TIPS
Tip 1 - Know Your Town of Origin
You need to know where your ancestors came from or were born, or where they emigrated from. Italian Records have been organized by province, and town, and you will searching for the town in a province. If you know the town, you can begin the search process. If you don't know the town, you could: (1) contact family members to see if they know or (2) find records such as an Immigration Passenger List or a WWI Draft Registration to see if a town of origin or birthplace is listed.
You need to know where your ancestors came from or were born, or where they emigrated from. Italian Records have been organized by province, and town, and you will searching for the town in a province. If you know the town, you can begin the search process. If you don't know the town, you could: (1) contact family members to see if they know or (2) find records such as an Immigration Passenger List or a WWI Draft Registration to see if a town of origin or birthplace is listed.
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Tip 2 - Look at the Resources
Before you start, take some time to look at the RESOURCES provided. They range from Italian genealogy research websites and videos to Italian & Latin translation aids to books, maps, and templates. For example, here are two maps you might find useful: (1) the Map of Italy on the right shows the regions and provinces of Italy and can be printed and (2) the website Understanding Italy provides an interactive map with detailed information about each region. |
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Tip 3 - Recognize the Clues
Italian vital records (birth, marriage, and death) provide a wealth of details that include current age, parent's names, place of birth, current residence, occupation, spouse's name, etc.
Tip 4 - Know the Structure of a Record
Italian vital records, over the years, have had a "similar" structure and format. This means there are key locations within the record for the most significant facts, and you will quickly be able to identify these locations. As a result, you don't really need to do a full translation of the record, you just need to know the approximate location of the facts and be able to pick out names and key words.
Tip 5 - Work Backwards
Work backwards. Start with your most recent ancestor, perhaps a Grandfather who immigrated in the early 1900's. If you can find one record, e.g. a marriage record, that record may include his age, which would then give you approximate year of birth. Your next search could be for the birth record. This then becomes an iterative process in which clues in one record lead you to more records and years.
Tip 6 - Get Ready for Italian & Latin
Italian Civil Records are mostly written in Italian and Church Records mostly in Latin. So you will need to learn basic Italian and Latin genealogical words. There are many resources, online or in the bookstore, that can provide a quick-start to learning Italian and Latin. You can also click on the RESOURCES tab to see some translation help recommendations.
Tip 7 - Understand the Difference Between Indexed and Image Records
Understand the difference between an Indexed record (example) and an Image-Only record (example). You should become familiar with these two record types, and know how to access and manage them.
Tip 8 - Locate the Index & Advance in Chunks
Two keys for managing Image-Only records are: (1) to quickly locate the Index or 10-Year Indexes. These may be located on the main records page or at the end, or beginning, of the year you are searching, and (2) to advance through the Image-Only pages in chunks (e.g., 50, 100, 200 pages at a time). Your objective is to find a specific reference number within a span of hundreds of pages for a targeted year, and you want to move through the pages as quickly as possible. You also want to build your skills and develop a search strategy, so take a look at resources such as the Genealogists.com's Navigating FamilySearch Browsable Images and others on RESOURCES.
Tip 9 - Check Back Often
If you don't find records for your town or province, check back often to see what new records have been added or indexed. FamilySearch and the Italian National Archives are continually adding Indexed and Image-Only records to their databases, and your town and province may be next. On FamilySearch's Historical Record Collections, click on the "Last Updated" column title to re-sort the list and see the collections most recently updated. And on the Italian National Archive's Antenati, take a look at their News page to see their "Last Published Archives" as well as other news.
Tip 10 - Have Patience!
This work can be done and you can find your Italian ancestors, for many generations back. The search process can be rewarding and exhilarating, and at times laborious and frustrating. But when you find someone, it is amazing and you have established a legacy for generations to come. Just have patience!
Italian vital records (birth, marriage, and death) provide a wealth of details that include current age, parent's names, place of birth, current residence, occupation, spouse's name, etc.
Tip 4 - Know the Structure of a Record
Italian vital records, over the years, have had a "similar" structure and format. This means there are key locations within the record for the most significant facts, and you will quickly be able to identify these locations. As a result, you don't really need to do a full translation of the record, you just need to know the approximate location of the facts and be able to pick out names and key words.
Tip 5 - Work Backwards
Work backwards. Start with your most recent ancestor, perhaps a Grandfather who immigrated in the early 1900's. If you can find one record, e.g. a marriage record, that record may include his age, which would then give you approximate year of birth. Your next search could be for the birth record. This then becomes an iterative process in which clues in one record lead you to more records and years.
Tip 6 - Get Ready for Italian & Latin
Italian Civil Records are mostly written in Italian and Church Records mostly in Latin. So you will need to learn basic Italian and Latin genealogical words. There are many resources, online or in the bookstore, that can provide a quick-start to learning Italian and Latin. You can also click on the RESOURCES tab to see some translation help recommendations.
Tip 7 - Understand the Difference Between Indexed and Image Records
Understand the difference between an Indexed record (example) and an Image-Only record (example). You should become familiar with these two record types, and know how to access and manage them.
Tip 8 - Locate the Index & Advance in Chunks
Two keys for managing Image-Only records are: (1) to quickly locate the Index or 10-Year Indexes. These may be located on the main records page or at the end, or beginning, of the year you are searching, and (2) to advance through the Image-Only pages in chunks (e.g., 50, 100, 200 pages at a time). Your objective is to find a specific reference number within a span of hundreds of pages for a targeted year, and you want to move through the pages as quickly as possible. You also want to build your skills and develop a search strategy, so take a look at resources such as the Genealogists.com's Navigating FamilySearch Browsable Images and others on RESOURCES.
Tip 9 - Check Back Often
If you don't find records for your town or province, check back often to see what new records have been added or indexed. FamilySearch and the Italian National Archives are continually adding Indexed and Image-Only records to their databases, and your town and province may be next. On FamilySearch's Historical Record Collections, click on the "Last Updated" column title to re-sort the list and see the collections most recently updated. And on the Italian National Archive's Antenati, take a look at their News page to see their "Last Published Archives" as well as other news.
Tip 10 - Have Patience!
This work can be done and you can find your Italian ancestors, for many generations back. The search process can be rewarding and exhilarating, and at times laborious and frustrating. But when you find someone, it is amazing and you have established a legacy for generations to come. Just have patience!
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Last revised: 9 July 2018.
Last revised: 9 July 2018.