I don't know precisely the record you are referring to about the name Rosaria Testini. I am new to this forum. I may be drifting far from your question and presuming too much or to little about your research. Nevertheless, I offer these few thoughts to be helpful.
As you probably know, Italian Church Baptism Records are written in Latin and use all kinds of abbreviations. Civil records are written in a dialect Italian. If you see the words "Rosaria Testini, Salvatore, Giovanni", it most likely means, "Rosaria Testini, daughter of Salvatore (son of Giovanni)". Since these records are hand-written, noting the "tense of the Latin" and the small words "fu" and "di" are also very important. The Latin tense and these other words change the meaning of what you are reading. You probably are aware the the word "fu" means " of the late" and "di" means "of" as in "of the late Giovanni" or "of Giovanni". Thus these words tell you if the father, mother, grandparents, etc, were deceased at the time of the record in question. The surname TESTINI and TESTA are very similar. Sometimes you will find a surname like TESTINA or TESTINO. If so, they are the singular form of the family name TESTINI. It could be possible that the surname was changed to TESTA, or the surname was spelled that way in one or two records only. You would need to trace your family's surname back in time to determine the real surname and its spelling. Adopted children sometimes use an "Alias". In a late 1500s, I found the use of two surnames by the father of a family. Some of his children were baptised with the alias surname and some with the other surname. I continue to research the use of two surnames, apart from logical explanations. Hope this was helpful. Mike Barberi In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus autem caritas. In essentials unity, in doubtful things liberty, but in all things love. St. Augustine (A.D. 354 - 430) ________________________________ From: Ruth Nerud <baber...@worldnet.att.net> To: LegacyUserGroup@legacyfamilytree.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:56:04 AM Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Descendent Report bug Rosaria was a foundling and was given the surname Testini by the town mayor in Italy which she used her entire life. Her adoptive father's surname was Sconza Testa, a double surname with no hyphen. Ruth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Fowler Leek" <ml...@sbcglobal.net> To: <LegacyUserGroup@legacyfamilytree.com> Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:39 PM Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Descendent Report bug > Ruth, > > Is Rosaria's birth surname Testini and her birth father's surname Testa? > > Does this have something to do with female/male pronunciation of the surname > or a cultural following of the female, rather than the male line? If not, why > would Rosaria's birth surname be different than her father's? > > Mary > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Nerud" <baber...@worldnet.att.net> > >> I'm creating a Descendent Book using Publishing Center. I have the box >> checked Show line back to starting person but the surname of the ancestors >> of the main entry are incorrect; i.e., >> >> Rosaria Testini's father is Salvatore Sconza Testa whose father is Giovanni >> Sconza Testa but the report reads: >> >> Rosaria Testini (Salvatore, Giovanni) which implies their surname is also >> Testini which is incorrect. I'll report this as a bug. >> >> Ruth A. (Sconza Testa) Nerud >> baber...@worldnet.att.net > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages: > http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ > Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
