zero impact on your immigrant ancestors unless they are most types of Asian.

• 1790. The first U.S. immigration law required you to be a free white person who'd been in the United States for 2 years, and in one state for 1 year.
• 1795. This law required residency of 5 years with a 3-year notice of intention.
• 1798. This law, repealed in 1802, required residency of 14 years with a 5-year notice of intention.
• 1824. This law reduced the waiting period after declaration of intention to 2 years.
• 1882. This law barred Chinese citizens.
• 1891. This law barred polygamists and people with a contagious disease.
• 1903. This law barred anarchists, beggars, and pimps.
• 1917. This law had 2 requirements: (1) do not be Asian (Filipinos and Japanese excluded), and (2) be able to read any single language if you're over age 16.
• 1921. Immigration quotas began. This law capped new immigrants at 3% of the number of their countrymen living in the United States per the 1910 census. For example, if the United States had 100,000 Belgians, only 3,000 people from Belgium (3% of 100,000) could enter per year. This cap did not apply to the Western Hemisphere. There was a total immigration cap of 350,000 people in a year. Asians were still barred.
• 1922. Before this year, women received citizenship through their husband. They didn't need to file for their own naturalization.
• 1924. This law reduced the cap from 3% to 2% of the current population from certain countries (based on 1890 census numbers). It also reduced the total immigration cap to 165,000 people in total. Asians were still barred.
• 1942. This law allowed the immigration of temporary agricultural workers from Mexico.
• 1943. This law once again focused on the Chinese. Chinese people already living in the United States could now apply for naturalization. A total of 105 (one hundred and five) new Chinese immigrants could enter the country.
• 1952. This law ended the exclusion of Asians. It slashed the immigration cap to one sixth of one percent (0.0016666666666667) of each nationality (based on 1920 census numbers). (This is why I have Italian-born cousins who went to Canada.) After 1952 people no longer needed to file a Declaration of Intention.

Before 1906 you could file for citizenship at any court—local, county, state, or federal. Very convenient. And before 27 Sep 1906, declaration of intention forms were as simple as:

• name
• country of birth
• date of application.

After that date they added:

• town of birth
• port and date of arrival
• physical description (plus a photo starting in 1929)
• names of wife and children.

That's not exactly a burden for anyone. The petition for naturalization form also asked for:

• residence and occupation
• prior citizenship
• when they began living here and for how long
• residence of wife and children.

Here's what everything above boils down to for most Americans' immigrant ancestors. Be white, somewhat self-sufficient, and file papers that barely ask any questions. That's all it took to immigrate to the United States legally and become a citizen.

The Immigration Process Today

Before you can apply for citizenship today, you must have "Permanent Resident" status. That means you must be eligible for a Green Card through one of several paths, including:

• being an immediate family member of a United States citizen
• having immigrant worker status which usually requires an excellent job
• being a religious worker, international broadcaster, or a NATO employee
• having asylum or refugee status for at least one year (each of which has its own hurdles to overcome)
• being a human trafficking or crime victim
• being the victim of battery or extreme cruelty
• having lived in the United States continuously since before 1 Jan 1972

If you meet any of those criteria, you may be eligible for Permanent Resident status. If you achieve that, you're ready to begin the citizenship process. To be eligible to apply for United States citizenship today, ALL of the following must be true:

1. You must be at least 18 years old.
2. You must be a Permanent Resident for at least 5 years (or 3–5 years IF you've been married to a citizen for at least the past 3 years AND they've been a citizen for at least the past 3 years AND you haven't been out of the United States for 18 months or more).
3. You must not have been out of the United States for 30 months of more (UNLESS you were serving on board a United States vessel OR you were under contract to the United States government OR you were performing ministerial or priestly functions for a United States-approved religious denomination).
4. You must not have taken a trip outside the United States that lasted a year or more (UNLESS you have an approved "Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes").
5. You must have lived in the district or state in which you're applying for citizenship for the last 3 months.
6. You must be able to read, write, and speak basic English (UNLESS you're over 50 and have been a Permanent Resident for at least 20 years OR you're over 55 and have been a Permanent Resident for at least 15 years OR you have a medical disability form signed by a doctor).
7. You must be knowledgeable about the fundamentals of United States history and the form and principles of the United States government (UNLESS you have a medical disability form signed by a doctor).
8. You must be a person of good moral character.
9. You must be a female OR a male registered with the Selective Service OR a male who didn't enter the United States before the age of 26 OR a male with a "Status Information Letter" from Selective Service explaining why you were in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26 but did not register OR a male between 18 and 26 who is in the United States as a lawful non-immigrant.
10. You must never have deserted from the United States Armed Forces.
11. You must be never have received an exemption or discharge from the United States Armed Forces on the grounds that you are an alien.
12. You must be willing to perform either military or civilian service for the United States if required by law.
13. You must be willing to support the Constitution of the United States.
14. You must understand and be willing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States.

