Now Is The Time To Find Your Place In History

What better time to find your place in San Francisco history than October, National Italian Heritage Month. There is no better time to begin your own personal research project and explore your Italian heritage.  

 

The idea of researching one’s lineage is certainly not new but in recent years genealogy has re-immerged with renewed fervor.  Some claim that genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the world to the point of being labeled a “craze”.  

 

It’s true, genealogy is a new “industry” growing everyday as people become more excited about their roots.  And why not! According to Roman philosopher Marcus Cicero, “Who knows only his own generation remains always a child.”  Well, we don’t need to go cerebral but none-the-less wouldn’t you like to know what happened on that day decades ago when your ancestors first set foot in San Francisco?  What happened when they disembarked from massive ships with names like “SS Rex” and “Anglia” at eastern ports, endured a week-long train ride across the United States to Oakland, a ferry boat ride across the bay to the Ferry Building one foggy day at the turn of the 20th century?

 

You may already have established when your ancestors immigrated to America; what date, what ship and to which port. Perhaps this is the point where your most recent, personal history actually begins, at the point where family members set foot in the City and County of San Francisco.  

 

As part of San Francisco’s ongoing month celebrating and acknowledging our rich Italian heritage, the North Beach Branch of the San Francisco Public Library is offering a class October 31 from 2 to 4 p.m. titled “Family History Research: Italian Ancestors.” Research discussed at this class includes Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest both of which are services provided through HeritageQuest Online and are available to users of authorized institutions or to individuals using a username and password.  

 

In addition to attending the class mentioned above, you can get started right now by just sitting in front of your computer and going to the sites described below.  For the most part, the information can be obtained free of charge.  It’s just that easy and the rewards will last a life time, maybe even longer as you pass along your discoveries to family and friends. At the end of this article you will find a special twist that will bring even more of your own personal history to light.

 

You can have the tools to explore first hand your Italian heritage, rather than initially paying for a research service.  Then once you have created your own solid foundation you can follow up with professional services if you wish.

 

The first, seemingly obvious step is critical to your research success.  List all the information you already have regarding your research subject whether it be a person, place or event.  Correct spelling of names using both Italian and American versions is a must.  Dates and names of towns need to be as precise as possible as should be dates of birth. Once basic data is obtained all the other steps will follow logically. Organize well as you proceed because every bit of information leads to another and another.  Soon, a picture of your place in history will emerge.  

 

I typed the word “Italian” in the search box of the Online Archive of California (OAC) site and immediately over 1,500 results were available on screen.  Some records will require on-site visits to the various information repositories such as the Bancroft Library in Berkeley.  At the very least after exploring these sites you will be introduced to the rewarding world of heritage research.  Below are my favorite online research sites.

 

California Genealogical Society and Library – http://californiaancestors.org

Click the Databases tab to search 350,000 records in the California Names Index for free. A lookup in the original source costs $10. Members also get online access to San Francisco church records and newspapers.


 

This site describes collections of diaries, letters, photographs and other items at more than 200 libraries, museums, archives and historical societies across the Golden State. View more than 220,000 digital images and documents.

 

In addition to extensive resources for the San Francisco Bay area, this site has statewide indexes to births (1905-1995) and deaths (1940-1997). Also check out the links to online resources for California genealogy on other sites.

 

San Francisco Genealogy is my go-to site for all things San Francisco history.  In addition to numerous “people” databases such as City, Social and Phone Directories, Census Records, Ship Passengers, Hotel Guests, the site also has general databases such as Land Records, Probates, City, County Government and Clubs and Societies.  

 

In addition to writing two San Francisco history books, as well as many published articles, I have prepared a number of house histories for San Francisco residents.  Your dwelling’s history can also lead to fascinating facts about not just the building’s history but that of the people who built and lived in it.  The San Francisco Public Library online site at http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000305101 will take you through the steps for “How to Research a Building”.  Questions you can answer yourself are:  Are there any photos of it?  Are there any articles written about it?  How old is it? Who built it?  Who lived in it and who owned it?

 

Make Italian Heritage Month the time when you begin your personal research project.  2014 marks San Francisco’s 146th Italian Heritage Day Parade which will take place on Sunday, October 12th.  The first Columbus Day celebrations were organized by Italian Americans in San Francisco in 1869.  This year, parade action begins at 12:30 p.m. at Jefferson and Stockton Streets and will proceed through North Beach on Columbus Avenue, ending in Washington Square in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church.  

 

As you participate in this year’s festivities, watching hundreds of fellow Italians reveling, think about your own Italian heritage.  How it came to be that you are standing in North Beach, enjoying the sights and sounds of our Little Italy?  What would Columbus think? Perhaps you will be inspired to discover your place in history.