Online Sources & Tips

I actually started this post a week or so ago but unfortunately ended up with a nasty infection that had me laid up for the last week so I apologize for that. Today’s post is one of the most interesting since it deals with the use of online sources. Personally I love this since I never have to leave my computer for this – or even get out of my PJ’s!

Through the years there have been several ways to research online but most involved message boards, forums and email lists. Many sites were free to use although some came with a steep price tag. It was tedious work and results were often slow as it could be weeks, years or even never before you received a reply to a question.. Then came Ancestry who charged us ridiculous (and inconsistent) prices to access it’s site (I spent $800.00 the first two years alone).  In hindsight, I don’t regret using it – although I wouldn’t have kept it as long as I did if it wasn’t for my clients and websites –  but there were other, less expensive options I could have used for some of the resources instead.  Luckily for the genealogy community FamilySearch offers many of the same resources for free.   Below I will list a few resources that although are basic, I can’t live without to help me with me research.  These are the resources I find myself using time and time again regardless of what I’m researching and most are really more of a jumping off point to researching online  more than anything else.

5 Resources I Use When Researching

Resource 1:  Make the most out of search engines.   Google, Bing or if you want to make a bit of money when searching you could try something like Swagbucks search engine.  I often use this to search as I receive points which I later cash in for money or gift certificates.  Registration is free and if you don’t have an account you should consider it.  After all, you’re searching anyway right?  Make sure to use the map, images, and  translation features available to you to help you create timelines and chart distances.

Resource 2:  Many people have heard of Cyndis List.  Lets face it – the site is truly a great resource of genealogical links and Cyndi herself is an amazing woman.  She has links to about 334,000 different resources – but they are not all specific to Italian records.  However, I would still use the site for links to newspapers, funeral homes, libraries, etc.

Resource 3: Read obituaries, check out local funeral homes and libraries in the area where your ancestor lived using one or both of the above mentioned methods fo locate.  If the town has it’s own website then visit and read up on the history.  Early on in my research I contacted the local library in Trinidad, Colorado for help on locating my great grandfather, John Polito.  The librarian there, Alice was so wonderful about sending me documents and she even located his grave and sent me pictures!

Resource 4:  Websites come and websites go so it’s important to keep a list of some of your favourite sites in case they suddenly “disappear”.  Should this happen you could try using the Wayback Machine to locate the site and hopefully retrieve some of the info you had previously looked at.   (It’s also fun to check out current sites and see how much they have changed over the years.)  I visited two sites early in my research that I didn’t think too much about but many years later I found I needed the information there to connect me to a branch of my tree.  Fortunately  the Wayback Machine had indexed the pages I needed!

Resource 5:  Check out Italian Websites, Forums, Blogs (check out Geneabloggers – the ultimate online genealogy blog community created by Thomas MacEntee) and lastly of course, is Facebook (where as for February there were over 6000 links to groups/resources!)  The fairly recent Italian Archive site has also really been stepping up lately and adding records rapidly.  I was able to complete a whole branch on one of my lines  5 generations in an afternoon!  Keep in mind the images are NOT indexed so you will really have to work to find what you need  – but it can be done!!

That’s it folks. I told you it was simple but it is a very effective way to start researching.  I’ll be updating the links section here to include several newer sites that have come online in the near future so please check in periodically.  Meanwhile thanks for stopping by and if you like this post then please help us out but sharing it!

Next: Step 5:  Microfilm vs Snail Mail

**Full disclosure: Article may contain affiliate links for which I may receive a small compensation for if purchases are made to help keep this site running.

Renting microfilms from the Family History Center may be a thing of the past  as more and more Italian records are digitalized and available for viewing on line thanks to the efforts of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

Recently the LDS has not only digitalized these records but made them available for  viewing directly from their computers at any FHC.  If you are a member of the Church then you may login from any home computer using your LDS Ordinance ID.

How to tell which Records have been Digitalized

To see which records are available on line do the following:

• Login to the Family Search Website.   If you don’t have an account you can create a free one.
• Go to the tab labelled Catalog. In the search bar enter the name of the town you are looking for and hit enter.
• A results page will appear. Choose the link you are interested in and again hit enter. Another link will appear with more details. Click on the blue link and hit enter .
• Another page appears with even more info about the records and film type.  
• Scroll down the page to see which records are available.  If a camera icon appears next to the record you need it means that it has been digitalized and can be viewed directly at the FHC.  

Just a final note – I would suggest that if you are interested in heading over to your local FHC you call ahead to make an appointment and view their hours of operation.

Enjoy and Happy Hunting!