x
Toggle Content Register or Login  -  March 29, 2024, 2:44 pm
Toggle Content User Info

Welcome Anonymous

Nickname
Password

Membership:
Latest: LucilleDZ
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 2016

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 286
Total: 286
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Community Forums
02: Community Forums
03: Photo Gallery
04: Community Forums
05: My Account
06: Statistics
07: Community Forums
08: My Account
09: My Account
10: Community Forums
11: Community Forums
12: Community Forums
13: Photo Gallery
14: Community Forums
15: Community Forums
16: My Account
17: Community Forums
18: Community Forums
19: My Account
20: Community Forums
21: Community Forums
22: My Account
23: Community Forums
24: Community Forums
25: Community Forums
26: My Account
27: Community Forums
28: Community Forums
29: Home
30: My Account
31: Community Forums
32: Community Forums
33: Community Forums
34: Home
35: My Account
36: My Account
37: My Account
38: My Account
39: Community Forums
40: Statistics
41: Community Forums
42: Community Forums
43: Community Forums
44: My Account
45: Community Forums
46: Statistics
47: Home
48: My Account
49: Community Forums
50: Community Forums
51: Statistics
52: Community Forums
53: Photo Gallery
54: Community Forums
55: Community Forums
56: My Account
57: Community Forums
58: Community Forums
59: Community Forums
60: Community Forums
61: My Account
62: Statistics
63: Community Forums
64: Community Forums
65: Community Forums
66: Community Forums
67: My Account
68: My Account
69: Community Forums
70: My Account
71: My Account
72: Community Forums
73: Community Forums
74: Community Forums
75: My Account
76: Community Forums
77: Community Forums
78: Community Forums
79: Statistics
80: My Account
81: Community Forums
82: My Account
83: Community Forums
84: My Account
85: My Account
86: Statistics
87: Community Forums
88: My Account
89: Community Forums
90: My Account
91: Community Forums
92: Community Forums
93: Statistics
94: Home
95: My Account
96: Community Forums
97: Photo Gallery
98: Statistics
99: Community Forums
100: Community Forums
101: Community Forums
102: Community Forums
103: Community Forums
104: Community Forums
105: Community Forums
106: Community Forums
107: Community Forums
108: Community Forums
109: Community Forums
110: My Account
111: Community Forums
112: Community Forums
113: My Account
114: Community Forums
115: My Account
116: Photo Gallery
117: Community Forums
118: My Account
119: My Account
120: Photo Gallery
121: Community Forums
122: Community Forums
123: Community Forums
124: Community Forums
125: My Account
126: My Account
127: My Account
128: Community Forums
129: My Account
130: Community Forums
131: Community Forums
132: Community Forums
133: Community Forums
134: Community Forums
135: My Account
136: Community Forums
137: Community Forums
138: My Account
139: Community Forums
140: Community Forums
141: Photo Gallery
142: Community Forums
143: Community Forums
144: Statistics
145: Community Forums
146: Community Forums
147: Community Forums
148: Home
149: My Account
150: My Account
151: My Account
152: My Account
153: Community Forums
154: Community Forums
155: My Account
156: Community Forums
157: Community Forums
158: My Account
159: Community Forums
160: My Account
161: My Account
162: My Account
163: Community Forums
164: Community Forums
165: Community Forums
166: My Account
167: My Account
168: Community Forums
169: Community Forums
170: Community Forums
171: Community Forums
172: Community Forums
173: Statistics
174: Community Forums
175: Community Forums
176: Community Forums
177: Community Forums
178: My Account
179: Community Forums
180: Community Forums
181: Community Forums
182: Community Forums
183: Community Forums
184: Community Forums
185: Community Forums
186: Home
187: Statistics
188: My Account
189: My Account
190: Community Forums
191: Community Forums
192: Community Forums
193: Community Forums
194: Community Forums
195: Statistics
196: Community Forums
197: Home
198: Community Forums
199: Community Forums
200: Community Forums
201: Community Forums
202: Community Forums
203: Community Forums
204: Community Forums
205: Community Forums
206: Community Forums
207: Community Forums
208: Community Forums
209: Community Forums
210: Community Forums
211: Community Forums
212: Community Forums
213: Statistics
214: Community Forums
215: Community Forums
216: Community Forums
217: Community Forums
218: Photo Gallery
219: Community Forums
220: Community Forums
221: Community Forums
222: My Account
223: My Account
224: Home
225: My Account
226: Community Forums
227: My Account
228: Community Forums
229: Community Forums
230: Community Forums
231: My Account
232: Community Forums
233: My Account
234: Community Forums
235: Community Forums
236: Community Forums
237: My Account
238: Community Forums
239: Community Forums
240: Community Forums
241: My Account
242: Community Forums
243: Community Forums
244: My Account
245: Community Forums
246: Community Forums
247: Community Forums
248: My Account
249: Community Forums
250: Community Forums
251: My Account
252: My Account
253: Photo Gallery
254: Community Forums
255: Community Forums
256: My Account
257: Community Forums
258: Photo Gallery
259: Statistics
260: Community Forums
261: Community Forums
262: My Account
263: Community Forums
264: Community Forums
265: Statistics
266: Community Forums
267: Community Forums
268: Community Forums
269: Community Forums
270: My Account
271: Community Forums
272: Community Forums
273: Community Forums
274: Community Forums
275: Community Forums
276: Community Forums
277: My Account
278: Community Forums
279: Photo Gallery
280: Community Forums
281: Community Forums
282: Community Forums
283: Community Forums
284: Community Forums
285: Community Forums
286: Community Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
Toggle Content Main Menu
Toggle Content Last Posts
Last 10 Forum Messages

