Finding Italian Roots. The Complete Guide for Americans

Since Finding Italian Roots first appeared in 1993, an ever increasing number of Americans have become interested in tracing their Italian heritage. This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded second edition provides up-to-date information about accessing and interpreting the vast universe of materials available for tracking Italian ancestors and recording their stories for future generations. It contains more state and local sources, more point-by-point explanations, more step-by-step instructions, more “insider” hints and helps, more illustrations, more specific examples, plus an expanded glossary and annotated bibliography, and numerous Interne websites in both English and Italian — all brought vividly to life through the colorful stories of real Italian and Italian-American ancestors. Whether you are just beginning your investigations or have been doing genealogy for years, this guide will help maximize your investment of time, effort, and money.

John Philip Colletta is one of America’s most popular genealogical lecturers. Based in Washington, D.C., he teaches at the National Archives, Smithsonian Institution, and area universities. He is also a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (Birmingham, Ala.) and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (Salt Lake City), and has been a course coordinator and instructor for other genealogical institutes as well. John was just a boy when he started asking his paternal grandparents about their roots in Italy. By 1971 he was tapping into Italian records through correspondence, and since then has made four research trips to his ancestral homeland. John’s publications include numerous articles; the manual They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record, now in its third edition; and the historical narrative Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath.