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Finding Italian Roots
by J.P. Colletta, PhD
Discloses resources available in the United States, then how to tap into the town halls, archives, churches and libraries of Italy. With glossary of key Italian terms and extensive bibliography.
Click here to read an excerpt from this book
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Crafting Your Own Heritage Album
by Bev Kirschner Braun
Amazon Reader's Review: "I've seen several books devoted to the topic of heritage scrapping, but none cover all the details specific to preserving family memories like this book does. The usual information regarding album choice, supplies and terminology are included here. Ms. Braun takes the artform a step further and provides examples and ideas to help make your heritage album more than a simple "photo album." She suggests principles for choosing color and theme and the book has ample illustrations of pages that reflect an attractive style that enhances rather than overpowers these old photos. Use of non-photo documents is well covered, too. She provides a great deal of information for those who might wish to delve into genealogy as part of their project. Numerous resources are suggested to help the novice explore their family tree. She even has examples of how to handle the "unknowns" you will certainly encounter along the way. She shows a pair of photos, one of her great-great grandmother and an "unknown close friend"--not her great-great grandfather! There's a story waiting to be told there, and what a clever way to include the photo and allow the viewer's imagination free rein."
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If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
by Ellen Levine
Arranged in Q&A style, this survey of earlier immigrations asks: "Did all immigrants come through Ellis Island?" (no); "Did you have to have a job waiting for you?" (again, no; in fact, it was not allowed). It's evident that America has always been a polyglot magnet--even in 1643, 18 languages were spoken in one colonial area. It's also evident that there's been long-standing prejudice against certain immigrants (ability to read was required for entrance, and first and second class arrivals didn't have to sweat it out at Ellis Island). Perhaps most interesting here are the individual stories: the name change in the author's own family; the child who had never seen a banana and ate it whole; the "six- second" medical exam. Levine (If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon, 1986) gives multiculturalism an extra boost by ending with a sampling of words and other contributions from many heritages.
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Ships of Our Ancestors
by Michael J. Anuta
Ships of Our Ancestors is a compilation of photographs of the steamships that were employed in transporting immigrants to this country in the heyday of mass migration. These were the propeller-driven, steel-hulled leviathans of legend, owned and operated by such famous shipping lines as North German Lloyd, White Star, Cunard, Guion, Red Star, Inman, and Hamburg-American. Photos of nearly 900 ships are arranged here in alphabetical order, and each ship is further identified by date, shipping line, and source. For genealogists the photographs represent a visual testimony of the great passenger ships that grew old in service and then passed from the scene without a trace. They are proof of a bygone time and our connection to it.
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The Italian American Family Album (The American Family Albums)
by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler, Mario Cuomo
An Italian immigrant says, "I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things: first, the streets weren't paved with gold; second, they weren't paved at all; and third, I was expected to pave them."
Against all odds--a new language, new customs, and the ethnic slurs and catcalls of prejudice--Italian Americans paved the streets, rolled the cigars, sewed the clothes, cooked the meals, and did all manner of back-breaking work to build a new life in Lamerica, the land of success. The Italian American Family Album brings us into the heart of those immigrants' experiences. Through diaries, letters, interviews, and articles from magazines and newspapers we share the ordeals and the triumphs of the Italian American first setting foot on his new homeland.
These personal accounts and family photographs of scores of Italian American families tell inspiring and courageous stories of hardship and suffering. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the journey across the Atlantic was remembered by many as the via dolorosa, the "sorrowful way." And even after arriving in the new homeland and successfully getting through immigration, finding a job and a place to live, and learning new ways of doing almost everything was a challenge. But there was joy in the new country, as well. The new arrivals were embraced by a community of fellow Italians with a grand sense of humor, an intense appreciation of music, and an even greater appreciation of good food. Life for the newcomer was full of old traditions and pleasure, and we hear first-hand how the old ways endured even as new philosophies and customs were embraced daily. Through the stories of the children of those early immigrants--writers Gay Talese and John Ciardi, entertainers like Tony Bennett, baseball great Yogi Berra, and others not famous, but still proud to call themselves Italian Americans--we see how family pride and strong ties to the old country survive even today.
As Governor Mario Cuomo says in his introduction: "I have always been intensely proud that I am the son of Italian immigrants and that my Italian heritage helped make me the man I am." That pride and the unique experiences of the early Italian Americans are an integral part of our country's history. Through the memories and photographs from the albums of generations of Italian families we meet real people, cut of the same cloth as we are--a many-colored and multi-textured cloth of ethnic customs, languages, traditions, and memories. We are a nation of immigrants, and The Italian American Family Album belongs to each of us.
