Italian Genealogical Research

Italian Genealogical Research

In Italy, one finds little interest in the subject of genealogy. Americans of Italian descent have just the opposite view. Although the first Italian immigrant to the New World, Peter Caesar Alberti, came with the Dutch in 1635 and raised his family on Long Island, Italian immigration was extremely meager throughout the colonial period. The few Italians who immigrated to the United States by the early nineteenth century came from the northern section of Italy. They were primarily craftsman, political exiles, farmers (mostly from the grape vineyards), and artists. Most disembarked from the ports of Genoa and Trieste and arrived at the port of New Orleans. While some stayed in the surrounding southern states, most chose to travel northward to Memphis and St. Louis, via the Mississippi River.

By the 1870's, the number Italian immigrants began to swell. These immigrants were mostly unskilled laborers, fisherman, and illiterate peasant framers from southern Italy, Sicily, and Calabria, the so-called "Mezzogiorno". Many were transplanted from sunny fishing villages on the Mediterranean coast and tiny farming communities in the interior mountains to the factories of America's northern industrial cities, the railroad construction sites in the Midwest and West, the iron mines of Minnesota, and the copper and silver mines of Colorado. These people disembarked primarily from Naples and Palermo. The majority arrived in the United States at Ellis Island. Others came through the ports of Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Those who did not settle in the East moved westward to the cities of Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. These people came because of widespread poverty and political unrest throughout Italy.

Major eastern and Midwestern cities (especially Chicago, and New York) have sections called "Little Italy's" within their city boundary. Everything the Italian immigrants had and enjoyed in their homeland was transferred to America: their language, customs, traditions, culture, religion, food and family values. In spite of this, a surprising number of Italians returned to Italy for they could not overcome their longing for their native homeland. Others went back and forth several times before they could decide to stay here or go back to Italy permanently. Some of these Italians were also known as "birds of passage" because they came and went seasonally, working in the United States as long as the weather permitted, then returning to their families in Italy for the winter months. The prosperous Italians were able to maintain residences in both countries. Italians are the one ethnic group that has been most vocal in refusing to renounce their native homeland. Many Italians who came to America, never chose to become citizens. Hence they came and went as they pleased.

Between 1900 and 1910, more than two million Italians arrived in America. Nearly five million emigrated altogether. By 1920, many of the new arrivals headed for the mining opportunities of northern Minnesota and Colorado. Others went into cattle ranching in the Great Plains states of Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Others discovered California and its fertile grape valleys reminiscent of Italy. Grape producing vineyards and truck farms were established.

Italian Genealogical Sources In The Lee County Library System

Colletta, John Philip. Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide For Americans. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993. Genealogy Ref. 929.1 Col (Italy)

Fucilla, Joseph G. Our Italian Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993. Genealogy Ref. 929.42 Fuc (Italy)

Guelfi-Camajani, Conte Piero Dizionario Araldico: Terza Edizione Notevolmente Ampliata e Corredata Di 573 Illustrazioni. Bologna, Italy: Arnaldo Forni Editore, 1940. Genealogy Ref. 929.6 Gue (Italy).

Shea, Jonathan D. And William J. Hoffman. Following The Paper Trail: A Multilingual Translation Guide. Teaneck, NJ: Avitaynu, c1994. Genealogy Ref. 929.1 She. Pages 80-97 deal with research in Italy. Section includes information and illustrations for: Italian alphabet, civil family registration booklet & documents, parish family registrations, passports, birth certificates (long ans short forms), vocabulary, and common personal names listing.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy. Revised Edition. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Publishing, 1997. Genealogy Ref. 929.1 Szu. Chapter 13 deals with immigrant research.

Compiled by Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librarian, Ft. Myers-Lee County Library 7/15/98