If you are eligible for United States citizenship based on the list above, you may now:

• collect the necessary documents to demonstrate your eligibility (these include a copy of your Permanent Resident Card AND payment for the $725 application fee and biometrics fee; this may also include proof of legal name change, marriage certificate, spouse's birth certificate and passport, divorce decree, tax returns, and a whole lot more)
• complete an application for naturalization (this includes 100 questions on American history and government that Americans learned in high school and have likely forgotten)
• have your biometrics taken if applicable (fingerprints, photograph, signature)
• complete an interview
• wait for a decision
• if approved, take the oath of allegiance.

The information about today's citizenship process outlined above comes from the website of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

As you can see, the immigration and citizenship process is much tougher today than it was for your ancestors decades or a century or more ago. My immigrant ancestors were not escaping gang warfare, a war-torn nation, or religious persecution. They were leaving a life of poverty to come to a land of opportunity. They had relatives who came before them and were doing well. The relatives they left behind in the old country survived. That's not the case for many of today's immigrants.

It was not an enormous challenge for your 1800s–1900s immigrant ancestor to come to the United States and become a citizen. They made it through a simple process with little or no education. And you have them to thank—your immigrants—for your citizenship. You were merely born where you were born.

You dishonor your immigrant ancestors by saying "my people came here legally". That's why I hate it when people say that like a brag. Of course they came here legally. But how would they fare today?

Find immigration and naturalization documents for your family tree:

• 8 Tips for Researching Your Immigrant Ancestor
• 6 Key Genealogy Facts on a Ship Manifest
• Overlooked Website Finds Immigrant Ancestors
• What to Find on Your Ancestor's Naturalization Papers
• Naturalization Papers Answer Many Genealogy Questions
• Tying Up Loose Ends with Naturalization Papers

How to Read Italian Marriage Records REVISED

This is the third and last in a series of articles revising my February 2017 look at Italian vital records. Today we'll dissect Italian marriage records so you can:

• Find the important details you need for your family tree, and
• Overcome any language barrier.

Italian marriage records include:

• Two dates, usually a week apart, when the couple publicly posted their intention to marry. These are the marriage banns. Today's equivalent is the "speak now or forever hold your peace" statement.
• A third date when the banns are complete and the couple receives permission to marry.
• The groom and bride's basic information.
• The date on which the mayor married the couple.
• The date on which the couple married in the church. A small number of couples will not have a church wedding. The church wedding may be the same day as the civil wedding or it may be sometime later.

The look of the marriage records changed over time, but the main details are the same. Each marriage record boils down to this:

On this date, two people came to city hall to ask the mayor to marry them before witnesses. The document spells out the groom and bride's:

• names
• ages
• professions
• places of birth and/or residence, and
• their parents' names.

This article divides Italian marriage records into six phases based on their layout. Each phase spans several years.

For each type of Italian marriage record below, you'll find a simple version of the wording used. Then you'll see an image highlighting certain key facts. The words for names, ages, dates, and professions are handwritten on the documents. Other phrases are usually pre-printed. It's the handwritten words that are critical to your family tree.

Phase One Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1809–1819

The exact layout of the pre-printed sections varies, but the basic layout is the same.

Simple version: On this date and hour there appeared before me, the mayor of this town, the following people. This man of this age and profession, living in this place, son of this father and mother who give their consent. And also this woman of this age and profession, living in this place, daughter of this father and mother who give their consent. They requested to be married, and they have completed the publication of their intention to marry. I declare them to be united in matrimony in the presence of these witnesses (name, age, profession, residence). The bride, groom, and witnesses attest to these facts by signing below.

The earliest Italian marriage records have a lot of handwritten sections, but the format is straightforward.

Phase Two Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1820–1853

This phase introduces a second column where the parish priest records the date of the church wedding. The main part of the marriage record follows the same pattern as Phase One above.

Simple version of the marriage column: On this date in this parish, the parish priest certifies that the celebration of matrimony took place on this date in the presence of these witnesses. The mayor attests that he has seen the marriage document.

