Genealogy in Italy and Italian Family History: Surnames, Names, Birth, Matrimony, Death, Residency, Census: Documents on your Italian Ancestors

To search you family history you have to proceed back in time through generations.
This is a list of documents for your Italian genealogy starting from the newest. That is starting from the easiest documents to find (the documents of your grandparents or great-grandparents) back to documents on your most ancient ancestors.


Documents on your family To search you family history you have to proceed back in time through generations. This is a list of documents for your Italian genealogy starting from the newest. That is starting from the easiest documents to find (the documents of your grandparents or great-grandparents) back to documents on your most ancient ancestors.
*Civil Registration Records (1946-present) (Anagrafe* and Stato Civile)** These documents include: - birth records (atti di nascita) - marriage records (atti di matrimonio) - death records (atti di morte) - family status certificate (stato di famiglia) These documents can be found in the local level, and the access is sometimes limited due to privacy laws.
	Kingdom of Italy (1865–1946) When Italy became unified in 1860 with the name of Regno d'Italia the Italian government instituted an uniform administrative system. Few years latter, in 1866, begun the registration of civil vital records that extend to the present. These documents include: - birth records (atti di nascita) - marriage records (atti di matrimonio) - death records (atti di morte) These documents can be found in the local level, in the town in which your ancestors lived.
See some examples
Restoration (1815–1865) During this period there was no central government in Italy. Civil registation was kept by parish priests or other authorities in different ways from town to town and from region to region. Documents of this period can be found in State archives (Archivi di stato) and in Archives of the Parishes (Archivi parrocchiali).

Civil Registration Records (1804-1815) When Napoleon annexed large portions of Italy the French begun to keep civil records. These early Italian records of birth, marriage and death cover the years 1804-1815 and can be found in the Italian state archives (Archivi di stato)
*See some examples*
Church Registers (16th century . . .) In the year 1563 during Council of Trent the Catholic Church required priests to keep records of baptisms (battesimi), marriages (matrimoni), confirmations (cresime) and burials (sepolture). Since then churches recorded all acts relevant for genealogy. The parish archives store the baptisms, marriages, deaths and confirmations of the inhabitants of the parish. In some case the Registri Parrocchiali holds the census of the parish (status animarum) a very good resource for genalogy.