Have You Set Your Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions for 2022?

In September 2020, my beloved Nonna, Giuseppa Mangani nèe Rapisarda, passed away. As the eldest grandchild I was tasked with giving a eulogy on behalf of all of her grandchildren. To prepare, I spent some time looking through my photos, diaries, and notes, trying to...

Nonna Giuseppa Mangani’s Eulogy from her Grandchildren

Giuseppa Rapisarda (Mangani) was born on 11 February, 1936 in Ramacca, Catania, Italy. Today she would have been celebrating her 86th birthday. But on 20 September, 2020 she died in her husband Lucio's arms. Due to the lockdown restrictions enforced by the Victorian...

How Traditional Italian Naming Conventions Can Help Your Family Tree Research

Choosing a name for your baby is hard work. You need to consider that they will live with this name for the rest of their life: as a cute baby, through the trying years of being a teenager, and finally as an adult with a job. There are millions of names to choose from...

Announcing My New Book, ‘The Sulfaro Family’

'The Sulfaro Family: How five generations of Sicilians survived through epidemics, wars, and immigration' is now  available for purchase on Amazon. The story of the Sulfaro family starts in the coastal area of the Province of Messina, Sicily where multiple generations...

Retracing Paolo Sulfaro’s Footsteps in Bramwell, West Virginia

Over the past year I have been writing a book about the Sulfaro family. A large section is dedicated to Paolo Sulfaro, my great-grandfather, who traveled back-and-forth between Sicily and West Virginia to work in the coal mines before his death in WW1. I have pieced...

National Archives Alien Case File: Teresa Sterrantino nèe Sulfaro

Today I visited the National Archives in Kansas City where I viewed the original alien case file documents for my great-great aunt, Teresa Sterrantino nèe Sulfaro. When it comes to genealogical research only meeting the relative in person comes as close to the...

How to Uncover Online Sicilian Catholic Church Death Records

It's been 6 years since I started resurfacing the lives of my ancestors, and I still  struggle most with my paternal side. My paternal grandfather was born in a small Sicilian town called Chiaramonte Gulfi. You can read a little bit more about the town in my previous...

Italian Privacy Laws: Restriction of Records Hindering Research

My journey with genealogical research has always come in short bursts. The research is enjoyable but more time consuming than Facebook. I started my research when I was a student, and not a busy full-time marketer working 40 hours a week. So these days if I'm going to...

Why Evidence and Analysis are Essential to Genealogy Research

After years of genealogical research you will quickly realize that discovery is entirely based on evidence and analysis. Assumptions are the devil of research. If you think you've got it all then you are willingly admitting to ignorance. I learn this lesson over and...

Motivation Monday: Tips on building your family tree without using ancestry websites

In the beginning the tree is incredibly easy to climb, and the information almost seems to fall from the sky into your hands. But as you climb further, the distance between the branches grows, the leaves begin to thicken, and suddenly it's difficult to assess the best...