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Italian Genealogy Research In Australia – Part 1

  • December 6, 2013

ORIGINS ITALY Guest Blogger: Louise Coakley

Many Italian-Americans may have relatives in Australia, some of whom may have lost touch with each other since immigrating to different countries decades ago.  As family elders now reminisce and younger generations crave knowledge of their family history, the advances in technology combine to make it a perfect time to get online and rediscover long lost relatives.

Although there were smaller intakes of Italian immigrants to Australia in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, by far the greatest number of Italian immigrants arrived in the period after WWII, when the deterioration in the economic and political conditions in Italy forced families and young singles to seek employment and a new life elsewhere.  Some returned to Italy when conditions improved after 1971, but most had settled comfortably into their new communities in Australia.

Thousands of Italians took advantage of government immigration programs, also referred to as schemes, to assist them coming to Australia, but many more migrated unassisted.

A wealth of national and state-based resources is available online, and a brief introduction to two key national online resources follows:

National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia (NAA) holds immigration application records, naturalisation records, service records, and numerous other treasures for family historians.   Applications for immigration often included many original documents sourced from Italy, eg. certificates of birth, marriage, family situation, medical reports, application forms, addresses, and often a photo of the applicant.

Click on Search the Collection > Record Search, and enter your search keywords.  I suggest starting with a surname, then refining the search if you get too many results (eg. add a first name, or the word ‘Italy’ or ‘Italian’).

  • An icon in the Digitised Item column (second from the right), indicates the record has been scanned, so click on the icon to view the digitised copy.
  • If the record has not been digitised, you can click Request a copy, and for a small fee it will be scanned and added to the database in future weeks.
  • To limit search results to those with digital copies, click the Advanced Search tab, choose Items, and repeat your search with the Digital copies only checkbox ticked.
  • Note the different tabs at the top of the page, where you can search separately for Names, Photos, and Passenger arrivals (currently WA 1921-1949).
  • To save digitised record pages individually as JPG files, right-click on the image and click Save Image As...
  • To save the whole record to one PDF file, copy the Item barcode from the right-most column of the results page or from within the record, then go to SODA, click Barcode retrieval (very top of page), paste the barcode into the search box, click View, then click on the Export PDF icon.
  • Tip: If you find a relative’s immigration record, also search on the ship name and arrival date to see if you recognise other passengers on that voyage, as families or friends may have immigrated together.
  • NAA also hosts Destination Australia, which includes post-war photos and stories of Australian immigrants and the schemes they travelled under.  The public is encouraged to search and tag photos of those they may recognise, and add details if known.

National Library of Australia

The National Library of Australia’s Trove website contains thousands of digitised newspapers from 1803 to 1954, as well as books, images, maps, diaries, letters, and also includes Il Giornale Italiano (Sydney, NSW) from 1932-1940.

Trove’s digitised newspaper collection is an amazing resource for genealogical research, as it includes items of news, many family notices, public notices, shipping arrivals, advertising, and much more.

  • Trove is easily searched by keyword, and results refined by newspaper title, category, illustrated, decade/year/month, and wordcount.
  • Titles can be browsed by issue, which is useful if your keyword search is unsuccessful due to poor electronic translation.  For example, you can browse a particular issue to see if there was a birth, marriage, death notice, obituary or shipping arrival notice published on a known date.
  • Anyone can correct errors they find in the electronically translated text.
  • Tags (public or private) can be added to articles to enable easy retrieval at a later date.
  • Lists (public or private) can be created to keep your articles organised.
  • New issues are added daily, with an alert by RSS email feed.
  • Email alerts can be created from unscanned items showing in search results.

Accessing these detailed national records online is a privilege we could only have dreamed of a generation or so ago, but we are now extremely fortunate to have them at our disposal to help us in our genealogical pursuits.  Discovering records of your Italian relatives in these Australian collections may reveal clues about your family structure, your common ancestors, their birth places in Italy (to enable further research in Italy), their locations within Australia (to progress your research within Australia), and potentially lead to the renewal of lost family connections.

Australia’s national resources are complimented by the information available from the Australian states and territories, each of which publish their own range of online resources on topics of genealogical and historical interest.  Don’t miss Italian Genealogy Research in Australia — Part 2, which will provide an introduction to the key Australian state and territory resources useful to Italian family historians!

About the ORIGINS ITALY Guest Blogger:
Louise Coakley is a genealogist from Cairns, Queensland, who specialises in Australian and UK family history research.   Find Louise at www.genie1.com.au or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+.

Photo information:
-From the collection of the State Library of Queensland, Australia via Flickr Commons.
-Location: Thulimbah, Queensland, Australia.
-Link to photo on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/8755455497/
-No known photo copyright restrictions.

