Aosta Valley, Italy Genealogy

Guide to Aosta Valley Region ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

History
After the fall of the Western Empire, the city was conquered, in turn, by the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths, and the Byzantines. The Lombards, who had annexed it to their Italian kingdom, were expelled by the Frankish Empire. Under his son, Charlemagne, Aosta acquired importance as a post on the Via Francigena, leading from Aachen to Italy. After 888 AD it was part of the renewed Kingdom of Italy.

The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta, French: Vallée-d'Aoste or Val-d'Aoste) is a mountainous region in north-western Italy. It is the smallest and least densely populated region in Italy. It is also the only region in Italy without provinces. Valle d'Aosta contains 74 comuni (communes) and its residents speak Italian and French and a small minority speak a dialect of German origin. The region was granted autonomous status in 1948. Aosta (Wikipedia)

Importance of Military Records
Although civil registration has not yet been filmed in Valle d'Aosta, the military records (held in the Archivio di Stato in Torino) have been filmed. These records include conscription records for nearly every male born in all 74 comuni (communes) in the region between 1792 and 1904. As mentioned in the Italy Page, these draft records include information for each draftee regarding name, parents’ names, place of residence, birth date and place, vocation, literacy, and physical description. They also show the draft board’s decision regarding the draftee’s fitness for service. If the draftee had emigrated, the date and destination are noted. The dates shown in the refer to the year of birth of the draftee.

Jurisdictions
The Valle d'Aosta region of Italy contains no provinces since the province of Aosta was discontinued in 1945. All administrative duties are performed by the region, which was granted autonomous status in 1948.
 * Aosta, Valle