bocca
Last post by tennino in General Discussion Groups on Jan 16, 2021 at 16:56:41

Towns in Frosinone that were part of former Vatican States a
Last post by Italysearcher in Central Italy on Feb 19, 2019 at 09:15:58

Dual Citizenship
Last post by Curci-Ghio in General Discussion Groups on Nov 18, 2018 at 15:30:54

Please Help Translate Letter
Last post by nuccia in Translations on Oct 20, 2018 at 06:18:43

Family in Cittanova
Last post by russojoseph1 in Translations on Oct 14, 2018 at 12:28:20

DNA Testing
Last post by nuccia in General Discussion Groups on Sep 29, 2018 at 10:39:30

Trento -Atto di Nascita - Frazione di Poia, Comune di Comano
Last post by exevans in Northern Italy on Mar 28, 2018 at 00:45:37

Translating written postcard
Last post by mekanic in Translations on Jan 18, 2018 at 13:58:50

Translating written postcard
Last post by mekanic in Translations on Jan 18, 2018 at 13:53:38

State of the Family Record & Other State Records
Last post by debbiemfit in Northern Italy on Jan 02, 2018 at 23:14:28

Toggle Content Help Support this Site
Please support GentediMareGenealogy
Help us by supporting the future development of this site, or simply to say thank you.
Toggle Content EStore
Community Forums › General › General Discussion Groups › THERE IS HOPE! - My ordeal with Ottaviano

     Forum FAQ   Search   Log in to check your private messages   Login  
THERE IS HOPE! - My ordeal with Ottaviano
Want to share something new or just have fun? You can do that here.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Forum Index General Discussion Groups Printer Friendly Page

View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
blujay
New Member
New Member


Joined: Jan 10, 2009
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 4:55 am    Post subject: THERE IS HOPE! - My ordeal with Ottaviano Reply with quote

Hello everyone,
I am from the USA and have words for all those people who have written to Italy without receiving a response. There IS hope for you and my story will prove it!

In early December, 2008, I sent a letter to Ottaviano, NA (in Italian) requesting the birth extract (Estratto per riassunto degli Atti di Nascita) of my great-grandmother who had passed away at the age of 94 when I was a teenager back in the early 1980's. Her birthplace and birthday were well known. She was born in Ottaviano and my family would celebrate her birthday on the 14th of February every year. Out of all the requests I had been sending out, this was sure to be the easiest or so I thought.