An Italian-American Thanksgiving

  • November 28, 2013

As a full-time Italian Genealogist, I’ve had the privilege of spending extended periods in Italy researching the family histories of my clients and my own family.  It’s a great job.  I love being over there.  I am particularly intrigued by the many rich and colorful traditions of Italy that I experience while living in the midst of the culture.  In order to gain insight, I regularly encourage my Italian relatives and friends to relate to me their understanding and experience with the traditions, customs, and holidays of Italy.  We also often discuss American traditions like Thanksgiving.  In the course answering, it has become clear that my descriptions of American customs have been unconsciously filtered through the lens of my own Italian-American experience.

To the uninitiated, our family’s retention of Italian culture may be unexpected, given that my grandparents and great-grandparents left Italy so long ago.  It is not always understood that the evolution from Italian to Italian-American within a family does not mean the abandonment of Italian traditions, culture, and food – it’s part of our heritage.  On the contrary, traditions evolve and families, such as mine, put an ethnic spin on even the most American of holidays – Thanksgiving.

The Tedesco family came to the United States in 1929 and settled in Woburn, Massachusetts (My grandmother came later.).  I’m sure my great-grandparents had never heard of Thanksgiving before immigrating to the USA.  Why would they have?  Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Italy, and at the time there were no international TV channels to tell them about it.

The first Tedesco Thanksgiving in America took place on Thursday, 28 November 1929.  The day was celebrated with the family of Vincenzo Ferraiolo of Haverhill, Massachusetts.  The late Vincenzo AKA James was married to the late Maria Tedesco.  The Ferraiolo family, like ours, immigrated from San Pietro a Maida, Italy. (Read more about San Pietro a Maida.)  My grandfather, Edward Tedesco, recalls: “On all the holidays, Vincenzo would pick us up in his car and bring us back to his house.  It was a big deal to have a car then.  The whole family got into the backseat of the car and my father would ride in front.  We would celebrate every holiday together.  They were the only family we had in America at the time.”

My grandfather does not remember the details of what was served at his very first Thanksgiving in America at the Ferraiolo home on the 28 November 1929, but he is quite sure it included many delectable Italian compliments.

As the Tedesco family grew, the holidays were celebrated at the family home above my great-grandfather Giuseppe’s barbershop on Main Street in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Between the 1940’s and 1980’s, the Thanksgiving table contained the traditional faire of turkey, veggies, and mashed potatoes, but also included lasagna, Calabrian tomato sauce, cured meats, pork, meatballs, and of course, my great-grandmother’s famous salad.   The meal was completed with Carlo Rossi Paesano red wine, which continues to be a family staple.  (Yes, it’s sold by the gallon; don’t judge!)  Finally, there was always Pepsi at the table, never Cocoa Cola.  How perfectly Italian-American!

America is the great melting pot.  So the holidays that are traditionally “American” are often celebrated with an endearing ethnic twist.  In my family ‘a case, the twist is Italian.  But all ancestral cultures will ever be present at their descendants’ Thanksgiving tables.  America is not about abandonment of ethnic traditions, but about the acceptance and evolution of these customs.  I am proud to be both an American and Italian citizen.  I love America, the country of my birth and also adore Italy, the country of my ancestors.

Please accept my sincere wish for a Happy Thanksgiving.  And I hope you will choose to celebrate with a bit of the old country!

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 2

  • November 27, 2013

(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 1”)

Sometimes one’s family history comes into unexpected convergence with world shaping events.  My grandmother Loredana Tedesco (nee’ Stenech) was a young girl living in Rome when World War II broke out.  She remained in the city throughout the war.  It was a difficult period for the Italian people and for my grandmother.  Many lives were lost.  Families were disrupted and destroyed.  Prior to Rome being declared an “Open City,” buildings were bombed, including my Noni’s house.  Although wartime Rome was a dangerous, traumatic place to spend her teenage years, Noni survived, she grew, and she never forgot.  But it was the end of the war that brought the most significant change in her life.

Noni remembers the Americans marching into Rome.  “The war was finally over when the Americans arrived,” she recalled.  She didn’t know it then, but the arrival of United States Troops in Rome would change the course of her life and our family history forever.

Marching with the 5th Division of the United States Army in the summer of 1944 was a young Italian-American Army Private and Translator named Edward Tedesco.  (Read more about Edward here.)   Edward, known to me as “Grampy,” immigrated to the United States with his parents and sister from San Pietro a Maida, Calabria, Italy as a young boy.  He returned to Italy under the flag of his new country.  He was a handsome self-educated artist who no doubt was anxious to get back to his home in Massachusetts.  But fate had brought him to that storied city of Rome for a different purpose.

