Vagaries of genealogy research

tjbrn · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:50 pm Post subject: Vagaries of genealogy research

Last month when Riccardo announced that he would be vacationing in Trapani, I mentioned that coincidentally one of the families that I was researching came from Trapani. Riccardo invited me to send the name and he would have his friend Rosario see what he could find. I was delighted to receive copies of two documents last week. The birth document supplemented information I had from an extract; however, the other document was truly serendipitous! It seems my great aunt wrote her mother with all of the details of her marriage, she may have actually sent her a copy of marriage certificate. Her mother was in Trapani where she dutifully had the information entered into the records in that comune as a transcription. So, I discovered where and when the marriage took place (St Anthony of Padua Church in Chester, PA 7 Feb 1921) from the documents maintained in Trapani! Who would have guessed? After some searching and several phone calls I managed to contact the church where St Anthony's records are now stored--it along with several parishes are now subsumed under another church. I had a pleasant conversation with the parish secretary and she promised to send me all of the documents on record for the family. One never knows where the next piece of the puzzle is hidden just waiting to be discovered!

Luca

tjbrn wrote:

... One never knows where the next piece of the puzzle is hidden just waiting to be discovered!

Quant'è vero!!! Potrei raccontarne dozzine di episodi come questo... è il bello della ricerca genealogica.

That's really so!!! I could tell you about dozen of similar stories... it's the fascination of the genealogical research.

Luca

tjbrn

In addition to the unlikely discovery of this marriage transcription the birth document yielded the name of child's grandmother as the child's father was not present to report the birth since he was away (he was a fisherman and out doing his job). The grandmother was 75, if I am translating the age properly. I am not certain but I believe that either the grandmother's husband or father is mentioned: fu Giuseppe = Giuseppe is deceased?

nuccia

Oh Tom..how amazing! Riccardo is awesome, isn't he? Will you post the documents here once you get them if you can? I love reading old records!

tjbrn

OK, Nuccia. Here they are.
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img384.imageshack.us/i...thswp3.jpg

img514.imageshack.us/i...riafq3.jpg

nuccia

Thanks Tom! kiss

Luca

tjbrn wrote:

...I am not certain but I believe that either the grandmother's husband or father is mentioned: fu Giuseppe = Giuseppe is deceased?

Where did you find "fu Giuseppe"? I think there is only a "Lombardo Giuseppe" as witness, but are not mentioned neither Leonarda's husband nor her father.

Luca

Luca

Sorry.
I cheked the third document and found it! You was right: Grillo Anna fu Giuseppe (daughter of the deceased Giuseppe).

Luca