Month

Column  (Italic = missing from ICC library)

Summary

Aug-93

A Pilgrim’s Passionate Progress

Pitfalls and experiences on Tony Lascio’s first trip to Italy

Sep-93

Why We Search For Our Roots

We learn our personal history, see if we’re related to famous people, see how far we’ve come

Oct-93

Persistance is the Key To Success

Keep digging and be satisfied with what you find

Nov-93

---------- No column ---------

Dec-93

Genealogy Begins At Home

Start with yourself and work backward

Jan-94

Using Local Genealogy Sources

National Archives, Cook County Archive, Family History Centers and cemeteries

Feb-94

Digging Up Sources Nationally

Salt Lake City and POINT

Mar-94

Put Your Best Foot Forward

Ask your relatives in Italy for help

Apr-94

 ----- issue missing from both archives -----

May-94

Your First Trip to the Homeland

Tips on what to expect on your first trip to Italy

Jun-94

Things Don’t Always Go Your Way

A recount of Tony’s 1991 trip to Italy

Jul-94

A Valuable Source of Information

Review of Dr. John Colletta’s “Finding Italian Roots”

Aug-94

Engaging Professional Assistance

Weign the cost and benefits of hiring a pro

Sep-94

Question and Answer Session

Answers to lots of questions

Oct-94

What’s In A Name

Surname origins – Location, physical trait, occupation and patronymics

Nov-94

Separating Fact From Fiction

Get records that are closest to the date of the event

Dec-94

Creating A Pedigree Chart

Record what you know on a pedigree chart

Jan-95

Listening To Your Ancestors

Ask youself WHY when you read records

Feb-95

Why We Came, Why We Stayed

Much better life than in Italy – less backbreaking labor

Mar-95

Obtaining Vital Documents

Tips for getting info from Illinois offices

Apr-95

Behold the Ancestral Village

Each town has its own traditions

May-95

Knowing Customs Aids Search

How do customs affect your town’s history?

Jun-95

Keepers of the World’s Records

LDS Church films all over the world

Jul-95

POINTing Toward Success

Advantages of joining POINT

Aug-95

The Ups and Downs of Heraldry

Watch out for quacks who sell coats of arms

Sep-95

Passage to America

Passenger arrival records are useful

Oct-95

Why We Do What We Do

One you’re hooked, you’re hooked!

Nov-95

Writing Your Family History

Gather info from relatives and documents and write

Dec-95

Accessing Italy’s Records

A review of Trafford Cole’s book on Italian records

Jan-96

Hidden Local Sources

Lots of places to find Chicago info

Feb-96

Climb Every Mountain

Simple message: Don’t give up!

Mar-96

Genealogy in 1000 Words

How to get started

Apr-96

Domenico Was His Name

A written history of Tony Lascio’s ancestor

May-96

Italy, My Italy

Enjoy your trip to Italy even if you are there to research

Jun-96

Prepare, Prepare

We do genealogy because our old family traditions are slowly going away.

Jul-96

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Q & A on Italian maps and how to find Italian towns

Aug-96

Ancestral Home Revisited

Tony recounts his first trip BACK to Italy

Sep-96

Who Are We Anyway

The history of Italy before it was Italy

Oct-96

Ethnology and the Genealogist

The study of your heritage and traditions is as important as the records and documents.

Nov-96

The Benefits of Being Italian

Italian genealogy is easy because of more recent immigration and relative immobility in Italy.

Dec-96

Following Grandpa’s Footsteps

Men followed a different path and left different records than their wives.

Jan-97

….Estratto

Italians send extracts of records – so ask for the names of parents when you write to Italy

Feb-97

Italy's Church Records

Overview of types of records kept at churches in Italy

Mar-97

Responses to Reader Requests

Q & A regarding Salt Lake City

Apr-97

The Path to Discovery

Tony described a lot of interesting finds in his research

May-97

Maria Rosa was her Name

Bio of Tony Lascio’s grandmother

Jun-97

Obscure Italian Resources

Military records, Tax records and census in Italy

Jul-97

Your Roots: Write About It

Review of Sharon Carmack’s book “Italian American Family History”

Aug-97

Wishing Upon A Star

You aren’t noble just because your name has noble origins

Sep-97

Why We Are Different

Many Italians did not intend to stay in America

Oct-97

Why Become a PIP?

History of POINT and PIP organizations

Nov-97

The Family Treasure Chest

Tips to get your relatives to dig out those olf items that can help your research

Dec-97

Indiana's Hidden Resource

Allen County Library in Fort Wayne has non-New York passenger lists

Jan-98

Facts You Should Know

Lots of historical facts about Italy and Chicago

Feb-98

New Book Review

Review of Lynn Nelson’s book

Mar-98

Them Dry Bones

Burial customs in Italy

Apr-98

Answer To Reader Inquiries

Where to find professional genealogists and obscure records

May-98

Five Steps To Success

Use civil and church records and get help from other Italian genealogists

Jun-98

Your Discovery Zone

Find the history of your ancestral town.

Jul-98

…..Legacy

Leave your research as a legacy to your descendants

Aug-98

Unearthing the Last Root

Look at provincial archives for additional records

Sep-98

Before It's Too Late

Talk to your elderly relatives while they can still remember the old stories.

Oct-98

When in Italy, Be Patient

Italian officials are methodical and slow, and do not understand why we do genealogy.

Nov-98

A Primer For Beginners

Interview your relatives, find American documents etc

Dec-98

Pity the Poor Professional

Be patient when paying a pro to research for you

Jan-99

Life in 19th Century Italy

Traditions have practical origins

Feb-99

Answers To Your Questions

Be cautious when dealing with your computer data

Mar-99

The Limits of Genetic Genealogy

You can find some genetic health info but not much in Italian records.

Apr-99

Where to Find It Locally

Local libraries and family history centers

May-99

A Visit to Ellis Island

History of Ellis Island and US Ports of entry

Jun-99

Genealogy: 'Til Death Do Us Part

Genealogy takes time – possible your whole life!

Jul-99

Italian Genealogy Update

The LDS church is filming all over Italy

Aug-99

Digging Deep For Your Roots

Find lots of records in America because they tell more of a story

Sep-99

What Can You Trust?

Some records are less accurate than others

Oct-99

When Italy Came to Chicago

12 Little Italy neighborhoods near 12 Italian parishes

Nov-99

Reading Italian Handwriting

Compare unreadable words with known words to decipher the handwriting style.

Dec-99

A Never-Ending Story

When finished, distribute your work so it survives

Jan-00

Your Questions Answered

Never rat out your parish priest in Italy – be patient

Feb-00

Non-Catholic Italians

Not every Italian is/was Catholic

Mar-00

In Search of Our Surnames

Review of book “Our Italian Surnames” by Joseph Fucilla

Apr-00

One Nation With Many Parts

Italy was influenced by it’s many conquerors.

May-00

That Infamous Informant

American death records are only as accurate as the informant.

Jun-00

Anatomy of a Chart

How to create a pedigree chart

Jul-00

To Go or not to Go; That is The Question

What went through the minds of our ancestors when they decided to come to America

Aug-00

How Deep Will You Dig?

Should I look only for ancestors, or descendants also?

Sep-00

Ancestral Marriage Records

Banns and marriage records contain same info

Oct-00

Going To The Source

More tips for preparing for going to Italy to research

Nov-00

Searching For A Home

Your family may have stopped in a town for a generation or two before coming to America

Dec-00

The Luck of the Draw

You may or may not be granted access to church records in Italy – through no fault of your own.

Jan-01

Answers to your Questions

Many topics covered

Feb-01

An Immigrant Church

Santa Maria Addolorata Church history

Mar-01

Italian Military Records

Find military records at the Achivio di Stato

Apr-01

Ways of Staying Focused

Set reasonable goals for your research

May-01

Passport to America

Many Italians did not get passports when they came here

Jun-01

Overcoming Pitfalls in Italy

Don’t be pushy or impatient with Italian officials.

Jul-01

Ellis Island Online

www.ellisisland.org has NY 1892-1924 passenger lists

Aug-01

Did Grandpa Swim To America?

Difficulties finding passenger lists (before on-line!)

Sep-01

Italy's Notary Records

Sometimes notary records at the Italian state archives date back to the 1400s or earlier.

Oct-01

Our First Italian Parish

Assumption BVM is the first Italian parish in Chicago

Nov-01

Are You A Genealogist?

A quiz to see if you’ve read the previous columns.

Dec-01

Records of the Archdiocese

The Archdiocesan archives has records of closed Italian parishes

Jan-02

Filming Italy’s Records

How the Mormons get permission to film records

Feb-02

I’ve Got Mail

More Q & A

Mar-02

Tracing Italian Nobility

History of nobility in Italy – most of us AREN’T noble

Apr-02

Down Memory Lane

Family memories growing up in the 40s

May-02

Genealogy In Reverse

Finding descendants instead of ancestors – be prepared for reluctance and all forms of relationships.

Jun-02

Resolving Document Conflicts

American death certificates are frequently inaccurate

Jul-02

Surprises From the Past

Expect the unexpected

Aug-02

Skeleton in the Closet

Illegitimate births are a fact of life.

Sep-02

The Census Through the Decades

Different questions were asked on each US Census

Oct-02

Nonna’s Treasure Chest

Don’t just throw away the old artifacts.

Nov-02

Finding Another Way

Take a break.  Then try another approach

Dec-02

What’s New in 2002?

Release of 1930 census and other events

Jan-03

Answers To Your Questions

Q & A about 1940 census, surname changes and Italian cemeteries

Feb-03

Italian Death Records

Death records are the hardest to search but have value

Mar-03

Genealogy Refresher Course

How to get started – for the new beginner

Apr-03

Italy Birth Records

Civil births have been filmed, church baptisms haven’t

May-03

Test Your Skills Again

Another pop-quiz to see if you paid attenzione

Jun-03

 ---- not in either archive ----

Jul-03

You’ve Only Just Begun

When you think you’ve finished, you have other avenues

Aug-03

Locating Italy’s Records

There are state and provincial archives with records.

Sep-03

Connecting With Grandfather

You need to find your living cousins in Italy

Oct-03

 ---- not in either archive -----

Nov-03

Jump Start to Genealogy

Another primer on getting started

Dec-03

Answering Your Questions

A vareity of subjects are discussed

Jan-04

Recalling Hirsch Street (repeat April 2002)

Family memories growing up in the 40s

Feb-04

Tracing Italian Nobility (repeat March 2002)

History of nobility in Italy – most of us AREN’T noble

Mar-04

Tony Lascio Obituary - No Column

Apr-04

------ no column -----

May-04

Farewell to a True Hero

Dan Niemiec’s first column – a tribute to Cav. Anthony Lascio

Jun-04

How To Get Started

Start by creating a pedigree chart of who and what you know

Jul-04

Pinpointing Your Comune

Eight ways to find your Italian town of origin

Aug-04

The Gift of the Mormons

How to order Italian records from Family History Centers

Sep-04

There is Strength in Numbers

POINT and POINTers in Person can guide you to the next step.

Oct-04

When the Family Gets Together

Bring charts and pictures to your family holiday gatherings.

Nov-04

Keeping Records in Order

Ways to organize both papers and computer documents

Dec-04

Italy's Civil Records

An overview of Italian Civil Records – getting started

Jan-05

Searching Civil Records

We follow a family in the civil records from the index to the record to the parents’ marriage.

Feb-05

Research You Can Do Indoors

Web sites you can use to find death information

Mar-05

Why They Left Italy For Chicago

Socialogical and historical reasons why our ancestors left Italy for Chicago

Apr-05

Technology and the Genealogist

Laptops, digital camera and scanners

May-05

Coping With Misspelled Surnames

Reasons for misspelled information and techniques to find them

Jun-05

Dateline: Salt Lake City Utah

Preparing for a genealogy trip to Salt Lake City, Utah

Jul-05

Treasure Trove of Information

How to get the most from Allegati records

Aug-05

Discover Your Roots!

A preview of the Discover Your Italian Roots conference

Sep-05

Tales From the Crypt

How to find your long-long relatives at the cemetery

Oct-05

The Power of Old Photos

Find old photos, copy them for yourself and others, and take new photos for the next generation.

Nov-05

Conference Wrap-up

A review of the Discover Your Italian Roots conference

Dec-05

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Places you can get help, such as POINTers meetings and on-line bulletin boards

Jan-06

News You Can Use

Notes about cemetery kiosks, new data on Ancestry.com, and POINTers meetings

Feb-06

Passenger Lists

Methods for finding your ancestors on the internet and on film.

Mar-06

Q & A From Joe Gentile Part 1

Surprises I found during my research

Apr-06

Q & A From Joe Gentile Part 2

Making charts – Finding data on-line

May-06

Pittsburgh Here We Come

Preview of Pittsburgh “Roots in the Boot” conference

Jun-06

The Brick Wall

If your town has not been microfilmed, then you need to write to Italy for information.

Jul-06

Wilmette Family History Center

Chicago Vital records on loan at Wilmette – save time and $

Aug-06

Upcoming Conferences

Previews of POINT conference as well as lots of local conferences

Sep-06

Old Photos Are Never Boring

Lots of info can be found in old photos if you look carefully enough

Oct-06

Dateline: Pittsburgh

Wrap-up of “Roots in the Boot” conference in Pittsburgh

Nov-06

Dec-06

Jan-07

New Year’s Resolution

Decide this year if you want to work on ancestors or living cousins

Feb-07

It Doesn’t Hurt To Ask

Don’t be shy – interact with people you meet and you’ll be surprised what you find out!

Mar-07

Genealogy Web Sites for Italians

Sites with useful data for anyone looking for Italian relatives

Apr-07

Genealogy Web Sites For Chicago

Sites with useful data for anyone in Chicago or Illinois

May-07

Where’s My Family?

Pitfalls of Chicago street addresses – names and numbers may have changed!

Jun-07

Jul-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07