Family History: How Far Back Can You Go?
As professional genealogists one question we are often asked is, “How far back can you take my pedigree?” While we’d all love to have a pedigree documented back to the beginnings of mankind, this just isn’t possible. And creating an accurate, documented and sourced family tree cannot be completed in the span of an afternoon–answering one of our other most frequently received questions–How Long Does It Take to Build a Family Tree?
Genealogical records generally don’t exist before the 1500s. Records dating from the 1500s to the late 1700s may not exist or be available, especially in North America, Ireland, and Eastern Europe. Wars and political unrest, natural disasters, and neglect have taken their toll on these precious, ancient records. Those that have survived are priceless treasures.
Medieval Italian Records
One of our Italian onsite agents recently worked on a project that allowed him the opportunity to view and handle medieval Italian records from the late 1500s to the early 1700s. The following photographs are records from the archive in Bassano del Grappa, north of Venice, which they have graciously allowed us to showcase here.
Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[1]
Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[2]
Photo courtesy of Archivio di Stato di Vicenza. Sezione di Bassano del Grappa.[3]
How to Prevent Genealogy Record Deterioration
To keep the rate of deterioration as low as possible, the documents are stored at an even temperature—18° Celsius/ 64.4 ° Fahrenheit.
Believe it or not, these records at the archive in Bassano del Grappa are available for patrons to search, under a few conditions:
- Use of Gloves: If the paper you are going to be touching is known to be easily stained, then gloves must be used. In general, though, they are not required.
- Handling: After filling out the proper paperwork, patrons to the archive may use the materials. The materials are delivered to patrons in the Study Room which is monitored by the archive staff, and video recorded. Taking pictures is allowed for personal use but not for commercial purposes. Photocopying must be carried out only by personnel due to the delicate and fragile nature of the materials.
As you can imagine, great care must be taken to search delicate records such as these. This isn’t information that can just be quickly looked up. And as most of these records are not microfilmed or digitized, each page must be carefully handled while searching for the desired information, a time-intensive endeavor.
As genealogists and family historians, we are so appreciative of the efforts made by those who seek to preserve these ancient documents. Each one is a priceless treasure allowing some of us to be able to trace our ancestry maybe not back to Adam, but to some of the earliest available records.
Would your research efforts benefit with onsite access to archive collections? Legacy Tree Genealogists has developed a worldwide network of onsite researchers that can assist in accessing the documents necessary to extend your family history as far as possible. Contact us today for a quote!
Special thanks to our onsite researcher, Francis, for facilitating our obtaining these wonderful photographs!
[1] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.
[2] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.
[3] SASBASS, NOTAI DI ASOLO-CASTELFRANCO, b 137, atti del notaio Dotto Girolamo 1597-1621. b 307, atti del notaio Spinelli Girolamo 1656-1702.
Kim - Legacy Tree Genealogists Project Manager
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looking for my Polish Ancestory
We would love to help you. We’ve assisted many clients in extending their Polish ancestry, and have researchers onsite that can access archives and repositories if necessary. To get started, you may request a free quote hereL https://legacytree.com.
This article on Medieval Italian records is so exciting! My Bassano ancestors were court musicians to the Doge of Venice and later went to the court of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. They were also premier and sought after instrument makers whose instruments are found in many of the royal courts of Europe. Elizabeth I arranged the marriage of my Bassano ancestor to Nicholas Lanier who came from the French court by safe passage of the queen, Catherine de Medici. His portrait is at Oxford. Rumor is that the Bassano family lived in the Jewish quarter in Bassano del Grappa and had come from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. I would like to dig deeper into this period and see any records that might be helpful.
What fascinating ancestry! If you’d like additional assistance exploring these family lines, you may request a free quote here: https://legacytree.com.
Thank you! I will keep your information and be in touch when my budget opens up.
Hello Mary,
It is very nice to “meet you” cousin. I am a Lanier, and very interested in the Bassano- Medici-Johnson-Lanier stories. Please feel free to contact me so we might compare notes.
thank you,
Hi Paul,
Glad to hear from you. Do you have an online tree? I am currently updating my
Lanier info and will be putting it up online in the near future on MyHeritage and
ancestry.com. Are you part of the Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/Laniergenealogy/ ?
In the mean time I recommend “Malone and Allied Families” by
Randolph A. Malone. The author’s research files are available to those who purchase the book.
Check out Worldcat.org for a library near you to see if it will be helpful to you.
Check out “The Bassanos” by David Lasocki – a scholarly read with lots of details https://www.worldcat.org/title/bassanos-venetian-musicians-and-instrument-makers-in-england-1531-1665/oclc/994220711&referer=brief_results . I would love to own this book except for the chapter on Emilia Bassano according to male 1930s point of view. A better read is “The Dark Lady” by Charlene Ball. This will give you insights into the relationships and events in their lives. Read this first.
Mary
I am looking for Martinaglia family records, which I hope you can assist me with starting off in 1306 in Piedmont, Italy.
Genealogical records are generally not available prior to the 1500s in Italy, however, if you know the town your family is from in Piedmont, they can be contacted to check to see if any records exist for that time period. Records that old are likely to be in a fragile state and not microfilmed or digitized, so contact with the town hall or provincial archives would be necessary. We have onsite researchers in Italy if you would like research assistance. To get started, you can request a free quote here.
I’m interested in my Italian heritage. I haven’t had success with other companies bc I have so little information. I know my families last name and region that they’re from.
Please advise.
Janine
Hi Janine,
Sometimes family histories can seem confusing, especially without a lot of details. Our team conducts personalized research in millions of family history records, spanning hundreds of years to help you find out who your ancestors were, where they lived, and much more. Please consider scheduling a consultation with one of our Client Solutions Specialists on our Get In Touch page. They can point you in the right direction or set up a research project if needed.
Hi,
My family is from Sicily. I can more or less trace them back to the 1750s about but not before that. Is it possible you could help me go back even further? Thanks for letting me know!
Hi Karen, we work around the world to track down records and push back ancestry. If a record exists, we can find it! We can provide the next steps to help you learn more about your family. Please contact us by filling out the form on our Get in Touch page. We can give you a free estimate on research. Good luck!