x
Toggle Content Register or Login  -  March 28, 2024, 8:45 am
Toggle Content User Info

Welcome Anonymous

Nickname
Password

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

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 130
Total: 130
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Statistics
02: My Account
03: Community Forums
04: Community Forums
05: Community Forums
06: Community Forums
07: Community Forums
08: Community Forums
09: Community Forums
10: Community Forums
11: Photo Gallery
12: Community Forums
13: Community Forums
14: My Account
15: Community Forums
16: Community Forums
17: Community Forums
18: Community Forums
19: Community Forums
20: Community Forums
21: Photo Gallery
22: My Account
23: Community Forums
24: Community Forums
25: Community Forums
26: Community Forums
27: My Account
28: Community Forums
29: My Account
30: Community Forums
31: Community Forums
32: Community Forums
33: Community Forums
34: My Account
35: Statistics
36: Community Forums
37: My Account
38: My Account
39: Community Forums
40: My Account
41: Statistics
42: My Account
43: Community Forums
44: Community Forums
45: My Account
46: Community Forums
47: My Account
48: My Account
49: Community Forums
50: Community Forums
51: Community Forums
52: My Account
53: Community Forums
54: My Account
55: My Account
56: Community Forums
57: My Account
58: Community Forums
59: Community Forums
60: My Account
61: Community Forums
62: My Account
63: My Account
64: Community Forums
65: My Account
66: Community Forums
67: Home
68: Community Forums
69: My Account
70: Community Forums
71: Community Forums
72: Community Forums
73: Community Forums
74: Home
75: Community Forums
76: Community Forums
77: Community Forums
78: Community Forums
79: Community Forums
80: Community Forums
81: My Account
82: My Account
83: Community Forums
84: My Account
85: Community Forums
86: Community Forums
87: My Account
88: Community Forums
89: Community Forums
90: Statistics
91: Photo Gallery
92: Community Forums
93: Community Forums
94: My Account
95: Community Forums
96: Community Forums
97: Community Forums
98: Community Forums
99: Community Forums
100: My Account
101: Community Forums
102: My Account
103: Community Forums
104: My Account
105: Home
106: Community Forums
107: Community Forums
108: Community Forums
109: My Account
110: Photo Gallery
111: Community Forums
112: Community Forums
113: Community Forums
114: Photo Gallery
115: Statistics
116: Community Forums
117: Community Forums
118: Community Forums
119: Community Forums
120: Photo Gallery
121: Community Forums
122: Community Forums
123: Community Forums
124: Community Forums
125: Community Forums
126: My Account
127: Community Forums
128: Community Forums
129: Community Forums
130: 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