This phase of Italian marriage records adds a column for the church wedding. Pay attention to its format.

Phase Three Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1854–1865

Depending on the town, the marriage records for this phase may cover two pages. Page two uses a lot of space to provide details about four witnesses to the church wedding. Each of the four lines is as follows:

Simple version: This man, of this age, of this profession, resident of this town and street.

Example: Eduardo delGrosso of the age 40 of the profession lawyer, resident of Colle, street Piazza.

Two-page Italian marriage records give you details about 4 witnesses, but the main format is the same.

Phase Four Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1866–1874

Ah, the dreaded fully-handwritten marriage records. But you're prepared. Because you're learning the basic format of Italian marriage records, you CAN find what you need.

Simple version: The year, the day of the month at this hour in the city hall of this town there appeared before the mayor the following people. These witnesses (name, age, profession) who live in this town. Groom, of age, profession, living in this town, son of this father and of this mother, residents of this town. Bride, of age, profession, living in this town, daughter of this father and of this mother, residents of this town. They requested to be married, they have submitted the requested documents, and their are no impediments to their marriage. I, the mayor, have performed the marriage. The bride, groom, and witnesses attest to these facts by signing below.

Fully handwritten Italian marriage records can be daunting until you realize the format is the same as always.

Phase Five Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1875–1929

This phase is an easy-to-read single page without a lot of handwriting. There may be no mention of the church wedding. Notice how the basic format is the same as all the previous phases. Only the layout has changed.

Simple version: The year, the day of the month at this hour before the mayor of the town appeared the following people. 1. Groom, of age, profession, born in this town, living in this town, son of this father, resident of this town, and of this mother, resident of this town; 2. Bride, of age, profession, born in this town, living in this town, daughter of this father, resident of this town, and of this mother, resident of this town. They requested to be married, they have submitted the requested documents, and there are no impediments to their marriage. I, the mayor, have performed the marriage in the presence of these witnesses (names). The bride, groom, and witnesses attest to these facts by signing below.

Later Italian marriage records are the easiest to read, and the important details are at the top.

Phase Six Civil Marriage Records, Circa 1930–1951

This phase is very much like the previous phase, but it adds one fact. It mentions the church wedding in the column and above the couple's names in the body of the document. It may present the groom and bride's information in two columns. Beneath their details are the dates on which they published their intention to marry.

Simple version: The year, the day of the month at this hour the mayor of the town has learned that on this year, date, month, and hour in this parish, the following people were married according to Catholic rites. 1. Groom, of age, profession, born in this town, living in this town, of this race and this nationality, son of this father and of this mother; 2. Bride, of age, profession, born in this town, living in this town, of this race and this nationality, daughter of this father and of this mother. The couple are officially married. They published their intention to marry on these dates.

And in the column beneath their names: Today, day, month, year, this representative of the church submits the record of this marriage.

The latest available Italian marriage records include the church name and wedding date.

When you know what to look for and where to find it, you can get what you need from Italian marriage records.

In case you missed these companion articles:

• How to Read an Italian Birth Record REVISED
• How to Read an Italian Death Record REVISED

How to Read an Italian Death Record REVISED

Almost eight years ago I wrote an article called How to Read an Italian Death Record. Last week I updated my 8-year-old article on Italian birth records. Today we tackle death records.

For most of my ancestral hometowns, there are no death records online for the years 1861–1930. But I do have one town with all these years, so I'll pull my examples from there.

I've divided the death records into five multi-year phases. Each of the five looks different and presents its information a bit differently. For each phase below, you'll find a simple version of the wording used. Then you'll see a more detailed version and an image highlighting certain key facts.

No matter how the document looks, the death record format boils down to this: Two witnesses came to the mayor and said someone died.

Phase One Civil Death Records, Circa 1809–1811

On many of the earliest death records, the name of the deceased's parents and spouse may be missing. This is awful, but at least it's only for a short time span.

Simple version: Today, on this date there appeared before the mayor of the town two people of this age, profession, and address, and they declare that on this date has died this person, of this age and profession, living in this place.

And having seen with our own eyes that this person is dead, we authorize the church to bury the body after 24 hours.

The earliest Italian death records contain the least amount of detail about the deceased.

Detailed version: Today, day (number) of the month of (month) in the year (number), there appeared before the mayor of the town (the name, age, profession, and address of two witnesses declaring the death), and they declared that today at this hour (number) has died (name of deceased), of the age (number) and the profession (profession), who was living in this town on the street (street name).

