Genealogy in Tortona

Tracing your Italian roots back to Tortona (in Alessandria province, Piemonte 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 Tortona.

Research experience on families in Tortona

Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Tortona, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Battegazzore, Giacobone, Semino, Balduzzi, Taverna, Barbieri, Piccinini, Gatti, Mutti, Orsi, Baiardi, Repetto, Rolandi, Ferrari and many 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 Tortona 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 Tortona and Piemonte 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 available in private archives
Direct access to local archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.

Genealogy in Tortona

If your ancestors came from Tortona, in Alessandria province (Piemonte 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 Tortona

Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Tortona are usually preserved in:

• Tortona City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1860 onwards.
• Tortona parish churches: in Piemonte religious registers, which can often take your research back to the 1600s and sometimes as far as the 1500s.

Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Tortona

In towns and villages of Piemonte and in Alessandria province, as Tortona, civil registry officially began on january 1 1866.
A first civil registry system had already been introduced during the Napoleonic period (1806–1814). This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Tortona from that year onwards.

(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Tortona, please follow this link.)

If your ancestors lived in Tortona during the past centuries, the City Office of Tortona 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 Tortona.
• 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 Piemonte and specifically in Tortona.

Street names in Tortona

The names of the street in Tortona, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.

At today, some of the main streets in Tortona are: VIA EMILIA, STRADA STATALE 10 PER VOGHERA, STRADA STATALE 35 PER GENOVA, STRADA COMUNALE VIOLA ROSE’ FACETO, CORSO DON LUIGI ORIONE, CORSO ALESSANDRIA, VIA TOMMASO CAMPANELLA, STRADA COMUNALE VIRGO POTENS, CORSO GIUSEPPE ROMITA, CORSO DELLA REPUBBLICA, STRADA COMUNALE FORNACI, CORSO SILVIO PILOTTI, CORSO MONTEBELLO, VIA POSTUMIA, VIA ERNESTO GUALA, VIA GIANCARLO PERNIGOTTI, VIA VIRGINIO ARZANI, VIA DON CARLO STERPI, VIA LEONARDO DA VINCI, VIA BRIGATA GARIBALDI and others.

If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Tortona just follow the link below.

Search all street names in Tortona

Church Records in Tortona

Church archives in Alessandria 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 Piemonte, 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 Tortona 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 Tortona:

MARIA ASSUNTA – 15057 RIVALTA SCRIVIA AL

NATIVITA’ MARIA VERGINE – Via Comunale, 21

S. ANDREA – Mombisaggio e Torre Calderai

S. BERNARDINO – Via Don Sparpaglione, 4

S. GIACOMO MAGGIORE – Via Lorenzo Perosi, 17

S. GIUSEPPE – Via Chiesa, 29 – Bettole di Tortona

S. MARIA ASSUNTA E S. LORENZO – Via Lorenzo Perosi, 1

S. MARIA CANALE – Via del Baluardo

S. MATTEO – Via Emilia, 291

S. PIETRO – Via Cesare Balbo, 10/A

S. SALVATORE – Via Maestra, 7 – Vho

SACRO CUORE DI GESU’ – Via Sacro Cuore

Our experts could search registers and historical religious documents collected and kept at the diocesan archive:
Archivio Diocesano di Alessandria – Via Vescovado, 1 – Alessandria

Military records

Conscription lists and service records documenting physical descriptions, dates and places of enlistment, units and ranks held, periods of service, military postings, transfers, and movements, often providing detailed insight into an individual’s life beyond civil registration.

Cadastral and property records in Tortona

Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Tortona. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.

Planning a visit to Tortona

From our experience, if you plan to visit Tortona 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.

Messages from other visitors in Tortona

Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Tortona forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Tortona with other people, feel free to leave a message.