The Thrill of Original Records
Are you asking yourself, “How do I research my Italian ancestry?” “Where do I search for Italian genealogy? Maybe you’ve been fortunate enough come across a vital record for one of your Italian ancestors. It is so exciting when you find original records like these, but what do you do with it once you find it?
Figlio? Dagli? Morti? Nati?
The initial excitement may give way to desperation as you look at the document more closely. What do all these words mean? Maybe you can pick out some names, but who are they all? Luckily, understanding a few Italian words can help you glean quite a bit of information from the document. Let’s go over a few of them now.
Italian 101
bambino – baby
nato/nati – birth
morti – death
matrimonio - marriage
nome/nomi – name
figlio/figlia – son/daughter
anni – year/age
So if you see the phrase “Nicola Marrone, di anni venticinque…,figlio di Fedele Marrone” it roughly translates to Nicola Marrone age 25, son of Fedele Marrone.
Need More?
There many great tools out there to help you decipher these records. Google Translate may have its faults, but it can help you understand the meaning of basic words. There are also many word lists available online for numbers, days of the week and months of the year.
Here is a website for numbers…
And another for days of the week and months of the year.
Forms Translated!
To help even further FamilySearch Wiki has a section on Italian research that includes translation of birth, marriage, and death documents. Forms vary by region, year, and recorder so they will not be completely uniform. However, these translations can help you understand some of the typical language you will find in these records.
You’ve Got This!
With these basic tools you are well on your way to deciphering that Italian Civil Record you came across. Good luck and buona ricerca!
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