Genealogy in Scafati
Tracing your Italian roots back to Scafati (in Salerno province, Campania region) begins with understanding which records exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the civil, parish and historical sources available for genealogy in Scafati.
Scafati family history at a glance
- Region: Campania
- Province: Salerno
- Record types available: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: began in 1809 (when this area was part of the Kingdom of Naples)
- Parish registers: usually earlier than civil registration (sometimes dating back to the 1600s)
Research experience on families in Scafati
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Scafati, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Acanfora, Carotenuto, Cavallaro, Cirillo, Coppola, Donnarumma, Esposito, Longobardi, Malafronte, Matrone, Romano, Russo, Sicignano, Sorrentino, Vitiello and others.
Many records relating to families and individuals are already stored in our databases and include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, residential addresses, and key family and social relationships within the Scafati community in past centuries.
Part of the information used by ItalianSide in genealogy research derives from a proprietary archive of on-site research conducted over many years in Scafati and by our experts. This archive includes studies, family trees, and data not available online, such as cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation.
Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military records
• historical and photographic sources
Direct access to archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results than research conducted remotely or based on partial sources alone. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.
Genealogy in Scafati
If your ancestors came from Scafati, in Salerno province (Campania region), the first step is to identify the local archives where records are kept. Most family history research starts from the civil registry office at the Comune and continues in parish and notary archives.
Where to begin your ancestry journey in Scafati
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Scafati are usually preserved in:
- Scafati City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages and deaths) available from 1809 onwards.
- Scafati parish churches: in Campania, parish registers that can trace family lines back to the 1600s, and in rare cases even earlier.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Scafati
In towns and villages of Campania and across Salerno province, civil registration offices were established after 1809, following Napoleonic reforms in the former Kingdom of Naples. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Scafati from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Scafati, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Scafati during the past centuries, the City Office of Scafati is usually the first place to start your family research. Our local expert can access these records on your behalf and interpret them correctly.
- Professions: discover what your ancestors did for a living.
- Addresses: find the street or house where the family lived in Scafati.
- Family links: identify parents, witnesses and neighbours that appear in the records.
- Signatures and notes: see how your ancestors signed and read any marginal annotations.
If you prefer to contact the Town Hall by yourself, we suggest reading our genealogy tips for Italy. They include practical advice for research in Campania and specifically in Scafati.
Population trends in Scafati
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Scafati from the Italian Unification (1861). Understanding how many people lived in the town over time is useful when interpreting migration and family movements.
Church Records in Scafati
Church archives in Salerno province often preserve information that predates civil records. Parish registers include baptisms, marriages and burials and sometimes allow you to push your family tree back into the 1700s and 1600s.
In many areas of Campania, parish registers began around the 1500s. These manuscripts are not easy to access from abroad and can be hard to read without specific training.
Our local genealogists, graduated in history and archival studies, can consult the parish archives of Scafati on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Scafati:
S. FRANCESCO DI PAOLA – Corso Nazionale
S. VINCENZO FERRERI – Via Aquino Fraz. Ne S. Vincenzo
S. MARIA DELLE VERGINI – Via Nazario Sauro, 19
S. PIETRO APOSTOLO – Via S. Pietro
S. MARIA DEI BAGNI – Via Statale, 18
Notary records and other historical sources
Another important source of information is represented by notary documents, which preserve wills, dowries, property sales and contracts. These records are usually kept in provincial and State Archives and can provide valuable details on the social and economic life of your family.
Planning a visit to Scafati
From our experience, if you plan to visit Scafati we always recommend starting the research months before your arrival. This way you avoid spending your holidays in offices or churches dealing with bureaucracy.
Remember that archives are not open to the general public and officers or priests are not required by law to grant direct access to the records.
With the results collected by our genealogist before your trip, you will have more time to enjoy the town and its surroundings, walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Professional help for research in Scafati
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Scafati area, write to scafati@italianside.com or fill the form here. Our expert will study your request and reply with a research plan and a quote tailored to your family history.
