Italy, Trento, Diocesi di Trento, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Foreign Language Title
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Collection Time Period
Most parish records in the Trento Province began in 1563 and they continue to the present. This collection of parish records includes the years 1523 to 1923.

How to Use the Records
Parish registers are the best source of information for ancestors who lived in Italy before civil registration began. The parish registers list the date and place of a person’s baptism, marriage, and death. You may also find that the details included on birth and marriage records about a person’s parents can help you extend your lineage. Use the place information included in all the entries to begin researching other records you may need.

Record Description
Baptisms, marriages, marriage banns, and burials were all recorded in register books in the individual parishes where the events occurred. If a bride and groom were from different parishes, the marriage banns were recorded in both parishes. The registers were usually written in Latin, but a few priests chose to write in Italian or a dialect. The records are handwritten mostly in formatted records. Many parish registers also have indexes, although older records are indexed by the Latinized version of the first name.

Record Content
Key information found in baptism records include: 


 * First and last names of the person who was baptized
 * Name of the father and first name of the mother (maiden name is listed occasionally)
 * Date of baptism (birth date listed occasionally)
 * Place of the baptism
 * Child legitimacy
 * Place of residence of all involved
 * Godparents’ names [[Image:Italy Trento Church Records Marriage.jpg|thumb|right]]

Key information found in marriage records include:


 * First and last names of the betrothed
 * Betrothed’s marital status
 * Betrothed’s legitimacy
 * Parents’ names of the betrothed (the mother’s maiden name is normally given)
 * Date of marriage
 * Place of the marriage

Key information found in death records include: 


 * First and last names of the person who died
 * Deceased legitimacy
 * Name of the father and first name of the mother (maiden name is listed occasionally)
 * Date of death
 * Name of spouse if the person was married
 * Place of the death
 * Age of the person at time of death

Record History
The Trento Diocese was created sometime in the Second Century and in June of 1929 was elevated to archdiocese. The history of the church registration goes back to the time after the death of Pope Clemente VII, when leaders of the Catholic Church realized there was a need to reform and standardize certain doctrines and practices. All church leaders, including bishops from all the dioceses in Europe, were called to a council in the city of Trent on December 13, 1545. After many stops and starts, protests, and suspensions, the reforms of the Council of Trent were adopted. One of the mandates was that every parish priest would keep a record of each parishioner’s baptism, marriage, and death. This mandate was passed in January 1564, but not every parish complied immediately, even though every diocese had to ratify and comply with the council’s reforms. In fact, the reforms were not universally accepted before 1595, when a papal proclamation was declared. Most Catholic parishes in Italy will have records dating from this time if the register books have survived. Copies of these records were not regularly sent to the diocese until about 1900, so most parishes will have their records stored at the parish church. Occasionally the original register was deposited in the diocesan archive.

Why This Record Was Created
Parish registers were created to keep a record of the vital events in the lives of each parishioner and for statistical purposes.

Record Reliability
Italian Catholic parish registers are the most reliable and accurate source for family history information until civil registration was implemented officially starting in 1860. Both parish and civil registers should be searched and verified against each other.

Related Web Sites
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Related Wiki Articles
Italy Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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 * United States. Bureau of the Census. 12th census, 1900, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: September 29, 2006), Arizona Territory, Maricopa, Township 1, East Gila, Salt River Base and Meridian; sheet 9B, line 71
 * Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: April 22, 2010), Baptism of Adolfo Fernandez Jimenez, 1 Feb. 1910, San Pedro Apóstol, Cuahimalpa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, film number 0227023

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Style Guide
For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: FamilySearch Wiki: Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"Italy, Trento Province, Trento Diuocese, Baptism records, 1784-1924", database, FamilySearch (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch), 2009; from Dioceci di Trento, Italia. "Italy, Trento Province, Trento Diocese, baptism records"; Curia Arcivescovile di Trento, Italy. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt lake City, Utah, USA.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections