Carlentini, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy Genealogy

'Most of your genealogical research for Carlentini, Sicily will be in two main record types: civil registration (registri dello stato civile) and church records (registri ecclesiastici''). This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups. In addition, cemetery records can be helpful to researchers. Online cemetery sites can be a useful source.'''

History and Geography

 * Syracuse Province (Wikipedia)
 * Italia Nostra brochures of historical sites near Carlentini
 * Xouthia
 * Leontinoi
 * Castrum Vetus
 * La Chiesa Rupestre del Crocifisso
 * La Chiesa Madre
 * Il Museo Antichi Mestieri

City of Carlentini
Carlentini (Sicilian: Carruntini) is a town and comune in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It lies 45 km (28 mi) outside the provincial capital of Syracuse.

The city's name has its origins in the neighboring town of Lentini. In 1551, Vice-King Giovanni De Vega founded a new city in honour of Emperor Carlo V, naming it in Latin Carleontini, or Leontini of Carlo. In Italian, it became Carlentini, and in the various Sicilian dialects, Carrintini or Carruntini. The town is located on a hill on the plateau bordering Lentini, close to the plain of Catania, near Lake Lentini and on the slopes of Monte Pancali and the Iblei Mountains. It is renowned for the production of the Red Orange of Sicily (IGP), together with the cities of Lentini and Francofonte. The following articles go into greater detail:


 * Carlentini (Italian Webpage)
 * Carlentini (English Wikipedia)
 * Carlentini (Italian Wikipedia)

Many people from Carlentini immigrated to Omaha, Nebraska.

Population
Census of Population of Carlentini 1861-2021



Frazioni in Carlentini

 * Carlentini has five small hamlets or villages under its civil jurisdiction:
 * Carlentini Nord-    Population: 6,584 inhabitants     Altitude: 60 meters above sea level
 * Pedagaggi-    Population: 970 inhabitants     Altitude: 329 meters above sea level
 * Contrada Casazza - Gruppilli-    Population: 139 inhabitants     Altitude: 75 meters above sea level
 * Contrada Cannellazza-    Population: 128 inhabitants     Altitude: 90 meters above sea level
 * Villagio San Leonardo-    Population: 40 inhabitants     Altitude: 3 meters above sea level

Italians of Omaha

 * Italians of Omaha explains the chain migration from Carlentini to Omaha, Nebraska. The Salerno brothers, Joseph and Sebastiano, who came from Carlentini were the driving force in the process of chain migration. Sicilians from Carlentini and Lentini became the predominating group in the Omaha Little Italy that developed in the 1900's. In 1904, Sebastiano Salerno, received an appointment as a steamship company agent and went back to Carlentini to increase the passenger transportation business between Sicily and American ports.
 * The History Harvest - Omaha's Little Italy, compiled by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In the Fall of 2018 the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s “History Harvest” project focused on the Italian-American communities in Nebraska. The main event was held on October 28, 2018, at the Santa Lucia Hall, in the heart of Omaha's historic Little Italy. Partner organizations included the Santa Lucia Festival Committee, the Sons and Daughters of Italy, and the American-Italian Heritage Society. Seven undergraduate and two graduate students under the guidance of Prof. Gerald Steinacher were looking for diaries, photographs, letters, maps, images, war memorabilia, and other family and cultural heirlooms. “Harvested” family artifacts were photographed, digitized and returned to the owners. This exhibition features a selection of items that document the experience of growing up in the immigrant community of Little Italy.

Locating Town of Origin in Italy
In order to research your family in Italy, it is essential that you have identified the place where they came from. You must know the city, town, or parish that they came from. it will be difficult to identify the place of origin by going directly to Italy sources. Therefore, you will need to search in United States (or other country of arrival) sources first. See Italy Gathering Information to Locate Place of Origin to learn how to search for the Italian place of origin in United States records.

Civil Registration (registri dello stato civile)

 * Civil registration records (registri dello stato civile) are government records of births, marriages, and deaths.


 * Dates: In southern Italy, registering births, marriages, and deaths began 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.


 * Contents: For detailed descriptions of the information you might find in each record, see Information recorded in civil registers.


 * Language: 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. Some church records were transcribed into civil registration records in Latin. Don't worry; you will be able to search these foreign languages by learning just a few typical words such as those for mother, father, born, name, bride, groom, married, etc. More help with this is given later in this article.


