How to Find Ancestors in Italy
Play detective when you begin your search for your ancestors in Italy. It requires patience, attention to detail, and perseverance to help you reach your goal. There will be times you feel you are not making progress but do not give up your goal of finding your ancestors.
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Instructions
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Base your family tree on what you know or can find out easily by asking other family on your Italian ancestors. Interview your family members and keep a record of the information they provide. Speak to all members of your family, young and old members, as someone may have information that only they were privy to. Make copies of all documents provided no matter how trivial it seems.
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Compose the information you have gathered and organize it. Organization is the key to effective research so use a 3-ring binder with dividers for each surname or use individual binders for each surname. Be sure to include a family group sheet, list of searches, your goals, and notes for each surname. Use a collection of genealogical databases available on the web once you have your family history research completed as best you can. The basic information you need for each person includes the following: Full name including maiden name, adopted name, and married name Date of birth Place of birth, confirmation, christening, or baptism Date of marriage Place of marriage Date of death Place of death
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Formulate a list of the earliest possible names with arrival in the United States. Check for their names from the Immigration and Naturalization records at Ellis Island and print the passenger list. Many arrivals had their name changed walking through the doors. This was not by choice but by an immigration agent misunderstanding their names or spelling. A person with a surname of Pietromonico could easily have been changed to Monaco by an agent. Look on birth or baptismal certificates. They will give you the names of the generation before. Unfortunately, depending on the record it may only give one parent's full name.Once you have identified your ancestor's name and the town or village they came from, the next step is a visit in person to Italy. This trip is essential if you want to further the search. Here is where you really need to organize. That is why it's important to collect any information you can find before reach this point.
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Researching for original documents can only be found in the parishes and archives of Italy. Civil records dating seventy-five years or older are generally kept in the provincial and/or state archives. This is usually located in a major city of each province tied to that city. At this stage, if you do not speak Italian, a translator will be necessary to request your needs and decipher the records you obtain.
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Hire a professional genealogist and try a different route to finish up the project. Tracing your ancestors is not an easy task to accomplish. In most cases, it will take years. Dead ends will be frustrating and persistence is the key as to where to look for records and which ones are available. This is where a professional comes in with years of experience to tie up the loose ends.
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Tips & Warnings
Much information can be obtained on line using either free web sites or those which require subscriptions. This can reduce research time.
Purchase a genealogy software program instead of using a binder. You can scan documents and keep a better record without papers floating around.
Take a beginning genealogy class for free at a local community center.
Successful research is best accomplished by working backwards one family at a time.
