Exploring and finding our Italian family history helps us not only to understand our ancestors, but also to understand and appreciate ourselves. It is an incredible journey. Some will strive to trace their tree back to the Roman Emperor Constantine while others simply want to discover the names of their great grandparents. Whatever your motivations and goals, your journey will be paved with many rewards and probably a few surprises and challenges along the way.
Genealogy is not always easy. Our ancestors are often not where we expect to find them. Sometimes we encounter missing records, lost records, access issues in Italy, the USA or another country to where our ancestors immigrated. Should these challenges stop us? NO, absolutely not!
A great place to begin your Italian research is at home. Do you have old documents, letters, passports, and other mementoes from an Italian grandmother or grandfather? Who inherited the family documents after your great grandfather died? These precious family heirlooms can hold the keys to our unanswered questions about our family history such as:
- What is my ancestral town in Italy?
- Did my great grandfather serve in the Italian (or United States) Military?
- What was my grandmother’s birth date?
- Do we have any relatives in Italy?
Home sources can answer many questions, but they do not tell us everything. Try asking relatives and cousins of the older generation who may have spent time with your immigrant great grandparents or grandparents. What stories do they remember? Do they know from where in Italy the family came? Many families will reference the province or region of origin, like “Naples” or “Calabria,” when the family is actually from a much smaller community within a province or region. If you can, record these conversations (video or audio) with you older relatives – you’ll cherish them for generations to come.
After examining home sources and interviewing relatives, it is probably time to begin examining genealogical records and resources in the USA (or the country to where you ancestors immigrated) and Italy! Before delving into Italian records, it’s recommended that you know your precise ancestral town and your ancestors original name (bonus: your ancestor’s parents’ names).
Stay tuned to learn more about the next steps on your Italian genealogical journey!
-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.
Learn more about Italian genealogy with “Tracing Your Italian Ancestors!”
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