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April 18, 2002
See Rhonda's Previous
Columns
Going Back to Italy
Q:
I know my grandmother came over from Italy to Ellis Island. I know she changed
her name to Irene. But, I am unable to find when she arrived exactly. My father
is deceased and my aunt and uncles are in their eighties and do not seem to
remember any information. I have tried the Ellis Island web sight and searched
under Russo (her maiden name) and Paolino (married name). I was able to find
out that her sister, Liva, and niece, Maria Giuseppa Paolino, brother-in-law,
Andrea Paolino, and her mother, Maria Lucia DiPalma, all came over December
23, 1919 on the Patria. (My grandfather's brother, Andrea, married my grandmother's
sister, Liva. He made several crossing that I found). I do know that my grandfather
preceded her to America. He arrived on the America Sept. 27, 1913 at 18 years
old. I know that: she was born December 5, 1894 in Atella (Potenza) Italy. Her
parents were Joseph Russo and Maria Lucia DiPalma. I have tried the National
Archive's ship passenger arrival records but they have no record of her. I'm
just looking for some help with direction. For example: If I use the letter
from Genealogy.com in Italian and want to request her birth records, who do
I send the request to? -- N
A:
It is always possible that your grandmother did not come through Ellis Island
when she arrived in the United States. Many of us us forget that there were
other ports into which immigrants were streaming while Ellis Island was in operation.
It is possible that your grandmother came through Baltimore or Philadelphia.
If you haven't checked these ports, you should.
When using Genealogy.com's form letter to request
genealogical information from an institution, you will need to supply some information.
Some of that information comes from what you shared here, basically the name
of the individual, and the date and place of the event. There are some other
pieces of information, namely the record type and the relationship, that you
should provide in Italian that are not supplied in the form letter.
Generally, you can state the relationship as "my ancestor." In Italian,
this would be either mio antenato for a male ancestor or mia antenati
for a female ancestor. The major record types you would be requesting are a
birth record (l'atto di nascita), marriage record (l'atto DI matrimonia) or
a death record (l'atto DI morte).
When writing to the commune of Atella, you would need to address the envelope with the following address:
Egregio Sindaco
Commune DI Atella
85020 Atella Potenza
ITALY
While I supplied you with the zip code here, you may find the site I
Codici DI Avviamento Postale Italiani (Italian Zip Codes) helpful for
looking up other zip codes as your research takes you further into Italian records.
To use this site, you must first select the correct region, which in the case
of Atella is Basilicata. Then, select the link under the province and you will
find a list of the communes with the appropriate zip code.
Australian Research
Q:
My family has been in Australia since the mid 1800’s. I have found many sites
and a lot of information on U.S. web sites but nothing on Australian web sites
about Australian people. Do you know of any web sites that may be of a help
for me? -- Toni
A:
While it is true that there seems to be more information available to those
researching their roots in the United States, there are in fact a number of
sites devoted to Australian research. If you haven't done so already, you will
want to visit Cyndi's List -
Australia and New Zealand. This section of Cyndi's List includes links to
general genealogy sites devoted to Australia and New Zealand, and then also
includes sections on Libraries, Archives, Military Records, and different record
types. If you haven't visited this site, you will want to check it out.
Another avenue to turn in searching for information on Australian research
would be the WorldGenWeb Project.
Divided into regions, one of which covers Australia, this volunteer effort has
been making information available for researchers all over the world. You will
find the Australian section at AustraliaGenWeb.
If you have been looking for records on Australian ancestry here at Genealogy.com,
this could explain why you feel there isn't much available. While you'll find
a lot of useful information about researching in
Australia, little has been published online through any of the American commercial
services when it comes to Australian records. Most of what you will find will
be available through volunteer avenues or through groups specific to Australia.
Prison Becoming a Professional Genealogist
Q: I am interested in a possible career in genealogy. Would you have any
advice on how to get started? I would love to take some courses and have a
degree, etc., but I don't know where to begin. Any suggestions would be
appreciated. -- Alison
A:
While anyone can "hang out their shingle" and call themselves a professional
genealogist, those who succeed in the profession are those who take a pride
in their work and in their own education. They do this by attending conferences
and by taking various online, independent study, and other course offerings.
To begin, you'll want to look into joining the Association
of Professional Genealogists. They have an impressive roster of professionals
and their publication is always full of useful information on all aspects of
running a genealogical business, not just on things to consider when doing the
research for clients.
Ideally before becoming a professional, you should have a good number of years
of experience doing your own genealogy. Personal experience combined with professional
education (for example, classes and learning institutes) will make you a better
researcher and a greater asset to your clients.
Finally, it is a good idea to undertake the certification process made available
through the Board for Certification
of Genealogists. By reading their roster, you may find that you are familiar
with others who have completed, and passed, the certification process.
Rhonda R. McClure is a professional genealogist specializing in celebrity trees
and computerized genealogy. She has been involved in online genealogy for fifteen
years. She is the author of the award-winning The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition.
She is the author of four how-to guides on Family
Tree Maker. In late 2001, she wrote The
Genealogist's Computer Companion. She is a contributing editor to Biography
Magazine with her "Celebrity Roots" column and a contributing writer
to The History Channel Magazine. Her latest book is Finding
Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors. She may be contacted at rhondagen@thegenealogist.com.
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