Doing your family tree is a process of deep self-knowledge and shows how different generations lived before us until we could exist.
Our characteristics, some behaviors and temperaments were inherited from distant relatives, passing from generation to generation. So, setting up your tree is ideal for those who seek to know and discover themselves.
If you want to learn how to reconstruct these steps in chronological order and how important they are in your life, keep reading this article until the end.
What is a family tree?
Before we help you do your Italian family tree, it is necessary to tell you what this term means, what it is used for and how important it is in your life.
Whether of any ancestry, the family tree is something that is part of your family’s history, it’s like you branch, just like the tree, your own roots.
Imagine that at the base of this tree are your ancestors, the couple that gave rise to your family. As the branches grow, your closest relatives emerge, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, until they reach you.
The family is more than a symbol, it is part of what we are, learn and experience throughout life. It is complementary to our essence and search for a place in the world, as no one exists alone.
How to put together my complete Italian family tree?
Based on all your memories, family histories, photographs, dates and much more, you can take the first steps towards doing your family tree.
The descent of our grandparents is something that becomes more evident over time, either through behavior or physical traits.
These changes arouse curiosity to research the family history more deeply.
To do your Italian family tree, you must gather as much information as possible to retrace the “steps” of your family until you arrive.
Precise information about location, time when they arrived in Brazil, customs, culture, traditions, lifestyle at the time, all of this is necessary and indispensable to discover more about its history.
Taking the opportunity to talk to your distant relatives, still alive, can be something extraordinary that will make you travel back in time and discover many things that will add to your search.
How can I find out if my ancestors were Italian?
Start by searching for information about the profession of grandparents and great-grandparents, city of birth, how they interacted with other people, etc. Many things can lead you to discover the situation in which they lived: whether it was comfortable and stable or not.
Still, to help you, we suggest that you ask four questions, ideas to start investigating your family data:
- Where did it occur?
- Which date?
- Under what circumstances?
- For what reasons?
From these questions it will be much easier to direct your research. But if you still want to do your family tree more precisely, we provide a form. Fill it out to receive our family tree template.
With it, we can help you in this mission, in addition to research, public records, we do the complete investigation so that you have your family history at hand and can apply for your dual citizenship.
Practical tips on how to do your Italian family tree
See now, the practical tips that we separate for you to mount the family tree successfully.
Name list
A list of names can be the biggest step in doing your family tree. If you know, through documents and confirmations from relatives, the correct last name, everything related to it can be searched in public records that are freely available on the Internet.
Respect the chronological order
One of the things that must be taken to heart is the chronological order of facts and people. There’s no way to put together a family tree with the information spread out.
Prioritize setting up your ancestors on its base and then the order of the children who were born, until the last person on that list is you.
This makes it much easier to visualize the correct order of events and the trajectory of the whole family. Take the opportunity to add the main events to the tree, such as: deaths, births and marriages. When you can, put the location too.
The location will help you if you want to do a roots trip later.
Information search
The search for information must be complete. Even if the difficulty in gathering documents that prove your ancestry is something persistent, you should not give up.
Have photos, documents, certificates (even if it’s a copy) at hand, to attest to the veracity of the information when setting up your tree.
If possible, search for full names, dates of birth, place of birth and death information, when applicable.
Surely you must have a distant uncle who has original family papers somewhere. So get organized and be patient. This first step in doing your family tree is just as important as the rest.
Communication with relatives
This is one of the steps in doing your family tree that shouldn’t be overlooked. Our older relatives keep precious memories of a time that will never come back.
Talking to them will ensure precious information and memories of their past with relatives who are gone, but who are part of their family. So, don’t leave it for later and book that visit at the end of the week.
Go prepared for a long conversation and if possible record them on your cell phone. These gems will help you do your trajectory.
Conclusion
With all this information we provide you, we hope you can learn more about your family history and consequently yours.
Do you want to do your Italian family tree with an expert? Then click here.
Any questions you may have, please contact us. We are at your disposal to assist you in whatever you need in pursuit of your Italian dream.
