Italy has a long tradition of exploration and emigration, from Amerigo Vespucci to Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) and John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto). For centuries, Italians have been explorers, inventors, and adventurers. Since the 1800s, Italians have immigrated to other countries for a variety of reasons, but most prominently for growth and employment opportunities. Millions of Italians immigrated to Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Canada, and other countries between 1880 and 1920. Nearly 80 million descendants of Italian immigrants1 live outside of Italy today, making tracing one’s Italian heritage a popular quest worldwide. Full Story
Complete Archive of Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Records—Now Online for Free
August 13, 2018 By
Ellis Island is famous as the home of the Statue of Liberty—and millions of passenger arrival records for U.S. immigrants. Now, a complete collection of Ellis Island passenger lists is available online and searchable for free at FamilySearch. Full Story
What Can I Learn about My Italian Last Name?
August 13, 2018 By
Do you think you have an Italian surname? It ends in an “o,” “e,” “a,” or “i,” so it must be Italian, right? Full Story
Add Multiple Pictures in FamilySearch Memories—Share Your Family Stories!
August 9, 2018 By
Memories is a tool in FamilySearch that allows you to preserve and share your family’s most important moments by adding family photos, documents, audio clips and stories. You can then organize and tag them, attaching them to individuals on your family tree. This turns these treasured moments into heirlooms that can be passed down in your family and easily accessed by even distant family members. Full Story
The Immigration Act of 1924 and the End of Ellis Island
July 31, 2018 By
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, immigration to the United States was at an all-time high. Upwards of a million people per year arrived in some years leading up to World War I.1 Hope for better work opportunities, food and shelter for families, religious freedom, personal freedom, and freedom from military conflict led many of these immigrants to the U.S. to start a new home. Full Story
New Records on FamilySearch: July 2018
July 31, 2018 By
FamilySearch expanded its free online archives in July 2018 with almost 13 million new indexed family history records and over 500,000 digital images from around the world. New historical records were added from Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, BillionGraves, Find A Grave, Peru, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and United States, which includes Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Georga, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Native American, Utah, and Washington. New digital images were added from BillionGraves and the United Kingdom. Full Story
Ellis Island and Castle Garden Immigration Records
July 26, 2018 By
Do you have US immigrants among your ancestors? What experience did they have when they first reached America? Were they met with a bustling city, swindlers and thieves, or a hearty welcome? For many early immigrants, New York was the choice gateway into America, the “Golden Door.” Whether your ancestors simply arrived at New York harbor in America’s earliest days, passed through Castle Garden Depot from 1855–1890, or underwent inspection at Ellis Island (from 1892–1954), your ancestors’ immigration records hold lots of clues about who they were, why they came, and what experiences they had. Full Story
When Did New York Immigration Start at Ellis Island?
July 25, 2018 By
Ellis Island is famous for being the United States’ front door for receiving immigrants—but did you know millions of people had already come to the U.S. by the time Ellis Island opened in 1892? This history of Ellis Island can help you better understand your immigrant ancestors’ arrivals and how to find the evidence in New York immigration records. Full Story
Pioneer History and Discovering Your Pioneer Heritage
July 20, 2018 By
As a new country, the United States boasted freedom and opportunity, particularly in the West, where there were vast expanses of land and, later, rumors of gold. Many pioneers moved west hoping to own land and start fresh. Full Story
Three Things The Oregon Trail Game Didn’t Teach You about the Pioneers
July 20, 2018 By
The Oregon Trail—fording a river at the age of 10, hunting buffalo to extinction, falling prey to one of five specific diseases, and something “only 90s kids will remember.” Far more than just a remembrance of America’s early pioneers, The Oregon Trail is a computer game that was released by the Minnesota Educational Computer Consortium in 1974. Surprisingly, the game had a far wider reach than one generation. In fact, The Oregon Trail is one of the best-known and best-loved video games of all time. Over 10 years, the game sold over 65 million copies, and in 2016, it was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Full Story