Progen -- Month 4, Part 4 (Research Plan-- Italian Great-grandfather)

I have been posting my research plan for finding the birth date for my Italian great-grandfather, Pasquale Ursino, in a series (it is quite long).  To see the previous posts click here, here, and here.

Here is the fourth and final installment:

Future Research

1. Find Pasquale Ursino’s birth record in the civil records microfilms for Catania, Sicily, Italy.

Now that I have an actual date of birth, I can order six microfilms to find his birth record. I still don’t know the section of Catania he was born in, so I have no choice but to order all six; but I now have a definite year. I will order microfilms containing birth records that include the year 1863: film numbers 1339640, 1339694, 1339767, 1339770, 1339773, 1338981.

a. When I find the birth record for Pasquale Ursino, I will probably learn the age of his parents at his birth, which will help me find their records as well. I would want to find their birth, marriage, and death records.

b. Any new information would be added to the family group record with the appropriate citations included.

2. Find the birth records of Pasquale’s brothers and sisters.

I will search birth records before and after Pasquale’s birth to find any siblings. All information will be added to the family group record with citations.

3. Search for any death records for the siblings and parents.

4. Find the marriage records for Pasquale’s parents.

Finding the oldest sibling for Pasquale will help narrow down the year of marriage for the parents. Marriage records from Catania are available in the LDS Family History Library Catalogue. The appropriate years spanned will be ordered. If I cannot find the marriage record in the years before the birth of the oldest child, I will search later years and nearby towns.

a. All the information will be recorded on the family group record with appropriate citations.

b. The marriage record may include a list of documents submitted to the town hall personnel at the time of the wedding. I will look to see if there are any “Processetti” or “Allegati” available in the Family History Library Catalogue. I will order the microfilm.

c. The “allegati,” or supplemental records, may include handwritten copies from the civil and church records (note: I may be able to search a specific church’s records, too, with this information). The “allegati” records usually have information regarding the births of the bride and groom and their parents, and could also include information about the bride’s grandparents and great-grandparents (paternal line), as well as the marriage banns, and a handwritten copy of the marriage record.

“Allegati” or “supplemental” marriage records are a vital source of information for Italian genealogy research. If one is lucky, they are easy to read! (Note: Besides contending with handwriting issues, any supplemental church records included in the marriage record will be in Latin.)

More Future Plans

I intend to search for the two wives who left Pasquale widowed and any children from each marriage. I also wish to find all the details for the children he had with my great-grandmother, Francesca Scuderi. When I research my grandmother’s siblings, I will also search for the three half-siblings truly fathered by Pietro Napoli. I am particularly interested in my grandmother’s half-brother who died during WWI while trying to save another man’s life.

Progen -- Month 4, Part 3 (Research Plan-- Italian Great-grandfather)

This is a continuation of a previous post.  I had just described the first step I took in finding the birth date of my great-grandfather, Pasquale Ursino, from Catania, Italy.  Below, I start with the second step...

2) Search for Pasquale’s birth date in the military records for Catania.

It is easier to search the military records first rather than the civil birth records. The city of Catania is divided into six sections of the city for civil records for the time period of interest, and I had no idea what area of the city pertained to Pasquale. Furthermore, the cutoff dates for some of the films straddle 1862-1864, which meant I would not only have to order all six sections of the city, I would have to order the films ending or starting in 1863 or 1864. Remember that years are often rounded in records depending on the month of birth and/or death.

a. On the online familysearch.org catalogue site, I searched for Catania, Italy, where Pasquale Ursino was born.

b. I found the film number 1962396 for the military “Liste di Leva” records for 1856-1869.

c. I drove to my local Family History Center and ordered the microfilm. It took about 3 weeks to arrive.

d. I searched the records until I found my great-grandfather.

The military record on microfilm said Pasquale Ursino was born in Catania on 10 April, 1863. His parents were Orazio Ursino and Maria Stabile. The record said his occupation was “ortolano” which refers to his orange groves, but it was later crossed out along with the entire record. There was a note that said he was now “marinaio” and that he was “inserito marittimo al numero 3443.” In other words, his draft placed him in the Navy, and he served as a sailor.

Now I know that at age 20, in 1883, my great-grandfather served his country. He would likely have finished his duty by age 22 and returned to his orange groves. Most military requirements were completed in 1-2 years, depending on the branch of service (the Navy required longer service).

One note about Pasquale’s birth date – Easter Day was on April 5th, 1863. The military record said his birth date was 10 April, 1863. This is not surprising. My grandmother could still be right that he was born on Easter Day because children were often born at home, and the birth dates on birth certificates were usually the dates that the child was declared at the town hall. Many of my relatives have incorrect birth dates on their birth certificates because of this reason.

e. The military record was scanned, and I also took a picture of it with my camera. The pictures often come out better with my camera than the microfilm scanner.

f. On the family group record I wrote:

a. Pasquale Ursino’s birth information.

b. Source information (city, film number, volume, years covered, and page number).

