It is often very difficult to access Roman Catholic church records throughout Italy. If the records have not been destroyed by war or natural disasters, access to the records depends on if the local priest has time or desire to open the records to you. Sometimes a second copy of the parish records may be located in a diocesan archive, but I have personally not found that to be the case for my ancestral lines that I have researched so far. If the records are kept at the diocesan archives, you are lucky. Diocesan archives are open one or more days a week or by appointment only. If they have open research hours, it is still a good idea to call or email ahead of time to make sure they have the records you are looking for and they will be open during your visit.
I did not realize my Pierluca ancestors were from Loreto, Ancona (province), Marche (region), Italy. My grandfather left Italy in 1934 with his mother, Emelia, and siblings to join his father who was already living in the United States. I had always known that he was born in Porto Civitanova, Macerata, Marche, Italy. He talked about it and kept his passport. Years ago, I found his parent’s 1914 marriage record on FamilySearch in the Tribunale records for Civitanova Marche, Macerata, Marche, Italy. This record gave me the names of Emelia’s parents as Luigi Pierluca and Giovanna Martellini. After continuing to research the Tribunale records for Civitanova Marche, I found Luigi Pierluca’s death record in 1916. I thought the record indicated he was from “Porto.” Meaning Porto Civitanova.[i] However, if I had read the record more carefully, I would not have been searching for years for the Pierluca family in Civitanova Marche. I still may not have figured out that his city of birth was Loreto based on the record below, but at least I would have asked fellow genealogists or friends and relatives who read Italian to take a look at it to help me decipher his birthplace. A professional genealogist, Mirella Ammirati, founder of Southern Italy Travel, pointed out my mistake in 2016 when I hired her to do some research into my family tree before I traveled to my grandfather’s birthplace. Loreto is only approximately a twenty-five minute drive from Civitanova Marche. I had no idea that my Pierluca ancestors had such deep roots in Loreto.
[ii]
March 2023 was my second time researching the archive and library in the Santa Pontificicio della Santa Casa Di Loreto. In 2016, the first time I visited the archive, I spent hours asking people where I could find the archives, until finally I asked a monk who took my father and I, through the gift shop up the stairs to the second floor to the research room. When I finally arrived, I only had time to review birth records from the 1840s-1850s. I found the baptismal record of my second great-grandfather, Luigi Pierluca, and his two siblings. I also found a few other Pierluca baptism records, but I did not know how they related to my Pierluca family. Through the years more and more records have been added to the Antenati website, which contains mostly civil records kept at the state archives and that were digitized through a partnership with FamilySearch and placed online for free to researchers. The records vary by province and some state archives have not been digitized yet. I have been able to slowly piece together the Pierluca family and other collateral lines from Loreto, Italy found on the Antenati website.
Fast forward to March 2023. I returned to Civitanova Marche to visit cousins and research my family. On my first full day, my cousin Maria from Chiavari, Italy, and I traveled together to Loreto, Italy to continue researching the Pierluca family and collateral lines. I vaguely remembered how to find the archives, but I was not positive of its location. We asked a priest and right away he brought us to the archives and library on the second floor. To find the archives, instead of entering the basilica near the gift shop, turn left and go up to the top of the stairs. If you turn left, you will see a set of large wooden doors, go through them, and then the archives will be on your left. The archives are currently open Monday through Friday 9am to 12pm. You must press a buzzer and wait to be let in.
Access the archives by going up the stairway located here.
The archives are run by Father Andréa. He speaks Italian, English, French, and Arabic. He expects to remain at the archives in Loreto for another two years before he is moved to a different location. Every day he meticulously reviews the sacramental records and inputs them into a searchable Word document. He hopes to make a fully searchable index while serving at the basilica. The records available are as follows:[iii]
Baptisms 1568-1880
Marriages 1568-1900
Deaths 1566-1920
Stato di Anime 1800-1865, 1896-1902
Before you begin researching you must fill out a form with your biographic information, the reasons for your search and agreeing that the images are for your own use and not to be reproduced. Yes, you may take digital photos with your camera. You must wear gloves. Latex gloves are available if you do not bring your own. Father Andréa will assist you, but he expects you to do your own research. I did have numerous questions, which he patiently answered.
If you are unfamiliar with the Stato di Anime records, they are similar to census records, but collected by the church. They were lists compiled infrequently by the priest that showed the head of household, their birth and sometimes death dates, their parents’ names, their birthplace, what sacraments they celebrated, and sometimes helpful notations that the parishioner went to live in another city or immigrated to another country. Just like census records they can give us a lot of information at a glance. However, you must realize that the record consists of copied information from other records, so there could be errors or inconsistencies in the records.
Marriage records prior to 1767 and baptismal records prior to 1787 do not have indexes. I did not have a chance to look at death records in the 1700s, but I am assuming they also did not have indexes. The records are kept in chronological order, but they are very difficult to read. All the records are in Latin, most of the pages have bled through, and in some cases the ink has faded. I would call myself an intermediate level researcher. I can read the records, but it takes me a while. I wish I could research all day, but having the archives open only three hours a day forced me to take breaks. I found my body does need a break. Not only was my back hurtingfrom hunching over the large record books, but my eyes were also fatigued from reading the records. I do not typically wear reading glasses, but I did need to consistently use them while skimming the sacramental record.
For the books that did have indexes available, I thought the most time-saving method was to write down the surnames I was looking for in my notebook (in pencil of course, as pen is not allowed near the record), go through the Index first and write down the page number where I could find the surname, and I would turn to the page and take a picture of the record. I did not spend time translating the record in the archives, because with so little time to research, I determined that when I returned home, I could always go back and fully translate the document and figure out how that person fits into my family tree.
It will likely be several years before I have the time to go back to Italy and continue my research into my Pierluca and collateral lines. I hope that Father Andréa may have a completed index by the time I return. Until then, I plan on slowly going through all the records I collected, log them, and add them to my family tree. I told Father Andréa that I would email him a document containing my research, in the hopes that he or the archive staff can share it with others who may come along inquiring about the Pierluca family in Loreto.
A big shout out to my cousin, Maria, who traveled a long way to meet me and helped me research.
[i] In 1938, Porto Civitanova and Civitanova Alta, the old town, were combined to form one municipality of Civitanova Marche.
[ii] "Italia, Macerata, Macerata, Stato Civile (Tribunale), 1866-1929," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9W2-MPQ?cc=2043838&wc=MCRB-8NL%3A350209001%2C350233001%2C350235401 : 22 May 2014), Macerata > Civitanova Marche > Morti 1911-1929 > image 591 of 2000; Tribunale di Macerata (Macerata Court, Macerata).
[iii] More recent sacramental records are available in the rectory.