By March of 2009, I still had not received a reply from Ottaviano. I thought that was odd because all other communes that I had mailed requests to, had sent back their responses (w/ requests granted!) by late January, 2009. So, I composed a second letter to Ottaviano (via registered mail) adding the surname of my great-grandmother's mother (that I had recently learned) and requesting a photocopy of my great-grandmother’s act of birth in addition to her birth extract, 14 Feb 1888.
In April (2009), I received a postal card from Ottaviano stating that my second letter had been received (there was a signature on the card). So a response to my request could not be far behind, right?

Well, as it turned out, by mid-June, I still had not been sent a reply. Something was wrong. Had I sent the letters to the wrong commune? Was my great-grandmother’s birth date incorrect? No, it couldn't be. I knew my great-grandmother and had asked her questions about her origins many times in my youth. So, taking the textbook advice from many websites, I sent a third letter to the mayor of Ottaviano along with an email to the 'Ufficio dello Stato Civile' in the same commune.

By mid-August I still had not been given a proper reply (or any reply for that matter) by Ottaviano. All of my letters and four e-mails (including one authored by a kind Italian gentleman) had gone unanswered, as if they had never been sent. (In contrast, I was averaging a response time of 5 weeks per postal request from other communes around Italy. Some communes would e-mail back in as little as 2 days! I even made contact with a cousin who was in charge of a demographic office in Taranto.). Feeling angry and quite discouraged, I hit cyberspace with renewed determination. I had to know what was going on! Did they even have an 'Officio dello Stato Civile' in Ottaviano?

Enter Carole and the assistance of ‘Gente di Mare’. I was already using her wonderful and ‘easy to use’ stamp service that ‘Gente’ so kindly offers. (The Italian communes did not want to use my enclosed IRCs -- International Reply Coupons, as payment for postage. They demanded that I enclose stamps for all future requests.) I informed Carole of my situation and she recommended 'Gente's' telephone assistance. She also stressed patience and persistence due to the fact that some of these ‘Ufficio dello Stato Civiles’ were poorly run. At cost, and with the aid of ‘Gente’, she was able to contact Ottaviano several times to ascertain why I had not been sent a reply to my request. Their excuses were numerous and poor to say the least. However, Carole was eventually able to speak with the head of the department (Dott.ssa ….) in Ottaviano and kept in close contact with her as the search for my great-grandmother’s birth record began.

Finally, in early March 2010, I received the birth extract of my great-grandmother from Ottaviano!! It turns out that her birthday was the 2 Jan 1888 (not 14 Feb!!). All those years her birthday was celebrated on the wrong day. I can’t help but to wonder if my great-grandmother actually new this and chose Valentine’s Day as her birthday instead.

I simply cannot thank Carole and ‘Gente’ enough for their efforts on my behalf. Through the telephone assistance and stamp service of ‘Gente’, Carole is making it possible for us to obtain documentation concerning our ancestors and in doing so, learn more about our ancestry. Thank you Carole!!

So you see, there IS hope! Do NOT give up!!!

-Blujay Smile


Last edited by blujay on Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile
Cathy
V.I.P.
V.I.P.


Joined: Jul 10, 2007
Posts: 2681

PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:09 am    Post subject: Re: THERE IS HOPE! - My ordeal with Ottaviano Reply with quote

Great story...thanks for sharing! I have made several requests for my grandmother's birth act (coincidentally, we were always told her birthday was February 14th also - my dad's cousin says she made that up and her birthday was actually in January!) and never received it.. I gave up. Perhaps it is time I try again! Very Happy Brava Carole!

_________________
Cathy
My Websites
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
  Page 1 of 1All times are GMT - 4 Hours

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Forum Index General Discussion Groups Printer Friendly Page

  
 
Jump to:  



You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum



Hosted By Site5.com
The logos and trademarks used on this site are the property of Gente di Mare Genealogy.
We are not responsible for comments posted by our users, as they are the opinions of the poster.
Interactive software released under GNU GPL, Code Credits, Privacy Policy
TCD_ItalianGene © Gente di Mare Genealogy