Tag Archives: Italian Interest Group

Italian Interest Group Update on FamilySearch and Italian Records

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) SEPTEMBER 2026 MEETING
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DATE:September 19, 2026
TIME:1:30 PM (PT)
TOPIC:Update on FamilySearch and Italian Records
PRESENTER: Joel Cole
Description:   In this presentation “Update on FamilySearch and Italian Records,” the following topics will be discussed: An overview of the principal repositories of Italian genealogical and historical records throughout Italy.The latest updates and developments on the FamilySearch website.Recent developments in FamilySearch’s collaboration with the Direzione Generale Archivi (DGA) and other Italian institutions.Future expectations regarding Italian records, including upcoming acquisition initiatives and the availability of new indexes and searchable collections.
Presenter: Joel Cole was born and raised in Padova, Italy. He has been involved with Italian Family History for over 30 years. He accompanied his father Trafford for his first genealogical research in Maniago, Italy, when he was 15 and since then he has been fascinated by family history. He has worked as a researcher for over 25 years, visiting almost every State Archive in Italy and almost 1,000 parish archives. He is familiar with paleography having taken several classes in Italy, and with Latin documents, having studied it for over 10 years. Joel has presented in many international genealogical conferences about Italian Family History and has worked for years for private companies performing research in all of Italy, consulting Civil records, Parish and Diocesan Catholic records, Notary records and many more sources. In 2015 he moved to Utah covering several roles for FamilySearch. He is currently the content strategist for Southern Europe, including Italy. Joel’s research specialties are: Italy, Southern Switzerland and Istria-Croatia. Expert at deciphering ancient Italian and Latin documents.
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Italian Interest Group (IIG) of theEastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society No July & August Meetings

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) NO JULY & AUGUST MEETINGS
Trascorri un’estate speciale con i tuoi cari in Italia.
Spend a special summer with your loved ones in Italy.
Save the Date
DATE:
TIME:
 September 19, 2026
1:30 PM (PT)
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Italian Interest Group (IIG) of theEastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Italian Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society Italian Women of the Resistance

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) June 2026 Meeting
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Presenter: June 20, 2026 (Saturday)
1:30 PM (PT)Uncovering the Stories of the Italian Women of the Resistance 
Suzanne Cope

Description: In her talk, Suzanne will discuss the genesis and research journey of her narrative nonfiction book WOMEN OF WAR: The Assassins, Couriers, and Spies Who Fought the Nazis. She’ll tell how she first uncovered the stories of these intrepid women through what they left behind and give insight into her archival and on-the-ground research that led her to tracing the footsteps of these partigiane. Suzanne will also speak how her own Italian American heritage connected with these stories – particularly as this research intersected with her own pursuit of dual citizenship, shedding light on personal genealogical research. To order Women of War see Amazon: Order link & Elliott Bay Book Company Order Link
Suzanne Russo Adams Presenter: Suzanne Cope is a scholar and narrative journalist, and is the author of Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis and Power Hungry: Women of the Black Panther Party and Freedom Summer and Their Fight to Feed a Movement. Her work on themes of political and social change, feminism, food, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, Food & Wine, BBC, Washington Post, Aeon, and others. She is a professor at New York University.
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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 May 2026

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) May 2026 Meeting
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May 16, 2026 (Saturday)
1:30 PM (PT)
Staying Behind in Italy during the Age of Mass Migration – Everyday Life for Our
Ancestors in Italy 
Victoria Calabrese
Suzanne Russo Adams Description: This presentation will discuss daily life in Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the period of mass emigration. The presentation will include information about home life, economics, society, gender roles, the emigration process, and what life was like for those who remained behind. This presentation gives a fuller perspective of the migration process, including not just those who migrated, but including those who never migrated, showing how their lives were affected just as much as those migrating.
Suzanne Russo Adams Presenter: Victoria Calabrese
Victoria Calabrese received her Ph.D. in modern European history from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her research focuses on modern Italian history, gender, migration, and nation building. Her book, Italian Women in Basilicata: Staying Behind but Moving Forward during the Age of Mass Emigration, 1876–1914, was published by Lexington Books in 2022. The book examines women in the southern Italian region of Basilicata and the many ways their lives changed when their husbands emigrated. In addition to the women who remained behind, she has written articles on honor and infanticide, and on traveling child musicians. Victoria is an avid genealogist, focusing on southern Italian genealogy research. She is currently an adjunct professor at Lehman College, teaching courses in early modern and modern European history.
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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 Exploring Italian Catholic Parish Registers

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) April 2026 Meeting
test
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
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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.
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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

If you aren’t a
registered member,
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meeting registration.
Date:
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Topic:


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:
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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 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)
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Italian Interest Group (IIG) of theEastside Genealogical Society P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374

Eastside Genealogical Society Italian Interest Group Italian Migration Laws

by Charles Hansen
Italian Interest Group (IIG) November 2025 Meeting
Italian Soldiers If you aren’t a registered member, Click Here for meeting registration.
DATE:
TIME:
TOPIC:

PRESENTER: November 15, 2025
1:30 PM (PST)
How Italian Migration Laws Affected Our Ancestors
Victoria Calabrese, PhD
Description: How easy was it to emigrate from Italy? What was the process like after one made the decision to leave? This presentation will discuss Italian emigration laws regarding migration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and how these laws influenced our ancestors’ lives. The talk will cover topics such as who could and could not emigrate (and why), what was needed to get a passport, how to buy tickets, and travelling to the port of departure.
Kerri Tannenbaum Speaker Bio: Victoria Calabrese received her Ph.D. in modern European history from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her research focuses on modern Italian history, gender, migration, and nation building. Her book, Italian Women in Basilicata: Staying Behind but Moving Forward during the Age of Mass Emigration, 1876–1914, was published by Lexington Books in 2022. The book examines women in the southern Italian region of Basilicata and the many ways their lives changed when their husbands emigrated. In addition to the women who remained behind, she has written articles on honor and infanticide, and on traveling child musicians. Victoria is an avid genealogist, focusing on southern Italian genealogy research. She is currently an adjunct professor at Lehman College, teaching courses in early modern and modern European history
COUNTDOWN TO THE MEETING:
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Eastside Genealogical Society
– Italian Interest Group P.O. Box 374
Bellevue, WA 98009-0374