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GENEALOGY IN ALIMENA
Historical notes on Alimena
Located at an altitude of 750 meters, on the south-eastern border of the Madonie district, Alimena is a municipality of 1764 inhabitants, bordering the municipalities of Blufi, Bompietro, Gangi, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Resuttano, Santa Caterina Villarmosa and Villarosa.
Some archaeological finds dating back to the 4th century BC testify to the presence of a town in Balza Areddula.
The current inhabited center was founded in the La Mazza feud in 1628 following the granting of the licentia populandi issued to Antonio Alimena, of a noble Calabrian family. The inhabitants of the new town mostly came from more ancient neighboring towns. As was customary, the Alimena and their successors equipped the nascent village with all the infrastructures necessary for the civil and religious life of the new inhabitants. The parish church was dedicated to Sant Maria Maddalena.
At the end of the seventeenth century the Alimena family died out in the Benzo family. Subsequently the titles and assets passed to the Del Bosco family.
Alimena had 1233 inhabitants in 1713, 2337 in 1798, 3155 in 1831 and 3352 in 1852.
Sources for genealogy in Alimena: 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 Alimena, contact us for more information!
Sources for genealogy in Alimena: 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 Alimena: 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.
Alimena’s Riveli are available for the years 1651, 1682, 1714 and 1748.
Sources for genealogy in Alimena: 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 oldest notarial records of Alimena date back to the year 1666.
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 Alimena and you want to entrust us with your genealogical research, contact us! Consultation and preliminary research are free!
Finally, here is a gallery of old postcards of Alimena:
