Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #764481 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 206 pages

Customer Reviews

Publisher's Note for the 2005 edition by Genealogical Publishing:
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.

Where and why to do geneology
This book is full of good information, indeed some of the idiocyncrqacies of the field of our precious heritage. It is realistic, honest and encourgaing to any level of researcher. There are stories we all can relate to . Another good reference for Italo-Americans.

Very good advice and practical help for all genealogists
Dr. Colletta was very practical in his advice to genealogists - exhaust the resources here in the United States before beginning research in Italy. Once you get to Italy, there are numerous resources of which the book only gives a taste.

He was also truthful when he said that Italians could care less about genealogy (they have the honor and privilege of living amongst thousands of years of history everyday) but they are very accomodating once you get to Italy (can't wait to experience that feeling!).

I found the map of Italy - pre and post unification - helpful as well as the history of Italian Jews and the fact that they're the oldest type of Jew in the world. There still exists a somewhat healthy amount of Jews in Rome, which I found fascinating.

With every book that I read about genealogy, I realize that no matter how many years of research I've done, there's still a lot to be learned and resources to be used that I still don't know about yet.

I just wish the book would be updated.