Genealogy Chat

Really quick delivery on a death cert I ordered for a death of a rellie in Genoa, Italy in 1863 from the Foreign Consular Indexes, but was very disappointed that there is no column for Cause of Death, and worse still, it is a modern handwritten copy that looks like the place of death has been mistranscribed. The GRO clerk or whoever has written 'S. Pierd' Arena', but when I looked in a 2004 Europe road atlas, the only surburb of Genoa I can see is SAMPIERDARENA. What do you reckon my chances are of emailing and asking to see a photocopy of the original so I can judge the spelling for myself? Do you reckon my transcription of the place of death is more likely to be correct? I can't even tell if the guy was married or not as the 'informant' was a doctor! I found his baptism and then an obituary in 'The Scotsman' for his death in Italy, but nothing inbetween. Another brick wall I think!!

Via S. Pier d'Arena shows up as a road on the Michelin map of Genoa, running parallel to the coast. This site has lots of pop ups, but it's very handy: http://www.viamichelin(.)com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm If you Google, there are plenty of hits - unfortunately in Italian and my O level Latin won't cope with that! - with references going back to the 1800s.

Thanks for that interesting link to the Genoa street maps Phoenix, it is very useful. Have emailed the GRO to ask what my chances are of getting a copy of the original cert 'as written' and will wait and see what they tell me. You never know.

If the place is SAMPIERDARENA than 'S. Pierd' Arena' isn't a mistranscription. S is a recognised abbreviation for San or Sant- and Pierd has an apostrophe for the A as the next bit, arena begins with an A. nell