Tag Archives: Eastside Genealogical Society

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society Exploring Italian Catholic Parish Registers

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) April 2026 Meeting
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This April presentation is a different presentation than the February presentation Click to request
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Presenter: April 18, 2026 (Saturday)
1:30 PM (PT)Exploring Italian Catholic Parish Registers 
Suzanne Russo Adams
Description: Exploring Italian Catholic Parish Registers introduces researchers to the rich genealogical and historical information found in parish records across Italy. This session will cover how to identify the correct parish and diocese for your ancestors, and how to locate and interpret key sacramental records—baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials. Participants will gain practical strategies for navigating these records and understanding the valuable details they contain for family history research.
Suzanne Russo Adams Presenter: Suzanne Russo Adams
Suzanne Russo Adams, MA, AG®, is an Associate Professor of family history and the Director of the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University. An Accredited Genealogist® specializing in Italian research, she holds degrees inFamily History/Genealogy and Sociology, as well as a master’s degree in History. With over 25 years of experience in the genealogy field, Suzanne has worked extensively in record acquisition, strategy, and content digitization for Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. She is the author of “Finding Your Italian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide.”
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Italian Interest Group (IIG) of the Eastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society US Catholic Church Records

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) March 2026 Meeting
Click here to request the Zoom Meeting Invitation
Date: March 21, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 1:30 PM (PT)Find Your Family in U.S. Catholic Church Records
Presenter: Sunny Jane Morton
Description: Roman Catholic sacramental records often contain vital
events, relationships, and overseas hometowns. They’re also confidential, so they can be tricky to access. Learn about Catholicism in the U.S., what’s in sacramental records and what they look like, how to identify an ancestral parish, and tips for accessing Catholic records.
Suzanne Russo Adams Presenter: Sunny Jane Morton
Sunny Jane Morton is a genealogy educator, editor and writer. She has expertise in U.S. records and history, and is co-author of How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records, which received a book award from the National Genealogical Society, and Searching for Sisters: A Guide to Researching Catholic Nuns in the United States. She is Editor of NGS Magazine; Contributing Editor at Family Tree Magazine; an instructor at GRIP Genealogy Institute and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; and past Editor of Ohio Genealogy News.
COUNTDOWN TO THE MEETING:
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Italian Interest Group (IIG) of the Eastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society Italian POWs in the US

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) January 2026 Meeting

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Presenter: January 17, 2026
1:30 PM (PT)
Italian POWs in the US during WWII
     and
The Ferramonti Concentration Camp in Italy
Kathy Kirkpatrick
Presentation #1: Italian POWs in the US during WWII Description: During World War II there were 1,210 POW camps, hospitals and cemeteries for German, Italian and Japanese soldiers in the United States. Among those POWs were 51,000 Italian soldiers. The camps not only gave the Italian prisoners a glimpse of American life, but enabled interaction with Americans leading to friendships and even marriage. About two-thirds of Italian prisoners chose to become Allies and served in Italian Service Units here and as part of the Allied push to liberate Italy. This presentation discusses camp life and rules, work by the POWs, and postwar activities. A variety of records and repositories in the US and Italy are described in detail with links.
Presentation #2: The Ferramonti Concentration Camp in Italy Description: This presentation takes us to Italy to learn about the Ferramonti Camp and the local Italian community. Out of the 3,823 prisoners, only fifty died. One hundred forty-one of these prisoners were Italian, the rest having fled from Europe before capture in Italy, Bengasi (Libya) and Rhodes (Greece). Most of the prisoners were Jewish and were able to observe that religion in the Camp. There were also non-Jewish people from China, France, Greece, and Yugoslavia. The cooperation between the camp staff, prisoners, and the community enabled this situation in a dark time. Sources and repositories described.
Presenter: Kathy Kirkpatrick Kathy Kirkpatrick earned her B.A. in History from Humboldt State University at Arcata, California.
She is currently President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Utah. Kathy has written family histories, genealogical and Italian research instruction, and eight volumes on American Prisoner of War Camps since 1986. Kathy speaks locally and internationally on a variety of topics since 1993, including at RootsTech, National Genealogical Society, the Foundation of Eastern European Family History Studies (FEEFHS), and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS). Kathy’s research takes her on-site to Italy (including the Vatican Secret Archives since 2015), Sicily, Greece, the United Kingdom, and France as well as close to home in the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Her extensive websites are at www.gentracer.com for genealogy
and www.gentracer.org for military research and cemeteries.
COUNTDOWN TO THE MEETING:
Days Hours Minutes Seconds
Italian Interest Group (IIG) of the Eastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society No December Meeting

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) NO DECEMBER MEETING
Tanti auguri di buone feste!
(Best wishes for happy holidays!)
Save the Date
DATE:
TIME:
 January 17, 2026
1:30 PM (PT)
COUNTDOWN TO THE MEETING:
Days Hours Minutes Seconds
Italian Interest Group (IIG) of theEastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374