Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the sources for the databases?
a. LDS microfilms. These records will have a seven digit film number in the source column – e.g. “2096119” . The majority of these database lines came from the record indexes on twenty rolls of Muro Lucano Civil Records microfilmed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The data consists of births, marriages, and deaths that took place in Muro Lucano for the years 1810 to 1860. The results of your search will be an indication that a full record may exist on the numbered roll of LDS microfilm.
b. LDS records on-line. These are the civil records that are now available on-line. They will have “LDS on-line” in the source column.
c. Church records. Those records that have “Church Record” as a source were from the books of Church death records. These can be viewed only if you choose to visit the Church in Muro Lucano. Many of these records are now on-line, and we are in the process of updating them and changing the source to LDS on-line.
d. Those records that have “Source 00?” were provided by other Muro Lucano researchers from the written records that they received from official record sources. If you wish to contact these researchers, please click on the “Contact Us” link at the top of each search page. We will ask the researcher to contact you directly. We currently have six researchers that provided their records.
d. Those records that have “ANCES” as the source were obtained from Ancestry.com. The only records available for Muro Lucano were death records for the years 1923 to 1938. As these are photos of the actual death records, much more information exists on these records than we can fit on this database. You may view these records by subscribing to Ancestry.com. You can also check with your local library as many of them have a subscription to Ancestry.com.
e. Those records that have “Ances-10" as the source were also obtained from Ancestry.com. These specific records came from the “Indice Decennale Morti 1916-1926". This 10-year index has very limited information. Only the year, the deceased’s first and last name and the father’s first name are included. We have added the names for the years 1916 - 1922.
f. Those records that have “Catasto” as the source were obtained from the Catasti Onciari for Basilicata Muro. This was a complete census conducted in 1746. Through a genealogy researcher, we were able to purchase the “stato di anime” or “list of souls” from the Naples Archives. Click here to read more about the Catasto.
2. What years do the databases cover?
The database covers civil records between 1810 through 1860. In addition, death records, for the years 1861 to 1881 were obtained from the Church in Muro Lucano, and for the years 1916-1938 from Ancestry.com. Additional records came from Muro Lucano researchers. Finally, records from the 1600s and 1700s are from the Catasti Onciari.
3. How can I obtain a copy of the full record?
For records that have a LDS Film Number as the source, order the film at your local LDS Family History Center and then find the actual record. To find a Family History Center near you, click here
For records that have “ANCES” as the source, you may view these records by subscribing to Ancestry.com. You can also check with your local library as many of them also have a subscription to Ancestry.com.
For records that have “Catasto” as the source, it may be best if you seek the services of a genealogy researcher in Italy to obtain a copy of the Catasti Onciari from the Naples Archives.
4. Why would I use the "sounds like", "starts with" or "contains" search parameters?
These can be useful tools if you are unsure of the spelling of a name. Also, if you know the name and a record does not come up using "is exactly”, it may be beneficial to try a different parameter. Understand that there may be spelling errors in the database. The causes are many. (a) The person that created the original record could have made a mistake or may have used nicknames; (b) many of the records are in very bad condition and difficult to read; (c) the old Italian handwriting is often difficult to decipher; (d) the volunteer transcriber may have made a mistake; or (e) the person in question may have had his own reasons for preferring to spell his name differently from other members of his family. That is why it is important to verify the information by reviewing the full record.
5. What should I do if I find an error in the database?
If you find errors, please click on "Contact Us" at the top of the search page and send us an email with your comments. As errors are discovered, they will be corrected and the database will be updated periodically.
6. What do the terms "unknown", "uncertain", “?” or "zz" in the search results mean?
The term "unknown" means that there was a blank space on the index. A search for the actual record could reveal the missing name.
"??" means that the information was illegible; a question mark following a name (Sofia?) means that the transcriber was making an educated guess;
"uncertain" or "proietto " (male) and “proietta” (female) is used primarily on birth records indicating that perhaps the parents did not want their names given, or that, possibly, the child was abandoned. There are a number of such infants that had uncertain parentage. In almost all cases the infant was given a surname for recording purposes. Many of these made up names were difficult to transcribe, and they are listed as "zz" followed by a letter. The letter indicates that the record of that child can be found in the alphabetical listing under that letter for that year. The transcribers will continue to review these records to try to remove the “zz” and replace it with the actual name.
7. What is the purpose of the Unified Database?
The Purpose of the Unified Database is to combine all of the individuals on the Birth, Marriage, and Death databases into one large database. Ideally, one person's life history can be seen at one time. For example, if you are lucky, your ancestor's history could look like this:
B 18-Mar 1818 Donato Aloysio Nicola Cecilia Capezio
M 30-Dec 1841 Donato Aloysio Nicola Cecilia Capezio
D 5-Oct 1849 Donato Aloysio Nicola Cecilia Capezio
Donato Aloysio, the son of Nicola Aloysio and Cecilia Capezio, was born on March 18, 1818; he was married on December 30, 1841; and he died on October 5, 1849. If you go to the Marriage Search Form, you will see that he married Felicia Nardiello, daughter of Pio Nardiello and Felicia Murena.
8. What do B, M and D mean in my unified search results?
The "B" at the left of the search result line: This will indicate the Birth date and parent information. This is the same information that appears on the "Birth Search Form".
The "M" at the left of the search result line: This will indicate that the person married and will give the date of marriage and the parent information. This is one-half of the information that appears on the “Marriage Search Form”.
The "D" at the left of the search result line: This will indicate the date of the person's death. This is the same information that appears on the "Death Search Form".
9. If I use the unified search, how do I find the individual spouse when finding a marriage record?
If you want to know whom the individual married, then you must use the "Marriage Search Form" to see the entire marriage record and the complete information for both the husband and wife.
10. What does (sic) mean?
This indicates that the information is presented exactly as it is written on the index, even though the transcriber believes it to be incorrect. It is always prudent to check the actual record on the LDS film to obtain the accurate information.
11. What does a “*” mean after a surname?
This will only appear on those death records from Ancestry.com and it indicates that there is additional significant information on the actual record. The information may include the cause of death and/or the location of death.
12. What does “m.” or “v.” mean in the spouse column?
Again, this will only appear on those death records from Ancestry.
The “m.” stands for “moglie” (female) or “marito” (male) and it indicates that the deceased person left a living spouse.
The “v.” stands for “vedova” (female) or “vedovo” (male) and it indicates that the spouse was deceased. In several cases, both a “v.” and “m.” are shown indicating that the deceased remarried after the death of a spouse.