The Columbus Italian Ancestry Organization (CIAO – Columbus, Ohio) is a small informal group whose passion and mission is to explore/preserve our local community’s’ shared Italian roots using genealogy. CIAO meets quarterly in Marrapese Hall, the Italian Cultural Center within the historic Italian Catholic church of Saint John the Baptist (Chiesa Italiana di San Giovanni Battista in Columbus’ historic Italian Village).

Being a part of the CIAO team along with our members participation make for an enjoyable gathering at a space that holds deep rooted Italian American history here in Columbus. Besides quarterly meetings, CIAO hosts library sessions whereby members can use the local Columbus Metropolitan Library to access a free Ancestry.com genealogy account.

Some CIAO members are descendants of those Italian immigrants who were part of the “Great Arrival” of mass migration to America. Other members include more recent generations of Italians who came to America after World War II up to the 1970s and now reside in Columbus.

A recent CIAO library session included members who trace their Italian ancestral roots from the following regions/towns:  Abruzzo – Introdacqua, Pescara, & Castel di Sangre, Molise-Venafro, Sicily – Ficarra, & Termini Imerese, Calabria – Santa Caterina dello Ionio, Puglia – Comune di Biccari. Most of our members have visited their ancestral towns. This recent session uncovered never seen before family records of one’s paternal grandfather who emigrated from Abruzzo. When this happens it’s akin to finding a family treasure chest of history.

Besides using the Columbus’ Ancestry.com account, we started to use the “Portale Antenati” (Ancestors Portal) to search and retrieve the extensive digitized civil records within the Italian state archives. This free online access to the digitized collection of vital records includes atti (acts) di nascita, morti, matrimoni (birth, death, marriage) and date as far back as the 1860s. These records are truly priceless, valuable resources that once translated allow for the discovery of distant family names, dates, and even the family address in a particular Italian village/town. For some of us who have visited our ancestral towns city hall and seen these vital records in large books can now view Italian vital records from the internet.

Our May CIAO meeting included presentations on the available genealogical resources located at the Ohio History Connection, another valuable local resource here in the capital city of Columbus. Other presentations described how best to interpret the cursive Italian and sometimes Latin writing found in the “Antenati” records. Another fascinating topic presented was on the “Foundling Wheel” and its use in Italy.

Here in the local Italian American community of Columbus many people trace their family roots to the town of Introdacqua in Abruzzo. During a past CIAO meeting and some discussion over recently uncovered family records, sure enough two members found out that they were distantly related with their roots in Introdacqua. The phrase “it’s a small world” truly applies here!

Using genealogy research is a wonderful way to capture/preserve our shared Italian roots and help pass family history to the next generation. The saying “Never forget your roots” is a theme that resonates with us at CIAO Columbus.