Italian Research Links on the Internet
There is no research facility which specializes in Italian genealogical collections in the Winnebago County area. However, you may find some of the following locations helpful:
St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, 1010 Ferguson St., Rockford, IL ,(815)965-2761
This is "The Italian Parish in Rockford"
- Sacramental records of the parish - baptisms, marriages, etc.
- St. Anthony's School records
The Rockford Diocese may also have information of value in your research.
Every year in August, the Italian-Americans of this area sponsor "Fiesta Italiana" at Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford. This festival features Italian food and fun. The proceeds of this festival provide funding for college scholarships for students of Italian-American descent.
There are several Northern Illinois historical organizations and libraries that have collections of Italian-American history. Having said that, I would like to encourage those with Italian-American backgrounds to make a record of their own history and donate that history to a library or society. Your history could include information on: immigration, family, education, neighborhood, political activity, religion, ethnicity, occupation, and lifestyle. Along with that information, photographs, documents, clippings, and other memorabilia would help make your story real to others.
For help in preserving our own history contact:
The Italian Cultural Center,
1621 North 39th Avenue
Stone Park, IL 60165
(708) 345-3842
Hours: 9-5 Mon-Fri, 9-1 Sat.
The Balch Institute in Philadelphia and the National Archives, Great Lakes Region in Chicago have records of the passenger lists of immigrant vessels.
The Italian Government is planning a databank that links local manuscript birth and death records with emigration records.
Italian Genealogy Links
Joe's Italian Genealogy Page This site is a great starting place. Be sure to read the article:
Italian Genealogical - How-To -- Contacts, sources and books to help you get started.
Pursuing Our Italian Names Together in E-mail
Italian Genealogy Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Just for fun, check out Lou Alfano's Homepage.
Cyndi's Italian Genealogical Links
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Katy Hestand
County Coordinator
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This page created by Cecelia Yeruski for the ILGenWeb Project.
Last updated: Monday, 18-Apr-2005 10:03:30 MDT