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Italian Genealogy, Family History, Travel, Culture, and More!

Getting Started with Italian Genealogy — Ancestry.com Guest Blog

  • November 4, 2013

The quest to find your Italian roots is a wonderful adventure.  I receive many inquiries each day from people interested in beginning their journey with Italian genealogical research.  The road to the next discovery is not always clear, but with perseverance and a desire to continue to learn, all things are possible.

I was honored to recently write an guest article for Ancestry.com’s blog about “Getting Started with Italian Genealogy.”  The following topics are covered in the article:

  • Creating and storing your Italian Family tree
  • Interviewing family members for information
  • Locating your Italian ancestral town using Ancestry.com
  • Italian First and Last Names
  • Italian Birth, Marriage and Death Records on Ancestry.com
  • But the Records are in ITALIAN! What Do I Do?
  • I Can’t Read Italian Handwriting!
  • Additional Italian Genealogical Resources on Ancestry.com
  • Suggested Reading for Italian Family History & Genealogy

Please click here to read the full Ancestry.com guest article.

Do you have suggestions for future ORIGINS ITALY blog post topics?  Is there something about Italian genealogy you’ve been itching to know for years?  Contact me and I’ll so my best to integrate your suggestions into my daily “Italian Genealogy Tip” on Twitter or here on the ORIGINS ITALY blog.  Thanks and stay in touch!

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

Why I love Tuscany

  • October 3, 2013

Many people feel that their affection for Tuscany stems from the food, the wine and the breathtaking countryside.  But my love for Tuscany starts with the accent.

The Tuscan people speak Italian with an endearing twist.  My favorite characteristic is that c’s turn into h’s in Tuscany.  Casa is pronounced “hasa;” Coca Cola becomes “Hoha hola.”  I imagine that my Tuscan ancestors sounded something like this when they talked so many years ago.

My great grandmother, Tecla Pellegrini, was born in Sarteano, Siena, Tuscany in 1903.  I’ve been told by those who knew her that I am like her in many ways — she and I share idiosyncrasies and even look a bit alike. Although I never had the pleasure of knowing her, being in Tuscany gives me a sense what life must have been like for her.  Just listening to native Tuscans converse in a cafe makes my beautiful great grandmother, Tecla, come alive in my mind. For a passing moment, I can see her happily involved in her unique culture with its special dialect, and I am with her. This is a place I do not ever want to leave.

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

Italian Family History Research as a Passion and Profession

  • October 3, 2013

There is no question that I love Italy.  Nothing makes me happier than stepping off the plane and onto the eternal streets of Italy.  The history, the culture, the language, the people and, of course, the wonderful food make my visits full of life and enchantment.  I hope to share my excitement with many of you.

My enthusiasm for Italian Family History research is part nostalgia, part curiosity and part insanity.  I’d rather be in the arcane basement of an Italian Cathedral, or in the research room of an obscure municipal archive than anywhere else.  Even when I am doing research for others I often feel warmly proud of my own Italian roots. The depth and breadth of Italian heritage and their immeasurable contributions to history and civilization is endlessly captivating to me. It’s all there, right in front of you!

I look forward to telling you stories about my travels and experiences, and to helping you discover the incredibly beautiful world of the Italians.  It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy following me on this journey of discovery that has become both my passion and my occupation.

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.

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