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Netting Your Ancestors: Genealogical Research on the Internet
by Cyndi Howells
Netting Your Ancestors is designed not only to show you how to use the Internet in genealogical research but how to take maximum advantage of this extraordinary research tool. Written by genealogist and computer whiz Cyndi Howells, creator of the award-winning web site Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet, it is a guide to the most powerful research tool since the advent of the personal computer. This is no hollow claim, for in bringing resources from around the world right into your home, the Internet makes genealogical research possible on a global scale, in record-breaking time. With its clear, no-nonsense approach, Netting Your Ancestors answers the most fundamental questions about genealogical research on the Internet: How do I get online? What type of computer hardware and software do I need? What do I do once I'm online? Where do I start? What type of information is available? The answers to those questions, rendered in plain English, will help you to discover genealogical resources and finding-aids beyond your wildest dreams. What's more, you'll be able to communicate with researchers around the world, exchanging data that otherwise might take you a lifetime to find. To help you get the most out of your online research time, Netting Your Ancestors focuses on the three most useful components of the Internet, each of which is discussed in a separate chapter: E-mail, Mailing Lists and Newsgroups, and the World Wide Web. Within each chapter, sections are devoted to software requirements, guidelines, and the basic workings of each component, along with tips for researchers who have already been online for a while. The last section in each chapter is devoted to research strategies that will benefit both new and veteran online researchers. The ability to exchange information on a global scale and to explore vast new databases (as well as obscure factoids lurking at the edges of cyberspace) is what genealogical research on the Internet is all about. And in this book, with the aplomb and assurance of a seasoned Internet navigator, Cyndi Howells starts you out on your Internet journey of exploration and discovery, guiding you confidently toward your goal. It's a trip you'll never forget, even though you never leave home. (The author's web site, Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet, is the most comprehensive list of Internet resources for genealogy available and has been acclaimed by Newsweek magazine, Time magazine, Home PC magazine, and the History Channel.)
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The Official Family Tree Maker 10 Fast & Easy
by Rhonda McClure
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Create Your Family History Book with Family Tree Maker Version 8: The
Official Guide
by Marthe Arends
Family Tree Maker is a program that allows users to input their family information and produce a variety of charts, reports, and customizable family history books. Create Your Family History Book with Family Tree Maker 8: The Official Guide takes you through the steps necessary to create your personal family history book. Once it is completed, you can take your book to a local printer or a publishing house and have a bound copy made, transfer it to a CD to create a multimedia scrapbook, or post it on your Web page. With the help of this book, you can share your heritage with your entire family!
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They Came in Ships: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record (3rd Edition)
by John P. Coletta
Chances are, if you're American, you've got immigrant ancestors! For over 400 years, from the 1500s-1900s, millions of people immigrated to the United States. They came from Europe, Africa, Asia and Central and South America. And nearly all of them came by ship, leaving behind valuable clues for you to discover! They Came in Ships is the first comprehensive manual to navigate the vast landscape of these ship records!
Author John Philip Colletta will guide you through the difficult task of uncovering and understanding these essential records. You'll learn where and how to begin your search for your ancestors! Study the sample research scenarios to make your research time more effective! Colletta has even introduced a special chapter in this edition dedicated to helping you find a ship if your ancestor arrived in a year not included in National Archives!
They Came in Ships is the ultimate genealogist's tool for locating and understanding immigrant ships' records! An essential tool for the American genealogist!
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The Weekend Genealogist: Timesaving Techniques for Effective Research
by Marcia Yannizze Melnyk
Melnyk, a professional genealogist, addresses the need for time management and organization in this latest how-to-do-genealogy-better guide. She gears this toward new genealogists strapped for research time, emphasizing numerous materials and techniques that cut down on piles of paper and repetitious research, and offers suggestions for the types and proper usage of genealogical forms (and provides reproducible forms at the back of the book), filing systems, and where and when to look for bargains on office materials. Melnyk also discusses the benefits of gathering information from relatives, organizations, and the Internet along with suggestions for using and evaluating electronic sources. She provides a brief but very informative chapter on assessing and extracting information from documents and covers preparing for and making the most of a research trip, offering time-saving and efficient search methods. Her chapter on research etiquette should be required reading for all genealogists (and librarians!) for its clear-eyed perspective. Melnyk's work transcends Sharon Carmack's Organizing Your Family History Search with its discussions on efficient research and time management. Recommended for public libraries.
