Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy Genealogy

Italy

Trentino-Alto Adige

Trento Province

Guide to Trento Province ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

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Trento Province

Italy Online Genealogy Records

Online
Research Help

Most of your genealogical research for Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige will be in two main record types: civil registration (registri dello stato civile) and church records (registri ecclesiastici). This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.

History

Trento Province (Wikipedia)

City of Trento

In the 14th century, the region of Trento was part of Austria. The dukes of Austria were also the counts of Tyrol and dominated the region for six centuries . In the 16th century, Trento became notable for the Council of Trent which gave rise to the Counter-Reformation. The Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 ceded Trento to Bavaria, and the Treaty of Schönbrunn four years later gave it to Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy. The population staged armed resistance to French domination. With Napoleon's defeat in 1814, Trento was again annexed by the Austrians. Church government was finally extinguished, and Trento was henceforth governed by the secular administration of Tyrol.
During the late 19th century, Trento and Trieste, cities with ethnic Italian majorities still belonging to the Austrians, became icons of the Italian irredentist movement. After World War I, Trento and its Italian-speaking province, along with Bolzen and the part of Tyrol that stretched south of the Alpine watershed, were annexed by Italy.

Trento (Wikipedia)

Municipalities in Trento

Ala, Albiano, Aldeno, Altavalle, Altopiano della Vigolana, Amblar-Don, Andalo, Arco, Avio, Baselga di Pinè, Bedollo, Besenello, Bieno, Bleggio Superiore, Bocenago, Bondone, Borgo Chiese, Borgo Lares, Borgo Valsugana, Brentonico, Bresimo, Brez, Caderzone Terme, Cagnò, Calceranica al Lago, Caldes, Caldonazzo, Calliano, Campitello di Fassa, Campodenno, Canal San Bovo, Canazei, Capriana, Carano, Carisolo, Carzano, Castel Condino, Castel Ivano, Castelfondo, Castello Tesino, Castello-Molina di Fiemme, Castelnuovo, Cavalese, Cavareno, Cavedago, Cavedine, Cavizzana, Cembra Lisignago, Cimone, Cinte Tesino, Cis, Civezzano, Cles, Cloz, Comano Terme, Commezzadura, Contà, Croviana, Daiano, Dambel, Denno, Dimaro Folgarida, Drena, Dro, Faedo, Fai della Paganella, Fiavè, Fierozzo, Folgaria, Fondo, Fornace, Frassilongo, Garniga Terme, Giovo, Giustino, Grigno, Imer, Isera, Lavarone, Lavis, Ledro, Levico Terme, Livo, Lona-Lases, Luserna, Madruzzo, Malè, Malosco, Massimeno, Mazzin, Mezzana, Mezzano, Mezzocorona, Mezzolombardo, Moena, Molveno, Mori, Nago-Torbole, Nave San Rocco, Nogaredo, Nomi, Novaledo, Ospedaletto, Ossana, Palù del Fersina, Panchià, Peio, Pellizzano, Pelugo, Pergine Valsugana, Pieve di Bono-Prezzo, Pieve Tesino, Pinzolo, Pomarolo, Porte di Rendena, Pozza di Fassa, Predaia, Predazzo, Primiero San Martino di Castrozza, Rabbi, Revò, Riva del Garda, Romallo, Romeno, Roncegno Terme, Ronchi Valsugana, Ronzo-Chienis, Ronzone, Roverè della Luna, Rovereto, Ruffrè-Mendola, Rumo, Sagron Mis, Samone, San Lorenzo Dorsino, San Michele all'Adige, Sant'Orsola Terme, Sanzeno, Sarnonico, Scurelle, Segonzano, Sella Giudicarie, Sfruz, Soraga di Fassa, Sover, Spiazzo, Spormaggiore, Sporminore, Stenico, Storo, Strembo, Telve, Telve di Sopra, Tenna, Tenno, Terragnolo, Terzolas, Tesero, Tione di Trento, Ton, Torcegno, Trambileno, Tre Ville, Trento, Valdaone, Valfloriana, Vallarsa, Vallelaghi, Varena, Vermiglio, Vignola-Falesina, Vigo di Fassa, Villa Lagarina, Ville d'Anaunia, Volano, Zambana, Ziano di Fiemme.

