If you search your ancestors in Randazzo, in the province of Catania, Sicilia region, the documents about your Italian family are stored in the City Office archives and in the parishes in the town.This is where to start your family history research.
Civil Records in Randazzo
In towns and villages of Sicilia and in Catania province registry offices were established in 1809: it means that you could find your ancestors records in Randazzo town hall archives as of that date.
(If your goal is to get your Italian Citizenship and you need official certificates from Randazzo, please follow this link)
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So, if your ancestors lived in Randazzo during the past centuries, then you should start your family research from the City Office of Randazzo to know more: our local expert is ready to help you in your research!
Otherwise, if you think to contact the town hall by yourself, we suggest you to read our tips for your search. They are useful advices to search in Sicilia and of course in Randazzo too!
Next picture shows the demographic trends in Randazzo from the Italian Unification (1861).
This is a necessary info to understand how many people lived in the town in the past.
To go on quickly in your research is important to know if the last name you are investigating is a frequent surname in Randazzo. As more your surname is common, as more it could be difficult to find the right branch of your ancestors family in Randazzo archives, expecially if you have not exact dates.
It could be useful for you to know that some of the most common surnames in Catania province are:
Arena, Barbagallo, Caruso, Catania, Cavallaro, Coco, Corrao, Consoli, Di Bella, Di Mauro, Di Stefano, Fichera, Finocchiaro, Giuffrida, Grasso, Greco, La Rosa, Leonardi, Leotta, Licciardello, Lombardo, Longo, Marino, Marletta, Maugeri, Messina, Musumeci, Nicolosi, Nicotra, Pappalardo, Patanè, Pennisi, Platania, Privitera, Puglisi, Pulvirenti, Raciti, Rapisarda, Rizzo, Russo, Sapienza, Sciacca, Sciuto, Scuderi, Spampinato, Strano, Torrisi, Trovato, Zappalà.
Church Records in Randazzo
Church archives in Catania province may store even older information. You will find religious records of the same events (births, marriages and deaths) but, most important, you could go further back in time!
So in case you would like to go back in centuries, it’s good for you to know that the parish registers in Sicilia started during 1500!
They are far less accessible expecially from abroad and very hard to read and decipher if you are not used and skilled.
But our local genealogists, are graduated in history and archivistics so, with their expertise, they can research the church registers of Randazzo on your behalf.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Randazzo:
BEATA MARIA VERGINE DEL MONTE CARMELO – P.zza Rabata’
NOSTRO SIGNORE GESU’ CRISTO RE DELLA PACE – Via Bellinghieri – Montelaguardia
S. FRANCESCO DI PAOLA – P.zza S. Francesco di Paola
S. MARIA ASSUNTA – P.zza della Basilica, 5
S. MARTINO – P.zza S. Martino
S. NICOLO’ DA BARI – P.zza S. Nicolo’, 5
SACRO CUORE DI GESU’ – P.zza S. Cuore
Anyway for our experience, if you plan to come here, we always suggest to start the research months before the arrival.
In this way you will avoid to waste your holidays in the offices or in the churches dealing with italian bureaucracy .
(Remember that archives are not open to public and officers and priests are not required by law to give you access to the local archives)
With the results gathered by our genealogist before your arrival, you will have more free time to visit the town and surroundings on your ancestors footsteps.
Another important source of information are the notary documents available to expert researchers in the State Archives.
If you are in Sicilia and you are able to decipher old italian handwritten documents you can reach the archive here:
Archivio di Stato di Catania
Address: via Vittorio Emanuele, 156 – Catania
Phone: +390957159860
Days and opening hours: monday 08.00 – 19.00 tuesday 08.00 – 19.00 wednesday 08.00 – 19.00 thursday 08.00 – 19.00 friday 08.00 – 19.00 saturday 08.00 – 13.30 weekly closing: Sunday; no reservation
or
Archivio di Stato di Catania. Sezione di Caltagirone
Address: via S. Maria di Gesu, 90 – Caltagirone
Phone: +39093326380
Days and opening hours: monday: 8.00 -14.00 tuesday: 8.00 -14.00; 15.00 -18.00 wednesday: 8.00 -14.00 thursday: 8.00 -14.00; 15.00 -18.00 friday: 8.00 -14.00 weekly closing: saturday and Sunday; no reservation
If you need a professional help from our local genealogist in Randazzo area , write to randazzo@italianside.com or fill the form here.
