Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage [Paperback]

Lynn Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | ISBN-10: 1558706933 | ISBN-13: 978-1558706934

This practical guide takes beginners step-by-step through the research process, and includes advanced tips for more experienced researchers. You'll learn general guidelines of genealogy that ensure success; how to use major American records such as census and naturalization records, ship passenger lists and passport applications; how to use minor American records such as family letters, church and cemetery records and newspapers; how to find Italian vital records - civil documents that record births, marriages and deaths; how to read the margin notations in Italian records to learn even more about your family; how to interview relatives; and how to make the most of every piece of information you uncover. This easy-to-use reference even includes information on Italian naming traditions, how to read foreign handwriting from hundreds of years ago, ingenious tips for using an English/Italian dictionary, and a letter-writing guide you can use to request data from Italian officials - in Italian!

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Betterway Books (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558706933
• ISBN-13: 978-1558706934
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best out for overall Italian Genealogy Research, August 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors (Genealogist's Guides to Discovering Your Ancestor...) (Paperback)

One of our PIEsani has just published a book.
Lynn Nelson has written:
A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors.
The book focuses on "using Italian vital records to climb your family tree".

146 pages of Lots of where to start and what to look for, and how to compare documents for validity.
Included is a history of Italy, and has tables with the Regions, Modern Provinces and the Pre-Unification Names, as well as maps.
She discusses Italian naming traditions.
There is a typical day in the life of a 19th century peasant.

A chapter focuses on how to determine your ancestors hometown using Census Records, Ships Passenger Lists, Naturalization Documents, and others.

Another chapter depicts the best tips for using the Stato Civile, deciphering Italian handwriting, reading and understanding the Atto di Nascita, marriage, death, marginal annotations, etc.

How to use the Family History Library is detailed.
There is an Italian letter writing guide, Italian-English word list (occupations, months of year, numbers, genealogical terms...), and all the addresses of the Italian Archivio di Stato (8 pages).

My favorite is a step by step example of researching a relative, through verbal interviews, FHL records, a checklist, and other research tools. Highlights include side by side comparisons of original Italian documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc) with the English translations.

Well written and a good research tool, now in my arsenal of books.
WELL DONE LYNN!!! (except you forgot to list PIE - oooopppps)
Even has a web page with forms (FREE) to download.
http://www.erols.com/lynnn/dyia/main.html

Tony Cimorelli
Webmaster for PIE
Pursuing Our Italian Names Together In Email

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the biggest help I've had to unlocking my past, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors (Genealogist's Guides to Discovering Your Ancestor...) (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best for Italian research, August 18, 2002

By 

Rosemarie Iliano "Book Lover" (boulder city, nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors (Genealogist's Guides to Discovering Your Ancestor...) (Paperback)

It has been one year since I started researching my Italian Ancestors and this was the first book I purchased. It was so easy to follow and helped me tremendously in reading the birth certificates, to write letters in Italian and to understand where to search.