Finding Your Italian Roots

Interested in researching your family history but not sure where to start?

Local amateur genealogist John Bifano will guide you in the beginnings of your search. John's expertise is in Italian ancestry, but those of other kinds of ancestry may still be able to benefit from the general processes used. 

Part I (this session)—Determining the town(s) where your ancestor(s) were born in Italy

This program will explore the various online sites to find documents to determine the birth town(s) of your ancestors. Some documents which will give their town are Naturalization records, ship manifests, military records, etc.

This topic has the potential for a follow-up session, time yet to be determined, that would focus on finding further Italy-specific information.

Requirements:

• Registration (click the button on this page)
• Your own laptop (phone is not sufficient)
• Bookmarking sites ahead of the session on the browser on your laptop (registrants will be emailed)
• York County Library member (free and easy to sign up in person or online!)

Presenter Bio

John Bifano was born in Carbondale, PA, a small town in the heart of anthracite country, a few miles north of Scranton, to first generation Italian American parents. Over the past 18 years, he has traced his paternal and maternal lines back to the late 1600s in Southern Italy. He has lived in New York and Florida, and, prior to relocating back to Pennsylvania from Lee County in Southwest Florida this June, he volunteered for 15 years in the Genealogy department of the county’s main library where he helped many individuals trace their Italian heritage. In addition, he has presented numerous programs on Italian genealogy at local Florida county libraries, senior living facilities, and Italian American organizations. 

Besides genealogy, his other interests are history, specifically the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the labor history of the Anthracite region of Pennsylvania.