Edsel founded the Monuments Men Foundation several years ago to help honor those men and women who served and gave their lives to protect cultural heritage all over Europe and North Africa. Another mission of the foundation is to help locate items taken from Europe during the war to help facilitate the return to their rightful owners. He said thousands of works of art, musical scores, church bells, and other items are still missing.  Even today the foundation is helping to locate and return items.

The presentation was very interesting and I cannot wait to read his new book which I bought last night.

The evening was not over when Edsel’s presentation was finished. A World War II veteran and his family were in attendance. This veteran had served in Italy, around Naples specifically at one point in the war. His unit came across over a hundred crates of books taken from the University of Naples. As was common in war, soldiers of all countries, picked up items and took them home. This soldier took home several old books. Last night these were handed over to the custody of Robert Edsel and his Monuments Men Foundation after having confirmation that these books did indeed belong to the University of Naples. The foundation has researchers in the U.S. and Europe who work together to confirm that pieces located or turned into the foundation are authentic and figure out where they belong.It was very exciting to see these old books dating back to the 1300s sitting on a table at the Pritzker. The genealogist and historian in me wished I could have looked through them. I love old books and documents.

Il Console Generale Adriano Monti was in attendance and gave as brief speech after the daughter of the veteran gave a short speech about these items.

If you are in the Chicago area and have an interest in military history, check out the Pritzker Library’s programs and collection. If you are a member, they do participate in inter-library loan all over the country. Their staff is exceptional in both helpfulness and knowledge. It has become one of my favorite places to go in the city. It also doesn’t hurt it sits at the corner of Monroe and Michigan Avenue overlooking the Art Institute and Millennium Park and all the beautiful flowers, trees, and water that is visible from that vantage point.

In September I will launch a monthly genealogy group and two writer’s groups. You can read a little about the writer’s groups on the Casa Italia blog.

And finally, the newest project is a Ricigliano Collection. I am putting together a guide of what I would like to include in this new collection. I know I will be looking for donations of the following items. We are collecting copies of items unless you wish to officially turn over originals to Casa Italia.

• Photographs
• Vital Records
• Naturalization Papers
• Military Records
• Family Histories
• Any other documents you have
• Oral Histories – I will be conducting oral history interviews at Casa Italia starting this summer and fall.

The goal right now is to begin collecting materials in May and by this time next year put together a reception or exhibit on the Rigis and our new collection.

Would you like to donate? You can contact me by email.

What Rigi names have I been working on through my client work? There are many but the main surnames are Altier(i) (Galtier), Bagnuolo, Caponigri, D’Ambrosio, DeLeonardis, Iacullo (Yacullo), Indelli, Malpede, Meccia, Pacelli, Palumbo, Parrilli, Pascente, Pintozzi, Rocco, Sabia, Salvatore, Saracco, Serritella, Stolfa, Tortoriello/Turtoriello/Turturiello, Vernieri.

Please note – as a volunteer at Casa Italia, if you need help getting started in tracing your roots, you can schedule a time to come in and get some free assistance from myself or one of the volunteers. Should you need more in-depth research conducted, I am available for hire for that. Several Rigis have worked with me over the last two years on their histories and we have amassed a great deal of information.

© 2013 Generations, Woodridge, IL

A couple of weeks ago I posted some news that Casa Italia’s genealogy department was a sponsor of FamilySearch’s Italian Ancestors Indexing project. Casa Italia is now an entity under which you can register to index. I will post training materials next week and will get some indexing training dates set up at Casa Italia for those who need assistance getting started. There will also be indexing parties scheduled where you can bring your laptop to Casa Italia and hang out with other indexers for a few hours, enjoy conversation, refreshments, and index records.

Why are we indexing? To help make millions of Italian civil records searchable to those conducting Italian research. Currently the images are available to browse online but are not searchable. Having spent many hours browsing images locating the indexes for each year in set of birth records and then locating those specific records is time consuming. When the names are indexed, the search is much faster.

Please sign up for the indexers newsletter I created which can be found on the right sidebar of this blog. There is a link underneath the FamilySearch logo. It is through the newsletter I will sent out much information about contests, events, how we are doing, and other resources.

To become an indexer please visit the Italian Ancestors Project website. Click ‘Sign In’ at the top right corner of the page. If you are currently a FamilySearch user just log in. If you are not, you need to create a free account. Please add your phone number to the registration so I can contact you about indexing events.

After logging in click ‘Start Indexing Now’ which is in a red box in the middle of the initial screen you see. Now there are three steps to complete.

1. Download the indexing software and install it on your computer.
2. Register as an indexing volunteer.
3. Download a batch to begin indexing.

There are many tutorials available as you scroll down this initial page. Please take a look at them before you begin indexing. You do not need to know the Italian language to index. The tutorials will help guide you through the process.

