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A civil record unique to Italy is the stato di famiglia, or state of the family certificate. The comune keeps a record of each family and updates each change, including births, marriages, deaths, and emigration. All individuals in a household are included. Some households include more than one family. | A civil record unique to Italy is the stato di famiglia, or state of the family certificate. The comune keeps a record of each family and updates each change, including births, marriages, deaths, and emigration. All individuals in a household are included. Some households include more than one family. | ||
Historical states of the family [''stato di famiglia storico''] are kept at the provincial archive [ufficio dello stato civile]. These records document past generations of families. Not all areas have kept this record, but where they exist, they are a valuable research tool. | Historical states of the family [''stato di famiglia storico''] are kept at the provincial archive [ufficio dello stato civile]. These records document past generations of families. Not all areas have kept this record, but where they exist, they are a valuable research tool. | ||
=== Indexes to civil registration records === | |||
Births, marriages, and deaths were written in the civil registration records as they occurred and thus are arranged chronologically. Where available, indexes can help you find your ancestor more easily. | |||
'''Annual Indexes'''. Some years have an annual index. These indexes usually include dates, names of parents (including the mother’s maiden name), and the page number or record number of the entry. Many times the record was an entire page and the page number corresponded with the record number. In some indexes no number appears at all and you must use the date that is provided to find the record. | |||
In many areas during the earliest years of civil registration, records were indexed by the given names. Therefore, you must search every entry in the index to make sure you find every individual who had a certain surname. | |||
Eventually, however, indexes were alphabetized by surname. Women are always found in the indexes under their maiden names. | |||
'''Ten-year Indexes'''. Ten-year indexes [''indici decennali''] are common. They usually began the year when civil registration became the law and cover ten-year periods. Ten year indexes typically exist from 1866 to 1875, 1876 to 1885, 1886 to 1895, and 1896 to 1905. They include the date and register number but do not contain names of parents. | |||
Ten-year indexes are kept at the town level and are not separate records in the FamilySearch Catalog. They will be included with the records of the town they index and a note will be in the catalog entry reflecting that fact. | |||
== Finding Civil Registration Records == | == Finding Civil Registration Records == | ||