And having seen with our own eyes that (deceased's name) is dead, we authorize the church to bury the body after 24 hours.

Phase Two Civil Death Records, Circa 1812–1820

Simple version: This year, day, and month, there appeared before the mayor of the town two people of this age, profession, and address, and they declare that on this date in this month has died this person who lived at this place, was married to this person, and was the child of this couple.

The deceased was this age, this profession, lived at this place, and died at this place.

According to the law, we are transferring the body and recording these facts.

From about 1812 through 1820, Italian death records tell more about the deceased's family.

Detailed version: In this year (number) on this day (number) of this month (month) at this hour (number), before the mayor in the city hall of the town appeared two men (whose names, ages, professions, and addresses are written out).

They declare that on (date) of (the same) month (deceased's name, spouse of name, child of parents' names), age (number), profession (profession), who lived at (place name) has died at (place name).

According to the law, we are transferring the body and recording these facts.

Phase Three Civil Death Records, Circa 1821–1865

Simple version: This year, day, month, and time, there appeared before the mayor of the town two people who declare that on this date and month has died in their own home this person, and they were married to this person.

The deceased was this age, was born in this place, was of this profession, and lived in this place, and they were the child of this man, of this profession, who lived in this place, and this woman who lived in this place.

According to the law, we are transferring the body and recording these facts.

From about 1821 through 1865, these records are easier to read and have lots of detail.

Detailed version: In this year (number), day (number), month (month), and time (number), there appeared before the mayor of the town two men (whose names, ages, professions, and addresses are written out), and they declare that on this date (number) in the month of (month) has died in their own home (deceased's name), and they were married to (spouse's name).

The deceased was this age (number), was born in (place name), of the profession (profession), lived in (place name), they were the child of (father's name), of the profession (profession), who lived in (place name), and (mother's name) who lived in (place name).

According to the law, we are transferring the body and recording these facts.

Phase Four Civil Death Records, Circa 1866–1874

Simple version: This year, day, month, and time, there appeared before the mayor of the town two people who declare that at this time on this date and month has died in their own home this person, of this profession, of this age, who lived in this town and was married to this person. The were born in this place and were the child of this couple.

We present this document and declare this information to be true.

The handwritten documents from about 1866 through 1874 follow the standard format.

Detailed version: In this year (number), day (number), month (month), and time (number), there appeared before the mayor of the town two men (whose names, ages, professions, and addresses are written out), and they declare that on this date (number) in the month of (month) has died in their own home (deceased's name), and they were married to (spouse's name).

The deceased was age (number), was born in (place name), of the profession (profession), lived in (place name), they were the child of (father's name) and of the profession (profession), who lived in (place name), and (mother's name) who lived in (place name).

We present this document and declare this information to be true.

Phase Five Civil Death Records, Circa 1875–1945

Simple version: In this year, day, month, and time, there appeared before the mayor of the town two people who declare that at this time on this day and at this address has died this person, of this age, of this profession, who lived in this town, was born in this town, and was the child of this couple, who was [single or married to this person].

Two other witnesses attest to these facts and all declare the facts to be true.

The more modern Italian birth records, from about 1875 on, are the easiest to read.

Detailed version: In this year (number), day (number), month (month), and time (number), there appeared before the mayor of the town two people (whose names, ages, professions, and addresses are written out), and they declare that at this time (number) on this day (usually "oggi" for today or "ieri" for yesterday), and at (place name) has died (deceased's name), age (number), profession, who lived in (town name), was born in (town name), child of (father's name, profession, and hometown) and (mother's name, profession, and hometown), who was (single or married to spouse's name).

Note: The word celibe means an unmarried man, while nubile means an unmarried woman.

This testimony is confirmed by (name), age (number), (profession), and (name), age (number), (profession), both living in this town. All present attest to these facts and all declare them to be true.

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The same holds true for any vital record in any language. When you know what to expect to see and where to find it, you can harvest the important facts for your family tree.

Don't miss these companion articles:

• How to Read an Italian Birth Record REVISED
• How to Read Italian Marriage Records REVISED

How to Read an Italian Birth Record REVISED

In February 2017, I published an article called How to Read an Italian Birth Record. This update goes into far more detail.

The format of these birth records changed over time. This article divides Italian birth records into four phases, each spanning several years.

