Amanuensis Monday - Donato Telesca - Atto di Nascita

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Tracing my husbands line of Telesca's required me to spend many hours at the FHC looking over Atto di Nascita (Birth Records), Atti di Matrimonio (Marriage Records), and Atto di Morte (Death Records).


The fact that I do not speak or read any foreign language was quite a handicap. I purchased the book, "A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors" by Lynn Nelson. I would not have been able to do any of the Telesca research without this book.

This is a copy of my husband's Great Grandfather, Donato Telesca's Atto di Nascita or Birth record from Avigliano, Italy.

1868 Birth Record for Donato Telesca

Here is my transcription to the best of my ability. Blank lines are what I could not decipher.

In the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-eight of the 23^rd of the month of September at the hour of thirteen in the room ___________    ________  Angelo Telesca, Mayor and officer of the vital records of the town of Avigliano Region of Basilicata appeared Giuseppe Telesca son of the late Donato age twenty six bricklayer (mason) citizen residing in Avigliano the same has presented us a male ____  ____ ____ in the masculine, declared of _____ born _____ twenty-three of current month of September at the hour of ten _____ wife Angela Maria Loruso ____living in his house ________________________________ ________________________________________ name of Donato

These declarations ___________________________ of Domenica[a] age twenty-four, and of Leonardo Santafioro son of the late Domenico age fourty six, farmer, resident living in Avigliano ____________

A Telesca

From this record I learned that Donato Telesca was born on 23 September 1868 in Avigliano, Italy. His parents were Giuseppe Telesca and Angela Maria Laruso Telesca. Donato's grandfather was Donato Telesca and he had passed away.