Please help me to find my father in Italy!

[GirlInSA]

I am searching for my biological father in Italy, Umberto Mignozzi - I am not sure of the correct spelling. It could be Mignossi, or Mignosi, or another derivative.

I placed an advertisement in a prominent Venetian newspaper when I was about age 21-23 (Maybe in 1987). Shortly afterwards photographer came to my place of work and asked permission to take some photos of me. He took many. He said it was for a mural he was painting, but I knew my father had sent him because over lunch afterwards the conversation gently towards my father, but he did not admit it outright. In those days there were no cell phones or internet and I moved quite a few times since then, so if he had tried to reach me on my then land line phone number or address he would not have been able to have found me again.

Once internet came I tried a few things but no luck since then.

I am a white / Caucasian South African citizen of good upbringing and a professional makeup artist. I have been searching for my father on and off since I was 21, when I found out my late adopted father was not my biological father.

I was searching for him again when I was recently (2014 - 2016) in Serbia, My address in Serbia was Vidrenjacka broj 1, 36320 Tutin, Serbia. I contacted the Tutin Red Cross at that time to try to find him. I heard nothing back from them.

I do not have a photo of my father. I do not know if he is alive. I would love to meet him even just once. Even if he has passed away, I would somehow love to learn more information about him, even a photo would be enough. To meet his family would be wonderful. I would like to obtain my Italian citizenship if it is possible, because South Africa is a very dangerous and unsafe country to live in now and to find work here is not easy.

I do not speak Italian, only English and Afrikaans. I can easily communicate with someone who speaks Dutch because Afrikaans is very similar to Dutch. I speak, read and write a small amount of Serbian, but very basic.

My mother is still alive in Durban South Africa. She and my father communicated in German while she was in Venice, Italy, in 1965. I was born in 1966 in Durban, South Africa.

The following information is what my mother gave me about my biological father, U.M. ….

Umberto Mignosi /Minozzi , she is not sure of the spelling, born in Florence, Italy.From formerly Austrian district. Since1918 it was occupied by Italian troops. Trent 57m North of Verona.

My father grew up in Tyrol /Tirolo /Tirol, Switzerland. Tirol is either in Austria or (so called sud-tirol) in Italy, in Trentino Alto Adige region.

Umberto Mignosi worked and lived in Venice in 1965 when she met him and conceived me. Umberto said he was 28 in 1965 - born 1937 or a little before. This would make him approximately 80 now (2017). Umberto Mignosi was lodging with an elderly couple living in an alley near St Mark's Square, Venice, at that time when he met my mother, in 1965.

My father communicated with my mother in German. My mother understood 'finance' so she guessed accounting was his profession. My mother said he worked as accountant for some government or municipal department then, perhaps post office.

In 2015/16 an Italian acquaintance of mine in Italy said there is an Umberto Mignosi who worked in Veneto as judge at “Commissione tributaria” – tributary (fiscal) tribunal, who wrote a lot of books and articles in specialized tributary magazines, who then moved to Trento (so in the region where he was already) and continued his career, becoming a university professor. In 2015/16 I wrote an email to that university and they said they would forward my email. I heard no more from the university.

In 2015/16 my Italian acquaintance looked for Umberto Mignosi who fits the profile of my father. He wrote the following to me ……

“Mrs Teresa Mignosi ((https://www.facebook.com/people/Teresa- ... 7117337760) who could be approximately 40 to 50 years old, might possibly be his daughter?

Her profile fits also. She was born in Venezia and moved to Trento, studied at University of Trento (where Mr. Umberto is/was a professor) and in 2015/16 was working at Provincia di Trento (a public administration). She does not use her Facebook. I sent her two messages to contact me but there was no reply. Her posts were fairly outdated on Facebook.

On internet I found an Umberto Mignosi who lives in Trento (in Trentino / Alto Adige, the official name of the region); he wrote a book in 1990 on economics and he is a judge (and wrote an article on justice in 2012). Even if economics and jurisprudence aren't the same thing, I think he wrote both on economics and justice (it would be strange if there are 2 Umberto Mignosi in Trento, especially because Mignosi is a quite rare surname). There aren't biographic news on internet.”

