Hi!
I am looking to see if anyone can recommend a genealogist in Ragusa and Genoa to find out more about my family. Have you ever used someone? And if so was it helpful? Costly? Were you satisfied with what you were able to uncover?
Thanks
Posted by
France Southwest
2393 posts
Did you do some preliminary research on the Italian civil registry website, Antenati?
Here are the archives of Genoa:
https://antenati.cultura.gov.it/archivio/state-archives-of-genoa-2/?lang=en
...and Ragusa:
https://antenati.cultura.gov.it/archivio/state-archives-of-ragusa/?lang=en
Posted by
Virginia
11 posts
Do you have access to ANCESTRY?
Posted by
Boston
1803 posts
There are tips on searching here https://www.ancestry.com/search/places/europe/italy/
Even if you get someone to help you'll need to provide as many names and dates as possible.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23642 posts
Look for genealogist recommendation on the web site for either cities' web site. You have two primary sources of records in that location -- city hall or whatever it is call, and the church. Sometimes those records have been lost either to fire or war and you are out of luck. A local genealogist who knows have to use the local records is worth their weight in gold, maybe silver. BUT --- they need information to work with so the more complete you info is, the better they can do. And you have to absolutely use them as you can not read Italian records or maybe the Latin that was used to record the information. To you it is all Greek. Set aside a thousand dollars. It will be well spent.
Posted by
Lake District, England
8134 posts
Never ever trust anyone's family trees published on Ancestry. Always, always check (or get someone else) to check original documents for you, working slowly and methodically.
I have seen far too may cases where people just shoehorn in facts where someone is missing.
Just today I was working a case of someone from Scotland who died in Yakima, WA. There was a very good looking family tree on Ancestry with a lot of correct facts on it like all his 12 siblings and parents.
However someone assumed that as he died aged 48 he must have been married. So they had found someone of the same name and age from Scotland who had married in Spokane (plausible).
The only problem is that there are about 50 pages of legal documents relating to the admon of his estate which make it clear he had never married. And those agree over place and date of death (a specific hospital in Yakima) with the admon papers. And also that he had not arrived in the US until 7 years after he had allegedly married in Spokane.
So on Ancestry he has a fictitious wife and children, and died many years later than he actually did.
Oops.