Accessing the Records

Civil Registration (registri dello stato civile)

• Civil registration records (registri dello stato civile) are government records of births, marriages, and deaths.

• Dates: In southern Italy, registering births, marriages, and deaths began in 1809 (1820 in Trentino-Alto Adige). In central and northern Italy, civil registration began in 1866 (1871 in Veneto). After this date, virtually all individuals who lived in Italy were recorded.

• Contents: For detailed descriptions of the information you might find in each record, see Information recorded in civil registers.
  

• Language: The records were almost always kept in Italian, except for records kept during the rule of foreign powers such as France and Austria. In the northern regions, many records are in French and German. Some church records were transcribed into civil registration records in Latin.

• Accessing the records: Civil registration records were and are kept at the local registrar’s office (anagrafe) in each town or city. A copy of each record is sent to the tribunale (district court).
  

• Determining the locality: You must determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. Your ancestor may have lived in a village that belonged to a nearby larger town. Large cities may have many civil registration districts. You may need to use maps, gazetteers, and other geographic references to identify the place where your ancestor lived and the civil registration office that served that place. See Italy Maps and Italy Gazetteers for information on how to find civil registration offices.
  

• State of the Family (Stato di famiglia): 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.

• To learn more about Italian Civil Registration, read Italy Civil Registration.

1. Antenati (Ancestors Portal)

The State Archives hold many private and public sources that are essential to the genealogical research and the history of some families and persons. The main sources are:

• The Civil Registry, together with the attached 1-year and 10-year origin indexes
• Military service and army archives.
• Notary public archives.
• Family and personal archives.
• Nominal sources and sources for emigration.

Antenati is a direct portal to the state archives that have been digitized and indexed. Completion varies and works are in progress, so check back if necessary. A colored flag at the top left of the page indicates degree of completion. Antenati is a direct portal to the state archives that have been digitized and indexed. Completion varies and works are in progress, so check back if necessary A colored flag at the top left of the page indicates degree of completion.

• Find Your Italian Ancestors Online Through Portale degli Antenati Tutorial. Class Handout
• Browse the Archives
• Antenati Search Engines for all of Italy, by browsable registries or indexes (incomplete)
• FAQ

2. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration

• Trentino Birth Records 1815-1923

3. Microfilm or Digital Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Currently, the civil registration records of Trento have not been microfilmed. Go to the church records information below to see if there are church records, which often duplicate what would have been found in the civil records.

4. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates

If the records are not online or microfilmed, civil registration records in Italy can be obtained by writing to the local civil registry. Recent records are covered by privacy laws, so they are not released for microfilm or online. But relatives are allowed to request them for genealogy. Civil officials will generally answer correspondence in Italian. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to the tribunale or the provincia.

Address list for municipalities of Trento
Format of address for a local office: use this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses:

Sindaco

Comune di (name of the locality)

(Street address, if known)

(postal code) (city) (Province abbreviation:TN)

Italy

• Find the Italian postal code here.
  

Address for provincial office:

Ufficio dello Stato Civile

Provincia di Trentino-Alto Aldige/Südtirol

38100 Trento TN

Italy

After you have determined what office has jurisdiction over the records you need, write a brief request to the proper office. Write your request in Italian whenever possible. For writing your letter in Italian, use the translated questions and phrases in this Italy Letter Writing Guide. Send the following:

• Cashier’s check or international money order (in local currency) for the search fee. See How To Send Return Postage and Money.
• Full name and the sex of the person sought.
• Names of the parents, if known.
• Approximate date and place of the event.
• Your relationship to the person.
• Reason for the request (family history or medical).
• Request for a complete extract of the record

Church Records (registri ecclesiastici)

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records

For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched online:

• 1548-1937 Italy, Trento, Diocesi di Trento, Catholic Church Records, 1548-1937 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1548-1937 Italy, Diocese of Trento, Catholic Church Baptisms at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1567-1911 Italy, Diocese of Trento, Catholic Church Deaths at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1669-1923 Italy, Diocese of Trento, Catholic Church Marriages at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1773-1923 Registri ecclesiastici di Agrone (Trento), 1773-1923(*); Parrocchia di Agrone (Trento) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1850-1923 Registri ecclesiastici di Ville di Giovo (Trento), 1850-1923(*); Parrocchia di Ville di Giovo (Trento) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1900-1923 Registri ecclesiastici di Agnedo (Trento), 1900-1923(*); Parrocchia di Agnedo (Trento) at FamilySearch Catalog - images

"Battesimi" are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. "Matrimoni" are marriages. "Morti" are deaths.

