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BCG Methodology and Skills Board for Certification of Genealogists Places and Ethnicities Italy

Andiamo! Finding Your Italian Family

Margaret R. Fortier, CG
Jul 19, 2023
825 views
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Syllabus
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Content

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Welcome
43s
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About BCG
4m 46s
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Speaker's Introduction
1m 02s
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Introduction
2m 59s
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History
19m 31s
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Emigration
5m 51s
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Names
7m 08s
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Search US Records First
13m 04s
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FAN Club
2m 51s
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Italian Records and Jurisdictions
11m 31s
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Announcements
2m 44s
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Questions/answers
10m 17s

About this webinar

Why did your Italian ancestor have five cousins all named Joe? Why did married women travel under their maiden names? Was Sally really Serafina? This presentation explores the factors that pushed and pulled Italians to emigrate, what they found when they arrived, Italian naming patterns and name changes, and how to start your search. Knowing what their life was like in Italy helps us to understand their choices and behavior when they emigrated: why they were slow to naturalize, why the family was the most important institution, and why food was a source of celebration.

About the speaker

About the speaker

Margaret R. Fortier, CG
Named for her grandmothers and inspired by her mother’s phenomenal memory, Margaret R. Fortier, CG, is a genealogical researcher, lecturer, and writer. Her research focuses on French-Canadian, Italian, and Portuguese immigrants. She is co-editor o
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  1. RA
    Robin A Swattes
    1 year ago

    Loved this! My ancestors were from Sicily. But, just to ruin the law of averages, my great-grand uncle Vincenzo went by Charlie (not James)! Thanks again! Robin

    Reply
  2. PD
    PAUL DALLURA
    1 year ago

    Margaret,
    Great webinar, lots of fantastic info.
    I am from the Phila. Area and had the chance to visit people in many of the Italian communities in and outside of the city.
    Wonderful memories.
    Paul D’Allura

    Reply
  3. SN
    Susan Norwood
    1 year ago

    There is so much good information in this webinar. I can’t wait to watch it again!

    Reply
  4. AW
    Allison Willis
    1 year ago

    I learned alot as usual!!!m Great presentation!!!

    Reply
  5. JK
    Jim Koczan
    1 year ago

    The webinar was very informative, well scripted, and with relevant commentary provided by Margaret. I really enjoyed the program along with learning several new clues for conducting my research. The closing Q&A was also helpful.

    Reply
  6. RM
    Rochelle Males
    1 year ago

    This was simply fantastic. I now have an incredible desire to take a break from my current research and just immerse myself in resources about the population, hardships, epidemics, etc. (I know, I know…something I should have already done at this point in my Italian research…)! I can not wait to look over the resources you’ve suggested to get us started. Thank you so much! I really think this is going to help me expand my research in Vicenza so much more than I’ve been able to do so far.

    Reply
  7. LC
    Lucia Cusimano
    1 year ago

    The syllabus is filled with useful references- thank you! Although I was familiar with most of the subject matter, I learned that the historical perspective should be a research priority as it is important, interesting and may give a clue for reasons of emigration. I agree, that fiction books can be loaded with true, historical information, while being entertaining.

    Reply
  8. GD
    Gina Dellapiana
    1 year ago

    I wasn’t sure I would learn anything new tonight, but I did! Thank you for having these webinars.

    Reply
Show all comments

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