Trafford R. Cole

An excellent resource for understanding records from Italy. A must have if you have family roots in Italy.

The book, "Italian Genealogical Records, How to Use Italian Civil, Ecclesiastical, & Other Records in Family History Research", by Trafford R. Cole, Psy.D, is quite a large book and complete with 251 pages including the index.
PART l: Introduction to Italy and Italian Records
1. Introduction-page 3
a. Italian Genealogy-page 4
b. Italian Emigration- page 5
c. Historical Conditions Affecting Italian Genealogical Research- page 6
d. Where to Begin Italian Genealogy - page 8
2. History of Italy and show more Italian Record Sources- page 11
a. Italian History: The Ancient Period- page 11
b. The Middle Ages- page 12
c. The Renaissance to the Nineteenth Century- Page 14
d. The Unification of Italy- page 17
e. Kingdom of Italy- page 20
3. Meaning and Origin of Italian Surnames- page 25
a. Surnames From Personal Names- page 25
b. Surnames From Nicknames- page 26
c. Surnames From Ethnic or Geographical Origins- page 27
d. Surnames From Vocations- page 30
e. Using Surname Variation in Genealogical Research- page 32
4. Noble Families- page 35
a. History of Nobility and Noble Titles- page 35
b. Researching Nobility- page 39
PART ll: The Records
5. Civil Vital Records- page 49
a. State Civil Vital Records- page 53
b. Parish Civil Vital Records- page 68
6. Napoleonic Civil Records- page 75
a. Birth Records- page 75
b. Marriage Records- page 80
c. Death Records- page 94
7. Parish Records- page 99
a. Baptismal Records- page 102
b. Marriage Records- page 108
c. Death and Burial Records- page 115
d. Status Animarum Records- page 124
8. Alternative Ecclesiastical Records- page 131
a. Diocesan Records- page 131
b. Waldensian Records- page 137
c. Jewish Records- page 141
d. Greek Orthodox Records- page 142
9. Alternative Record Sources- page 145
a. Conscription and Military Records- page 145
b. Notary Records- page 152
c. Tax Assessment and Census Records- page 158
d. Passport and Emigration Records and Passenger Records- page 161
e. University Records- page 164
PART lll: Research
10. Research Procedures- page 173
a. Microfilm Records- page 173
b. Research in Italy- page 174
c. Performing Research- page 176
d. Recording the Data- page 181
e. Hiring a Professional Researcher- page 183
11. Research by Correspondence
a. Writing to Sources in Italy- page 187
b. Writing to the Parish Priest- page 193
c. Writing to the State Archives- page 199
12. Reading the records- page 201
a. Civil and Napoleonic Civil Records- page 201
b. Parish Records- page 210
c. Interpreting the Handwriting- page 217
Appendix A; Addresses of the Italian State Archives- page 223
Appendix B: Addresses of the Diocese Seats- page 227
Glossary of Italian terms- page 233
Bibliography- page 235
Index- page 239 show less

Recommended by Rich Venezia

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