The pictures below show the military record for Pasquale Ursino. The number 3445 tells us there is information in a Navy record book and that his record number is 3445. To date, I do not know how to find this record or where it would be available. The LDS library does not have naval records on microfilm. This may be another item to search for on location in Sicily.

Pasquale Ursino: Parents are Orazio Ursino and Maria Stabile.  The birth date is 10 April, 1863.  He was born in Catania and works in the orchards (this is crossed out and below it says he is a sailor).  On the next page, it says he entered the navy, and it gives the record number to be found in what I presume is a Naval Register.

 

Progen -- Month 4, Part 2 (Research Plan-- Italian Great-grandfather)

This is a continuation of my first post. 

Research Plan (cont.)

Research Process for Finding the Birth Date of Pasquale Ursino


1) Find Pasquale Ursino’s death record.

Normally, I would seek the birth record first if I have an idea of the ancestor’s age. If a census is available, I would search the ancestor there first to get a year of birth and then look for the birth certificate. In Catania, Italy, for this time period, this is not a possible method. Since Pasquale Ursino is male, the best place to search first is the military draft records. Starting with the year 1840, all males had to present themselves for possible military duty at age 20. The records are organized by year of birth. However, I had no idea what year Pasquale may have been born. My grandmother was the youngest child, and he was “old” for being a father. We did know that he died by accident; he was crossing the train tracks, when a stopped train suddenly rolled backward and hit his head. Different family sources had his age as anywhere between 80 and 92 years at death.

There are many records for the city of Catania, Sicily, available through the LDS Family History Library; however, one may have to request certain records in person, on location, or write a letter to the vital records department of the city of interest. This past summer, my mother went to Sicily to visit her siblings, and together they went to the “anagrafa” of Catania. At first, the vital records clerk was unable to find a death record for Pasquale Ursino. During their discussions, the circumstances of Pasquale’s accidental death on the train tracks were discussed, and the clerk suddenly understood the problem. Apparently, Catania has two sets of death records – “natural death” and “death by accident.” When they searched for Pasquale in the accident book, they found him. Pasquale died on 28 February, 1944, at age 80. The father listed was Orazio Ursino and the mother was Maria Stabile. My mother knew that Pasquale’s father was named Orazio so, between this information and the verified accident information, she felt sure this was the right Pasquale – her grandfather. She was also told where he was buried – the Cemetery of Catania, at the “deposito” on B/ 14 camp. 4 -- Fila 10 -- Number 18.

Pasquale Ursino’s epitaph had his age but no birth date. Pasquale’s death in 1944, at the age of 80, put his birth year around 1864. I say “around” because sometimes the ages are rounded up or down depending on the month of birth and death. That said, I believed his month of birth was April because my grandmother said her father was born on Easter Day – hence the name Pasquale (Easter in Italian is Pasqua).

Photos by Kathy Kirkpatrick, who was in Sicily this past fall -- thanks for taking them!

Stay tuned for the next installment!
 

Progen Study Group -- Month 4, Part 1 (Research Plan -- Italian Great-grandfather)

We didn't have an assignment in December due to the holidays, so I am jumping straight to month 4 for this blog post.  The January assignment was to read Chapter 14 in the Professional Genealogy text book - Problem Analysis and Research Plans by Helen F. M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG - and then develop our own research plan.

The chapter discusses preliminary and detailed analyses. Preliminary analysis aids a genealogist in deciding whether a job proposal by a potential client is a good fit. Among the list of things to consider is one's level of expertise in the area required to complete the project.  On the other hand, the detailed analysis regards the creation of a research plan:  what are the goals of the client; what questions need answers; what is known by the client; what records are available etc...

For my research plan assignment, I did a preliminary analysis and detailed plan on my Italian great-grandfather, Pasquale Ursino.  My question was: When was my Italian great-grandfather, Pasquale Ursino, born?

This plan was rather long, so this post will be a series.

Research Plan -- Part 1

Background

According to my grandmother, my great-grandmother, Francesca Scuderi of Catania, Sicily, had a difficult childhood with a stepmother who was abusive. At age 15, in order to escape her unhappy home, she married a fisherman named Pietro Napoli. Unfortunately, her husband was also abusive. They had three children together before she “escaped” her unhappy marriage.

Francesca worked as a laundry-woman for Pasquale Ursino. He was affluent for Sicilian society at the time, owning many citrus orchards. One day, my great-grandmother showed up for work with a black eye, which deeply angered him. According to my grandmother, her father, Pasquale, was a true gentleman with a great sense of honor and chivalry. He dashed out of the house to seek out Francesca’s husband, Pietro, and defend her honor. When he spotted Pietro, he grabbed hold of him and dished out a bit of his own medicine, warning Pietro that Francesca better not appear in his home battered ever again. Stay tuned for the next installment and the process for finding Pasquale's birth date.

Pasquale Ursino -- my great-grandfather from Catania, Sicily, Italy

Pasquale Ursino was twice-widowed with children from both marriages. My grandmother said he raised them himself. This is very telling of the kind of man he was because most widowed men of his time would have depended on female relatives or a boarding school (often an orphanage). Francesca, on the other hand, was married but very unhappy. Pasquale and Francesca fell in love with each other but also needed each other. She needed a way out of her marriage with a man’s protection, and he needed help with his children.

