Italy Civil Registration

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Civil Registration

Online Records

• 1820-1865 Italy, Agrigento, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1865, 1911-1943 Italy, L'Aquila, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1865, 1911-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1314-1934 Italy, Arezzo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1314-1934 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1740-1880, 1915-1919 Italy, Ascoli Piceno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1740-1880, 1915-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1803-1814, 1911-1935 Italy, Asti, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1803-1814, 1911-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1947 Italy, Avellino, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1908 Italy, Bari, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1908 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images.
• 1806-1815 Italy, Belluno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — images.
• 1810-1942 Italy, Benevento, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1810-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1929-1954 Italy, Bergamo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1901 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1797-1943 Italy, Brescia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1797-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1820-1935 Italy, Caltanissetta, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1918 Italy, Campobasso, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1866 Italy, Caserta, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1820-1900 Italy, Catania, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1900 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1865 Italy, Catanzaro, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1930 Italy, Chieti, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1815, 1850-1927 Italy, Como, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815, 1850-1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1744-1942 Italy, Cremona, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1744-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1795-1915 Italy, Cuneo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1795-1915 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1866-1944 Italy, Enna, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1944 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1800-1815, 1866-1930 Italy, Forlì-Cesena, Forlì, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1800-1815, 1866-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1796-1812, 1838-1859, 1866-1899 Italy, Genova, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1796-1812, 1838-1859, 1866-1899 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1866-1942 Italy, Grosseto, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1785-1904 Italy, Imperia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1785-1904 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1805-1910 Italy, Imperia, San Remo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1805-1910 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1913 Italy, Imperia, Ventimiglia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1913 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1914 Italy, Isernia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1914 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1867-1946 Italy, Latina, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1867-1946 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1807-1814 Italy, Lucca, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1807-1814 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1808-1814 Italy, Macerata, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1808-1814 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1496-1906 Italy, Mantova, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1496-1906 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1925 Italy, Matera, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — images
• 1820-1865 Italy, Messina, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — images
• 1806-1942 Italy, Modena, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — images
• 1809-1865 Italy, Napoli, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1621-1936 Italy, Padova, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1621-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1820-1947 Italy, Palermo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1808-1815, 1841-1865, 1890-1908 Italy, Pesaro e Urbino, Fano, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1808-1815, 1841-1865, 1890-1908 - How to Use this Collection; at FamilySearch and at Antenati — index and images
• 1808-1813, 1861-1865 Italy, Pesaro e Urbino, Pesaro, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1808-1813, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1866-1942 Italy, Pesaro e Urbino, Urbino, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1929 Italy, Pescara, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1929 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1697-1923 Italy, Potenza, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1697-1923 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1866-1923 Italy, Prato, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1866-1923 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1900-1940 Italy, Ragusa, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1900-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1784-1943 Italy, Reggio Calabria, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1784-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1769-1944 Italy, Reggio Emilia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1769-1944 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1840-1945 Italy, Rieti, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1840-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1863-1930 Italy, Roma, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1863-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1949 Italy, Salerno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1949 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1813, 1838-1936 Italy, Savona, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1813, 1838-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1780-1865 Italy, La Spezia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1780-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1809-1926 Italy, Taranto, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1926 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1866-1940 Italy, Teramo, Teramo, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1861-1921 Italy, Terni, Civil Registration, 1861-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1802-1816 Italy, Torino, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1802-1816 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1802-1816 Italy, Toscana, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1804-1874 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1906-1928 Italy, Trapani, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1906-1928 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1815 Italy, Treviso, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1924-1944 Italy, Trieste, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1924-1944 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1815, 1871-1911 Italy, Udine, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815, 1871-1911 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1814, 1838-1899 Italy, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Verbania, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1814, 1838-1899 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1806-1817 Italy, Venezia, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1817 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1630-1942 Italy, Verona, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1630-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1871-1942 Italy, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1871-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images
• 1870-1943 Italy, Italy, Viterbo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1870-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; and at Antenati — index and images

Civil Registration

Civil registration records are the vital records made by the government. Records of births, marriages, and deaths are commonly referred to as vital records because they refer to vital events in a person’s life. Civil registration records [registri dello stato civile] are an excellent source for accurate information on names as well as dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. In addition, civil registration may include documents required for marriage, miscellaneous records (such as stillbirths), deaths occurring in other cities or countries, and legitimations or parental acknowledgments [ricognizioni].

