Italiano 
Historical notes Altavilla Milicia
Altavilla Milicia is a municipality of 8523 inhabitants, bordering the municipalities of Casteldaccia and Trabia. In the 11th century, not far from the current town, the Basilian monks built the monastery of Santa Maria di Campogrosso, now in ruins. During the 15th century a sugar cane plantation was built with a relative milling machine for cane milling. Sugar production reached its maximum splendor between the end of the fifteenth century and the first half of the sixteenth century, to then suffer an inexorable decline. In 1621 the noble Francesco Maria Beccadelli, owner of the feud, obtained the licentia populandi and began the construction of the town.
Sources for genealogy in Altavilla Milicia: Civil Status records (births, marriages, deaths)
In 1819 Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies, instituted the Civil State in Sicily on the model of the Napoleonic one already in force in the other regions of the kingdom, but the recordings began the following year. The civil registrars compiled the following registers in two originals: births, births of abandoned children, marriage banns, marriages, deaths and various documents. The annexes to the birth and marriage certificates were collected in separate files. With the royal decree of November 15, 1865, the new order was introduced which provided for the compilation of citizenship registers.
Consulting the civil status documents is usually the first phase of a genealogical research. If you want to start researching your family history in Altavilla Milicia, contact us for more information!
Sources for genealogy in Altavilla Milicia: parish records (baptisms, marriages, deaths, numbering of souls)
In its XXV session of 3-4 December 1563, the Council of Trent made it compulsory for all parish priests to compile special registers of baptisms, marriages and the dead. Beginning in 1614, a provision contained in the Rituale Romanum of Pope Paul V ordered parish priests to compile real and proper censuses of parishioners: the Status Animarum (States of Souls or Numbering of the Souls).
Certainly parish registers are an invaluable source for genealogical research, but they are not easy to read (they are written in Latin, with spellings and abbreviations that are difficult to understand for non-experts. Therefore, we advise you to rely on professionals for a fruitful research in parish registers.
Sources for genealogy in Altavilla Milicia: the “Riveli di beni ed anime”
The Riveli di beni ed anime (Revelations of goods and souls) were censuses compiled by the individual municipal administrations. Numerous registers concern almost all the Sicilian municipalities and cover the period between the 16th and 18th centuries: the documents drawn up in the years 1548, 1569, 1584, 1593, 1607, 1616, 1623, 1636, 1651, 1682, 1714 and 1748 are preserved. They allow us to know not only the composition of individual families but also their socio-economic status and are therefore an irreplaceable source of research.
The Riveli of Altavilla Milicia are available for the years 1623, 1681 and 1748.
Sources for genealogy in Altavilla Milicia: notarial deeds
The notarial documentation kept in the State Archives and Notarial Archives is very useful for reconstructing a genealogy. Sometimes these are much older documents than ecclesiastical ones and therefore allow family history to be reconstructed even further back in time. In fact, some deeds, for example wills or dowry contracts, are rich in information of genealogical interest. Furthermore, even the consultation of notarial deeds allows us to know the socio-economic status of the family.
The most ancient notarial deeds of Altavilla Milicia date back to the year 1779.
WHY RELY ON A PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGIST?
Reconstructing one’s family history is a fascinating adventure, a journey through time to discover places, facts and ancestors. From what you have read so far, you will have understood that it is very difficult to obtain valid results without the help and method of a professional genealogist who knows how to identify the sources necessary for research and correctly interpret ancient documents.
If your family also comes from Altavilla Milicia and you want to entrust us with your genealogical research, contact us! Consultation and preliminary research are free!
Finally, a gallery of old postcards from Altavilla Milicia:
