AboutFrancesco Marchesani Expertise I`m interested and have deep knowledge in Italian history, traditions and culture. I can answer your questions on my country`s history and cultural heritage, as well as everyday life, and travel tips too.
Experience I live in Pavia (northern Italy, near Milan) and have travelled alot through Italy, discovering it's less known (but not less beautiful) secrets.
Question How does one get information about family from the small town where they were born? Also, one grandmother was born in Palermo and came to the U.S. and I can find absolutely no information about her in the U.S. Are records kept in Italy and if so where does one write to get them?
Answer Hello,
all US immigrants' data is available from the Ellis Island records (http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/); however, sometimes it is not easy to find out such an information because the US customs often mispelled or anglicized people's names.
In Italy, you can write directly to a city's board of records; it would be good to give them your grandmother's maiden name and date of birth.
The Palermo's board of records' address is:
Comune di Palermo
Servizio Stato Civile
Piazza Giulio Cesare
90100 Palermo - Italy
