FamilySearch Unlocking Centuries of Italian Ancestry Records

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FamilySearch International announced free access to over 150 million Italian historical genealogical records—the largest online collection of its kind. The unprecedented initiative is the result of collaboration between FamilySearch, the Italian government, the Italian State Archives (Direzione Generale per gli Archivi or DGA), and many other archives. The free collections include over 200 years of digitized images of birth, marriage, death, and other significant family history records from all regions of Italy. Search the free Italy collections online at FamilySearch.org. 

Over 100 million people worldwide claim Italian roots. Today, tracing their origins to Italy is much easier.

FamilySearch launched a massive collaborative effort with the National Archives of Italy (DGA) in 2011 that is proving to be "La Stele di Rosetta" (Rosetta Stone) for Italian family historians. The effort includes digitized birth, marriage, and death records from 1806 to 1945 found in the civil registrations of Italy in every state archive, and 15 million more are added yearly.

FamilySearch is now using online volunteers to make every name, place, and date in each record (estimated to be over 500 million names) easily discoverable online—for free. (To help go to FamilySearch.org/Indexing). 

The civil registration records are the most complete of FamilySearch's Italy collections, but some Church records in Italy date back to the 1500s. Today, these are a gold mine for Italian family history researchers.

Through agreements with Italian governments and other repositories, FamilySearch is essentially helping to open Italian archives to patrons all over the world and protect them against loss. 

Explore Italy's rich historical records: 

• FamilySearch 
• Italian National Archives (DGA) 

Find and share the complete announcement online in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

RELATED:

• Your Italian Heritage

ABOUT FAMILYSEARCH

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch's free services to discover their family history. FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 5,000 family history centers in 129 countries.

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