About the Resources
There's much to see here. So, take your time, look around, and explore all the ways you can build yo
These are some of my frequently used resources. It is not an exhaustive list of all the resources available on the web, however. If you have any suggestions for resources particularly useful for Sicilian genealogy research, please send a message!
PERSONAL STORIES and OTHER RESOURCES
Facebook Groups
We just created a new Augusta Family Tree Facbook group, so please join us to talk about our family connections and ask questions (in Italian or English!). There are many other groups on Facebook, but here are a few that I am following.
- Genealogia Catania e dintorni
- North End Boston..Corner Of Prince And Salem.(Bova’s Corner )
- Sicilian Genealogy (including Aeolian Islands)
- Sicilian and Southern Italian Genealogy
- Augusta: Curiosità storiche (by Salvo Lentini)
Augusta Boston Club and Newsletter
Since this is a genealogical site about families from Augusta, and since so many went to Boston, it is well worth going to this site. The Augusta Boston Club is the reorganization of the original Augusta Fraternal Associates that was founded in Boston's West End in 1936 and was reorganized as the Augusta Boston Club 2002. You can request to join, or just contact them if you need more information. They even have a Facebook page!
West End Museum and Newsletter
"The West End Museum is a neighborhood museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of the West End of Boston." Although not exclusive to immigrants from Augusta, you can find numerous shared accounts of life during the massive Sicilian immigration waves of the early 1900’s. They have an archive of Newsletters as well as Video Newsletters (pre-podcast era), a collection of nearly 200 shows produced from 1988 - 2006 featuring the oral histories of people, neighborhood news and organizations from Boston’s West End. The actual physical location at 150 Staniford Street suffered a flood in 2022, and is still trying to repair the damage. They are accepting donations to help salvage the archives and other documentation.
Italian Genealogy Podcast Interviews
A great source of all kinds of information, Italian Genealogy also has a series of interviews with various people based on the recordings of Anthony Riccio in the late 1970’s.
My Sicily
An author and traveler and native to Augusta, Francesca Mignosa says, " “My Sicily” is a collection of personal memories, stories, emotions and favourite destinations as I associate them with each individual place in my native island." It is a personal and educational story (240 pages long) through the island of a thousand scents and colours." - from Times of Sicily interview with the author.
RESEARCH RESOURCES
Sicilian Family Tree
There are many sites that can walk you through how to research your roots in Sicily. Rather than duplicate efforts, it is nice to be able to share other sites who have extensive information on resources and how to start. The Sicilian Family Tree site actually also provides a service in case you do not want to look on your own. Although the site focuses on the towns of Misilmeri and Ventimiglia di Sicilia, their Research Links page is relevant to Augusta and other towns in the Siracusa region.
Ancestry.com
One of the most well-known resources, Ancestry is a paid service (to access all records) that allows you to search through immigration records, naturalizations, and many other types of records. If you have used their DNA testing service, there is a unique feature called ThruLines that will outline how you are related to your other DNA connections, which is extremely useful once you start going back to 3rd-great-grandparents and beyond.
Family History Center
After creating a free account, go to [Search] >[Catalog] and then type in the town name. Depending on the town, you will typically see a listing for Census and Civil Registrations. For Augusta, records from 1900-1942 are available from your laptop except births after 1910. For births after 1910 and any record 1820-1899, you must go to a Family History Center or affiliate to see those noted with a camera and key icon on the right. Luckily, most of what is on this site is replicated on the Antenati site and accessible outside of a library. In 2022 they updated the births 1910-1915 to be available on the Antenati site (previously only on microfilm)!!
Il Portale Antenati
The Ancestors Portal from the Archives for Genealogical Research have digitized and made available all civil records for all towns in Italy. Simply search for your town, select the type of record you would like to browse under "Typology", and then select the year. Each year (for Nati, Morti, and Matrimoni) should have an index at the end, but some may be absent. In addition, some years may also be missing. For accessing the Matrimoni processetti and Matrimoni allegati, refer to the record numbers given in the Matrimoni. Other sites have described how to use the site.
BYU Script Tutorial
In order to make sense of the Italian handwriting, this resource from the Brigham Young University Center for Family History and Genealogy offers suggestions about how to work with the unfamiliar handwriting. It provides examples of the alphabet, as well as civil and church records. This is a great reference when you find a name that you just cannot seem to translate. Just refer back to their samples of individual letters when you can’t seem to figure out which letter it is.
Sicilian Surname Search
When going through records, it can be difficult to read the written names. This website allows you to search for a surname by entering the first few letters ["Begins with"] or any number of letters in the name ["Contains"]. It is useful in order to verify if the spelling of a name you have read exists, and whether there are alternate spellings (which is often see from town to town). Data will also tell you the frequency of that surname by town. PLEASE NOTE: There is a lot of click bait on this page. Make sure you are entering your search in the field after the field: [Please type the surname]