Family history in Emilia Romagna/Parma

[Mickytom]

Just a quick note to say thanks, guys (especially Suanj!) for all your help. The copy of my grandfather's Ruolo arrived in this morning's mail from the Piacenza State Archive; it took just over two weeks to arrive from the date I mailed my request to them and cost 4 Euros, including postage.

I will shortly arrange a visit to one of the Mormon Family History Centres to explore my Italian heritage further.

Mike

[Gina501]

Hey Mike, can you please tell me what you received? It would be great if you could describe it. I am expecting mine in about a week.

[Mickytom]

Gina

Sure. It's an A3-sized sheet with a column down the left-hand side giving personal details, such as parentage, date and place of birth, physical characteristics (hair and eye colour, height, chest measurement and, would you believe, size of nose and chin!) and other details, such as occupation and whether the individual is able to read and write. The column on the right-hand side gives mainly the dates of different events relating to military service. The main central section gives more in-depth information about the individual's military service. From my nonno's Ruolo I have learned that the various stages of his draft took place in the autumn of 1915. He was then sent to the front early in 1916 to fight against the Austrians and was wounded in the right eye by a shard of hand-grenade (this I more or less knew already) in May 1916 and sent behind the lines to recuperate. Some of the Ruolo is a little indistinct, but I think it also states that he was awarded a war pension (again, this verifies family rumour) and subsequently declared unfit for further military service, apparently as late as 1920!

Hope you receive yours soon!

Mike

[Gina501]

Wow, Mike. Thanks so much! I can't believe it has all that! I am so excited to receive it. Thanks for all your help!

[Mickytom]

Hi guys.

It's been a while since I've posted on here, since when I've made substantial progress with my Italian family history research, thanks to both the Mormon Church and also the State Archive in Piacenza. For half of my family, I'm now just about back to before the start of civil registration in 1806, which is as far as I'm going to get, I think, as I understand that the parish records for the area are in a pretty poor state going back that far in time.

OK, my problem. Progress with my research via the Mormon Church has often been maddeningly slow, partly because I have often had to wait months in some cases for individual microfilms to arrive from the USA, partly because the microfilms are often virtually illegible when they do arrive and partly because I am only able to visit my local Family History Centre for a two-hour session each week. In order to try and speed matters up, some time ago I tried emailing the State Archive in Piacenza, and initially they were absolutely marvellous. They sent me the first few copy birth and marriage records by email, within a few days of my request, and free of charge. The second batch, a few months later, they also supplied very quickly, this time by mail, and at a cost of just a few Euros to cover photocopying and postage. HOWEVER, a third request for additional information a few weeks ago has resulted in what seems like a fairly terse response, advising me that they are not able to carry out private research, but that I am welcome to visit the Archive myself or employ someone to carry out research for me. In response to an additional query regarding Italian census returns, they have also told me that they do not hold these records, and have referred me to the Comune di Bettola, where my family resided.

I don't wish to appear ungrateful, but can anyone suggest a way around this problem? As I've already said, the Archive has previously been more than helpful and I know that maybe I should count myself lucky that I've been able to make as much progress as I have. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Mike

[PeterTimber]

and pray tell what would you have us say??=Peter=

[Mickytom]

Well, anything helpful would be a start!!!!!!

OK, I suppose in the first instance any suggestions/recommendations from anyone who may have employed a researcher in that area of Italy, so that I could possibly consider that as an option if I knew the potential costs. It very much looks as if the research I am able to do long-distance from here in the UK is slowly grinding to a halt, so I may be constrained to either employ someone to act on my behalf or arrange a visit to Piacenza myself. I am not averse to the latter idea, having visited several times in the past, but the Credit Crunch is biting deep and I'm not sure I can either afford it at the moment or justify the cost in the foreseeable future.

Mike

[daddymuzza]

Just a thought....have you tried the london gazette archives for references to your Cordanis

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/Home.a ... ype=London

I think the Cordanis i mentioned earlier in the thread do link to your family as i know that other familys in that census data (quattromini assirati pacini and massari) also had relatives who settled in Wales

[scordani]

My Italian grandfather (also a Cordani) emigrated from Italy to Wales and subsequently to England around the same time period as indicated in the original post. Too bad this thread is so old.

[lisacordani]

someone once posted a list of Cordanis entering Ellis Island - where I saw my great grandparents names - I can't find the link, nor the post anymore. If anyone can re-post or direct me, I'd appreciate it. As an aside, I know my family is still in the village of Cordani, Bettola, my dad visited his cousins and he passed away 20 years ago - I was never able to find his family contact information. My relatives that came through Ellis Island stayed in Little Italy in NYC and stayed in the general area, we're still around.