How to Deal with Missing Records
What do you mean, my grandparents weren’t married?!
Does this sound familiar? Maybe it was your parents. Or maybe you’re missing a vital record because of a fire or an earthquake. It could even be that the document never existed in the first place. Don’t freak out just yet- there are several ways around a missing document.
If you’ve read my article The Truth in the Cashbox, you’ll know that you can’t always trust what your family tells you. In their defense, lies aren’t always intentional. Many of us in the Italian diaspora have heard similar stories like ‘your great grandmother was the illegitimate child of a nobleman!’, or even simply, ‘your grandfather was born in the US, not Italy!’. In my lineage, both of these stories appeared (in some cases for more than one ancestor). But it was the lie that my grandparents were married that led to my next major road bump- what do you do when the document you need doesn’t exist?
Without my grandparents' marriage certificate, I needed to find another way to prove my father’s paternity. The line I used to apply for citizenship back in 2024 was Me < My Father < My Grandfather < My Great Grandfather. Although my grandfather was listed on my father’s birth certificate, it cannot be relied on as sufficient proof. If you have a similar issue and need to prove paternity for someone in your line, the easiest way to do so is to have an official document drawn up where the father acknowledges the next in line as their child. The obvious issue here, as it was in my case, is when the family members in question are no longer living.
The next route I explored was church records. In many cases, a sacramental certificate issued by a church in place of a marriage certificate, or a baptismal certificate in place of a birth certificate is an acceptable form of documentation. Unfortunately, there was no church record of my grandparents’ marriage because they never married, not in the eyes of the government or god. However, if I was able to locate my father’s baptism certificate, and it just happened to include my grandfather’s signature, it would have been the perfect example of proof of paternity. Although I successfully located and received a copy of my father’s baptism certificate with my grandfather listed as my father’s father, it did not bear his signature. I had the document notarized and Apostilled, just in case.
Another reliable option is a Last Will and Testament where the parent either claimed paternity for their child or bequeathed property or belongings to them as their heir. This was my best chance at finding an alternative to my grandparents’ marriage certificate. In my childhood, I visited my grandfather’s house many times. After his passing, I remember the discord between my divorced parents and my grandmother, who all felt entitled to a fair share. But my father was the only one listed on the deed. This was the key.
First, I searched for my grandfather’s will in the local county where his house was, then in the county where he lived prior, both to no avail. After diving into a rabbit hole of research, I discovered that the deed to the house was considered public and could be requested through the local county. If the Will didn’t exist, there would still be evidence in the transference of the deed from my grandfather to my father. Alas, the high from my ingenious discovery was short lived. My grandfather had purchased the land long before there was even a proper street name, let alone an address. I used google maps and my memory to try to decipher the correct address, all the while cross referencing the county’s website. I was exhausted, so I put the matter to rest, and figured I would pick back up on it in the morning.
The next morning, when trying to log back into the website for the county clerk’s office I was met with an alert- the website was indefinitely offline due to a hacker! Just my luck! I was so close! I waited a few weeks, but the itch to get my hands on the lynchpin document was too great. I wrote out a detailed letter explaining what I was looking for, a few possible addresses, a copy of my photo ID, and a cashier’s check for the payment. Two weeks later, I had the deed in my hands. Shaking, I tore through it until I finally found the line that specifically stated my grandfather transferred the deed to his son, my father!
As I write this recollection, I understand just how fortunate I am that I was able to locate this document- which was later waived away and dismissed by the comune worker as unnecessary. You can read all about my application in Italy in my article Piano, Piano. After my sister and I completed this process for ourselves, I became passionate about helping others achieve their goals of being recognized as an Italian citizen. Just as no two people are the same, neither are any two family lines, nor the issues or solutions for their applications. If you’re having trouble locating or replacing a missing record, book a free introductory call to find out how we can help.
