My wife may have Italian ancestry, but we're not sure. I want to do some digging so we can learn more. What are the best online resources for finding Italian genealogy records? Or just genealogy records? I'd appreciate some leads on how to get started.
I know it'd be easier if I could share some personal details. But at the moment, I'd rather avoid that. Still, I'd appreciate any resources you could recommend, as well as tips on what to look for. Her family isn't very cooperative when it comes to talking about the family history, so following the paper trail is our best bet right now.
Looking for Italian genealogy records
Re: Looking for Italian genealogy records
Hi Anthony,
I started looking into my family ancestry a little over a year ago. I live in the United States, so I was able to look up US census records that indicated they were Italian. There are questions on the record like, "where were you born", 'how long have you been living in the United States?' which can be very helpful.
From there I was able to find documents like their naturalization records, death certificates, Ellis Island arrival records, which pointed to where in Italy they lived. From there, I was able to look in the digitized state archives for birth and marriage records.
I was a little bit worried but I was able to find my family's records going all the way back to before Italian unification in a comune that has less than 400 people living it today.
Hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any other questions.
I started looking into my family ancestry a little over a year ago. I live in the United States, so I was able to look up US census records that indicated they were Italian. There are questions on the record like, "where were you born", 'how long have you been living in the United States?' which can be very helpful.
From there I was able to find documents like their naturalization records, death certificates, Ellis Island arrival records, which pointed to where in Italy they lived. From there, I was able to look in the digitized state archives for birth and marriage records.
I was a little bit worried but I was able to find my family's records going all the way back to before Italian unification in a comune that has less than 400 people living it today.
Hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any other questions.
Re: Looking for Italian genealogy records
If you know names and possible origins in Italy, then the process will be easier. Agree that Ellis Island is the first place to start, you can search their records for free online. Be sure to try various spellings because the recorders often did not accurately write down the correct spelling or could not understand what was being said.
My family came from Isca sullo Ionio in Calabria and the entry log noted “Isea”, it did correctly state the destination, which helped connect the dots.
I also suggest familysearch.org, it's free and they have many scanned Italian records (birth, death and marriage) available to view. It does take some time and translation help on here to figure things out but if you know names, dates and places of birth, it's quite easy.
My family came from Isca sullo Ionio in Calabria and the entry log noted “Isea”, it did correctly state the destination, which helped connect the dots.
I also suggest familysearch.org, it's free and they have many scanned Italian records (birth, death and marriage) available to view. It does take some time and translation help on here to figure things out but if you know names, dates and places of birth, it's quite easy.
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AnthonyForest
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- Joined: 14 Nov 2023, 06:31
Re: Looking for Italian genealogy records
I did some digging on https://italylawfirms.com/en/the-benefi ... tizenship/ and found this on their citizenship guide: "if your Italian-born ancestor naturalized before 1912 you are not eligible for Italian citizenship by descent". So that narrows it down, we only need to trace back her ancestry up to 1912. I've seen that date mentioned before in the forum, I just didn't know what it meant. Anyway, I'll keep looking for info, any additional help is appreciated.
Re: Looking for Italian genealogy records
Except that’s not necessarily true.
The fact is that before 1912, a man who naturalized lost Italian citizenship for himself and his wife, and all his children, even those born in the US before he was naturalized.
HOWEVER, before the 1922 Cable Act, a woman automatically was given her husband’s citizenship, so if he naturalized, she did as well. The courts have found that the derivative naturalization of a woman based on her husband’s actions was discriminatory, and this has been successfully challenged in the Italian courts. So even her male ancestor naturalized before 1912, she may have a court case through her female ancestor.
The fact is that before 1912, a man who naturalized lost Italian citizenship for himself and his wife, and all his children, even those born in the US before he was naturalized.
HOWEVER, before the 1922 Cable Act, a woman automatically was given her husband’s citizenship, so if he naturalized, she did as well. The courts have found that the derivative naturalization of a woman based on her husband’s actions was discriminatory, and this has been successfully challenged in the Italian courts. So even her male ancestor naturalized before 1912, she may have a court case through her female ancestor.
