GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Modena Births

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the birth section of the Modena, Italy Guided Research page.

Images Only (Browsable Images)
Some collections have not been indexed, but are available to browse image by image.

Additional Records with Birth Information
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Redirect Research Efforts
Due to the nature of Italy's Civil Registration and Catholic Church Records, if you have not found your ancestor in those records, there are not many substitute records available to find birth information. However, here are some ways to redirect your searching:
 * Try browsing images manually through Catholic Church Record images (if available) if you know your ancestor's location.
 * Search instead for a different individual, such as your ancestor's siblings, parents, etc.

Tips for finding births
Success with finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points:
 * When browsing images, most books have indexes at the back. Check the end of the images for the index.
 * Indexes could be by page number, or by the number of the individual entry.


 * Your ancestor's name may misspelled. Try the following search tactics:
 * Try different spelling variations of the first and last name of your ancestor.
 * Try a given name search (leave out the last names)
 * Women did not change surnames after marriage, so be sure you search with the woman's maiden name.
 * Use wild cards, if possible, to represent phonetic variants, especially for surname endings.
 * Consider phonetic equivalents that may be used interchangeably, such as "F" and "V"; "C", "K", and "G".
 * Your ancestor’s name and surname may also have had many different spelling variations.
 * Occasionally the "o" at the end of a name may be changed to an "i".
 * Some Italian names often had an English equivalent, e.g. the name “Giuseppe” often became “Joseph," and the name “Vincenzo” sometimes became “Vincent” or “James”.


 * Expand the date range of the search. Give a year range of about 2-3 years on either side of the believed year of the event.
 * Try searching surrounding areas. Your ancestors may have been born in another town than where they lived later in life.
 * If your ancestor's name is common, try adding more information to narrow the search.

Known Record Gaps
Records Start Records Destroyed
 * Church records began in 1563; some parishes started keeping records much later. Most parishes have kept registers from about 1595 to the present.
 * In southern Italy, civil authorities began registering births, marriages, and deaths in 1809 (1820 in Sicily). After civil registration, church records continued but contained less information.
 * In central and northern Italy, civil registration began in 1866 (1871 in Veneto). After this year, virtually all individuals who lived in Italy were recorded.
 * For areas affected by Napoleon's conquests, civil registration dates varied by province during those years. See more specific details as they pertain to your province.
 * For church records that were destroyed, floods and wars were the leading causes of destruction. Civil registration records are generally complete, with few exceptions.
 * Check Wikipedia or local histories to see if any record repositories had been destroyed.