My grandparents do not recall the exact date they met in 1945, but from the moment they saw each other, their lives were never the same.  Noni and Grampy both remember this moment: Noni and her friend were walking along the Tiber River in Rome’s Prati section when they spotted 2 American soldiers.  One of the soldiers was Grampy.  He approached Noni and said something to her in Italian.  Exactly what he said has long been forgotten.  But he made a big impression.  Grampy is quite the charmer!

It was love at first sight for Grampy.  But Noni needed a little time to process her emotions.  She returned home after that fateful meeting and reluctantly told her mother that she had met a dashing young American solder.  My Tuscan born great-grandmother, Tecla Pellegrini, was less than thrilled (“outraged” is a better word) that this upstart soldier was from rural Calabria, was the grandson of a farmer and was an “ignorant AMERICAN” to boot.  The relationship meant trouble as far as she was concerned.  She knew that if Noni and Grampy fell in love and were married, he would whisk her only daughter away forever to America.

In spite of all forebodings, the courtship continued.  Whenever my grandfather was off duty, he and Noni spent time together, getting to know each other.  They poked around the city like tourists, with Grampy pointing out and sometimes sketching significant works of art and architecture that he had read about or studied.  Often Noni was the focal point of his sketches.  But so as not to be perceived the impoverished artist, Grampy would splurge on his beloved.  He recalls one time saving his up his Army wages for a month so he could take Noni to a fancy restaurant.  He knew from the beginning that Noni was the only girl for him.

Noni’s mother Tecla could see things were getting serious between the two lovebirds. She therefore insisted on taking her lovelorn daughter on a little trip to clear her head.  The two departed for Piombino on the Tuscan coast where great-grandmother Tecla’s parents Rosa Rosini and Angelo Pellegrini lived.  They assumed Grampy would never find Noni in Piombino.  (Boy, were they were wrong!)  Later that day, Grampy stopped by Noni’s house in Rome only to find her gone.  He describes ringing all the doorbells in the building to ask the neighbors where she was.  Nobody knew.  Finally, he was able to persuade the portiera, a petite older lady who minded the door, to tell him where Noni and her mother had gone.  “Piombino.  Loro si sono andate a Piombino.”  They went to Piombino.

At the time, Grampy recalls having no idea where Piombino was.  Equipped with a map, a few days leave, and a United States Army Jeep, Grampy set out to find Piombino and the love of his life.  It would take nearly a day of driving on damaged post WWII roads to arrive in Piombino.  He found out from a café owner where the Pellegrini family lived and knocked on the intimidating door.  My great-great grandmother, Rosa Rosini answered the door and told him “Loredana non e’ qui!”  Not home?  Ridiculous!  My great-great grandfather Angelo Pellegrini would soon emerge from another room.  “Come no? Lei e’ qui.”  Of course, Noni was there.

After this drama, there wasn’t much my great-grandmother Tecla could do to prevent the two from marrying.  Noni was in love with Grampy, and he was hopelessly smitten with her.  The next day, the three of them headed back to Rome in the Army Jeep.

Noni and Grampy were married about a month later a few steps from Noni’s home at the Church of the Sacro Cuore del Suffraggio — The Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffering in Purgatory.  “Yeah, it was appropriate that we were married there,” Noni often dryly comments.  68 wonderful years have passed since their marriage in 1945.  To this day they are inseparable and still very much in love.

(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 3”)

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

PS: Noni’s story continues with her immigration to the United States and the start of her new life with Grampy.  Check back soon!

Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 1

  • November 21, 2013

My paternal grandmother, Loredana Carla Pia Maria Stenech (now Tedesco), was born in the quaint northern Italian town of Rovereto, Italy.  Located in the Province of Trento, Rovereto, is nestled in the Dolomites and boasts about 37,500 residents.  I call my grandmother “Noni, an endearing diminutive of Nonna, the Italian word for grandmother. Telling Noni’s story is extremely important to me since she has encouraged my passion and pursuit of Italian genealogy more than anyone else.  She is my heroine.

Noni was born in Rovereto to a language teacher, Mario Stenech and a nurse, Tecla Pellegrini (Click here to read more about Tecla.).  When Noni was 2 years old, she and her family moved to Brunico in the Province of Bolzano for my great-grandfather Mario to pursue a job opportunity.  Noni’s earliest childhood memories contain lots of snow, and she described people skiing in the streets.  Having been to northern Italy in the middle of a blizzard, I can assure you these memories are justified!

During the early 1930’s, Noni and her mother moved to Rome.  That’s right, just the 2 of them.  Noni’s parents separated, and my great-grandmother Tecla, ever the independent woman, relocated to Rome with her daughter to start the next chapter of their lives.  Noni’s father, Mario, would visit his cherished daughter whenever he could.

