Italy, Kingdom of Napoli, Catasto Onciario - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of taxation records of the Kingdom of Napoli as mandated by law dated 4 October 1740. The purpose of the Catasto was to establish a uniform method of taxation throughout the Kingdom of Napoli. In the Catasto Onciario, land owners were divided into categories: residing citizens, widows and unmarried women, residing foreigners, non-residing foreigners having properties (bonatenenti), the secular clergy, churches and other holy institutions. The Catasto is unique as it contains information about each member of the household including names, relationship to the head of household, occupation and age. Original records are in possession of the State Archive of Napoli (Archivio di Stato di Napoli).

Collection Content
The records contain the following information:


 * Name of each member of the family
 * Their relationship to the head of household
 * Occupation
 * Age

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Identifying information such as age or names of other family members

⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate “Province” ⇒Select the appropriate “Comune or Frazione” which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading the records see the following wiki articles:


 * Italy Language and Languages
 * Italian Genealogical Word List

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your family. For example:


 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the place and approximate birth date along with the census place to search the civil registration and church records.
 * Use the names and relationships to create a new family record.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Italy.


 * Italy Guided Research
 * Italy Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.