Italy Letter Writing Guide: Difference between revisions

'''Parishes.''' Most of the earliest church records date from the mid-1500s, and some were kept even earlier. The records may be stored in a local parish or a regional archive. You should request information from the local parish first. In your letter, ask where you can write to request records that are no longer stored locally.

'''Civil registration offices.''' Civil registration records begin in 1866 in most of Italy and as early as 1809 in some areas. In Switzerland they begin in 1876. They are generally kept at a local civil registration office (''Ufficio dello Stato Civile''), but older records are sometimes deposited in provincial or district archives. These records include birth, marriage, and death records as well as family certificates, known as stato di famiglia storico or stato di famiglia originario certificates. Write to local offices first. Registrars may be able to tell you where to write to obtain records they no longer have.

'''Archives.''' If the records you need have been deposited in an archive, you may ask the archivist to recommend a private researcher you can hire. Archivists usually do not have time to search records.

'''Genealogical societies.''' Genealogical societies usually collect genealogies, periodicals, and some original records from their area and recommend researchers you can hire to search local records.