Because they cover most of the population and because they are usually indexed and mostly accessible, civil registration records are one of the most important sources for genealogical research in Italy.

For birth, death, and marriage records before 1809 or 1820, see "Church Records".

Italy Genealogy Research Using the Wiki - Video Series

• Italy Research With the Wiki Part 3 of 13: Finding a Birth Certificate Online: Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki to locate online Italian birth certificates. How to translate the certificate using tools in the wiki.
• Italy Research With the Wiki Part 4 of 13: Finding a Marriage Certificate Online: Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki to locate and translate marriage certificates in the records of Italy.
• Italy Research With the Wiki Part 5 of 13: Finding a Death Certificate Online: Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki to locate and translate death certificates in the records of Italy.
• Italy Research With the Wiki Part 6 of 13: Writing for a Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate: How to use the Italy Letter Writing Guide in the FamilySearch Research Wiki to write to a civil registrar in Italy and order a birth, marriage, or death certificate.

Finding Civil Registration Records

Civil registration records were and are kept at the local registrar’s office [anagrafe] in each town or city. Therefore, 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.

A copy of each record is sent to the procura della repubblica—which is similar to a district court in the United States—in the provincial capital. Because the civil records are legal documents and needed for government purposes, such as military draft, the duplicate is held by the tribunale (district court).

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.

In addition to the town, you need to know at least an approximate year in which the birth, marriage, or death occurred. Annual indexes are usually found in each town’s civil registration.

Many of the State Archive record collections are available on FamilySearch as well as at the Antenati (Ancestors) Portal, operated by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.

Antenati (Ancestors Portal)

• Find Your Italian Ancestors Online Through Portale degli Antenati Tutorial. Class Handout
• Antenati Search Engines by browsable registries or indexes (incomplete)
  • Browse the Archives
  • FAQ
  • Tools
  • Status of indexing projects by province
    

The Antenati portal, presented by the General Directorate of Archives and curated by the Central Institute for Archives, was created with the aim of making available on the web the enormous heritage of civil status records preserved in our state archives.

Records at the FamilySearch Library

The FamilySearch Library has microfilmed the civil registration records of hundreds of towns and provinces up to 1866 and many towns up to 1910. Most of these records are from the central and southern area of Italy, but many records are also available from the northern regions.

To find out what records the library has, look in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog The library also has many online collections listed in the catalog that are not microfilmed, but only available in digital form.

ITALY, [PROVINCE], [TOWN] - CIVIL REGISTRATION

The library’s collection continues to grow as new records are microfilmed and added to the collection. Do not give up if records are not yet available. The FamilySearch Catalog is updated regularly, so check it yearly for the records you need.

The FamilySearch Library has records from many towns and provinces. However, the library does not have records that have been destroyed, were never kept, were not available in the registrar’s office at the time of microfilming, were not microfilmed, or are restricted from public access by Italian law. The library does not issue certificates for living or deceased individuals.

The FamilySearch Library has few provincial and statewide collections. The library does have one large regional record for Toscana. This collection includes approximately 250 communities and their frazioni (hamlets). The records are arranged by year and are, for the most part, in alphabetical order by the name of each town. Most records include the years from 1809 to 1865. To find this collection, look in the Author Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

TOSCANA (REGIONE). UFFICIO DELLO STATO CIVILE

Or, look in the Place Search under:

ITALY, TOSCANA - CIVIL REGISTRATION (Fill in the search boxes, "Toscana", part of "Italy")

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.

