What can i expect from FHL?

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cubsy2
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What can i expect from FHL?

Post by cubsy2 »

I finally got over to my local FHL and ordered some microfilms from Mirabella Eclano and Bonito. I got birth records. So what can i expect from these records? How are they organized? Will i be able to find the missing information for my grandfather's brothers and parents? Do i just just sit and scan? what do the records actually look like?

How do i go about determining any marriages and deaths? Do i just keep ordering microfilm to see if i bump into it?

Just Wondering....

Thanks!

Lisa
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tammara
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by tammara »

I think a great place to start would be here:
http://static.immigrants.byu.edu/Downlo ... efault.htm
It explains everything you need to get started.
Researching my family from Quadrelle in Avellino
Petraglia * Guliano * Conte * Masuccio * Fiordellisi * di Lucia * Bianco
PeterTimber
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by PeterTimber »

There is a companion book for the microfilms Discovering Your Italian Ancestors by LynnNelson which is an easy read and makes viwing the films easy. The book canbe borrowed fromyour local library or buy it from Barnes & Noble or some other bookstore. =Peter=
~Peter~
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cubsy2
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by cubsy2 »

Thanks for the info....I actually do have that book. (very helpful)

AND thanks to also to tammara, i will check out the link you posted!
Researching: Guarino, Di Prisco, Zizza, Panichella, Magno,and now Antonelli, and Calvo....with a few others sprinkled in. Towns: Mirabella Eclano and Bonito (so far).
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Romano1970
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by Romano1970 »

Hi Cubsy.

I have been lucky enough to have had a friend here order the exact microfilms I had needed. She was noce enough to let me research them with her.

What you can expext is that they are written in Italian, they are very old and sometimes very hard to read (they are in script). The records are for a 10 year period and start at the earliest year on the film. You will see they are not alphabetical, I believe the births are in the order that the children were born. This is only an assumption. At the end of each year there is an index for that year and if you have the correct year of birth you will be able to see what # birth notice is your ancestors. On the birth notice you will have the father and mothers names, the town, and the street they were from.

Hope this helps you. Be patient and scrool slowly and carefully.
Michael Romano

Chi va piano va sano e va lontano

Those who go slowly, go safely and go far

Looking for family history in Piazza Armerina, Aidone, and Musomelli Sicily.
Names researching: Romano, Nigrelli, Ristagno, Piazza Maida Triolo.
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angicaples
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by angicaples »

I had ordered some films and was so excited when they came in, only to be let down. My local facility's machines did not have the ability to print or save to a usb or disc AND I could not read them at all. I knew they would be in italian and have the book mentioned above. That wasn't the problem....The films were tiny, and the machines I was using were not equipped with the correct magnification lens to read the tiny films.

I've orderd more, but to be sent to another facility in a nearby larger town. I found out about the magnification lens by asking this new facility. ALthough they don't have it either, I will be able to print/save from their machines. I plan to take a magnifying glass with me to see if it will help me be able to at least read the names I need as I'm saving them.
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by Romano1970 »

Some family history centers have much better machines then others. Be patient, take your time, learn from the book you have as to how the letters are written.

Sometimes the people who are at the centers are not as experienced as we would like but they do it to volunteere their time. They may not be as helpfull as wel wish.

I have found on my grandfathers that the writing is so old it bled into the page and is very smudgy looking.
Michael Romano

Chi va piano va sano e va lontano

Those who go slowly, go safely and go far

Looking for family history in Piazza Armerina, Aidone, and Musomelli Sicily.
Names researching: Romano, Nigrelli, Ristagno, Piazza Maida Triolo.
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by johnnyonthespot »

angicaples wrote:I had ordered some films and was so excited when they came in, only to be let down. My local facility's machines did not have the ability to print or save to a usb or disc AND I could not read them at all. I knew they would be in italian and have the book mentioned above. That wasn't the problem....The films were tiny, and the machines I was using were not equipped with the correct magnification lens to read the tiny films.

I've orderd more, but to be sent to another facility in a nearby larger town. I found out about the magnification lens by asking this new facility. ALthough they don't have it either, I will be able to print/save from their machines. I plan to take a magnifying glass with me to see if it will help me be able to at least read the names I need as I'm saving them.
I had the same problems. The microfilm readers at my FHC did not have built-in printers, so if you found a record you wanted to print you very carefully took the film out of the reader (so as not to lose your place in the reel) and took it over to a separate printer device. Once you got the film installed and lined up, you hit the print button. After spending many hours at the FHC that day, I came out without a single usable record. A very frustrating experience overall.

I read someplace of people who take digital photographs of the films, both of the image on the screen and also by laying the film itself on a sheet of white paper and photographing the image (use a small tripod to hold the camera). This enables them to view the images on their computer, zooming and adjusting contrast/brightness as necessary to make the images readable.