 * Accessing the records: Civil registration records were and are kept at the local registrar’s office (anagrafe) in each town or city. A copy of each record is sent to the tribunale (district court).


 * Determining the locality: 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. 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.


 * 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. 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 areas have kept this record, but where they exist, they are a valuable research tool.


 * To learn more about Italian Civil Registration, read Italy Civil Registration.

Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
Digital copies of civil registration for Carlentini may be searched online:
 * 1820-1899 and 1943-1945 Portale Antenati at Italian State Archives - browsable images, incomplete.
 * 1820-1929 Registri dello stato civile di Carlentini (Siracusa), 1820-1929 at FamilySearch - browsable images, incomplete.
 * 1900-1929 Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, Civil Registration Records, 1900-1929 at Ancestry ($) - browsable images, incomplete.
 * 1926-1943 Italia, Siracusa, Carlentini. Stato civile : Tribunale, 1926-1943 at FamilySearch - browsable images, incomplete.

"Nati" are Births. "Matrimoni " are Marriages. "Morti" are Deaths. "Allegati" are Supporting Documents. "Cittadinanze" are Citizenship records. "Indici decennali" is the 10-year index. "Pubblicazioni di Matrimonio" are Marriage Banns.

Carlentini Online Records Table PA=Portale Antenati   FS=FamilySearch.org      AC=Ancestry.com ($ International subscription required)   na= Not Available

2. Microfilm or Digital Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Italy, Siracusa, Carlentini.
 * b. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. Cameras with a key above indicate that the record must be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or a Family Search affiliate library

3. Portale Antenati
Most of the civil registration records for Carlentini are now available online at the Portale Antenati. Click on this link to see the records available between 1820-1945 for Carlentini on the Portale Antenati

4. 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. This is also necessary for more recent records. 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 provincial archive.

Contact list for municipal offices of Carlentini

 * Sindaco

Tel: 095/7858217

email: sindaco@comune.carlentini.sr.it

Pec: sindaco.carlentini@pec.comune.carlentini.sr.it


 * Stato Civile

Tel: 095/990712

email: statocivile@comune.carlentini.sr.it

Pec: statocivile@pec.comune.carlentini.sr.it


 * Anagrafe

Tel: 095/993572

email: ufficioanagrafe@comune.carlentini.sr.it

Pec: ufficio.anagrafe@pec.comune.carlentini.sr.it



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

Church Records (registri ecclesiastici)

 * Church records (registri ecclesiastici) are vital records kept by priests and are often called parish registers or church books. They include records of christenings (baptisms), marriages, and deaths (burials). In addition, church records may include confirmations, first communions, and church census records. The Roman Catholic Church is traditionally recognized as the state church because most Italians are Roman Catholic. Nearly every person who lived in Italy was recorded in a church record during the last 200 to 300 years.


 * Church records are crucial for research before the civil government started keeping vital records, which began about 1809 to 1820, and in some provinces, 1866 or 1871. After that, church records continued to be kept but often contain less information. It can be helpful to search both types of records, particularly if your ancestors' information seems to be missing from one or the other. Of course, in some cases you will find only church records online for a locality, which are therefore more accessible than writing for civil registration. However, they usually contain fewer details.


 * To learn more about church records, see Italy Church Records.

The following churches are known to currently exist in Carlentini:

Parrocchia Arcipretura Immacolata Concezione (Chiesa Madre or Mother Church); Address: Via Roma, 189, 96013 Carlentini SR, Italy; Phone: +39 095 991077

Chiesa del Carmine Santa Maria degli Angeli; Address: 96100, Via Nino Bixio, 96013 Carlentini SR, Italy; Phone: +39 095 991106

Parrocchia Cuore Immacolato di Maria e Sant'Anna; Address: Piazza Cavallotti, 21, 96013 Carlentini SR, Italy; Phone: +39 095 991336

Chiesa di San Sebastiano; Address: n., Via dei Vespri, 71, 96013 Carlentini SR, Italy

Parrocchia Santa Tecla (Santuzzi); Address: Via Palmiro Togliatti, 13, 96013 Carlentini Nord SR, Italy; Phone: +39 095 783 1795

Chiesa Santa Maria di Roccadia; Address: Via Guglielmo Marconi, 85, 96013 Carlentini SR, Italy; Phone: +39 095 991077

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records
There are no online digital church records for Carlentini. However as an example of what is possible, at least one parish in the Siracusa province has digital copies of Catholic church records which can be searched online:


 * 1562-1937 - Italy, Siracusa, Sortino, Parrocchia di San Giovanni Apostolo ed Evangelista, Catholic Church Records, 1562-1937, free, browsable images, incomplete.

