I've done a lot of research in the Italian births records and have found the some couples continued to have children listed as natuale. I wonder if it is because the parents were married in a civil ceremony but did not marry in the church. I followed the births of one couple for over twenty years. When their oldest daughter got married (both civil and religious), the parents were also married in the church. Notations were made in the margins of all their children that their parents were married in the church and that the children could be considered "recognized" children of the couple.

Candis Carbone
Tacoma, WA
Researching Plazola and Gonzales in San Sebastian del Oreste
----- Original Message -----
From: longsjourney
To: research@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 12:06 PM
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] researching records

I just wanted to tell the new members who are new to researching that after 10 years of researching I just did my first record of "hijos naturales." I'd stayed away from them because I felt it was sort of prying.. silly me! I"m working on 0439889 Jerez Zacatecas, hijos naturales and have found lots and lots of children listed as natural when their parents were actually married!

I've decided not to include these children in the records stops others from finding them regardless of the circumstances of their birth. I also noticed that some are listed in the civil birth registration as father unknown but in the baptism record in "hijos naturales" the father and grandparents are usually listed, a real find. So, my advice is not to neglect any record that might give you the information you need to further your research.

good luck and welcome to all the new members of Nuestros Ranchos
Linda Castanon-Long in Everett