Our expert will study your request and will reply to you with a plan and a quote for your family research.
If you want to read this page in other languages:
– Italiano
– Espanol
– Portuguese
Here below you can read the messages received from other visitors in Randazzo forum:
if you only want to discuss with other people interested in genealogy in Randazzo feel free to leave a message below.
i would like information on my father benedetto projetto born in march of 1895. He was apparently was orphaned or fostered since he used the lst namr “Farina” after coming to the USA around 1912
Ciao- I would like to find the birth certificate of my Great grand father Vincenzo Scuderi, born around 1885 in Randazzo, Sicily. Any assistance would very much appreciated
I would like information on my grandfather, giuseppi sauta from Randazzo. Born around 1890.
Bon giorno,
Tutti i mie anchestri sono di Randazzo e i sono la prima generacione nata a Montreal, Canada.
Tanti familiari sono interati al cimitero di Randazzo, Catania.I mie genitori sono Francesco Paolo Lombardo nato il 20 gennaio 1933 e mia mamma Anna Salanitri nata il 20 septembre 1936.
Mie nonni su la parte di mio padre si ciamavano Carmelo Lombardo e Antonina Romano. Queli di mia mamma sono Salvatore Salanitri e Maria Catena Mavica.
La mamma di moi nonno Salvatore Salanitri si ciamava Annetta Di Silvestro e il suo padre si ciamava Vincenzo Salanitri.Il zio di moi nonno Salvatore Salanitri era un sslesiano e si ciamava Francesco Paolo Salanitri e morto il 17 agosto 1942.
Se e possibile di mi dare informazione su tutti questi cognome, sarei molto contenta e potrei continare il moi albero genealogico.
Grazie per tutto il vostro tempo e patienza.
Good day, i would like to find out about my grandmother and father who lives in Randazzo in the 1900. Mr grandfather was a builder. My father Guiseppe Panebianco was born in May 1933 – he was the youngest child of 10 children (the other siblings, Iolanda, Ida, Alfredo, Lina, Gino, (not sure of the other names) – most of them lived in Sicily while their children and grand children remain). His mothers name was Clorinda Sciacca. She came from another province in Sicily but moved to Randazzo when she married Guiseppe Panebianco. Her family disowned her for marrying below her standards. She had 2 sisters. I believe her parents were a count and countess of a region in Sicily – not sure of the name??
Any information or photo’s of my grandmother Clorinda and her 2 sister plus her extended “Sciacca” family would be greatly appreciated. Also photo’s of my grandfather Guiseppe Panebianco please.
Kind regards Iolanda Panebianco
Hello, I am interested in finding out information on my great-grandparents who lived in Randazzo. My great-grandfather’s name was Giuseppe “Joseph” Alessi and my great-grandmother was Anna Zappala. Giuseppe was a shoemaker and owned a coffee shop next to St. Mary’s Church. Anna died young in 1900 at the age of 30-35, had eight children and is probably buried near the church. The children’s names were Maria Catena, Venera , Maria Concetta, Dominick, Salvatore, Giuseppe, Nancy and Josephina. My grandmother was Maria Concetta who had married my grandfather Angelo Sbrilli in St. Mary’s Church in November of 1908. They moved to America in 1914. My great-grandfather Giuseppi, was born around 1854 and died in 1945. He married a second time and had another five children…one of them was Gaitano. I would love to receive any additional information that you could provide to me or any photos that may be on file. Anything you could provide for the Alessi or Zappala families would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. Barbara