"Battesimi" are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. "Matrimoni" are marriages. "Morti" are deaths.

The Carlentini Omaha Association is working towards the goal of digitizing church records for Carlentini and welcomes offers of assistance in that effort.

2. Digital Online and Microfilm Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Italy, Syracuse.
 * b. Click on "Places within Italy, Syracuse" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. . Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records
Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Italy. Italy has no single repository of church records. Write your request in Italian whenever possible. 'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.'

Write a brief request in Italian to the proper church using this address as guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Reverendo Parroco


 * (Street address, if known: consult The Catholic Directory)


 * (Postal code) (City) (Province abbreviation:SR)


 * ITALY


 * Find the Italian postal code here.

'''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.''' When requesting information, 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

Cemetery Records
The Cimitero di Carlentini is operated by the City of Carlentini with full-time staff located at the cemetery. The cemetery office has record books that show burials in the 20th and 21st centuries. Older cemetery record books have been placed at the Archivio di Carlentini located in the same building as the Uffizio Anagrafe. Older graves are exhumed for reuse and the bones are placed in an ossuary (Il Ossario). As of 2021, a section of graves mostly dating to 1927 are scheduled for exhumation. Contact the Carlentini Omaha Association for more information on cemetery record books and exhumed graves.

FindaGrave page for the Cimitero di Carlentini

Cimitero di Carlentini Cemetery contact: Affari cimiteriali Tel: 095/7858292 Email: [mailto:servizicimiteriali@comune.carlentini.sr.it servizicimiteriali@comune.carlentini.sr.it]

Surname is generally first on Italian gravestones. The gravestone also usually contains the woman's maiden name. Or, the married name of the woman is given, followed by "NATA" and the maiden name. The surname of the husband is shown with the prefix IN or VED, meaning that she was married to or the widow of a man with that surname.

Reading the Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Italian to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Italian Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. If you find that the records are written in German, French, or Latin, click on that language link in this sentence.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:


 * Reading Italian Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Italian Letters
 * Reading Italian Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Words and Phrases
 * Reading Italian Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Italian Records. In this lesson, you will explore several types of Italian genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * Italian Script Tutorial
 * Italian Birth Document Translation
 * Italian Marriage Document Translations
 * Italian Civil Death Document Translation

Civil Registration Tips

 * In many areas during the earliest years of civil registration, records were indexed by 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.


 * 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.


 * After 1809 Napoleonic law required that the marriage ceremony be performed first by a civil authority and then, if desired, by a church authority. 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.


 * Do not overlook the importance of death records. Death records are especially helpful because they may provide important information about a person’s birth, spouse, and parents. Civil death records often exist for individuals for whom there are no birth or marriage records.

Church Record Tips

 * Effective use of church records includes the following strategies:


 * 1) When you find an ancestor’s birth or baptismal record, search for the births of siblings.


 * 1) Search for the parents’ marriage record. Typically, the marriage took place one or two years before the oldest child was born.
 * 2) Search for the parent’s birth records. On the average, people married in their early 20s, so subtact 25 or so years from the marriage date for a starting year to search for the parents' birth records.
 * 3) If you do not find earlier generations in the parish registers, search neighboring parishes.


 * 1) Search the death registers for all known family members.


 * If the original church records that you need have been lost or destroyed or are illegible, you may be able to find a duplicate church record. Unfortunately it was not standard practice to keep duplicate records until the 1900s. But some dioceses started making duplicates as early as 1820. Duplicates, when they exist, are normally located at the curia vescovile (diocesan archives).
 * In Italy, the parish priest was often required to collect taxes. He would sometimes record information about his parishioners and the tax in church censuses (stato delle anime or status animarum). If the censuses do exist for your parish, the registers list all family members living in a household and their ages or birth dates. Deceased children were not listed. Married children, if living in the same household, were recorded with the family but as a separate household. Familial relationships and addresses were also noted.

Websites

 * AncestorPuzzles.com - blog including topics on history and culture of the Sicilian and Italian families that immigrated to Omaha and Sioux City.