Here are some links on this subject:

An ancestry . com page

http://www.ehow.com/how_4842112_photogr ... ofilm.html

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=p ... CCAQqwQwAw#

http://www.byui.edu/ce/assets/documents ... ital08.pdf

http://www.velocityreviews.com/forums/t ... r-m70.html

http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums ... Microfiche

Other things to consider: Try to learn which FHC within a reasonable distance of your home has the best equipment. If you want to try the digital photography method, head on over to your FHC and just grab any roll of film. Try various methods of capturing the images (make notes!), then load them into your PC and see which yeilded the best results. Now, when you go back to search the films for your area, you will have a good idea of what works best.
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cubsy2
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by cubsy2 »

Thanks for your input everybody! My films haven't come in yet, so i am biding my time by looking at the link tammara posted.....(familiarizing myself with italian records and handwriting....etc)

after watching the "who do you think you are" program i am eager to finally hopefully find out the missing pieces of my family. (guarino, zizza, di prisco, and beyond!)

cubsy aka Lisa
Researching: Guarino, Di Prisco, Zizza, Panichella, Magno,and now Antonelli, and Calvo....with a few others sprinkled in. Towns: Mirabella Eclano and Bonito (so far).
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Lili2
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by Lili2 »

All the best with your films. I've been researching microfilms since Sept last year. Most of the films have been absolutely great but some have given me very little info. When you start off its a bit daunting b/c the writing can be illegible and its all in Italian. But persevere you will get to learn the style of the writing and you will also learn the pattern the of the records ie the names of parents and children are in the same place on the records, also where they were born etc.
Ive been using my digital camera. You just need to make sure it works well in low light. Hope all goes well.
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by trevisan2 »

Greetings:

I would suggest that you take about 30 minutes and watch this Video, that will explain the research process on the microfilms.

https://fch.ldschurch.org/WWSupport/Cou ... layer.html

My experience with the films, the first thing you will need to do, is to organize the records by making a index of what is actually in the records. List years and what kind of records they contain.

Another great site for place names is www.nonsolocap.it

Regards,
Trevisan2
Researching in the provincia di Treviso, Italy, Provaglio Sopra, Val Sabbia of Brescia.
Domege di Cadore, Cavalo, Fumane, Verona

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cubsy2
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by cubsy2 »

Thanks trevisan2! i can use all the help i can get!
lisa
Researching: Guarino, Di Prisco, Zizza, Panichella, Magno,and now Antonelli, and Calvo....with a few others sprinkled in. Towns: Mirabella Eclano and Bonito (so far).
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cubsy2
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

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Good news! My films finally came in! I intend to go to FHL tomorrow as they are "supposed" to be open....(my notification email came with a message "we are open this saturday, however please call first because we have been sick")

I have my records notebook, a blank notebook and pen, the Lynn Nelson book, plus a few other handy reference things i printed out (link from tammara).....

what else should i bring? digital camera?

I have this fear of lookingat these films and passing by something significant because i can't read or decipher it.......ugh.
Researching: Guarino, Di Prisco, Zizza, Panichella, Magno,and now Antonelli, and Calvo....with a few others sprinkled in. Towns: Mirabella Eclano and Bonito (so far).
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johnnyonthespot
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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Absolutely bring the camera and use it, use it, use it. See this thread for an example of someone who (luckily) did just that.
Carmine

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Re: What can i expect from FHL?

Post by aliza24 »

That's great that you're getting into this! I have lots of advice I could give (Do's and don'ts that I learned along the way) but it would take a whole book!

I can list a few tips that might help though. Let's start with the indeces:

1. Some records have indeces and some do not. If there is an index it could be at the front of the records or at the end. And it could be indexed annually or biannually, or even only every 5 or 10 years. The index can save you a lot of time so it's worth it to take the time to first roll through the film (if the index isn't there up front) to see if there is one at the end. Otherwise, you'll have to scan through each record one by one...

2. If you do see an index, be aware that some towns did their indeces in alphabetical order by FIRST NAME not last. This can make it tough because many Italians had double names but only went by one name. For example: I have people like Domenicantonio and Michelangelo- but they only went by Antonio or Angelo. So if I had only looked under the "A's" I would have missed them.

3. As you probably already guessed from the above, every town had a different way of doing the indeces. Some may be in chronological order and some in alpha. If you see that they are arranged in alpha order make sure that you get the numero d'ordine (record #) and not just the number that it appears in their list. In other words, if you see a lot of A's up top and they are numbered 1,2,3 then you know these are not the actual record numbers, they are just the index number. If the index has the date of the act to the side just write down the date and keep rolling the film until you reach that date. Make sure that you know your Italian months and just scroll until you hit that month.

4. It's a good idea to always film the indeces (assuming they have them of course). Even if no one is there you may need it for future reference as your tree grows. And if the index is arranged in alpha order it's a good way to see how that particular scribe formed their letters- you see all the A's together and then the B's....and then you know! So if you have trouble with a letter you can use it as reference later. (Also sometimes they would take more care and write neater in an index then in the record itself. I've seen parents's names in indeces that saved me because the record itself either had damage or was partially illegible).

Phew! And that's only the beginning! But you'll see how easy it is once you get going. I hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Aliza Giammatteo
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