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I Can’t Find My Ancestor
I know my ancestor came from Favale, but I can’t find him/ her in the database. What do I do now? Here are some reasons you might not be able to find your ancestor in the database:
1 - Your ancestor may still be living. Due to privacy laws, we are only able to show deceased people on the internet.
2 - We may not know your ancestor’s death date. When we do not have a death date, we assume the person might still be living. Due to privacy laws, we are only able to show people with death dates on the internet. Contact us with the information, including death date, of your ancestor and we will put him/ her in the database.
3 - Descendants of your ancestor may not have submitted information about your Favale connections. Our database grows as people, like yourself, submits information about their Favale connections. We would enjoy hearing from you and learning about your Favale ancestors. Please Contact Us.
4 - Your ancestor may have used his/ her middle name as his/ her first given name. Your ancestor’s name may have been Vittorio Carlo, but chose to take on only the given name Carlo.
5 - Your ancestor may be listed under an alternate spelling. Ancestors are listed in the database as it would have appeared on their birth or baptismal record. If the ancestor was born in Favale, they will be listed under the Italian or Latin spelling. If the ancestor was born in Latin America, they will be listed under a Spanish spelling. And, if the ancestor was born in the United States, they will be listed under an English spelling.
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Birth entry for Aloysius (Luigi) Cereghino - written in Latin |
Birth entry for Samuele Cereghino - written in Italian |
“Let me explain something about my research method. All names and surnames are written as they were found in the original baptismal records. Since the names in the acts may change from one record to another, the spelling from the baptismal record is used for consistency. That is, the name may be spelled one way in the birth record, and may change spelling or be abbreviated in the marriage or death acts. This may occur because the parish priest was not always consistent with the spelling, or one priest wrote the names one way and another changed the spelling. It may also occur that the records are written in Italian in one record, and in Latin or dialect in the others.
In most areas of Italy, before about 1839, the records are all written in Latin. Thus, names like Giovanni (John) in Italian, become Joannes or Johannes in Latin. Giuseppe becomes Josephus, Vincenzo becomes Vincentius, Bartolomeo becomes Bartholomeus, and so on. Female names change less in Latin, but Maddalena can become Magdalena, Orsola becomes Ursula and Margherita becomes Margarita.
The surnames too can change their spelling. You will note that your family name takes on many forms, and that almost every every parish priest wrote it differently. It goes from CEREGHINO to CIRIGHINO to CHIRIGHINIS to CIEREGHINO and CIEREGHINI. CEREGHINO is the Italian form and all others are Latin variations.
I did not Italianize the names or surnames as that is bad research. In this period the official document is the baptismal act, and the way the name is written is this act is how I have left it.”
–Trafford R. Cole, professional Italian genealogist, June 2002
Chart of Italian, Latin, Spanish and English given and surnames:
Italian Latin English Spanish
Andrea Andreas Andrew
Angelo Angelus Angel
Antonio Antonius Anthony, Tony
Agostino Augustinus August
Bartolomeo Bartholomeus Bartholomew
Carlo Carolus Carl, Karl, Charles Carlos
Cesare Caesar Charles
Ernesto Ernestus Ernest
Eugenio Eugenius Eugene, Gene
Giam Gian John Juan
Giovanni Joannes, Johannes John Juan
G.B. John Juan
Gio Batta John Juan
Giulio Julio
Giuseppe Josephus Joseph Jose, Pepe
Beppe(Giuseppe) Joseph Jose, Pepe
Luigi Aloysius Louis, Lewis
Nicolo Nicolaus Nicholas, Nick
Paolo Paul Pablo
Pietro Peter Pedro
Stefano Stephanus, Stephano Steven, Stephen Estevan
Umberto Bert
Teodoro Theodore
Here are some websites that might help is you do not find your ancestor’s name:
Behind The Name http://www.behindthename.com/
My BirthCare http://www.mybirthcare.com/favorites/pg1/Italian-names.asp
Babyhold http://www.babyhold.com/list/Italian_Baby_Names/
Italian Latin Variations
Barbagelata
Boitano Boitana, Boitani, Boitanis
Cereghino Cirighino, Chirighinis, Ciereghino, Ciereghini, Chirighinus, Chiereghinis
Consiglieri Consiliarij, Consiliarijs, Consigliario, Consiliari
Cordano Cordani
Ferretti Ferretto
Foppiano Foppiani, Fopiani
Pezzolo Pezolo, Pezzolis, Pezzoli
Segale Segalij
Serra
Stanghelino Stangilino, Stangellini, Stangellini, Stanghellini
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