Giovanni Perri and Carmella Cardamone
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In reply to:
Re: Francesco Cardamone b. in Italy ca. 1798
Kenlyn Perry 3/20/01
K.,
Cosenza is both a city (citta) and a province (provincia).Calabria is a region (reggio).That means Carmella and Giovanni may have been born in Citta di Cosenza or another city or village (comune) within Provincia di Cosenza.It is important to know the name of the city or village.
If you know the port of entry into the United States, check its passenger lists for the time period.If you do not, I would guess at New York City.Research the passenger lists for the years 1886 through 1888, trying 1887 first.If Carmella arrived alone, look for her under her maiden name.It was customary for Italian women to revert to their maiden names when their husbands were absent.
You can go to any local FHC (Family History Center) and order microfilm copies of vital records for most, if not all, of the small comunes in Italy.The Mormons filmed the records in exchange for giving a copy to the local municipalities.There may have been some additional compensation in the deals.I'm not Mormon so I don't know all the particulars.
The films we have looked at have been extremely helpful.Back to about 1875 the entries are fill-in, i.e., most of the text is pre-printed and just the names and dates are in cursive.Before that, they are completely done by hand and you are at the mercy of the individual's penmanship.Once you get the hang of reading the records, it is very easy to pick out the information you need.However, an English-Italian dictionary does come in handy.
You can rent a film from the Salt Lake Library for seven weeks for less than $5 which includes postage.You can have it permanently stored at the local FHC for about $10.You have to go view it at the FHC.They provide microfilm readers at no charge.Passenger lists are also available on microfilm.They are often already in-house depending on the size of the center.Otherwise, they can be ordered from Salt Lake as well.
Good Luck!
Ray Justus
Chandler, AZ