RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: Jed59 on Tuesday 30 August 22 16:20 BST (UK)
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Hi…my friend in Italy is starting research prompted by the arrival. …in a few months ….of her son to be.
I thought it would be nice if I could point her in the direction of websites which might help her…ideally in italian though she does speak English to some extent.Where else to ask but the ever helpful Rootschat folk?
Thanks in advance…or Grazie Mille !
Jed
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Firstly, I think, your friend has to write down as much as she already knows. I assume she has her own birth details, so knows who her parents are. Then establish her parent's marriage (I'm assuming that Italian marriages show at least the fathers of the bride and groom) and then gradually work backwards.
Apologies if I am wrong - I know very little of European records. :-\
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AND, certainly here in the UK, Mr G appears to have a lot of possibilities for researching Italian ancestors!
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Ask family, first and foremost!
Parents and grandparents should be easy. (OK, I know not always!)
And, if the parents (or living grandparents) know their grandparents, so much the better.
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This info is part of what I produced for my Cousins who are interested in our family.
Number one, the most important task, talk to family, especially those of advancing years so they avoid the
If Only scenario
.
.
.
Building any Family Tree is all about Information Harvesting.
Using multiple DNA testing of family members will help when a large tree has been built and it would be good practice to get the tests undertaken asap.
Start by talking to all family members, not just close ones but the most distant you know of.
For each obtain their:-
full name,
actual birth date,
birth location (if known),
birth registration location,
marriage date,
marriage location,
full name of Spouse,
if divorced gather information on each prior Spouse but include the divorce year and the full names of children and which Spouse they had them with,
Location(s) where they lived,
Any extended time spent living abroad, location(s), work activities if known,
Ask them to type up the information and eMail it to you and they could expand with a Life Story,
Obtain a digital image of each person and rename it with their birth name and date,
DNA, ask each family member if they would be willing to take a DNA test. The more that do on both the Paternal & Maternal sides the easier it will be to determine on whose side DNA matches belong.
Also Harvest the same information for their Spouse(s) and for each of their children.
Then move back a generation and ask and record the same information for each of their parents, as far as possible.
Then ask about Grandparents, again you are seeking the same information.
You are seeking answers to the questions that later in your research you will wish you asked your relatives who are no longer with you.
People who have been researching their family tree and have only started their research after their parents, aunts and uncles all have the same regret, “if only I had asked”.
Ask about family history, where they came from, their lives, what they did for a living, learn the tales they grew up with, learn about their lives and document the information.
FAMILY DOCUMENTS, ALBUMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS.
If you or family members have old family photograph albums, digitise them and record the names of each person on each of the digitised images.
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Thanks all.. basically the same advice then that one would give to a newby starting out here.
Thanks again!
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Thanks all.. basically the same advice then that one would give to a newby starting out here.
Thanks again!
Yes, AND I think that applies in whatever country is being looked at!
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May I add a little more to the excellent suggestions mentioned above…
If other (close) family members are not interested in genealogy, if possible, offer to pay for their DNA test.
I am so thankful that I paid for a relative’s test; it has greatly helped me.
Know that some facts received from family members and online documents may be inaccurate.
People make mistakes, intentionally fib, exaggerate actual details, don’t know full details so add a few of their own, etc.
Keep all information.
Perhaps most people wouldn’t want to go the packrat route ;D , but years after receiving letters, documents and photographs I found a few answers. Example: a photograph that I took of an unusual surname on a headstone (the headstone was in a cemetery where some of my ancestors were interred) turned out to be my ancestor and his second wife (my close relatives didn’t know that he remarried after the death of his first wife).
Try to be patient and absorb the little details, taking notes, if possible. This includes online information as well as in-person events.
My husband’s elderly family member was talking about her youth and the trips they took to “grass valley”. I adored the relative and listened to her reminisce, but I envisioned her visiting a grassy valley so I didn’t retain much of what was said. Years later, I realized that she had been talking about a historic town (not a grassy valley) ::) and gold mining. If I had taken notes, I might have had a better understanding of my husband’s ancestor’s life a couple of decades after the start of the California gold rush.
Record the “little things”.
Keep details about the ancestor’s town’s history, find out information about the family’s (old) occupations, gather online photographs of the ancestor’s town or even house if it is still existing, find old newspapers or directories from the town or region, etc. I think having historic information makes family names and dates more meaningful.
Have fun and when needed, take breaks from researching. Know that not everyone cares for genealogy. ;)
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I don't know if this helps - but I would imagine there are some useful hints on the site below
during 1800's Liverpool was the busiest Seaport in the World - THOUSANDS of Italians came for work - escpecially Marble Tilers / Ice Cream makers / Cafe owners ...Liverpool has an area known as Little Italy .
http://liverpoolsitalianfamilies.weebly.com/liverpools-little-italy-remembered.html
if you go through every link you will see a list of Italian Families that settled here in Liverpool ... good luck - a lot of the families mentioned have descendants with lots of info and contact info :)
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If you are lucky - this list may contain the family name you need to research - all these came to Liverpool
The vast majority name the Italian Villages they came from
Albertini
Baccino
Bartolomei
Bianki (sic)
Boggiano
Bonneretti/Boner
Bonna/Boni/Bonne
Bordessa
Capaldi
Cappella
Chiape
Cogliolo
Colletta
D'Annunzio
Edro
Fasciole
Fascioni
Ferri
Franchetti
Frediani
Fusco
GIANASSI - Very good friends of mine here in Garston, Liverpool
Gianelli
Conelli
Granelli/Grannell
Guzzoni
Iello
Imundi
Innelli
Mancini
Marengo
Minchelli
Miolla
Minghella
Moretta
Muscatelli
Pacelli
PALOMBELLA - Very good friends of my wife
Podesta
Riccio
Riozzi
Rocca
Russiano
Sabatini
Santangelli
Sartorri (sic)
Silvano
Sinagoea
Tambourini
Tremaraco
Valerio
Varcelli
Ventre/Ventro
Vermiglio
Volante
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Thanks once again everyone… I dont know the surname or where they are from….but will pass on all your advice.
Best wishes
Jed
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Surprisingly no one has mentioned internet guides, such as
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Italy_Genealogy
And https://www.cyndislist.com/italy/
Good luck to your friend!
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If your friend knows where the family is from, she may find this site useful for tracking down bmd info:
https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/ (https://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/)
Unfortunately, not all areas are covered yet.
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Brilliant thanks ever so much!
Jed
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Hi, I'm Italian. I suggest your friend visits tuttogenealogia.it. I have learned a lot from this site.
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Welcome to RootsChat.
There have been a few Italian family history enquiries on RootsChat recently.
Do you speak or read Italian?
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Thanks again everyone…will pass on the information.
I do speak/read …up to a point.
Jed