Online Italian Genealogy Records - Where Are They?

I was browsing various online genealogy services the other day and was puzzled by the lack of actual Italian genealogy records anywhere on the Internet.  The lack of records puzzles me because between the years 1890 and 1920 the number Italian immigrants coming to the US were far greater than any  other nationality during that period - the vast majority of these came from Southern Italy.  Another reason is because these records exist on microfilm in the genealogy vaults of the Mormon church - the link shows almost 6000 results from a search for Italian civil records.

When I looked on the FamilySearch site where they are beginning to index the records in their vaults, there are no Italian records included.  Now I know they will eventually get to them, but I can't help being a little impatient because they have microfilm of both towns where my grandparents were born - Pedace and San Giovanni in Fiore.  I have looked at the film from Pedace and had a little success finding some of my grandmother's family members, however an index linked to the actual records would really be nice.  I know, I know...I can go to the local Family History Center and roll the film of these two towns to my heart's content, but not every descendant of Italian immigrants is in a position to do that and it would be so much easier online.

The only genealogy service out there having any Italian records online is Ancestry.com, however a search of their card catalog only shows six sets of records - one set from Calabria, one set from Sicily, and the rest from Northern Italy. The Generations Network does have a site called Ancestry.it, but the records are the same as you'd find on Ancestry.com.  I looked at World Vital Records to see if they have any and only found three sets that probably wouldn't be of too much help for descendants of Italian immigrants.

I sure hope someone out there decides it's time to focus on Italian records.  By the way, I've always wondered how FamilySearch, Ancestry, and others decided the order of the records they digitize and index.  Do they just close their eyes and pick a set, or is there a grand scheme on which set comes next?

Click here to subscribe to Genealogy Reviews Online

Comments

[Nuccia]

There are some quite a few sites out there that host several Italian Records - you may want to look at the sites we have been working on: http://www.calabriaexchange.com http://www.catanzaroexchange.com
http://www.cosenzaexchange.com
The sites are free to use and we are adding to them all the time. Hope you find them useful.

[Jasia]

I feel the exact same way about Polish vital records. The records of all 4 of my grandparents' villages have been filmed by the LDS. So when will I see them online?

Ancestry.com doesn't have Polish records on their site either except for a few Jewish ones. And there is no Ancestry.pl!

I say we protest.

But who would we protest to? LOL!

Hey thanks for the links to the site where I can get the form to request my cousin's military records, Tim. I've printed it out and will mail it tomorrow. Your help is much appreciated!