I am applying for jus sanguinis dual citizenship through the Chicago consulate. I have all of the documents, translations, etc.
The Italian line through which I am applying is my Great-Great-Grandfather->Great-Grandfather->Grandfather->Father. My Great-Great-Grandfather was born in 1851 in Guinadi, Pontremoli.
At my appointment, the consular staff told me that my documents didn't prove that my Italian ancestor ever had Italian citizenship. (Apparently, post-Unification vital records would have mentioned alien status, but pre-Unification records did not.) They argue that if my Great-Great-Grandfather had been the child of, for example, Austrian aliens, he would not have been born a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and thus would not have acquired Italian citizenship at the time of Unification.
I need to prove that my Great-Great-Grandfather was a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany at the time of Unification. How can I do this? The Comune claims that they cannot issue a certificate of citizenship.
I assume military conscription records might be an option, as an alien shouldn't have been eligible for conscription (thus, if he faced conscription, he must have been a citizen). However, he left Italy for England sometime before his 25th birthday, so I don't know if he would have ever been conscripted. Also, how would I go about finding conscription records from the 1870s?
Is there anything else that might offer some hint as to his citizenship status?
Proving Tuscan Citizenship (pre-Unification)
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TerraLavoro
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Re: Proving Tuscan Citizenship (pre-Unification)
"They argue that if my Great-Great-Grandfather had been the child of, for example, Austrian aliens, he would not have been born a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and thus would not have acquired Italian citizenship at the time of Unification."
Well to counter that argument, try to find the baptism records of his parents. If they were born in Pontremoli or a nearby comune, then they wouldn't be "aliens"...Austrian or otherwise.
"Also, how would I go about finding conscription records from the 1870s?"
He should be in the draft lists for 1869, the year he turned 18. Have you contacted the provincial archive to see if he is listed there? I'm sure someone on the board here could help advise you on that.
As a general comment, what you actually need to prove is that he became an Italian citizen as of the date of Italian unification. (March 17, 1861) I don't think it will be possible to certify that someone was a "citizen" of a predecessor state, i.e. a subject of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Best of luck in your quest.
Well to counter that argument, try to find the baptism records of his parents. If they were born in Pontremoli or a nearby comune, then they wouldn't be "aliens"...Austrian or otherwise.
"Also, how would I go about finding conscription records from the 1870s?"
He should be in the draft lists for 1869, the year he turned 18. Have you contacted the provincial archive to see if he is listed there? I'm sure someone on the board here could help advise you on that.
As a general comment, what you actually need to prove is that he became an Italian citizen as of the date of Italian unification. (March 17, 1861) I don't think it will be possible to certify that someone was a "citizen" of a predecessor state, i.e. a subject of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Best of luck in your quest.
TerraLavoro
Re: Proving Tuscan Citizenship (pre-Unification)
"Well to counter that argument, try to find the baptism records of his parents. If they were born in Pontremoli or a nearby comune, then they wouldn't be "aliens"...Austrian or otherwise."
I have his father's (Angelo) death record, which shows his birthdate and birthplace (1807 in Guinadi). According to the consulate's logic, though, since jus soli never really applied, it doesn't prove anything. (If his parents had been aliens, then he would have been an alien, and thus my Great-Great-Grandfather (Pietro) wouldn't have become a citizen.) This seems overly pedantic to me, since I'm unlikely to be able to track down a civil registration of birth for Adam and Eve. I don't know how far I have to go. I can find documentary evidence of my Great-Great-Grandfather's Grandfather (Giovanni) living in Guinadi, but nothing of his birthplace. Unfortunately, it seems like none of this would matter to the consulate without a document that says "yep, this guy was Italian."
Bizarrely, they said that they would be willing to take a vital record, census, or immigration document from the UK (where my Great-Great-Grandfather emigrated to) that listed his nationality as "Italian." Unfortunately, none of the UK records listed nationality.
"He should be in the draft lists for 1869, the year he turned 18. Have you contacted the provincial archive to see if he is listed there? I'm sure someone on the board here could help advise you on that."
I e-mailed the State Archives of Massa-Carrara today to see what they might have available. It appears, from an index I was able to find online, that they have the Liste di Leva for Pontremoli for people born in 1853 (I fat-fingered the date in my original post--he was born in 1853, not 1851). I don't know if they can provide a certified copy or anything like that that the consulate might accept (or, even, if he would have appeared on the rolls; he may have left before his 18th birthday, although I think that is unlikely).
I have his father's (Angelo) death record, which shows his birthdate and birthplace (1807 in Guinadi). According to the consulate's logic, though, since jus soli never really applied, it doesn't prove anything. (If his parents had been aliens, then he would have been an alien, and thus my Great-Great-Grandfather (Pietro) wouldn't have become a citizen.) This seems overly pedantic to me, since I'm unlikely to be able to track down a civil registration of birth for Adam and Eve. I don't know how far I have to go. I can find documentary evidence of my Great-Great-Grandfather's Grandfather (Giovanni) living in Guinadi, but nothing of his birthplace. Unfortunately, it seems like none of this would matter to the consulate without a document that says "yep, this guy was Italian."
Bizarrely, they said that they would be willing to take a vital record, census, or immigration document from the UK (where my Great-Great-Grandfather emigrated to) that listed his nationality as "Italian." Unfortunately, none of the UK records listed nationality.
"He should be in the draft lists for 1869, the year he turned 18. Have you contacted the provincial archive to see if he is listed there? I'm sure someone on the board here could help advise you on that."
I e-mailed the State Archives of Massa-Carrara today to see what they might have available. It appears, from an index I was able to find online, that they have the Liste di Leva for Pontremoli for people born in 1853 (I fat-fingered the date in my original post--he was born in 1853, not 1851). I don't know if they can provide a certified copy or anything like that that the consulate might accept (or, even, if he would have appeared on the rolls; he may have left before his 18th birthday, although I think that is unlikely).