52 Ancestors Week 22: Uncertain

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 22's theme is "Uncertain." Chances are you have at least one person listed in your family tree who you're not quite sure about. This would be a good week to write about him or her. Sometimes writing out what you know (or what you think you know) can help you discover things you're missing and things that don't add up the way you thought. (Thanks to MaryAnne Haffner for suggesting this theme!)

This week's blog is going to be topical. Ever since the "human malware" aka the coronavirus pandemic began to heavily impact our world genealogical exploits have been grinding to a halt as libraries, government offices, archives and other facilities across the United States have been closed until further notice. As a result, many genealogists have taken to the Internet to search for whatever it is they're looking for. They have even offered to speak in either virtual seminars or host live streams on YouTube. Peoples' ingenuity amazes me. Even in these difficult times, people still manage to do what they love. It's the information age which allows us to reach as many people as possible. It can be a gift and a curse.

Half of my family tree comes from here.

However, there's a problem with all of this. What if your family tree has people in it from another country? What if that country happens to be one of the places most heavily impacted by the coronavirus? In my case, half of my tree has roots in Italy. My father's paternal side hailed from Calabria and his maternal side came from Campania. Both of these regions are in the southern part of the nation and both places, like all of Italy have had to contend with the virus.

Before the pandemic surged as bad as it did, I had planned to write to the commune office in my grandfather's hometown of San Pietro a Maida.  It was one of my goals for 2020. I had done this many times and have had much success. I've even found cousins in the town who have been more than helpful and presented me with all kinds of information.

I had intended to ask about my 2x great-grandmother, Domenica Gullo and a few other people since they were brick walls. Everything was good to go until the unthinkable happened. Italy became inundated with coronavirus cases. There were so many cases that the country's best doctors fought long and hard to keep up with what was going on with their countrymen.

Once the death toll started to mount, I found myself  more worried about my cousins and less about genealogy. I've talked about this with several friends and even my cousins themselves. They all put up a brave face and told me that they are fine. They said that they were being socially distant and tried very hard to be safe.  They told me, as an American, to stay home and only go out into town unless I absolutely had to. That meant to just go out and get groceries, supplies and wear a mask.

I happily agreed with those guidelines. My parents are doctors. I wasn't about to go against common sense!

Antonio and Domenica

Despite everything, I still had some genealogical questions that needed answering. During the pandemic, I began to feel uncertain about when I was going to be able to message the commune office again. They definitely had more important issues at hand than helping me find out who Domenica's parents were. I wasn't sure what to do and now five months later, I still feel uncertain. I asked around and I've found answers which ranged from "Yeah. It's okay to message them. Go for it!" to "I would wait a few months."

Those types of answers didn't sit well with me. It's okay, though. We live in uncertain times and there's no RIGHT answer for when to actually send them an e-mail. That just left me with one more question. What could I do in the interim? I really, really want to research my Italian ancestors as information about my Québecois and English sides are a mouse click away. What do I do?

Well, for starters, I tried not to panic! Panicking never works and often leads to more problems than solutions. Thankfully, I have few solutions which could hold me over until this pandemic comes to a close and I have faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe they can help you as well. Here's what you can do:

1. Use Antenati and Familysearch.

Both websites, Antenati and Familysearch have a plethora of Italian births, marriages and death records. However, there is a caveat. Some records can only be seen at a family center and even then only certain dates are covered. The information may or may not be online. It depends on the commune or the website itself.

2. Ask family in the "old country" or DNA matches.

This is something I am more than likely going to have to do. I have so many questions and I have a feeling only cousins will be able to answer them at this point. The thing is, I don't want to be a "pazzi Americano" and have that be the ONLY thing I want to talk about. Not while their country is literally on fire.

The best thing to do there is to just talk and casually mention what you are doing.

On the American side, I have a few DNA matches who have been very helpful. People have provided me with a few bits of information here and there. Those bits, while few, can help to strengthen future questions to the commune office when they open once again.

If you don't have or know of family in the old country, there are countless Facebook groups for Italian towns out there. Use them. Perhaps you'll get the information you need. You never know unless you try! Those are really the best solutions I can give people for right now. This is all you can really do in the middle of this pandemic.

We are living in uncertain times here in 2020. If it were up to me, I would hit the reset button and just start the year over again. We're just about halfway through the year and things are slowly getting back to normal. The world has a very serious problem and it won't go away unless people take all of the necessary precautions set by the CDC and the WHO. I am confident and hopeful that a vaccine will be discovered. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. There has to be.

I won't say this is the end of my Italian genealogical adventure. It simply has to evolve and take on another form for the time being. I'll keep my cousins in my heart and think about all they have to endure. It cannot be easy for them. Here at home, we have to realize something. We're all in this together. It doesn't matter where we come from. Together, we can beat this thing. Waiting a little longer for the answers I'm looking for is fine. After all, they'll still be there. As much as I hate the waiting game, there is little I can do. But, you know what? I'm not going to let the human malware control my life. I'm going to go out there and find the answers to my many questions. If it takes a little long, it's fine.

All we can do is keep Italy, the US and the rest of the world in our thoughts and work together to end this crisis. Forza Italia e Forza Terre.

This week's topic was a little heavy, I admit. I have had a lot on my mind recently. Next week, though, is going to be fun. I promise. See ya then and I hope you brought your Sunday best because we're heading to a wedding!

See you next time!