What's new at SicilianFamilyTree.com?
Gibellina, Partanna, Poggioreale, Salaparuta and Santa Ninfa
Documentaries available!
If your family hails from any of the above towns (and many more too) be sure
to check out the video documentaries of Giovanni Montanti, at
www.sicilyvideo.it. These
documentaries showcase with beautiful footage the culture, traditions,
landscapes, important places and buildings, churches, art, architecture (and
more!) of each town, all with an English language narration detailing the
origins and history of the town. They are beautifully done and are worth
every cent! Go to Giovanni's web site to see if there is a documentary for
your ancestral town!
Search all of SicilianFamilyTree.com
I've built this search engine that will allow you to search all of the pages on SicilianFamilyTree.com. Have fun exploring the site--search your surnames, your town names, or quickly find information on what you want to learn about such as Italian postal codes, naturalizations or ship manifests. Just use the search box below!
New books added to the Bookstore!
Several new genealogy research books have been added to my Bookstore. I have found one book in particular to be very enlightening. It is called Sacrificed for Honor: Italian Infant Abandonment and the Politics of Reproductive Control, by David Kertzer. This is an especially beneficial book if you have a "foundling" in your ancestral history-a child who was abandoned at birth. Be sure to check out the Bookstore for many other Must Have books that can assist you in your research and help you learn more about your heritage.
New links on Ships and Naturalizations Page!
There are numerous new links on the Ships & Naturalizations page to assist those interested in obtaining Dual Citizenship. Click the Research links button above and select Ships & Naturalization. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the New Links!
Genealogy searches on Google
By now, most people have used GOOGLE to search the Web for all types of things. But did you know all the cool genealogy stuff you can find using GOOGLE? If you go to the Google homepage and look at the very top, you will see choices such as Images, Maps, Videos and More. You can use the Images section to search for pictures on the Internet. For instance, try typing your surname with the word headstone or tombstone and see what you get. Or, from the Google home page, click More from the top toolbar, then Books. Search the name of your town and you will find all sorts of online books about your town. A search of Misilmeri turned up one book called Rebels and Mafiosi: Death in a Sicilian Landscape. Very Interesting and you just never know what you might find! Give it a try!
Check out FaceBook for genealogy connections!
Have you ever thought about checking FaceBook,
the social networking site, to see if you can make genealogy connections? I
recently 'searched for friends' with my main surnames and found TONS of
people all over the world with my surnames! What a fantastic resource for
making connections. There are also several different Italian genealogy
groups you can join and you may even find a group for your surname. Check it
out! www.facebook.com
Fantastic Videos
I recently came upon some fantastic videos from this company, Alidmar Video Productions. They make videos for travel agencies to use, but anyone can purchase them and they have one called A Slice of Sicily and another called Insieme in Italy. Just love them! View some short videos that they have made of these great towns in Sicily:
Travel up Mount Etna, Sicily
Carriage ride in Ortygia Island, Sicily
Castlebuono, Sicily
Sights and sounds of Taormina, Sicily
The medieval district, Cefalu', Sicily
Stairway of Saint Maria, Caltagirone, Sicily
Greek/Roman Theater, Taormina, Sicily
Nature park in the Madionie mountains, Sicily
Roman Villa of the Casale, Piazza Armerina, Sicily
Thank you to Maddalena Cassata DeLorenzo, Tom Russo and Caroline Ilardo Jaworski for the pictures they have contributed for use on this site!
