Roslyn Torella

Roslyn Torella, Contributing Writer

Discovering La Famiglia: Moving Beyond Genealogy to Family History

November 2020
We are going to be taking a slightly different approach to the study of our Italian genealogy by exploring what I believe to be the next level in the discovery of our roots. Many of us become interested in genealogy because we want to learn about...


Discovering La Famiglia: How Did Your Family Get Its Surname?

October 2020
This month as we celebrate Italian American Heritage Month, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than by learning about one’s roots in the Motherland. One of my favorite areas in Italian genealogy is the origin of our Italian surnames. If...


Discovering La Famiglia: Italian Genealogy Word List

September 2020
You do not have to be fluent in Italian to be able to read and translate Italian genealogical records into English but knowing the English translation for the most common words in these documents is essential. This month I am providing you with a...


Discovering La Famiglia: Finding Your Family in the Portale Atenati

August 2020
Now is the perfect time to begin or continue your Italian genealogy research, specifically within Italy’s Ancestors Portal known as Portale Antenati. This online portal is the best thing to happen to Italian Americans since the steamships that...


Discovering La Famiglia - Getting Started On Your Journey

July 2020
Nearly three years ago, I started writing this monthly column on how to research your Italian roots. I thought it might be useful to revisit the initial column which provided some tips for those who are just starting out. Learning about your...


Discovering La Famiglia: Tracking Down a La Gazzetta Reader’s Calabrian Roots

June 2020
This month, I share how La Gazzetta reader Terry Park of Cleveland and I tracked down his family roots in Calabria. Terry knew that his paternal grandparents came from Italy, but he did not know where nor was he certain of the family’s Italian...


Discovering La Famiglia: How Historic Events Shape A Family’s History

May 2020
Given recent events, I have been thinking a lot about the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918 and how historic events shape our family history. To be a good genealogist and family historian, you need to know a bit about historical events that...


Discovering La Famiglia: A Passenger Record Holds the Key!

April 2020
La Gazzetta Italiana vuole aiutare i nostri  lettori a trovare e imparare dalle loro famiglie in italia. Oggi, parliamo di Sal DiSimone. Lui aveva bisogno di informarsi dei bisnonni Panfilo D’Eramo e Giovanna Frissora. I bisnonni erano di...


Discovering La Famiglia - La Gazzetta Reader Uncovers Lost Italian Heritage

March 2020
This year, the “Discovering La Famiglia” column hopes to help La Gazzetta Italiana readers find answers to their Italian genealogy questions. This month’s story is about Nora who contacted me after she received the results of her Ancestry DNA test....


Discovering La Famiglia: La Gazzetta Italiana Readers - It is Your Turn!

February 2020
I have enjoyed writing this column for La Gazzetta Italiana since 2017 and sharing lots of tips and techniques, however I decided to do a refresh on this column for the new year and hope that you will help me help you! This year I would like to...


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