Ruoti Genealogy
Tracing your Italian roots back to Ruoti (in Potenza province, Basilicata region) begins with understanding which records exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the historical sources as birth, marriage and death civil and religious records available for family history in Ruoti.
Ruoti family history at a glance
- Region: Basilicata
- Province: Potenza
- Type of records: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: from 1809 onwards
- Parish records: often older than civil records (in some cases from the 1600s)
How to research your ancestry in Ruoti
Thanks to its network of local experts, Italianside has developed significant experience in genealogical research in the province of Potenza. For this reason, over the years it has become a reliable reference for those wishing to reconnect with their Italian roots and could be a key partner in the success of your research too. You can read the feedbacks of our customers on our testimonials page
Our experts in Basilicata region, conducted genealogy research on historical families from Ruoti, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Genovese, De Carlo, Scavone, Damiano, Pace, Berardi, Troiano, Summa, Faraone, De Leonardis, Mancino, Nardiello, Potenza, Sabia and others.
Many info relating to families and individuals available in public and private local archives include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, the address where family lived (a great info if you plan to visit Ruoti), and key social relationships within the community in past centuries.
The information in genealogy research derives from the archives available for on-site research in Ruoti and Basilicata. During the previous activities, our local genealogists developed studies, family trees, cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation useful to add information now forgotten to the history of your family.
Research activities may include all major sources available at municipal, provincial, and regional level:
• civil records
• parish registers
• notarial archives
• military records
• historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Direct access to local archives and a deep understanding of the local context allow for more complete and accurate results. Research may be carried out using all available sources in both public and private archives.
Italian family history research: Beyond Names and Dates
Italian genealogy is deeply local. It can’t be reduced only about collecting birth and death dates.
In Basilicata, every municipality — including Ruoti — has its own archival history, record‑keeping traditions, and unique documentary sources. This is why Italianside is able to help you in your Italian ancestry research, through a national network of local experts, each specialized in the archives of their specific territory.
Our researcher who works in Ruoti and in the Province of Potenza will be of help to navigate local civil, parish, military, and notarial records, uncovering details that go far beyond basic dates. By combining national coordination and methodology with deep local expertise, our researcher will bring your ancestors’ stories back to life within the history of the Ruoti community.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Ruoti
In towns and villages of Basilicata and in Potenza province, civil registration offices were established in 1809. This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Ruoti from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Ruoti, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Ruoti during the past centuries, the City Office of Ruoti is usually the first place to start your family research. Our local expert can access these records on your behalf and interpret them correctly.
- Professions: discover what your ancestors did for a living.
- Addresses: find the street or house where the family lived in Ruoti.
- Family links: identify parents, witnesses and neighbours that appear in the records.
- Signatures and notes: see how your ancestors signed and read any marginal annotations.
If you prefer to contact the Town Hall by yourself, we suggest reading our genealogy tips for Italy. They include practical advice for research in Basilicata and specifically in Ruoti.
Population trends in Ruoti
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Ruoti from the Italian Unification (1861). Understanding how many people lived in the town over time is useful when interpreting migration and family movements.
Church Records in Ruoti
Church archives in Potenza province often preserve information that predates civil records. Parish registers include baptisms, marriages and burials and sometimes allow you to push your family tree back into the 1700s and 1600s.
In many areas of Basilicata, parish registers began around the 1500s. These manuscripts are not easy to access from abroad and can be hard to read without specific training.
Our local genealogists, graduated in history and archival studies, can consult the parish archives of Ruoti on your behalf and reconstruct your family history through the centuries.
In case you want to visit churches, these are the addresses of parishes active today in Ruoti:
S. NICOLA DI BARI – P.zza Marconi
Notary records and other historical sources
Another important source of information is represented by notary documents, which preserve wills, dowries, property sales and contracts. These records are usually kept in provincial and State Archives and can provide valuable details on the social and economic life of your family.
Historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Historical photographs, prints, and documents from private collections—including ItalianSide’s archive of vintage images from Ruoti and Basilicata region are available. Old pictures add significant value to your family history research and offer a real sense of the places where your ancestors once lived.
Military records
Conscription lists and service records documenting physical descriptions, dates and places of enlistment, units and ranks held, periods of service, military postings, transfers, and movements, often providing detailed insight into an individual’s life beyond civil registration.
Cadastral and property records in Ruoti
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Ruoti. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.
Planning a visit to Ruoti
From our experience, if you plan to visit Ruoti we always recommend starting the research months before your arrival. This way you avoid spending your holidays in offices or churches dealing with bureaucracy.
Remember that archives are not open to the general public and officers or priests are not required by law to grant direct access to the records.