Important!! You must sign up under Casa Italia for us to be able to track your indexing progress and the whole of volunteers indexing on Casa Italia’s behalf. To do this,

1. Open the indexing software and click ‘Tools’ in the menu bar across the the top and select ‘Options.’
2. The Options box opens and you should select ‘Edit My Preferences’
3. This takes you to the indexing website where you can select the level of difficulty and the languages you wish to focus on indexing. Edit this as you wish.
4. Now click on ‘My Info’ in the top right corner of the screen near your name. This brings up your information box.
5. Click ‘Edit’ and under the ‘Additional Indexing Information’ section there is a dropdown for ‘Local Support Level.’
6. Click the dropdown and select ‘Group or Society.’
7. Now click the next dropdown that says ‘Group.’
8. Select ‘Casa Italia – Italian Cultural Center – IL’
9. Add your phone number to your registration if you did not already do so.
10. Click ‘Save.’ You will be taken back to the main ‘My Info’ page.

At this point you are registered under Casa Italia and I will be able to track how we are doing as an institution.

What’s next? You can read through the tutorials on the project page and download a batch into your software and begin indexing. Everything you submit will be arbitrated by someone who knows the Italian language and they will check for possible data entry errors or omissions. When an entire record set has been indexed and arbitrated, it will be available to search through the usual search avenues on FamilySearch. No longer will you have to only browse the record images to locate an ancestor.

Next week I will post more information on indexing including additional resources, tutorials, and more. If you have any questions about getting started or would like to have a one-on-one training session before the main sessions begin, please contact Jennifer Holik via email to arrange a time to stop by Casa Italia on a Monday or Thursday when I’m in the library.

© 2013, Generations, Jennifer Holik

This event is free, and registration is open to the public. Please bring a brown-bag lunch or order a lunch from the library cafe using the form on the flyer.

The event will feature three fantastic speakers, Tina Beaird, Steve Szabados, and Craig Pfannkuche, presenting programs on Homesteading Records, Naturalization Records, and Railroad Records. In addition to the speakers, participants will enjoy Door Prizes, Society Booths, Author Book Signings, and refreshments.

Preview the flyer for the event.  This is a great program for librarians, genealogists, and family historians.

For more information, please contact:

A few new lecture dates have been added to my Events page on my website. Please take a look and join me at one of the area society meetings! Feel free to contact me to speak at your library or society. I’m am booking through early 2014 now.

© 2013, Jennifer Holik, Generations

We would appreciate any promotion you can provide for this course through emails, blogs, websites, Virtual Meetings, and any other social media that you may utilize. 

The following is a description of the course:

Engaging adults in genealogy has typically been a task for genealogical societies rather than libraries. Today however, many libraries are creating adult genealogy groups and programs. Attendance for these programs is easier to obtain than perhaps a youth program in genealogy. But, these libraries are also looking for ways to engage the youth in genealogy. The problem lies in how to capture their interest and create a program that will convey the basics of research in a way that is both meaningful and engaging.

This course provides an example of creating an adult genealogy program first, as a way to lay the foundation for a youth program. It follows with examples of youth programs for those in grades one through twelve. The examples are laid out into one hour, one and a half-hour, half-day, and full-day workshops and cover the basics of research while also incorporating social and local history. The final result is a rich and useful youth genealogy program. Requirements and suggestions on assisting youth who are earning Scout-type badges follows and finally, you will take the youth workshop beyond the classroom. You will learn ways to continue your own education, create and provide additional resources for your library, and connect with others.

NOTE: Although this course written with the librarian in mind, it is also suitable for the society organizer, archivist, professional genealogist, or teacher.

Students can obtain the course reading material through their Student Briefcase and can also purchase the printed course materials from the GenealogyStore.com. Please note that the student must be registered in the course in order to be able to order the printed materials. The direct link to the course materials in the store is http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/eng/gstore-products.asp?productID=16338&country=.

I’ll post another update at the end of the week!

© 2013, Generations – Jennifer Holik

Check out:

NEW!! Italian Records in PDF

Genealogy for Children in PDF or QuickGuide Card

Land and Property Records in PDF or QuickGuide Card

World War I and World War II Military Records in PDF

What else have I been writing? My next book which I plan to publish this summer. And I’m tinkering with two books I would like to have out by the end of this year but we’ll see how that goes.

And of course all of my Branching Out Genealogy for Kids books are still available through my website!

Stay tuned and see what new things develop!

© 2013, Jennifer Holik, Generations

Do you know about the

Connecting Children With Their Past

Telling the Stories of the Lost

Places to Discover your Illinois Ancestors

New Views of your Ancestors in Spreadsheets and Maps

I am presenting a kids and parent genealogy workshop in March for children grades 4-12 and their adult companion at

We will cover the basic charts and records needed to begin, talk about possible projects you can do at home, and tell lots of stories. We will also take a short tour of the Italians in Chicago Exhibit on the 2^nd floor. You will go home with several handouts to help you continue your research.

Required: Please bring as much information as you have on the child, his or her parents, grandparents, and if possible, great grandparents that includes: full name, birthdate and place, marriage date and place, and death date and place. This allows you to start filling out charts during the workshop.

This workshop will be held on Saturday, March 9, from 10:00 a.m. – noon. Space is limited to 10 children. Workshop fee is $15 per child and adults are free. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required by March 1^st. The feel includes coffee, water, and continental breakfast. Sponsorship is available for this event.

© 2013, Jennifer Holik, Generations