Noni remembers the 1930’s as a very happy time to be young, Italian and living in Rome.  Her great uncle Tommaso Rosini, aunt Assunta Maraziti and their daughter, Luciana Rosini also lived in Rome.  Noni and cousin Luciana were similar in age and played together nearly every moment they could.  Noni describes blissful walks along the Tiber River, puppet shows in the park, and long Sunday afternoons at the cafe eating pastries with her mother, aunt, uncle and cousin Luciana.

My great-grandmother Tecla worked as a nurse and dietician assisting doctors in private hospitals.  “My mother helped the patients get well, that was her job.  She cared for the patients and chose the food for them to eat.  She also assisted when the doctor performed surgery,” Noni recalled.

Her mother’s independence and career would leave a lasting impression on Noni’s character forever.  This sense of independence would one day lead her over 4,000 miles across the ocean to Woburn, Massachusetts USA with her husband, my grandfather, Edward Tedesco.

In Rome, Noni attended private schools, and received a wonderful education.  She studied Latin, Greek, Italian Language and Literature, Art History, Science, Math and other subjects.  The schools she attended were small with probably about 30 to 40 girls attending each school.  Noni’s parents emphasized the importance of education – something Noni would later encourage in her children and grandchildren.

Noni’s fondest childhood memories were summers at her grandparents’ house in the scenic coastal Tuscan town of Piombino.  She would go to the beach everyday and spend time with friends and her own beloved grandparents, Rosa Rosini and Angelo Pellegrini.  Noni’s childhood memories very much mirror my own.  I grew up up spending time with her and my grandfather at their home in Gloucester, Massachusetts USA.  My grandparents actually purchased their house because it reminded Noni of her grandparents’ house in Piombino.

Unfortunately, not all of Noni’s childhood recollections were filled with joy.  Noni described the death of her dear cousin Luciana Rosini as the greatest tragedy of her childhood.  Luciana unexpectedly died from tuberculosis in the early 1940’s at the age of 16 or 17.  She was the person Noni was closest to besides her mother.  To this day, Luciana is still a frequent mention in family stories all these years later.

Luciana’s passing was shortly followed by World War II in Italy.  Noni’s home was bombed before Rome was declared “Open City” and bombing was no longer permitted in the Eternal City.  She said the British were trying to bomb the Fascist office behind her home.  Noni recalled digging her mother out of the rubble before fleeing the obliterated building.  One of the only possessions she was able to save was a painting of the Madonna and Child that was hanging on the only wall left standing in their home.  Noni’s life was spared as she crouched under her bed next to this painting.

“I lived a lifetime before I even came to the United States,” Noni recounted many times.  These memories would further define my grandmother’s life and cement her ability to endure anything life would bring her including surviving a bout with cancer at the age of 84!

In the next few installments of Noni’s story, she will meet and fall in love with my grandfather, immigrate from Italy to the USA, and begin a new life after World War II.  Stay tuned!

(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 2”)
(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 3”)

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

My Home Away from Rome – San Pietro a Maida, Italy

  • November 13, 2013

My grandfather, Edward Tedesco, was born in the small Calabrian community of San Pietro a Maida, Italy.  It is an ancient town surrounded by lush green mountains covered with thousands of the most beautiful olive trees you have ever seen.  So enchanting is the scenery that you can sit entranced for hours imagining how wonderful life is.  But beyond this ambient serenity, few outside the region are aware that from these lovely family groves comes a rare secret olive oil that looks and tastes like godly nectar, and seems to make you feel happy!  Yes, happy–happy to be there, to be alive, to feel and taste the exquisite culture.  Oh, it is just another one of those small miracles, like a sublime epiphany, that reaffirms my commitment to Italian genealogy.

Whenever I return to San Pietro a Maida, known locally as Santu Piatru, it is a special experience.  I stay with relatives, parenti who have adopted me as a close family member – much closer that any provable genealogical relationship.  Around town, I am known as the “americana” with the grandfather from San Pietro a Maida.  The term “italoamericana” (Italian American) has not really caught on in many places in Italy.

Everyday in San Pietro a Maida, I eat classic home-style Calabrian food my grandfather likely enjoyed in his youth – filatianni (local type of pasta); polpette (meatballs); eggplant parmesan; homemade sopressata (spicy salami) and so much more.  Besides cooking amazing food, the Calabrian people have big hearts, caring souls, and are often willing to sacrifice half of their day to help you find a long-lost cousin.

San Pietro a Maida is the origin of my Tedesco surname as far back as the 1700’s.  My name fits into place, as if my family never left.  Nowhere else do I feel more proud of my Italian origins nor more connected to the terra (land/place) of my ancestors.

I can’t wait to return to San Pietro a Maida.  I am grateful for the kind hospitality and love emanating from this very special Calabrian community.

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY

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