For each type of Italian birth record below, you'll find a simple version of the wording used. Then you'll see a more detailed version and an image highlighting certain key facts. This includes many Italian words and their English translations. The words in parentheses below are often handwritten while other phrases are pre-printed. The handwritten words are critical to your family tree. They include names, dates, places, ages, and professions.

Note that in some towns and in some years you may find a handwritten notation in the margin of a birth record. This may include the date of this child's marriage and the name of their spouse. Or it may state the date of the baby's baptism.

It's important to pay attention to who is presenting the baby. Who is coming to the town hall with a newborn? It's usually the father, but it may be a grandparent. Many times it's the midwife [levatrice] who delivered the baby.

Phase One Civil Birth Records, Circa 1809–1819

Simple version: On this date the following person appeared before the mayor to present a newborn baby. He states that the baby was born to his wife at this date and time, and they are giving this name to the baby. These people acted as witnesses.

Early Italian birth records, from about 1809 through 1819, include a bit less detail than in later years.

Detailed version: Today (day, month, year and hour) appearing before the mayor [Sindaco] of this town is (name, usually of the father of the newborn baby), of the profession (profession) of the age (number) living in this town at (place name).

This person presents a baby (bambino for a boy, bambina for a girl) who he declares to be his (son or daughter) by his legitimate wife [moglie] (baby's mother's name).

The baby was born on the day (day of the month) in the month of (month name) at the hour (hour of the day or night), and according to this person is named (baby's name).

What follows is a standard statement mentioning the names, ages, and professions of two witnesses. The mayor signs his name after a statement that he declares the above facts to be true. The father and the witnesses may be illiterate, so they will sign the document with a cross.

Sometimes these early birth records will include a small note in the margin with the date of the baby's baptism.

Phase Two Civil Birth Records, Circa 1820–1865

The next phase of birth records includes a second column to record the baptism of the baby. The main column now includes a bit more detail than before.

Simple version: On this date the following person appeared before the mayor to present a newborn baby. He states that the baby was born to his wife and to himself at this date and time. They are giving this name to the baby. These people acted as witnesses.

And in the second column (this will sound odd): On this date in this parish I declare that on this date I recorded the fact that on this date I baptized this baby.

Tip: If you see multiple dates in this column, the earliest one is the actual baptism date. A priest may be writing on the 5th that he recorded on the 4th that he baptized a baby on the 3rd!

From about 1820 through 1865, Italian birth records add more detail plus baptism information.

Detailed version: On this date (day, month, year and hour) appearing before the mayor [Sindaco] of (town name) is (name, usually of the father of the newborn baby), of the profession (profession) living in this town, and this person presents a baby (bambino for a boy, bambina for a girl) who he declares to be born to his legitimate wife [moglie] (her name) of the age (number) living in (usually "detto Comune" or "come sopra", both meaning "this town") and to himself of the age (either a number or "come sopra" meaning "as above"), of the profession (profession) living in (this town) on the day (number; this is the date of birth—often earlier than the date at the top of the document), at the hour (hour of the day of night) in the house (often it will say "di propia abitazione" meaning "his own house").

This same person states that he gives the baby the name of (baby's name).

What follows is a standard statement with the name, age, and profession of two witnesses. The mayor signs his name after a statement that he declares the above facts to be true. If the father or witnesses are illiterate, they will sign the document with a cross.

And in the second column: On this day and month in the parish of (church or town name) I state that on this day and month I made note that on this day and month of the current year I administered the sacrament of baptism to this child on this day and month.

I told you it was odd.

Phase Three Civil Birth Records, Circa 1866–1874

In this era, the birth records are completely handwritten. This is more of a challenge, but since you know the general format, you know which keywords to spot. You know where to look for the dates, names, ages, and professions.

These records offer one tremendous benefit. They tend to include the names of the baby's two grandfathers. That single fact can help you distinguish between people with the same name. Records after 1865 do not include baptism information.

Simple version: On this date and in this town the following person appeared before the mayor to present a newborn baby. He states that the baby was born at this date and time to himself and his wife in this town in this place. They are giving this name to the baby. These people acted as witnesses.

The handwritten documents from 1866 through 1874 are more challenging, but they have one advantage.

Detailed version: On this date in the city hall [Casa Comunale] there appeared before the mayor [Sindaco] (his name and sometimes the date he became mayor) this person (his name and his father's first name), of the age (number), profession (profession), living in this town, and he presented a baby of the sex ("maschile" for male or "femminile" for female) who he declared was born on this day, month, and hour to his wife [moglie] (her name, her father's first name, her age and sometimes her profession) in this town on (street or neighborhood name). To this child they give the name (baby's name).

