Genealogy in Masserano
Tracing your Italian roots back to Masserano (in Biella province, Piemonte region) begins with understanding which records exist and where they are preserved. On this page you’ll find a clear guide to the civil, parish and historical sources available for genealogy in Masserano.
Masserano family history at a glance
- Region: Piemonte
- Province: Biella
- Type of records: civil and parish records
- Civil registration: in the town hall from 1866 onwards
- Parish records: often older than civil records (in some cases from the late 1500s)
Research experience on families in Masserano
Over the years, ItalianSide has conducted genealogy research on historical families from Masserano, involving many surnames traditionally found in the town, including branches of the following families: Gentile, Sossi, Bozzone, Franciosi, Perini, Achino, Mascarello, Marucchi, Radice, Badini, China, Leto, Falco, Forzani and many others.
Many records relating to families and individuals are already stored in our databases and include, in addition to names and dates, further information such as occupations, residential addresses, and key family and social relationships within the Masserano community in past centuries.
Part of the information used by ItalianSide in genealogy research derives from a proprietary archive of on-site research conducted over many years in Masserano and Piemonte by our experts. This archive includes studies, family trees, and data not available online, such as cross-referenced family relationships, occupational histories, deciphered or translated documents, residential patterns, and visual documentation.
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.
Genealogy in Masserano
If your ancestors came from Masserano, in Biella province (Piemonte region), the first step is to identify the local archives where records are kept. Most family history research starts from the civil registry office at the Comune and continues in parish and notary archives.
Where to begin your ancestry journey in Masserano
Vital records for people born, married or deceased in Masserano are usually preserved in:
- Masserano City Hall archives: civil records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1860 onwards.
- Masserano parish churches: in Piemonte religious registers, which can often take your research back to the 1600s and sometimes as far as the 1500s.
Civil Records (Stato Civile) in Masserano
In towns and villages of Piemonte and in Biella province, as Masserano, civil registry officially began on january 1 1866.
A first civil registry system had already been introduced during the Napoleonic period (1806–1814). This means you can often find your ancestors’ civil records in the Town Hall archives of Masserano from that year onwards.
(If your goal is to obtain Italian citizenship and you need official certificates from Masserano, please follow this link.)
If your ancestors lived in Masserano during the past centuries, the City Office of Masserano 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 Masserano.
- 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 Piemonte and specifically in Masserano.
Street names in Masserano
The names of the street in Masserano, can help identify ancestral addresses found in civil records, parish documents, and old family papers.
At today, some of the main streets in Masserano are: VIA ROMA, FRAZIONE RONGIO SUPERIORE, VIA DUE GIUGNO, VIA LAMARMORA, FRAZIONE MOMBELLO, VIA BORGO INFERIORE, FRAZIONE BALTERA, FRAZIONE CACCIANO, FRAZIONE FORZANI, FRAZIONE MERCANDETTI, VIA IV NOVEMBRE, FRAZIONE DALLIMONTI, FRAZIONE COSTA, FRAZIONE BENANCHIETTI, FRAZIONE ACHINO, FRAZIONE BOZZONE, FRAZIONE RONGIO INFERIORE, FRAZIONE BOZZONETTI, VIA I MAGGIO, VICOLO BOBBA and others.
If you want help to identify street names connected with your ancestors in Masserano just follow the link below.
Population trends in Masserano
The chart below shows the demographic trends in Masserano 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 Masserano
Church archives in Biella 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 Piemonte, 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 Masserano 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 Masserano:
SANTI ORSO E ANTONINO – Rongio Inferiore
Our experts could search registers and historical religious documents collected and kept at the diocesan archive:
Archivio Diocesano di Biella – Via Vescovado 10, Biella
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.
The provincial archive is:
Archivio di Stato di Biella – Via Giuseppe Arnulfo 15/a, – 13900 Biella BI
Historical and photographic sources available in private archives
Historical photographs, prints, and documents from private collections—including ItalianSide’s archive of vintage images from Masserano and Piemonte 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 Masserano
Historical cadastral and land records used to identify property ownership, track real estate transfers over time, and confirm the historical presence of families within Masserano. ItalianSide provides professional assistance in accessing and interpreting these records, where available.
Planning a visit to Masserano
From our experience, if you plan to visit Masserano 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.
Professional help for research in Masserano
If you need professional support from our local genealogist in the Masserano area, write to masserano@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 Masserano
Here below you can read messages from other visitors in the Masserano forum. If you simply want to discuss genealogy in Masserano with other people, feel free to leave a message.
“Masserano agli inizi del 900 e Nella 1a Guerra Mondiale”. By Teresio Gamaccio & Sergio Marucchi. 1st used 2 b a teacher @ local school & did research about
village’s population.The book lists dwellers, with mariages, filiations & war status.
In my understanding there r 2 branches of Morezzi only very flimsily connected. 1 interesting fact is @ some point: a Morezzi woman married a Morezzi man. Morezzi is a Hamlet of Masserano where both sides lived.
Hello, trying to research Ercole Zanone, born November 11, 1902 in Masserano, Italy. He migrated to the United States in June, 1920. He died August 1, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland. Any ancestors, any information at all would be appreciated, especially if they are still living and I can contact them.
Hi,
My Great Great Grandparents immigrated to USA from Masserano, Italy. Giovanina (Donna) Ogliotti Born 3/24/1873 and traveled to USA on 5/1/1898 and Giovanni Ogliotti born 11/10/1862 and traveled to USA on 4/29/1895. they each left from Le Havre. I am trying to find any information regarding my family tree. Please help if possible.
Thank you
Teresa Shanks-Romero
Hi there.
I am trying to find my husbands and his fathers family history.
My husbands grand father was from Masserano Italy.
his name was: Giorgio (Mario) Morezzi born 11 /02/1887 in masserano to
luigi morezzi and margherita basso.
we are trying to find his family. We only know he had a brother and sister but he could have had more. His sister that went to France was names Maria but then became Marie there. The only thing we know of the brother was that he had ginger(red) hair.
we now have got into contact with a family in New York who thinks that we are all family. their grandfather also came from Masserano and the sister also went to france. His name was Ermegildo Morezzi.
My father in law Benito Morezzi turns 84 on the 28th of February and I would like to give him a present of his family history and where he comes from.
We know our grand father left Biella on the 18/03/1910 to go to Argentina.
He came to south Africa in 1913. My father in law was born in 1931.
Do you have any pictures are anything I can add.
We live in Pretoria, south Africa.
Look forward in hearing from you the soonest please.
Many Thanks
Soula Morezzi