Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tip on "Cittadinanza" or Citizenship Records

Many of our Italian ancestors were not stationary. Some traveled from town to town on a daily basis plying their chosen trade. Yet others moved with the seasons, often spending summers in the countryside within the jurisdiction of another town.

When consulting the 19th century citizenship records, one must keep in mind that seasonal migrations were often not recorded in town records since they weren’t considered permanent moves. See David I. Kertzer and Dennis P. Hogan, “On the Move: Migration in an Italian Community, 1865-1921,” Social Science History, (Issue 9, 1985), pp. 5-6.

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