52 Ancestors Week 34: Newest Discovery

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 34

The theme for Week 34 is "Newest Discovery." What is the newest discovery you've made in your family history? Mine was discovering that an ancestor's brother served in the Civil War.

Let's see what's out there. Engage!

     Genealogy takes you on all kinds of adventures and chances are you will discover many amazing things along the way. There's no doubt about that. You could find yourself walking through your nearest cemetery and discover a long-lost relative or you could be combing through various records in the comfort of your own home and find a new ancestor or two. However, there are some occasions where some discoveries may need to be scrutinized and placed under a microscope.

Did you know Andresano and Indresano are
interchangeable? Wild.

    Meet my fifrth great-grandmother, Rosaria Giuseppa Cappuccio. That name is clearly a mouthful, I know. She was born around 1775 in the Campanian town of Mirabella Eclano. She married a man named Giovanni Andresano in 1800 and they had at least three known children together. 

    This all seems pretty straight forward doesn't it? Nothing seems sketchy right now as this is pretty much a standard Italian profile with standard records being sourced. Just wait. Things are going to be a little bit complicated.

    The only sources I've found for Rosaria have been on Antenati, the Italian government's respository of births, marriages and deaths in Italy from 1809 to the early 20th century in most cases. On the site, I've found her in the following documents in Mirabella Eclano.

1. A reference to her on her husband's death banns from 1823.

2. She was mentioned on her daughter Maria's marriage record from 1830.

3. She was listed as the mother of Maria Antonia Andresano on her death banns from 1881.

Right. This woman clearly existed and she was definitely the mother of my 4th great-grandmother, Maria Antonia. There's no mistaking it. Rosaria was my 5th great-grandmother, alright. What seemed to be the problem? Glad you asked!!

I've got my eye on you, FS....

    A while back I discovered someone had added parents for Rosaria on FamilySearch. Their names were Giuseppe Cappuccio and Agnese Frascella. While someone might go right ahead and add these people to their family tree, I'm erring on the side of caution here because Agnese does not have any sources attached to her or even a note and while her husband does have a source, it's a bit confusing.

   My friend and fellow member of WikiTree's Italy Project found a source confirming Giuseppe's death on February 2nd, 1810.  The year 1809 was when Italian cities and towns started recording civil registrations and Mirabella Eclano was one of them. 

    What's interesting and ultimately confusing is that while most of Giuseppe's children were listed on the document one was not. Can you guess who that was?

    If you said "Rosaria", then you'd be correct. Now, these could just be the surviving children of Giuseppe because Rosaria supposedly passed away in 1807 which was two years before civil registration began. I say "supposedly" because I'm not really sure about the information that was given to me by a friend and fellow researcher.

    My friend informed me that she poured through the church records herself and that's how she was able to get Rosaria's death record and her marriage in 1800. Church records, after all, had been a thing long before Napoleon Bonaparte instituted civil registrations. I trust the information she provided me and put that information on the tree. However, I'm not too sure if the parents are accurate here.

    I'm not sure if my doubts are coming from the fact that there are no sources for Agnese or if it's because Rosaria wasn't mentioned on her father's death banns. It's a sticky situation, to be sure. Do I add them or not? That is the question.

    I could fudge it and say that the children listed on the document were the surviving children of Giuseppe. However, there's a chance that I could be wrong. I've been bitten by erroneous branches far too many times in the past. So, it might be a good idea to put a pin in it and come back to it later. 

    The only other option, I think, is to contact the user on FamilySearch and see where the information came from and if it's accurate.  Here's what I'm thinking of sending:

Hi,

 My name is Chris and I couldn't help but notice that you added parents to Rosaria Giuseppa Cappuccio in 2019. I was wondering if you could tell me where the information came from because civil registration in Italy did not begin until 1809. Please help me determine if the information is accurate or not as Rosaria was my 5th great-grandmother. Any help would be invaluable. Thanks for your time!

     Sometimes a short and sweet message is all it takes! I hope I get a response because I definitely would like to add more people to the tree! It's very rare for me to get Italian sixth and seventh great-grandparents because of civil registations. I'd have to go to Italy and pour through church records to see if  dates before 1809 are accurate. 

    Genealogy is a fun hobby and while it can be exciting when you find a new ancestor, sometimes you have to be cautious. You don't want to go barking up the wrong tree. Literally! Here's hoping I get a reply AND that I get to add Rosaria's parents and grandparents in the near future!

See ya next time!