Visits to the Bergamo State Archive

 The Bergamo State Archive

As you know, the key to performing research to discover details about and to connect families is to have access to old records. Outside of family records, birth, baptism, marriage, military, census and death records are great sources to connect individuals to a specific place at a specific time – which then can help determine family relationships. In Italy, these records are typically kept in one of two places: first, State and Local Archives; and, second, church records. 

Since the unification of Italy in the mid 1860’s most of the birth, marriage, death and military records are kept in the State or Local Archives (however, churches may also have birth/baptism, marriage and death records). From about 1815 to about 1866, the Catholic Church was charged with keeping the official records such as birth/baptism, marriage and death.  Prior to 1815, records might be church, civil or potentially a combination of both.  

Jodie at the Bergamo State Archive

We have been fortunate to visit the Bergamo State Archive three times now. Our first visit to the Bergamo State Archive was on June 26 when Andrew (the Family Search employee responsible for camera operations teams in Italy and several other European countries) visited the archive to make arrangements for camera operators to set up their equipment to secure images of some of the records in the Province of Bergamo. (Bergamo is both the name of a Province and a specific City).  The digitizing project started in the Bergamo Archive around the first of September and is projected to continue until around March of next year.  

Bergamo State Archive sign

Blake & Jodie at the Bergamo State Archive

The Bergamo State Archive is really state of the art. It is a large, very well organized, clean archive where the records are organized in books shelved on movable shelving in a climate controlled (light, temperature and humidity) environment. We were simply in awe of the number, condition and age of these records. It was a pleasure for us also to meet and visit with the Archive Director and one of her assistants. We hope to be able to help them with a project they are considering that would create metadata for some of the ownership maps that they house at the archive.

 

       

Shelving in the archive

A few photos of the inside of the archive

We next visited the Bergamo State Archive on October 13 for the Archive’s annual open house and guided tour.  On this visit we learned that the Archive is home to more than just civil records, but it also has artwork, maps and some personal family artifacts. 

During the open house, we were once again able to visit with the Archive Director and her assistant and were pleased that they remembered that we were from Family Search and even seemed to recognize us. They certainly recognized our lack of Italian Language skill and were able to bridge our communication gap by speaking to us in English.  During the tour (off to the side apart from the general group) they provided some additional explanation and comments to us in English. Although the guided tour was all in Italian, we were surprised at how much we were able to understand and learn during our visit.

    

Jodie at the Bergamo State Archive

 

Artwork on display in the research room

    

     

Books from 1270-1279 and 1392-1410

 

Leather covered books from 1422 and 1421

The Archive Director showing old maps of Bergamo

1813 Map of Alzano Lombardo

Family artifacts held by the Archive

Examples of pre-WWII government propaganda campaigns

 

The oldest document in the Archive is from 1242 

Our most recent visit was on October 17 when we were able to observe one of the camera operators as she captured digital images of military records. 

     

Camera operator photographing military records in the Bergamo State Archive

Several books are retrieved from the vault at a time.  Each book is opened face up on a stand below a digital camera in a level position and photographed page by page.  The camera operator told us that she typically captures between 2000 and 2500 images each day. 

At the completion of the digitation process, these images along with the metadata (the archive, the book, record type, date, contents, page number, etc) are then uploaded to Family Search. Family Search has agreed to supply a digital copy of these images along with the metadata to the government so that they can publish this information on their website called Portale Antenati (Ancestors Portal) hosted by the DGA (Direzione Generale Archivi). Family Search can then also use these images internally on the Family Search website.

These digital images captured, along with the metadate, become the content for the Digital Reading Rooms that we will create and return to the Archive.  The beauty of a Digital Reading Room is that it is a standalone copy of the images and metadata that does not require internet access.  These Digital Reading Rooms allow people to visit the archive, inspect the records, and capture information contained therein without having to retrieve books from the shelves and physically handle these precious ancient books.           

Records contained in the Bergamo State Archive

Once again we are reminded through this and other experiences that the Lord does indeed 'go before our face, is on our right hand and on our left, His spirit is in our hearts, and His angels are about us, to bear us up' (see Doctrine & Covenants 84:88).  

We are very blessed and purposely situated to be in Bergamo and to be able to visit this archive.  Part of Jodie's family comes from Zambla Bassa (Oltre il Colle) in the Province of Bergamo.  Through future visits to this archive we will seek opportunities to locate information about and connect to Jodie's Italian family while we serve here in Italy.   

The Bern Switzerland Temple

We manage to keep ourselves busy these days.  As I reported in the last blog, we had a wonderful trip to the south to visit Carpeneto in the middle of August.  At the end of August we took another trip.  This one turned out to be longer and farther away.  Our new friend Marco wanted to visit the Bern Switzerland Temple so we made arrangements to travel with him so that we could be with him as he visited the temple for the first time.  

Selfie at the Bern Switzerland Temple

Train tickets in August from Milan to Bern were quite expensive so we opted to drive.  We are only allowed to have missionaries in our car so we ended up taking Marco's car.  He has a car which is very fuel efficient, but it is small.  Between the three of us and our luggage, we had a full load.  