Links to provinces and municipal ities

Format for address for 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

Years of Coverage

In southern Italy, civil authorities began registering births, marriages, and deaths 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.

Napoleonic Records (1806–1815)

The earliest vital records in Italy were kept by the churches. In 1806 Napoleon, Emperor of France, annexed large parts of Italy, including Roma, Venice, and the Piemonte region. He also initiated civil record keeping at that time. As he gained control of most of Italy, he enforced new laws that required local civil registration.

Papal States. In the area formerly known as the Papal States (which included from what is now Lazio (Latium), Umbria, Marche, and estern Emilia-Romagna) Napoleonic records cover the period of 1810 to 1814.

Veneto and Lombardia. Napoleonic records began about 1806 and ended in 1814 or 1815.

Piemonte. Napoleonic records cover 1804 to 1814.

These records do not exist for areas that Napoleon never ruled such as Sardinia, South Tyrol, and Sicily.

Later Records (1815–Present)

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, many areas discontinued civil registration.

Regno di Napoli (comprising most of southern Italy from Napoli and Campania down to Calabria and Puglia), Toscana, and the Abruzzo region. These areas continued to keep civil registration records after Napoleon’s defeat.

Ducato di Savoia. This area in Piemonte began keeping records again in 1839.

In Trento- Alto-Adige parish priests took over the civil registration.

Sicilia. The island of Sicilia began civil registration in 1820 using a format nearly identical to the Napoleonic records.

Information Recorded in Civil Registers

Birth, marriage, and death records are the most important civil registration records for Italian research. Most of these records retained the basic format introduced by Napoleon in the early 1800s. The registers are divided into separate volumes for each year. Records kept in the south used standardized forms. Many records in the north are handwritten, although they contain basically the same information. 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, and given names were often written in the "ruling" language even though the person’s name was Italian. For example, Giuseppina Bertaldo may have been recorded as Josephine Bertaldo. Some church records were transcribed into civil registration records. This transcription usually happened to meet documentation requirements for marriages [processetti or allegati]. Transcribed church records are in Latin, and each volume is usually indexed.

Part II (Parte II) Registrations

Beginning in the period from 1866 to 18671 a Part II (Parte II) section was added to Italian civil registration. These records are transcripts made by civil registration officials of documents issued by other Italian municipalities or by competent authorities abroad (embassies, consulates, churches, etc.) regarding expatriates or citizens residing on other municipalities. Deaths which occurred in hospitals are also recorded in this section. These records are recorded in the volume which was in use when the information was received. Therefore, it can contain civil registration information years after the event took place. For example, Maschio Gabriele was baptized in Budapest, Hungary, on 6 June 1881. This fact was later transmitted to authorities in his parent's home municipality of Vazzola in the province of Treviso, where his birth was recorded in the Part II section on 31 March 1899. The transcribed documents are then saved in the allegati folder related to the year of the registration. So, if a birth record from Budapest was created in 1890, recorded in Italy in 1895, the birth certificate coming from Budapest would then be saved in the 1895 birth allegati.

Births [nati/nascite]

Birth records generally give the child’s name, sex, birth date, and birthplace, and the parents’ names. Many of the early records and all of the later records provide additional details, including the parents’ birthplaces, ages, and occupations and the mother’s maiden name. The baptism date is usually included with the civil birth record.

Births were generally registered within a day or two of the child’s birth, usually by the father of the family or by the attending midwife. Corrections to a birth record may have been added as a marginal note. In later records, marginal notes are frequently found, providing marriage and death information.

See a translation of a pre-1865 printed civil birth record.

See a translation of a post-1875 printed civil birth record.

Marriages [matrimoni]

After 1809 Napoleonic law required that the marriage ceremony be performed first by a civil authority and then, if desired, by a church authority. It was then recorded in the civil records. At first, some people resisted this law and had their marriages performed by church authority only. Later when it became legally necessary for their children to be recognized as legitimate, a civil ceremony was performed. In rare cases, you may find a marriage record for a couple in their 50s who were actually married 30 years earlier. In most cases you may find marriages recorded in both civil and church records.