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Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Your Precious Family Images
by Maureen A. Taylor
Genealogists and non-genealogists alike love old photographs and many people have photo collections of their ancestors. Preserving Your Family Photographs shows them how to organize and store these photos so that future generations can also enjoy them.
Readers will learn how to care for family photos, identify different types of damage, learn basic conservation techniques, buy the proper storage materials, then organize the family photo archive and safely display it for all to see.
* Photo preservation and display techniques appeal to both genealogist and non-genealogist alike
* The book provides instruction through the use of beautiful sample photos
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Italian Genealogical Records: How to Use Italian Civil, Ecclesiastical, &
Other Records in Family History Research
by Trafford R. Cole
This comprehensive reference covers Italian records in wonderfully extensive detail! Author Trafford Cole has been a professional researcher of Italian genealogy for over eighteen years. His reference is designed to be an essential component of Italian family history research. Along with a detailed history of Italian record keeping, this book will instruct you on the Italian records themselves--civil, ecclesiastical, notary, military and more.
Featuring more than one hundred illustrations, this volume is rich in reproductions of typical records found in repositories throughout Italy. Each record includes a complete English translation and thorough explanation. Learn the significance of Italian surnames or noble families. The author even offers advice on how to approach Italian repositories. Once you've learned the ropes, use the sample letters provided to help you obtain records through correspondence from a variety of sources.
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Our Italian Surnames
by Joseph Fucilla
Our Italian Surnames covers every fact of Italian names and naming practices. It is here we discover, for example, that bussolari is Italian for compass, orsini means bear, and passalacqua stands for butterfly. In addition to sections on given names and the evolution of Italian surnames, the book contains chapters devoted to pet names, botanical names, geographical names, bird names, insect names, occupational names, and more. Our Italian Surnames is written for a popular audience, and each chapter of the book is a separate and informative unit in itself. Complete with a list of sources and an index of more than 7,500 names, Our Italian Surnames is a monument to the late Professor Fucilla's lifelong interest in the language and names of Italia.
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A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage
by Lynn Nelson
Amazon Reader's review: "In one concise, well written book, Ms. Nelson has made researching an Italian family possible by giving simple, yet to-the-point directions to finding, reading, and understanding the documents and thought processes which will help you find your family. It helps make the past make sense, and is sized so that you can carry it with you to your research sites."
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Your Guide to Cemetery Research
by Sharon Debartolo Carmack
Slogging through graveyards armed with a camera and notepad may sound morbid, but it is high adventure to most genealogists. Indeed, according to Carmack (Organizing Your Family History Search), cemetery research provides valuable information about the dearly departed, and it can actually become a family tradition. Carmack begins her demystification of the process with a discussion of the various records created at the time of death (death certificates, funeral home records, and more) and the task of locating an ancestor's grave or cemetery. Once a burial site is established, a visit to the cemetery is in order. Carmack details the different kinds of cemeteries, grave decorations, and veterans' markers and explains the benefits of analyzing a cemetery's "community." A very helpful chapter on capturing a tombstone's information follows. Carmack covers American burial customs and the value (and pitfalls) of cemetery transcription and preservation projects. Finally, she offers ways to make cemetery visits a family affair. Examples of the artwork, epitaphs, and poetry found on tombstones are provided, as are an appendix of symbols and their meanings, a historical time line of America's epidemics and disasters, and a medical glossary. Genealogists and local historians of all stripes will find this book invaluable. Highly recommended for public and genealogy libraries.
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Italian-American Family History: A Guide to Researching and Writing About Your Heritage
by Sharon Debartolo Carmack
Italian Americans have customs, folkways, beliefs, and behaviors that are unique to their culture. According to Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, who in this work puts a whole new spin on family history research, familiarizing yourself with this culture is the best way to research the American generations of your Italian-American family history. In focusing on Italian-American culture, she has developed a unique approach not only to Italian-American genealogical research, but to genealogical research in general. Her goal is to show you how to document your heritage while placing each generation of your family in its cultural milieu and telling a factual and interesting story about the family.
Among other things, this book enables you to evaluate American records for information specific to Italian-American research, to appreciate the importance of Italian-American cultural perspective, and to write a readable and interesting family history. Above all else, though, this book is designed to help you enjoy researching the American generations of your Italian-American family history.
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My Family Tree Workbook: Genealogy for Beginners
by Rosa Chorzempa, Rosemary A. Chorzempa
This is the perfect book to introduce your child to the complex world of genealogy. Simple and well-written, "My Family Tree Workbook" will help get your child started in the right direction.
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