Please assist me in any possible way you can to help find and pass on all information about me to him. If my father is found please ask him to pass on his email address for me. I can use Google Translate or an Italian friend to translate an email for him. Or his phone number and I could call him if he speaks English or Dutch. If he cannot find me, please ask him to register on this website:

The International Soundex Reunion Registry - http://www.isrr.net/

I am in the process of registering on the The International Soundex Reunion Registry website now which I only discovered today: This registering process will make me available to be found by my father if he registers on this website here: http://www.plumsite.com/isrr/

If there is some Italian or other international site or universal organisation where my father may have been able to register himself on in case he decided to search for me, in the hope that I might find his search for me there, where would I find that please?

Is there a way to find out if my father may have contacted the registrar of adoptions in Italy or Pretoria (South Africa) or any such institution at any stage of my life? I have sent them an email. I am waiting for a reply.
I have been trying to find him before it is too late. He is already elderly, maybe 80.

If he is already passed away I would love to have a photo of him. He has a grandson of 27. My mother said my father was not very tall, had dark hair, was charming and make lots of jokes. So I am sure he will be the same with me. I cry when I think of meeting him. Tell him I love him because he is my other half.


Yours sincerely

[mjclayton1]

GISA- Yours is an amazing story. I cannot help you, but I do hope you find your father - dead or alive. I did not meet three of my four grandparents and it took me two years to find two of them (Canada). The other died in 1937 in New Mexico, U.S. I think if you do DNA you might have some additional avenues to find your father. However, I think Italians don't do DNA all that much, so take this thought with a grain of salt.

Be sure to post here again if and when you find out anything more.

But of luck.

Mark

[PippoM]

It's not easy to help you...
However, I must say that if he was born in Firenze, it is more likely that his surname was Minozzi (though that would break down all the rest).
Mignosi is a mostly Sicilian surname.

[jennabet]

The following information is what my mother gave me about my biological father, U.M. ….

Umberto Mignosi /Minozzi , she is not sure of the spelling, born in Florence, Italy.From formerly Austrian district. Since1918 it was occupied by Italian troops. Trent 57m North of Verona.

My father grew up in Tyrol /Tirolo /Tirol, Switzerland. Tirol is either in Austria or (so called sud-tirol) in Italy, in Trentino Alto Adige region.

Sending a photographer to take pictures of you using the ruse that he was painting a mural does sound like a very Italian thing to do. Do you think it's possible that you did not hear from this man because he could tell from your photo that he was not your father? Also if you do find your father and it's true that his ancestors were from the former Austro-Hungarian empire, this is going to present a problem for you regarding Italian citizenship because Italy is no longer offering jures sanuines citizenship to descendants of Italians who originated from that region. There was a window of opportunity for them to be recognized but it has finally closed, after being extended a couple of times.

[suanj]

Hi,
I read with attention this topic, and I believe not all that your father has said could be no all true....
Born in Firenze, grew up in Tyrol, studying in Venezia, hosted by a couple of old people....

I know that in Venice was the surname MINOZZI/MENOZZI, maybe exist also currently, and second my opinion I think the first thing to do is to eliminate theories and thoughts and start over on a different basis.

Probably and I say "probably", he was not born in Florence, had not grown up in Tyrol, and was not studying finance and Accounting in Venice.
Probably he said these things to impress and let fall in love the girl. Maybe he was born in the Venice area and working in Venice town....

I believe that the search's focus is in Venice, to contact the Minozzi/Menozzi in the area and to ask abt a Umberto.
Without to say the true reason. If he really was in a house of a old couple, maybe he residing for many years in Venice, and if so, his name could be in the 1961 census.. but I don't know as to have access... It would be a very helpful source, maybe in the Venice Town Hall can say you some advice..... Also a search in the old phone directory (1965) and following years could be helpful... maybe they are in Venice library... ditto for the newspapers...

so here we cannot help, the basis of search is Venice, to search in Venice, because he was in Venice, so just a expert person on place can be helpful... So my advice is to start looking for Venice because Venice is the only place you can be sure he was there. What he said may not be true, but surely in 1965, he was in Venice.
Best regards,
suanj