Tracing your Italian Ancestry with Mary Tedesco

If it were not for her nonna, Mary Tedesco would not be doing the work she is doing today: helping people from around the world find their Italian roots. A professional genealogist, Mary established ORIGINS ITALY, an Italian genealogy research firm, after an investigation of her own Italian roots, fueled by her grandmother’s enthusiasm, ignited a passion for reconnecting people of Italian descent with their families’ histories. Mary is also featured on the PBS television series “Genealogy Roadshow.”

As we celebrate Italian American Heritage Month in October, it seems fitting to discuss Italian ancestry research.

I had been listening to my Italian grandparents tell stories about their relatives since I was a little kid. My grandfather always talks about how his grandmother saw Garibaldi pass through his hometown and other beautiful stories. When I found out that I could pursue Italian dual citizenship, I began writing to Italy for documents, with the help of my grandmother. I also found my grandparents’ passengers list of their trips to America online, and, when I showed them, they were really enthusiastic and wanted to learn more, so we kept writing to Italy to get more information about their ancestors. My late grandmother was the driving force behind this. She was the one who always wanted to know more. I eventually traveled to my grandfather’s hometown in Calabria, San Pietro a Maida, where I was able to research records in the churches and city halls, and later to my grandmother’s town, Rovereto. I thus began another chapter of my genealogy research, which is still ongoing because once you find an ancestor, there are two more behind him/her, then four more, and so forth.

It is essential to know your ancestral town or towns in Italy. Sometimes the knowledge of our precise Italian origins is preserved in our families; other times, genealogical research within your Italian immigrant’s destination country is necessary to rediscover this information.

With knowledge of your ancestral town or towns in Italy, it is possible to begin genealogical research using Italian records. It is efficient and cost effective to consult Italian records online and on microfilm before buying your airplane ticket to la bell’Italia. Use www.familysearch.org to see if records from your ancestral town have been microfilmed or digitized.

For people in the United States, a great place to start is naturalization records and passenger manifests because there is a chance that your ancestor’s hometown will be indicated. Other resources for researching your ancestral town include vital records, church records, Sons of Italy records, newspapers, and many other records.

The next step in your genealogical journey is onsite research in Italy, or research by correspondence (contacting offices in Italy to request records of your ancestors). Italy has wonderful records for finding our Italian ancestors! Civil records are a great place to begin. They can be found at the Civil Records Office (Ufficio Stato Civile) in your ancestral town or at the Archivio di Stato in the Italian province where your ancestral town is located. Researching church records is an excellent place to continue your research. Church records pertaining to your ancestors are typically found in the local parish Church in your ancestral town and/or the Diocesan Archive. Always remember that Italian genealogical research does not end with birth, marriage, and death records. There are many additional resources to help us explore our ancestors’ lives, like military records, demographics records, notary records, land records, and much more! Some cases are more challenging than others, but I always tell people: ‘Never give up – you can find the answer.’

Absolutely, I always say that genealogists are like detectives. You have to use a lot of problem solving skills. Sometimes in genealogy we encounter roadblocks, or “brick walls” as some call them. Say, for example, a city hall in Italy was bombed during World War II, and all the records got destroyed. You would have to look for alternative record sources. Perhaps you find an ancestor, but you cannot figure out where he or she is from. Maybe try studying the surnames in your family tree, paying attention to naming patterns, migration patterns, etc. You will need to think outside the box to find the solution.

“Genealogy Roadshow” is the coolest part of my job as a genealogist! It is a privilege and a joy to be able to help our guests uncover their family stories, to be on this journey with them.  We are currently filming season 3 of “Genealogy Roadshow.” This year, the Roadshow will take us from coast to coast in the USA – from historic New England to sunny California! I love the diversity and local cultural history of each city we are visiting. Remember – you needn’t be famous to be remarkable. Everybody has a story to be told, a story to be discovered, but you do not know until you start researching. It is an adventure!

Correct! You never know where your Italian genealogical journey will lead you, but it will certainly be filled with personal discovery and will leave you with a great sense of pride about your Italian origins.