Italy, Biella, Borriana, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registri Ecclesiastici della Chiesa Cattolica di Biella, Borriana, Italia.

Record Description
This is a collection of church records from Biella in the Catholic Church Records for the period between the years 1740-1938. The collection includes baptisms, marriages and burials. The records are generally kept in bound registers consisting of approximately 100-400 pages per volume. Some registers include an index at the end of each volume. Volumes prior to 1815 were handwritten by the parish priest in narrative form with details of the event and after 1815 the records were handwritten in printed forms. The text of the records is in Italian and some earlier registers may have the text in Latin. The original registers were kept in the parish archive and a copy was sent to the diocesan archive. This collection was acquired from the custodian of the records at Borriana Archive in Biella, Italy.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found on most baptism records include:  •	In later records, marriage and birth information of the parents
 * Date and time of the event
 * Name of the person baptized
 * Names of the parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Name of the priest performing the baptism

Key genealogical facts found on most marriage records include: 
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Names of their parents
 * Date of the event
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of the priest performing the marriage
 * In later records, birth information for the bride and groom

Key genealogical facts found on most burial records include: 
 * Name of the deceased
 * Names of the parents (if the deceased is a minor)
 * Dates of death and burial
 * In later records, profession, age of deceased, and cause of death

How to Use the Record
Some records have indexes at the end of the volume. Frequently, these indexes are arranged by the given name of the individual and sometimes use the Latin form of the name. Those volumes without indexes need to be searched chronologically for the individuals sought. Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about other people listed in the record. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example: 


 * Use the baptism date and place to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil and land records.
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The parents' origin places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Marriage date and place may help find their children.
 * Burial place may also help to know of their migration pattern.
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile baptism entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the baptism records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born, married and died in the same place or nearby.

Keep in mind: 
 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Related Websites
[Catholic Church in Italy – Hierarchy]

[Chiesa Cattolica Italiana]

Related Wiki Articles
Italy Church Records

Italy Church History

Italian Marriage Records More Than You Think

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection

 * "Delaware Marriage Records," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 4 March 2011, entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.


 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) : accessed 21 March 2011, entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Italy. Biella, Borriana. Catholic Church records, 1740-1938. Biella, Borriana, Italia.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.