Records in Contursi Terme

[misbris]

Hi All,

Just got back from a fabulous 3 week trip to Italy. The highlight was my visit to Contursi Terme, the birthplace of my grandparents. I would like to share the details of my visit to the Anagrafe office.

1. The civil records begin in 1868.( We can thank Napoleon for the existence of these records. Each comune and/or province may have records beginning in various dates in the 1800's) Previous years records are possibly in the local church. (Barring earthquakes, wars and other disasters)

2. Yearly record books are filed by year and indexed. So they are easily accessible. However, one must know the year of birth of the ancestor. Otherwise, there is no way to find a particular person. I knew my grandfather's date of birth, so he was easily found. I was lucky that my grandmother's birth info was listed in the marriage notations on my grandfather's record. That was the only way we were able to find her date of birth.

3. The original books could not be photocopied or photographed, but I was given access to view them and make notes. (The fact that I had my cousin with me made things much easier.)

4. Although I was not asked for ID, she asked me to reassure her that these were my grandparents. My cousin vouched for me and no other questions were asked.

5. She hand copied the records and refused to take any payment. I offered 10 Euros for coffee and she refused that also, saying she would take it next time I came to town.

6. Almost no one in town spoke English. It is not true that everyone learns it in school. I was lucky to have one cousin who had some knowledge of English and I had some comprehension of Italian.

7. From the moment we got to town, we were treated as though we had lived there forever. The greatest compliment I received was that I had the face of a Conturisana.


I have lots of info for others who want info about Contursi and other towns in the province of Salerno. Or about how to find your way to your town, I have been to Italy 5 or 6 times and I have to say this was my most successful and enjoyable visit.

MJ

[vj]

MJ
Thank you so much for telling us about your trip.
It sounded wonderful!
Valarie

[misbris]

Hi vj,

It was such a thrill to see the original records. They are so much clearer and easier to understand that the microfilm we all try to decipher! And even though all records are computerized now, the ledgers are still kept as a backup. Even my Italian cousins were impressed with how quickly the records were found.

After I organize the data I found, they promised to help tackle the church records for me.

MJ