Benvenuti / Welcome
The Italian Interest Group offers top-quality presentations by leading experts in Italian genealogy, history, and archival research. Our speakers offer both practical guidance and deep insights into Italian records, covering basic to advanced research techniques for navigating Italian civil and parish records and archives. Our events are designed to inspire, educate, and facilitate amazing discoveries.
No matter where you live or where your Italian ancestors came from, we are here to assist in your journey. Join us at our presentations and bring your Italian family history to life.
Meeting Days/Times
The Italian Interest Group meets virtually on Zoom on the third Saturday of the month, 1:30pm Pacific Time. (No meetings in December, July or August.) Meetings are open to all at no cost, but attendees must sign up here in advance. Donations appreciated.
IIG Meeting - September 2026
Date:
Time:
Description:
Presenter:
September 19, 2026 (Saturday)
1:30 pm (PT)
Update on FamilySearch and Italian Records
Joel Cole
Timer Countdown to the meeting.
Description: In this presentation “Update on FamilySearch and Italian Records,” the following topics will be discussed:
• An overview of the principal repositories of Italian genealogical and historical records throughout Italy.
• The latest updates and developments on the FamilySearch website.
• Recent developments in FamilySearch’s collaboration with the Direzione Generale Archivi (DGA) and other Italian institutions.
• Future expectations regarding Italian records, including upcoming acquisition initiatives and the availability of new indexes and searchable collections.
Presenter: Joel Cole was born and raised in Padova, Italy. He has been involved with Italian Family History for over 30 years. He accompanied his father Trafford for his first genealogical research in Maniago, Italy, when he was 15 and since then he has been fascinated by family history. He has worked as a researcher for over 25 years, visiting almost every State Archive in Italy and almost 1,000 parish archives. He is familiar with paleography having taken several classes in Italy, and with Latin documents, having studied it for over 10 years. Joel has presented in many international genealogical conferences about Italian Family History and has worked for years for private companies performing research in all of Italy, consulting Civil records, Parish and Diocesan Catholic records, Notary records and many more sources. In 2015 he moved to Utah covering several roles for FamilySearch. He is currently the content strategist for Southern Europe, including Italy. Joel’s research specialties are: Italy, Southern Switzerland and Istria-Croatia. Expert at deciphering ancient Italian and Latin documents.
DONATE
Support the Italian Interest Group (IIG).
We do not charge any fees to attend our webinars. All of our programs are made possible through the generosity of our community. Your donation directly supports the Italian Interest Group by funding guest speakers and special presentations for those researching Italian ancestry. All contributions are processed through our parent organization, the Eastside Genealogical Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit. This means your donation to the Italian Interest Group is tax‑deductible. Tax ID: 91‑1205979
Thank you for helping us continue to offer high‑quality, no‑cost educational programs.
PLEASE NOTE:The Paypal site can accept credit cards the same as most online sites; no Paypal account is needed. We also ask for a minimum donation of $5 as the Paypal utility charges IIG a small fee for each transaction.
Check
Mail a check payable to “Eastside Genealogical Society” with the notation “IIG donation” and sending it to Eastside Genealogical Society, PO Box 374, Bellevue, Washington 98009-0374