Enrollment options
NOTE: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered.
The book, “Finding Your Italian Ancestors – A Beginner’s Guide” by Suzanne Russo Adams, AG is available at GenealogyStore.com
Optional Course Print Material: Italian: Introduction to Research Outside of Italy
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
So you want to research your Italian ancestors! Welcome to a fascinating type of genealogical research. Italians have contributed to all aspects of life in the countries they immigrated to. Our Italian ancestors often came poor and destitute, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Hard work and placing great value on family helped them to excel within their new countries, providing not only a better life for themselves but also for their descendants.
This course will provide you with a solid foundation on which to begin your research. We will discuss, amongst other things: what resources, mainly U.S. and Canadian, can help you begin your research; what Italian records are available and the historical considerations in their creation; where and how these records can be accessed; record collections available on microfilm or digitally and how to use them; language resources; tips that will help you as your research progresses; ordering documents from Italy.
NOTE: This course is a prerequisite to all other Italian courses except for the Research: Italian Ancestors course.
Course Length: 7 weeks
Course Content
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Required Reading
GETTING STARTED
Reference Materials for Italian Research
Why Do I Want to Do This
Desire to Learn More about Your Family History
Desire to Obtain Dual Citizenship with Italy
Summarize It! Begin With What You Know
Why Knowing the Town of Origin is Important
Join an Italian Genealogical Society, Group and/or Heritage
Organization
Understanding Naming Customs
MODULE 2
ACCESSING THE RECORDS
Family History Library & FamilySearch
Use the Internet!
Maps
Digital Record Collections Elsewhere on the Internet
Use of Indexes
MODULE 3
UNITED STATES & CANADIAN RESOURCES
Required Reading
U.S. Resources on Italian Immigrants
Italian Records Brought by the Immigrant
Canadian Resources on Italian Immigrants
Did Your Italian Ancestors Immigrate to a Different Country?
MODULE 4
HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND POLITICAL JURISDICTIONS
Historical Considerations
Italian Political Jurisdictions
Additional Italian Archives Useful for Genealogical Research
Italian Record Types
Italian Privacy Restrictions
Conflict between Church and State
MODULE 5
PARISH AND DIOCESAN RECORDS
When Did They Begin and Why?
Can I Find my Ancestors Back to the Beginning of Ecclesiastical Records?
Baptismal or Ecclesiastical Birth Records
Confirmation Records
Marriage Records
Marriage Dispensations
Death/Burial
Tax/Census
What Can Be Found in the Parish and What Can Be Found in the
Diocese
MODULE 6
ADDITIONAL RECORD TYPES
Military Records (Registri Militari)
Notarial Records (Registri di Notai
University Records
LANGUAGES
Will the Records be in Italian?
Other Languages
Common Abbreviations
Additional Language Resources
Handwriting
Citing the Records
Form Letters to Request Records from Italy
APPENDICES