Blake & Marco shared the driving

As we mapped out our trip using Google Maps it appeared that each of the three main recommendations would take between 4 to 5 hours to travel from Milan to Zollikofen (a suburb of the City of Bern) where the Bern Switzerland temple is located.  We settled on a route, and we were off!  

About mid journey when we arrived in Airolo we found that the 35 mile long tunnel (the Gotthard Stassestunnel) through the mountain was closed for construction so we ended up going over the mountain across St. Gotthard Pass traversing many mountain switchbacks, cut and cover tunnels, and bridges.  Traveling through this tunnel would have been amazing; however, I absolutely loved the drive over the mountain and was once again amazed with the engineering and Swiss roadbuilding ingenuity of the route.  Unfortunately, Marco and Jodie didn't share my zeal for windy mountain roads, cliffs, tunnels of which neither could fully appreciate the wonders of the Swiss engineers on display.  Due to the unexpected route change, we arrived in Zollikofen several hours later than planned (ultimately about an 8 to 9 hour drive).     

The Swiss temple and temple grounds are immaculately cared for and provide for a beautiful and peaceful experience.  The beauty and peacefulness of the temple grounds were therapeutic for Marco and Jodie after the traumatic trip up and over the Alps.  

Swiss Temple

Zollikofen, Bern, Switzerland

(Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

(Holiness to the Lord The House of the Lord)

The Front door of the Swiss Temple

Because we had an appointment in the temple, we were fortunate to stay in the Temple Hostel just across the road from the temple.  Accommodations in the hostel are modest but comfortable.  They are also free for the patrons in the temple.  There is a computer room, kitchen area, and sleeping quarters.  

Our room at the Temple Hostel

In preparation for our baptismal appointment the next morning, we stayed up late helping Marco transfer information about his family from My Heritage to Family Search.  We had 8 male names and 7 female names from Marco's family ready to go so we added two of Jodie's family male names.  Jodie was able to print the cards on the printer in the hostel computer room the next morning.  

Marco and Blake working on Marco's Family Search information

Our temple appointment was at 9:00am so we were to be checked in at the front desk by 8:30am.  The experience at this temple and the temple hostel was truly international.  

We were greeted at the front desk in French, the baptistry workers also spoke French, the Temple President who greeted us spoke German but also spoke English. An Italian father with his three daughters didn't speak French, German or English, so Marco was able to translate from English to Italian for the Temple President. I performed baptisms in English. Marco performed baptisms in English and Italian. I then performed confirmations in both English and Italian. With so many languages, the temple workers just take it all in stride and make everyone feel welcomed. To sum it up, we had a wonderful temple experience. As my Rindlisbacher ancestors come from the Bern Canton in Switzerland, I've always dreamed of visiting and worshiping in the temple in Bern. What a blessing for us to experience this with Marco. The peace and beauty of the temple grounds and exterior were in every way matched and exceeded inside the temple. We felt the love of our Savior and felt a connection with the individuals for whom we performed sacred ordinances, as proxy in behalf of.

Swiss Temple

Zollikofen, Bern, Switzerland

We left to return home around 11:30am.  We decided to stop in Bern and get some breakfast/lunch on our way.  For lunch we found a nice restaurant in downtown Bern that was recommended to us by the visitor's center.  We decided to have a real Swiss experience, so we ordered fondue.  It was a two-cheese fondue with pickles, potatoes, onions, pears and bread.  It was absolutely delicious.  We ate, and ate, and ate, and it was soooo good.     

Fondue at the Harmonie Restaurant

After lunch we walked around Bern and enjoyed visiting the city.  A few photos from our walk ... 

Selfie looking back at Bern from the Bear Pit

Brown bear in the Bear Pit

View of Zytglogge (clock tower) from Kramgasse

The road to the Bear Pit

View of Bern and the Nydeggbrucke bridge

View from the Nydeggbrucke bridge

Swiss Mural 

Swiss Mural 

The trip home was equally challenging.  Because we didn't want to risk going over the mountain again, we selected another route home.  We thought that it would take less time on a different route, but not so.  Again the trip was about the same duration on our return, 8 to 9 hours.  This time we ended up traveling on a car train through the Lotschberg Tunnel.  We'd never done that before!  

The car train in Kandersteg

Loading onto the car train in Kandersteg 

to go through the Lotschberg Tunnel 

(we were first in line)

Cars loaded onto the car train

Our view from the front car

After exiting the tunnel we had to travel down a few mountain switchbacks to get to the valley.  At this point we had the option of taking another car train through another tunnel or just driving down the mountain on more switchbacks.  It was getting late in the day so we opted to just take the road.  Needless to say, we arrived home quite late.  

Roadway shortly after exiting the Lotschberg tunnel headed towards Brig

Switchbacks descending the mountain headed towards Brig

I thought I might add a few more scenic Swiss photos from our trip from Bern to Milan as we returned home.  You can see the Alps and the Swiss architecture in these photos.  Sorry, nothing from Italy as it was dark by the time we crossed the border back into Italy.   

Well there you have it.  This was a quick but very rewarding two-day trip to visit the Swiss Temple.  We found Switzerland to be very beautiful and immaculately cared for.  The roadsides were clean and almost manicured.  Many have told me that the roadways in Switzerland are well cared for.  I'm happy to report that after nearly 18 hours of driving, I'm still looking for my first Swiss pothole!