2. Digital Online and Microfilm Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

To find a microfilmed or digitized record through FamilySearch:

a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Italy, Trento.

b. Click on "Places within Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trento" and a list of towns and cities will open.

c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.

d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.

f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. . Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records

Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Italy.This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.

Write a brief request in Italian to the proper church using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:

Reverendo Parroco

(Street address, if known: consult The Catholic Directory)

(Postal code) (City) (Province abbreviation:TN)

ITALY

• Find the Italian postal code here.

Write your request in Italian whenever possible. For writing your letter in Italian, use the translated questions and phrases in this Italy Letter Writing Guide. When requesting information, send the following:

• Cashier’s check or international money order (in local currency) for the search fee. See How To Send Return Postage and Money.
• Full name and the sex of the person sought.
• Names of the parents, if known.
• Approximate date and place of the event.
• Your relationship to the person.
• Reason for the request (family history or medical).
• Request for a complete extract of the record

Military Records

• 1790-1886 Italy, Torino, Torino, Military Conscriptions (Comune), 1790-1886 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images

Understanding the Records

Civil Registration (registri dello stato civile)

• Civil registration records (registri dello stato civile) are government records of births, marriages, and deaths.

• Dates: In southern Italy, registering births, marriages, and deaths began in 1809 (1820 in Sicily). In central and northern Italy, civil registration began in 1866 (1871 in Veneto). After this date, virtually all individuals who lived in Italy were recorded.

• Contents: For detailed descriptions of the information you might find in each record, see Information recorded in civil registers.
  

• Language: The records were almost always kept in Italian, except for records kept during the rule of foreign powers such as France and Austria. In the northern regions, many records are in French and German. Some church records were transcribed into civil registration records in Latin.

• Accessing the records: Civil registration records were and are kept at the local registrar’s office (anagrafe) in each town or city. A copy of each record is sent to the tribunale (district court).
  

• Determining the locality: You must determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. Your ancestor may have lived in a village that belonged to a nearby larger town. Large cities may have many civil registration districts. You may need to use maps, gazetteers, and other geographic references to identify the place where your ancestor lived and the civil registration office that served that place. See Italy Maps and Italy Gazetteers for information on how to find civil registration offices.
  

• State of the Family (Stato di famiglia): 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.

• To learn more about Italian Civil Registration, read Italy Civil Registration.

Church Records (registri ecclesiastici)

• Church records (registri ecclesiastici) are vital records kept by priests and are often called parish registers or church books. They include records of christenings (baptisms), marriages, and deaths (burials). In addition, church records may include confirmations, first communions, and church census records. The Roman Catholic Church is traditionally recognized as the state church because most Italians are Roman Catholic. Nearly every person who lived in Italy was recorded in a church record during the last 200 to 300 years.
  

• Church records are crucial for research before the civil government started keeping vital records, which began about 1809 to 1820, and in some provinces, 1866 or 1871. After that, church records continued to be kept but often contain less information. It can be helpful to search both types of records, particularly if your ancestors' information seems to be missing from one or the other. Of course, in some cases you will find only church records online for a locality, which are therefore more accessible than writing for civil registration. However, they usually contain fewer details.

• To learn more about church records, see Italy Church Records.

Reading the Records

• You do not have to be fluent in Italian to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Italian Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. If you find that the records are written in German, French, or Latin, click on that language link in this sentence.

• Online resources are available to help you learn to read these records:

• Italian Script Tutorial
• Italy Civil Birth Record: Translation (image)
• Italian Marriage Document Translations
• Italian Civil Death Document Translation

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