Ascendancy Research
Tracing one individual or several, generation by generation, back as far as the records go.
Services
Finding Living Relatives
Help identifying relatives who are living in Italy today.
When one member of a family emigrated, the rest usually stayed. Their descendants are very often still living in the same town, or nearby, today. I help identify them.
How it works
Finding living relatives normally grows out of descendancy research: following your ancestor’s siblings forward through the records until we reach the present generation. From there, I can help make contact.
Approaching a new family
It is wise to approach a new family in a delicate and respectful way. Feelings and expectations may differ from one family to another, and cultural differences also play a role. What I have seen is that, when intentions are good and harmonious, the results can be very good — and life-changing.
And afterwards
If you would like to write to the relatives we find, I can translate your letter into Italian. And if you decide to visit, I am glad to help plan the trip.
Related services
Descendancy Research
Tracing all the descendants of a given ancestor or generation, forward through time.
Original Records
Copies of original birth (baptism), marriage and death records from civil and church registers.
Tell me about your family.
Send me what you already know about your Italian ancestors — names, towns, approximate dates — and describe what you hope to discover. I will reply with my opinion and an estimate for your project.