Let’s say you took a DNA test and discovered you have Italian ancestry. Or, you have heard stories from you grandparents or great-grandparents that you have Italian ancestry. However you learned of your Italian lineage, you are wanting to start finding out more. In this blog, let’s go through the steps you can take to learn more about your Italian ancestors.
First, we need to find information on our immediate family, you, your parents and siblings. Major information includes name, birth date and location, marriage date and location (if applicable), death date and location (if applicable). Then follow this pattern with grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. until you locate the immigrant ancestor that came from Italy.
Utilize any records you can find: U.S. census records (1950 and backwards), wills/probate, land, marriage, city directories, birth/death records, etc. You can find many of these records online on Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and other websites.
At one point in your journey back in time, you will come across an ancestor who lists their birth on a census record, marriage record, or even a naturalization record as born in Italy. That is your immigrant ancestor!
When I began my search for my Italian ancestors, I knew I was part Italian from my dad’s surname. My dad had stories about his dad who came to this country from Italy. So my ”job” was to trace back to this person and then find European records to continue the journey back. My dad said my grandfather was from Sicily. Here is information I would need to verify.
I started putting together information on my parents and grandparents. My discovery was not only was my paternal grandfather Italian, but my paternal grandmother was as well. There are two lines I would need to research. After collecting many records from the U.S., I located a marriage record for my grandfather and grandmother. It listed his hometown in Italy. My dad’s information was right! I learned my grandmother was born in the U.S. but her parents were from Italy. I am on my way!
In our next post, we will delve further into how to go from your immigrant ancestor’s new home to their previous home. In the meantime, check out our other posts on Italian names. What have you learned about your Italian heritage? Let’s us know in the comments!
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