Sign up for Genealogy Pointers »

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 Internet 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.

See also the following books:
Our Italian Surnames
Italian-American Family History


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

"...for Americans who are beginning to research their Italian roots, this guide continues to be an excellent starting point."--THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol. 127, No. 4 (October 1996), p. 249.

"If the researchers are Italian-American, they cannot do better than this book."--AMERICAN REFERENCE BOOKS ANNUAL (1995), p. 203.

"Italian Americans have anxiously awaited a readable, easy-to-follow guidebook to researching their ethnic heritage. Colletta has responded to their need with the best aid ever published on the subject."--NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Vol. 82, No. 4 (December 1994), pp. 299-300.

"Finding Italian Roots is a welcomed addition to the growing number of ethnic research guides. Anyone researching Italian ancestry--Northern, Southern, Catholic, Jewish, or Protestant Waldenses--will find expert guidance in this concise, descriptive book."--FEDERATION OF GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES FORUM, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1994), p. 33.

"...genealogists with Italian ancestry should find this a very helpful guide, and its purchase is recommended."--THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol. 125, No. 2 (April 1994).

"A concise manual...Recommended for institutions serving genealogists."--CHOICE (January 1994).