This person made this declaration in the presence of these witnesses (their names, ages, and professions), and the mayor declares the information in this document to be true.

Phase Four Civil Birth Records, Circa 1875–1922

In all my ancestral hometowns, the available civil birth records end in 1915. There are a very small number of birth records on the Antenati website from as late as 1922.

Simple version: On this date the mayor of this town saw the following person. He declared that on this hour, day, and month, in his house to his wife a baby was born. They give this name to the baby. These people acted as witnesses.

The more modern Italian birth records, from about 1875 on, are the easiest to read.

Detailed version: On this date the mayor [Sindaco] (his name) of this town (town name) saw the following person (his name, age, and profession) living in (usually "questo Comune" meaning "this town"). He declared that on this hour, day, and month, in his house on (street name and house number) to his wife [moglie] (her name, age and possibly her profession) a baby was born of the sex ("maschile" for male or "femminile" for female). They give the baby this name (baby's name).

These people (their names, ages, professions) acted as witnesses to this presentation. The mayor declares the information in this document to be true.

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When you know what to expect to find on an Italian birth record, you'll know where to spot the details. These are the facts you need for your family tree.

Don't miss these companion articles:

• How to Read an Italian Death Record REVISED
• How to Read Italian Marriage Records REVISED

3 Steps to Take When Your Source Links Break

When you can't get to your favorite resource for your family tree anymore, there are 3 steps you need to take.

Tragedy strikes! An important resource changed its website URL. They broke 328 of my valuable source citation links. I noticed it one day when I tried to go to my bookmark for one of the resource's databases. It immediately redirected from my saved link to their new homepage link.

I didn't panic. I figured they're doing a website redesign. I've lived through countless redesigns as a website manager. I know things can go wrong and take time to fix. I went back two days later and saw that they had indeed broken all my links and changed the whole interface.

Why is this a problem? Because we need to be able to prove our genealogy work. We need source citations so anyone (including us) can find the original for themselves, (as I did in Italy once). Seeing is believing.

We need to tell them where it's held, which book to open, which page to turn to, and even which lines to read.

But the archives in the province of Benevento, Italy, home of 90% of my ancestors, broke my citation links. What do I do?

If this happens to you with any online resource, take the following 3 steps:

1. See if there's a pattern to the URL change. You can use this new pattern to update your old, broken links. I noticed there was a unique 4- or 5-digit number in common between a record's old URL and new URL. A search-and-replace within Family Tree Maker didn't work, so I had to make the edits one at a time. That was a lot better than having to redo a search for each person on the new-styled website.

2. If there is no image, capture a screenshot of the facts, or copy the text, and paste it into your family tree. I can copy and paste each record's text and the new URL and update the source citation. I wasn't capturing all this detail in the past, including the volume and record numbers, but I will now.

When I save a document image from Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc., I add details about the image to:

• the image's properties
• the image's details within Family Tree Maker
• the source citation.

My census images, for example, tell you:

• which line numbers to look at
• the town, city, and state
• the enumeration district and supervisor's district
• which image it is (e.g. image 210 of 389)
• the link to the record
• the standard citation info provided by the website.

With that level of detail, even if the image goes offline, someone could access this census sheet. Note that I include document numbers or page numbers if they exist.

If you have to fix a bunch of broken source citations, seize the moment! Make them better and more useful. Make them hold their value.

3. Search for the bright side. While updating my broken bookmarks for this website, I discovered a new database. I captured details on men from my ancestral towns who were born as late as 1941. That's huge! Birth records after 1915 aren't online unless a person married between 1931 and 1942.

Yes, this is an inconvenience for me. But I can appreciate how they wanted to update the website and shorten their clunky URL. It's possible a new team runs the website and they wanted it to look more professional.

What lesson can you learn from my tragedy? Prepare yourself for future broken links by capturing all the information. Imagine it's way in the future, and a young genealogist finds your family tree online. Those ancient links don't work anymore. But you've given them so much detail that they can track down the original record for themselves.

They're grateful that you were such a thoughtful, professional family tree builder.

But wait a moment. Did you say you haven't been very good about source citations? Then these links are for you, STAT!

• How to Fix Bad or Missing Source Citations
• Choosing and Using the Most Reliable Sources
• Add Consistency to Your Source Citations