Marriages were usually performed and recorded where the bride lived. In some provinces, these records date from 1809 or from 1820. The early civil marriage records may include more information than the church records. When available, search both the civil and church records of marriage. If you believe a marriage took place but cannot find a record of the marriage, search records of intent to marry. For more information see Italian Marriage Records More Than You Think.

Marriage Banns [pubblicazioni, notificazioni, memorandum]. You may find records that show a couple’s intent to marry in addition to or instead of actual marriage records. The following are various records that may have been created to show a couple’s intent to marry.

Proclamation, allegations, or banns [notificazioni, pubblicazioni, memorandum].These notifications were made a few weeks before a couple planned to marry. The couple may have been required to announce their intended marriage to give other community members the opportunity to raise any objections to the marriage. If one member of the bridal party lived elsewhere, banns were posted in that community also. If you know that a marriage took place but cannot find it in the marriage records of the community, search the marriage banns. It may be posted there and lead you to the community where the marriage actually took place.

Supporting documents [processetti or allegati]. These documents were often filed by the bride and groom in support of their intent or "solemn promise" to marry. Records proving their births and their parents’ births and deaths and sometimes documentation on earlier generations may be included. The names of former spouses and their death dates are also provided.

Marriage Documentation

You may find the following records that document the legal completion of the marriage.

Certificates [certificati]. The individual who performed the ceremony or the civil office where the ceremony was recorded may have given the couple a certificate of marriage. This may be in the possession of the family, and the civil registrar may have copies. Usually, however, when writing for information and requesting a certificate, you will receive only a transcription of the most pertinent information. Extracts [estratti] will give you the complete information.

Marriage registers [registri dei matrimoni]. Civil officials recorded the marriages they performed in registers, usually preprinted forms bound in a book and kept in the civil office.

Marriage registers give the date of the marriage and the names of the bride and groom. They also indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed and give the names of witnesses. They often include other information about the bride and groom, such as age, birthplace, residence, occupation, name of person giving consent, and names of parents. In cases of second and later marriages, the marriage registers may include the names of previous spouses and their death dates. The registers usually include the date of the church ceremony.

There are two types of printed forms found when researching Italian civil marriages. The first is a "solemn promise" to marry - a document created when a couple appeared at the city offices and promised they would marry one another (the banns had already been posted by this time). This document is usually found in pre-unification records (1866-1871). The second is a post-unification record and is the actual marriage document. See translations of these pre-printed forms.

Divorce Records

Before 1970 divorces were illegal in Italy. Divorce records are not open to the public. The FamilySearch Library does not have any Italian divorce records.

Deaths [morte/morti]

Death records are especially helpful because they may provide important information about a person’s birth, spouse, and parents.

Deaths were usually registered within a day of the death in the town or city where the person died. Early death records generally give the person’s name and death date and place. After about 1815, death registers usually include the age, place of birth, residence or street address, occupation, burial information, and the informant’s name (often a relative). They usually provide the names of spouses and parents and whether or not they were still living. Information about the deceased’s parents, birth date, and birthplace may be inaccurate since the informant may not have had the correct information.

In early records, stillbirths were recorded in separate registers entitled nati morti or were included in the atti diversi. They were not recorded in either the birth or death records. Eventually, stillbirths were included with the birth records with a note that the baby was born dead. If an infant died within hours after birth, separate birth and death records should both be found.

See a translation of a pre-1865 printed civil death record.

See a translation of a post-1875 printed civil death record.

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. Some municipalities cease to document a family after its emigration, whether to another Italian community to another country. In some cases, the partial documentation of an emigré family is destroyed upon notice of emigration.

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 localities have kept the Stato di Famiglia Storico records, 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 given names, or by the first letter of 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. Also, marriage records are often indexed only by the groom's given name or surname.

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.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.