Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC) is one of my favorite destinations. What would an Italian genealogist do in Utah? Simple. Salt Lake City is the undisputed genealogy capital of the world. Some like to call it, “Genealogy Mecca.” In addition to hosting many genealogy events and conferences each year, SLC is home to the world’s largest genealogy library.
The Family History Library is located in a modern structure in the heart of Salt Lake City with 5 sprawling floors dedicated to genealogy research. It is a treasure trove for genealogists because it houses millions of genealogical records and resources from all over the world, including Italy! Genealogists yearn to visit SLC as children yearn to go to Disney World. It’s that incredible.
When non-genealogist acquaintances hear that I’m heading for Utah in January, they typically respond, “Are you going skiing?” or “I hear the hiking out there is fantastic!” Now I don’t know much about skiing or hiking in Utah, but I do respond to them by pointing out that a tremendous amount of genealogy research can be accomplished in a single visit to the Family History Library. It’s safer (and warmer) than skiing, and you can’t get lost in the woods, except of course, for the thick groves of family trees from whence my problem-solving expertise can usually rescue me.
The Family History Library is run by (and sponsored by) the Mormon Church. I have an immense appreciation for the efforts of the Church in gathering, microfilming, indexing, and digitizing genealogical resources, especially records from Italy! They have provided an invaluable service to the world of genealogical research, and in so doing have made genealogy universally approachable. Many thanks.
Since it is cost effective and efficient, I do as much research as possible using resources available through the Family History Library (and other sources) before conducting onsite research in Italy. It is only after exhausting all records available in and accessible from the USA, that I consider conducting onsite research in Italy.
I hope many of you get a chance to visit “Genealogy Mecca” – Salt Lake City, Utah and the Family History Library. It is a real treat for anyone who appreciates genealogy.
-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.