Soon after the altercation between Pasquale and Pietro, Francesca left her husband to live with Pasquale. They had four children together, and my grandmother was the youngest. The problem was that Pasquale and Francesca were never able to marry because the Catholic Church did not allow divorce. Pasquale hoped until his dying day that Pietro would die before him so he could make an honest woman of Francesca. It did not happen as he hoped.

Illegitimate children and “living in sin” were no small matter for Sicilian society in those days. In order to protect their children from disdain, Pasquale paid off Francesca’s legal husband, Pietro, so he would declare each child as his own. All four of Pasquale’s children carried the surname of Francesca’s husband – Napoli – on their birth certificates.

My grandmother, being an old-fashioned Sicilian woman, found this history very embarrassing. She carried the true identity of her father with her for years before divulging the truth to her children – my mother included. For this reason, although we know her father’s name and have some information about him, many details are lacking, like date of birth, death, and where he was buried when he died. I believe my grandmother never brought her children to her father’s grave because she would have had to explain why his last name was different from hers. By the time she told her children the truth, his grave was long forgotten. In fact, she may no longer have remembered where to find it.

My mother had pictures of her grandfather, Pasquale, but he had died before her birth and she was unable to ask him any questions. She did know her grandmother well, but Francesca never spoke of the details of her marital situation. My mother learned the truth many years after her grandmother had died. My mother did learn from my grandmother’s brother, her Uncle Salvatore, that until he went to middle-school, he had always believed his name to be “Salvatore Ursino.” He found out his birth certificate surname was Napoli when, on the first day of 6th grade, the teacher did roll call and called out a name he did not recognize. The teacher told him “Napoli” was his name, and he went home crying, where he was finally told the truth by his parents. My grandmother hated being a Napoli her whole life, but she had no choice but to carry this surname until she died (note: Italian women do not change their names when they marry).

 

Progen Study Group -- Month 2

October was the second month for the ProGen Study Group. You can read about September here.

We continued to read in the Professional Genealogy text book.  We were assigned Chapter 2 – Educational Preparation by Claire Mire Bettag, CGRS and Chapter 8 – Alternative Careers by Elizabeth Kelly Kerstens, CGRS.

Chapter 2 was about degree or credit programs in the field of genealogy, such as those offered at BYU.  It also discussed the Home Study Course provided by the National Genealogical Society, which is on my list to complete.  Numerous conferences and other learning options are also discussed.  Chapter 8 discussed alternative careers and opportunities in genealogy other than the usual careers.

The assignment for October was to write an education plan and share it with my group. I listed all my strengths and then delved into my weaknesses.  I will share what I perceive to be areas I need to improve:

Self-Identified Weaknesses

• Most of my experience has been online, and I need more familiarity with onsite research – libraries, courthouses etc...

• Have yet to attend a genealogy conference

• I need to study more genealogy journals

• I like to do everything at once rather than patiently complete one thing at a time

• I need to take the time to really organize my research and tasks better

• Participate more in blog carnivals, especially when the topic is educational

• I need to find time to volunteer more

Specific Future Goals

2011 - 2012

• Genealogy Research Associates – online lessons (free)

• BYU online courses (free)

• Study the Daughters of the American Revolution Database (free)

• Read the genealogy educational content on the National Archives Site (free)

• NGS Home Study Course

• Attend an NGS conference

• Create personal family history books

• Learn photo restoration

• Join more genealogical societies like the APG

• Develop a business Web site

2012 - 2013

• Take a trip to Salt Lake City and research at the Family History Library for a week

• Take a trip to Sicily for onsite research

2013 – 2014

• BU Certificate in Genealogical Research

• BCG Certification may be an alternate to the BU certificate program, or I may do both... but not at the same time

During our monthly discussion on November 7, we discussed the chapters we had read for October and shared educational experiences and desires.

Thanks for tuning in...

Progen Study Group -- Month 1

Today, I met with 11 other professional and aspiring professional genealogists in my Progen course.  This class is 18 months long with about 6-10 hours of homework a month and one online meeting a month. To learn more about the program, you can check out the site: http://progenstudy.org/.  The great thing about the course is that it's free, with the exception of the text book (see picture) and a $30 fee for access to the Progen database, which holds messages, files, assignments, and the chat room. 

The book we are studying and discussing is Professional Genealogy: a Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills.  The chapters we read for this month were:

•Chapter 1 – Defining Professionalism by Donn Devine, J.D., CG, CGI
•Chapter 5 – Ethical Standards by Neil D. Thompson, LL.B., Ph.D., CG, FASG

We also had two assignments to complete, which will undergo peer review.  In other words, I have to review the assignments of the others, and they review mine. This month I have to write a mission statement and a genealogy resume.  I have completed these assignments, although they aren't due until the end of the month. I found writing both of these very useful for defining my focus area and experience, and I can see more clearly what I need to work on, too.

I will continue to post on this course monthly.  Thanks for tuning in!