A couple of suggestions: 1. Try to obtain a death certificate for your great grandmother, it may offer the town she was born in. Also obtain yourr great grandfather's death certificate. 2. Have you tried the online Italian Phone Directory or http://gens.labo.net/ to check a surname distribution in Italy. I would not normally consider either of these two sources definitive in and of themselves, however as a tool to get you to the right town for research, it may be helpful. 3. From your message it would appear we have the choice of Gottimarty (if phonetically accurate then probably not the correct spelling) I am not familiar with any Italian names ending in "Y" and Cadamatia. Take a look at those documents once again. Which one is newer? My thought is the one which is newer would be the Certificate that is probably more accurate because perhaps your great grandmother learned to speak broken English or a child who was now being educated in American schools might have served to translate the information that was being reported. One might the presume (something you don't usually do in genealogy) that the second or most recent certificate is the most accurate. Just a couple of fresh thoughts on your dilemma. Best of Luck in your search, Vicky vas575@aol.com << Vince wrote: > I am having a problem in trying to find out my great grand mother's maiden > name. > On her son's birth certificate it is recorded as Gottimarty but on another > certificate it is recorded as Cadamatia. Bearing in mind the fact that she > could not read or write I imagine that the English registrar wrote down what > he thought he heard when confronted with an unusual name in a thick Italian > accent. > I have tried researching these names with no success. > Can anybody make any suggestion to what her name might of been. > The only other information I have is that she may of came from the Genoa > region of Italy. > > Many thanks > Vince >>