With the results collected by our genealogist before your trip, you will have more time to enjoy the town and its surroundings, walking in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Ready to explore Ruoti? Discover our travel proposals to Basilicata and Ruoti — or to other destinations across Italy. Our itineraries are developed with our trusted tour operator partners and supported by the expertise of our local specialists, who design personalized heritage journeys in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Professional help for research in Ruoti
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Ruoti area, write to ruoti@italianside.com or fill the form here. Our expert will study your request and reply with a research plan and a quote tailored to your family history.
Messages from other visitors in Ruoti
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Ruoti forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Ruoti with other people, feel free to leave a message.
Hello, I am looking for the Angelillo family from Ruoti. One of two branches that I’m aware of. The other is from Alife, Italy who married into the “DiCaprio” family. Often. My wall hit at “Giovanni Battista Carmelio Angelillo (Angiolillo)” born June, 1830 in Ruoti. He married “Maria Elisabetta Zuccarella” born 1835. Maria’s mother’s name was Margarita Vaccaro. The Angelillo Family eventually landed in South Philadelphia via Felice “Felix” Antonio Luigi Angelillo (Angiolillo), born 1862 in Ruoti. Felix was a shoemaker in Philadelphia. Sound familiar to anyone?
Hi Sharon, I am descended from the Angelillo family. My great-great-grandfather Giovanni Angelillo (aka Angiolillo, now Angelo) arrived in/near Hazleton, Pennsylvania in 1881-82. Would love to connect and see if we have people in common!
My great grandfather was Antonio Nardiello.
He emigrated to the USA living in Belleville NJ.
Married Luisa Traficanti(Traficante) had 13 children one of which was my grandmother Carmela. She was the only one born in Italy.
He left the USA, in the 1930’s and remarried ,having more children in Italy. Would love to hear from anyone who might be related to my family.
Hello all,
My name is Michael Anthony Mariano. I am a descendant of Giuseppe (Joseph) Mariano and Carmella Carriello (spelling?). They were my great grandparents that passed away before I was born in 1980.
I know Giuseppe was a stowaway in a ship bound for Ellis Island. We do not know why he was a stowaway. Giuseppe settled in Naugatuck, Connecticut and took a job in construction building Hillside Middle School in Naugatuck in the early 1900’s. While working there he met Carmella’s father (name unknown) and her father called for her daughter, Carmella, to be brought to America. She boarded a ship, went to Ellis Island and stayed in Little Italy, NYC for some time (she may have met someone else on the ship over) and married my great grandfather Giuseppe. They had many children (over 10) and my grandfather Rocco (they called him Sam for some reason) Mariano
We were always told my great grandparents were from this region, Potenza, more specifically Ruoti. I know there are a ton of Mariano’s still in Naugatuck and I am sure we are all related in one way or another. It’s funny because 2 of my best friends growing up were a Vaccaro and a Santoro so it seems like we some how gravitated back and found one another generations later in a new country.
Please let me know If there is any more information on my family traced back to the old country.
Hi Michael, the Marianos are definitely from Ruoti and settled in Naugatuck and New Brunswick, NJ. My great Grandfather Giuseppe Mariano settled in New Brunswick. Ask your parents and aunts and uncles about New Brunswick as my grandfather Rocco would go to Naugatuck with his brothers and sisters to visit cousiins. We are most likely related since both our grandfather’s and great grandfather’s have the same name. In Italy, names repeat throughout generations after the paternal grandfathers.
Does anyone happen to know your Mariano soprannome? It translates to a nickname, but it’s more like a “clan” name for the family lineage.
Do you know what year your Great Grandfather was born? I have access to the Ruoti birth records and can look it up and it will have his parents’ names. Any Ellis Island records of the year he came over and how old he was? Let me know. Best, Nick
And let me guess, your grandather is Rocco Antonio/Anthony 🙂
Hi Michael,
Most of the Marianos emigrated to Naugatuck, CT or New Brunswick, NJ. My great Grandfather was also Giuseppe Mariano and my grandfather Rocco and both settled in NJ. I bet your grandfather was also Rocco Antonio. We may be related as I know my grandfather would visit cousins in Naugatuck. Probably in the 1940s or 50s. Naming sons always followed naming after the paternal grandparent and since we both share grandfather’s and gg with the same name chances are we come from the same line.
Ask your extended family if they recall New Brunswick and any cousins there. Ask about the two sisters who were nuns. They were Mariano cousins. Rado, was their last name. Does anyone know your soprannome? It translates to “nickname” but it is really a family “clan” name that identifies the specific surname lineage.
If you have a year of birth for Giuseppe I can research some documents. Best, Nick
Hi Nick,
We are definitely related!
Giuseppe was my great great grandfather.
Anne Mariano was my great grandmother.
I was randomly researching Ruoti and stumbled upon this thread
My great-grandmother was Angelina Maria Mariano she lived in New Brunswick New Jersey she was married to Gerardo Leonardo iacouzze ! My mother was named after her Angelina Maria she was from Routi Italy
Hi Michael,
I am from Naugatuck, CT and visiting in Italy. My family the Minicucci’s were also from Ruoti. The Marianos are still a well known family in Naugatuck – some of whom I’m related to and others very close friends. I also happen to be the Principal of Hillside School. It is now an intermediate school. Very small world!
