Sicilian Genealogy and Heraldry Paperback – November 10, 2014

As someone else previously mentioned this book is not a step-by-step guide to researching genealogical records. It is not an introduction for the novice. It is, however, chock full of valuable information for genealogists, both amateur and professional. It will tell you what kind of information you can expect to glean from the various types of records available, whether they be vital civil records, parish records, census records (riveli), notary records, or feudal records.The author is a native Sicilian, one of Sicily's leading genealogists, and the islands best-selling historian. His knowledge of the subject is unparalleled and his mastery of the English language is without question. If you have a workable understanding of English you will find this work to be an entertaining, informative and enjoyable read.This book, along with the companion "The Peoples of Sicily: A Multicultural Legacy" is a must-read for anyone with more than just a cursory interest in the history and genealogy of Sicily and it's peoples.

Let me start off by saying this book is one of the most valuable tools for researching Sicilian genealogy. I had started my research well over three years ago, and had I had this book, it would have saved me much time!, at least two years! If you are expecting " and they lived happily ever after" or " let me look up my family name and see the history" this is not for you. The author painstakingly lists ever nuance in the field of genealogy, in particular Sicily which has its own set of rules. The books explains the history, human migration, even DNA! As an American doing research on my family tree ( first generation American ) it was very difficult to start, and by pure luck I was able to find someone who helped me along my journey. I had spend countless days asking questions, visiting town halls, getting frustrated, visiting many churches, even having my parents help with no positive results. If I had this book, I would have been able to direct my resources ( time for me ) to right people. As a resident of the United States, I do not have the luxury of time in Sicily. This book is a fantastic reference and guide, and will explain even the confusing subject of heraldry in Sicily. Also interesting is the history of the Knights in Sicily. This book is mandatory if you have family or at least part of your family who originates from Sicily; moreover, this is written by someone who LIVES in Sicily and not someone who visits for a few months and retreats back to UK.

Read between the lines "don't get your hopes up if you think your family might be royal...or anything other than a bunch of poor, down-trodden Sicilian peasants." I get it. I totally get it and I know this going in. Not even sure what I was looking for when I bought this book but if you're like me, you are just looking or ANYTHING to do with your Sicilian or even Italian history. I read all I can to learn something, anything about my Sicilian heritage and having read about the history in great depth, I would not expect that my family name represents anything but people who were marginalized and rose above every bad hand dealt to them to make a better life. I didn't find what I was looking for in this book, but I credit the author with his honesty and frankness. I wish there was a book to tell me something about my family that would reinforce what I already feel about them, that they were ordinary Sicilians who did some extraordinary things to make the life we have so much better. Maybe I already have my answer and don't need to read it in books. Well-written, well-researched and I give 4 stars because I appreciate the value of this book.

This is an informative book for those interested in Sicilian history and genealogy. If you're looking for a step by step guide to beginning an on-line genealogy search then this isn't really the book for you, but if you're on your way and are looking for some background to what you're finding, then this book is very helpful and enlightening. If you are lucky enough to have ancestors from the Diocese of Monreale (provincia di Palermo) then you'll be able to get back to the mid to early 16th century, and I am one of those people. Hopefully every diocese in Italy will one day have their parish records digitized. Familysearch.org, the Mormon site, is a great place to begin researching your Sicilian/Italian ancestry. Just remember that the records you'll find are in Latin, not Italian, so if you're not familiar with the Italian form of given names you'll end up with the wrong names of your family, and there are some names which have/had forms popular in Sicilia which you don't find much in other parts of Italia...Geronimo/Geronima for example. Looking at parish censuses will give you the Italian forms of the names, so that's a great place to double check, but they are only available for select years. You can do a lot of work from your computer, so don't get frustrated.

I learned so much about my family background through this book. It is also meshing well with my current study of Christian Church History. It is well-written, and a great reference.,

Very disappointing. It is written like a college textbook, and not that interesting. It is a forced read to find out what my ancestors endured in Sicily until they relocated to America in 1899.

If you into researching your Sicilian Heritage (I am) this is a great book. A little hard to get into but once you do it offers so much help for your research.

Not having read ant Sicilian history, I found this very interesting. Easy to read, and well written.

Amazing detail. Couldn't put it down, read chapters I was most interested in first. I ended up reading all the chapters twice. I'm sure I'm going to read it again it was absolutely fascinating.

Very helpful