What's New At SicilianFamilyTree.com?
Italian Immigrants to Argentina?
America wasn't the only destination for Italian immigrants! Many Italians went to the South American country of Argentina. There are microfilms available for Buenos Aires and other areas of Argentina, but if you would like help with researching in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires, Daniela Massolo might be able to help! She told me that there are parish records and civil records available, depending on the year and where the events took place. Visit her web site at www.genealitalia.com and visit her blog to learn about Daniela and about researching in Argentina.
Check YouTube for Videos of Your Ancestral Town!
Take a few minutes to browse YouTube for videos of your ancestral town. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find! I enjoyed this video of Misilmeri in particular:
How and Where to Begin Researching?
I get many emails from people who are just starting their quest for their Italian or Sicilian family heritage. For those of you just starting out, I suggest you visit the Research Links page. There you will find loads of information about how and where to start. One item I consider a MUST-HAVE for anyone who is researching their Italian or Sicilian heritage is the book called A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors, by Lynn Nelson. It's only about $15 from Amazon.com and it is well worth every cent. Good luck!
City of Palermo Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes ONLINE!
If your family hails from the City of Palermo, you are in luck! You can now find the city of Palermo marriage index (1820-1895) and the city of Palermo birth index (1896-1905) ONLINE! The Deaths index is being added slowly. This online index is courtesy of the wonderful Hugh Tornabene, who has used his skills and a bunch of high tech gadgets to bring this valuable genealogy resource to the web. Thanks Hugh!
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!
Crema
Di Limoncello Now Available!
One of my long time genealogy clients is living the dream! Javier Correa's family emigrated from Italy to Buenos Aires, then to Mexico and finally to the United States. What a genealogical journey! During our quest for his family ancestry, Javier shared with me his dream of owning property in Italy, having a restaurant, and making limoncello. Well, his dream has come true! Crema Di Limoncello Sogno d'Amore is now available on Javier's web site at www.mondialetrading.com. He also has several wine offerings with more on the way and you can learn more about the restaurant that Javier and his extended family have opened in Castel San Pietro Terme in Bologna Province. Congratulations Javier!
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 Documentary Available!
If your family hails from Salaparuta, Partanna, Gibellina, Poggioreale,
or Santa Ninfa, be sure to check out
the newest video documentary from Giovanni Montanti which showcases these
towns in the Valle di Belice and the culture, traditions and history of this
beautiful area of Sicily. This video is available through Giovanni's
website at www.sicilyvideo.it. All
of Giovanni's documentaries have beautiful footage of the landscapes,
important places and buildings, churches, art, architecture (and more!) of
each town, all with an English language narration detailing the traditions,
culture, origins and history of the town. They are beautifully done and are
worth every cent! Go to Giovanni's
website to learn more about the Valle de Belice video or to see if there
is a documentary for your ancestral town!
Abandoned Property in Italy-It Could Be Yours!
According to Anthony Alioto of www.italianlaw.net, there are thousands of abandoned properties in Italy and Sicily that were left behind by immigrants when they came to America. Those properties may still pass to the descendants of those immigrants in accordance with Italian succession law. For example, just last year, www.italianlaw.net transferred about 200 parcels of land to clients of Italian descent in the United States and Australia. One family received about $200,000 with interest that had been sitting in a bank all these years! Do you think there could be property in Italy that you or your relatives may be entitled to? If so, contact Anthony and see if he can help!
Thank you to Maddalena Cassata DeLorenzo, Tom Russo and Caroline Ilardo Jaworski for the pictures they have contributed for use on this site!