Ciao!
I’ve been researching my family history for sometime and have hit a dead end. My paternal Great Grandfather, Rocco Carlucci was born in Decenber of 1857 or 1858, we think in Ruoti. He arrived in the United tates around 1884 (maybe) and married my Great Grandmother, Vincenza Navigato (or Navagato, not sure of the spelling) in 1887. Vincenza also came from Ruoti, we think. And they got married in Philadelphia, PA. Their first child, a daughter named Mary, appears to have been born in Italy in 1889. Ultimately the family settled in Trenton, NJ where Rocco passed away in 1919. Vincenza passed in 1946
I’d love to hear from anyone that has any additional information. I know that Carlucci is a very common name in the area and that could be either a plus or a minus.
Jim
Hi Jim – I’m just getting into researching my ancestry. I believe my ancestor, Gerardo Navagata / Navigata (those are the two versions I’m seeing) is from Ruoti, as well. He was born in 1849, so a bit older, but could be interesting to see if there is a relationship there, as the names and locations are essentially identical. Not sure I’d be able to add to your search at the moment, but let me know if you’d be interested in connecting.
Thanks,
Kevin
Hi, Kevin.
I’d love to hear of any headway you make in tracing your connections in Ruoti. And certainly if I ever break through this wall I’ve hit, I’d share what I have learned.
Thanks,
Jim
I know Gerado Navigato was related to my
Navigatos from Ruoti. I did connect him to our family, who settled in Chicago, I remember that some of the children ended up in an orphange in NY or NJ.
You and I are definitely related.
Whether you are a Navigato, a Navagata, a Navigati or any other spelling, the original native was Navigato( the Navigator and we are all descended from the Albanians who fled to Italy during the Ottoman Wars.
Let’s connect!
Hi Gale,
Great to hear of a connection!
Would love to learn more about the orphanage, as I am of the NY relation. Also, very interesting to hear of the Albanian / Arbëreshë information! If you have any knowledge/documentation, please pass along!
Jim – if you’re reading this, been a couple of years since I checked in, but I hope your search is going well!
Thanks,
Kevin
Hi, Kevin.
I also just recently popped back on here after a couple of years. This came about because I connected with a “Navigato” via DNA. She’s done some pretty good research in the Italian records and shown the likely connection of my great grandparents and their ancestors in Ruoti. She’s also helped me clarify how I was related to some “cousins” from Philadelphia. Hope you are making headway in your search as well.
jc
Hi Jim,
My mother’s mother was named Mary Navigato, born in Philadelphia. Her family was from Ruoti. She married Antonio Martinelli.
We had relatives in Trenton, whose last name was Carlucci. The oldest relative I knew was Aunt Bess, who was married to my late uncle. We knew her daughter Evelyn and her son Jim. Jim was a coach or firefighter, I’m not really sure. He was really tall as was his wife. They had a daughter at least 6’10” tall. She became a nurse and died rather young.
I also know that there was a radio personality, Joe Niagara who was a Navigato and there were relatives named Caputo in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Hope this helps. Let me know if we may be related.
Hi, Albert.
Yes. We are related. Your “relatives in Trenton” were my family. “Aunt Bess” was my grandmother, Bessie Carlucci (widow of Louis). Her sone Jim was my father. Eveyln was one of her three daughters. Nice to “meet ya”.
jc
I am your relative I think. I am descended from the 4 brothers Navigato. Giovanni Baptista, Tomasso,
Guiseppi and Angelo. from Ruoti . I come down from Giovanni from Ruoti. His father was Felice Navigato and his Mother was Angela Carmella. Felice’s father was Giovanni Navigato and Carmina Santoro.
I know my Navigatos were cousins with Jennie (Vincenza Jeanetta )from New Jersey who married a Rocco Carlucci. She died right after I was born in 1946.
Lets connect and figure out our relationship
Gale, also my third attempt to respond to you. YES! I believe we must be related. Jennie (Vincenza) Navigato was my great grandmother (my father’s grandmother. Rocco was his grandfather).
Does anyone know how the town of Ruoti got it’s name? My last name is Ruoti. My grandfather Rocco Ruoti was born around 1880 and I believe he came from Potenza. He traveled to the US in the early 1900s, either 1904 or 1907. I’m curious how the town got it’s name.
Hi,
My people were from Ruoti too. They were Navigato’s.
In my research I have found that some Italians had names that the immigration people couldn’t spell so they just wrote down the town they came from.
Yes, Ruoti is in Portenza and Basilacatta.
Hi Jerry,. I’m pretty sure we’re cousins. My mom was Lucy Ruoti Lenzi.