Messages from other visitors in Scafati
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Scafati forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Scafati with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Looking for any information on Alphonso and Francesca Ruggiero.
Guessing around 1850.
Alphonso returned for his duty in the Carabinieri at some point.aA
Hello,
I am looking for some/any information on my great grand parents who immigrated from Scafati to of course Ellis Island then settling in Rhode Island.
Federico Pannone …Born 1879 coming to America in 1913.
Maria Cira DeMartino Pannone….Born 1888 coming to American in 1915.
With her three children….Annunziata Pannone
Maria Pannone-my grandmother
Angelo Pannone
Do I have any family there??? I must!
My grandfather Michael Donnarumma immigrated from Scafati, Provence of Salerno, to Ansonia Connecticut in the late 1800s. There he married Autillia Voccia, also born in Scafati and living with her brother Antonio Voccia in Derby, CT. About the year 1908 they returned to Scafati with their three children to assist my great grandfather Francesco Donnarumma in his business of selling carriage horses to the carriage drivers in Naples.
I would like to connect with the Donnarumma side of my family in Scafati. I understand that my grandfather died of pneumonia shortly after his arrival. Nine years later my father, Francesco, returned to Ansonia and eventually opened a grocery and meat market in Derby, CT.
Please contact me at the email below if you can be of any help.
Looking for any information on my great great grandparents Mariantonia Velleca and any Giglio members. Many relocated in Philadelphia and in Rhode Island.We also gave Giordano descendents.
My Great Grandfather was Giovanni Longobardo. He was born in Scafati in 1865. His mother’s name was Rosa Lanzieri. After being widowed with Giovanni’s father, she married a Paduano. I’m looking for birth certificates or marriage certificates or any info at all. Thanks, Joann
My father was born March 19 1887 ,in Scafati Italy Is there any records of his parents names I would appreciate your help.Thanks
I am looking for information about the Amore family. I am a descendant of Carmine Amore born and raised in Scafati. His birthday was 20 Jan 1887. I know that he was a barber.
I am seeking info regarding the family of Giuseppe Vitello b. either 7 Oct 1878 or 19 Mar 1878, Scafati. Married Antonetta Gianotti abt 1872, Scafati. (Antonetta was born abt 1878, Italy) Two sons born Scafati, Alphonse b. 29 May 1895 and Ernest b. 24 Feb 1897, One daughter , Amelia b. 21 May 1899, Italy. Giuseppe may have arrived New York, Mar 1897 from Bremen , ship “Aller”. (Antonetta said to have arrived 1900)Four more children born in CT between 1903-1913. Antonetta died of Spanish influenza 1918 in Derby, CT.
Giuseppe re-married Louisa Ferrara 1918 CT and two daughters, Dorothy and Louisa were born in CT. Giuseppe died 6 Mar 1960 in Shelton, CT.
Anyone have some help for me?
Thanks
I randomly found this site looking for some hints for my fathers side and came across your post. while I am not sure and have to check with my dad, I do remember he talking about a Ferrara family that we were related to. My grandfather was Ettore Vaccaro, 1905 and my grandmother was Louisa Novi, 1906 both born in Scafati. my whole family came over and ended up in Shelton CT where I grew up. was a very small world.
Lanzieri’s from Scafati. Aniello and Rosa Buccino Lanzieri. came jn 1901-1905
I am a descendent of Michael D’Ambrosio b. 14 Sept 1860 and Giovanna Mosca b. 10 Sept 1870 or 1871.
Do you have knowledge of their families. One or both were from Scafati. Also want family info about their parents and grandparents. I know that Michaels father was Vincenzo D’Ambrosio b 1840 or so but that’ all I can find.
I am looking for my great grandparents, Dominco Giordano born on March 9, 1858
Scafata, Province of Salerno, Italy. He was the son of Antonio & Maria (Martino) Giordano. He married on February 8, 1880 to Maria (Tamarra)
My grandmother was also a Giordano, but different parents, probably cousins, born also in Scarfato