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Catching the Waves: Italian Transatlantic Migrations to

the U.S

Join us for a FREE virtual program on June 9 at 2:30 p.m. ET!

Prior to the Unification of Italy (1861 to ca. 1870), fewer than 50,000 emigrants braved the transatlantic journey to the U.S. Between the 1880s and the early 1920s, nearly 4 million Italian and Sicilian emigrants crossed the Atlantic in search of employment or to reunite with family members. While New York remains the iconic gateway, newcomers also entered through other ports, including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and, in smaller numbers, Gulf ports such as Galveston. Their journeys were shaped by networks of merchant and steamship companies and their agents, chain migration, labor demands, padrone, and next steps to their final destinations.

Discover how your Italian ancestors booked passage from Naples, Genoa, Palermo, Messina, and other Western European ports, what they experienced in steerage, and how passenger lists can reveal far more than a date of departure and entry. By comparing major and lesser-used ports, researchers can better understand why an ancestor was not processed at Castle Garden or Ellis Island in New York—and how ship manifests, immigration and naturalization records, railroad routes, newspapers, and other local records can help reconstruct their migration story from comune to final destination and their next steps.

Pamela Vittorio (MA, PLCGS) is a professional genealogist, historian, and associate professor at the New School University, NYC. She received a Genealogical Research Certificate from Boston University and a Professional Learning Certificate (PLCGS) from the Institute of International Genealogical Studies, where she is Director of Italian Studies. Pamela is the Vice President of Programming for the Italian Genealogical Group (IGG). In 2025, she was a resident scholar at the New York State Archives conducting ongoing research with Erie Canal records. Pamela is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, NE-APG, Canada-APG, and a mentor for NGS Advanced Genealogical courses. She conducts research in French, Italian, and many other languages, and also works with artifacts, DNA, and less known, underutilized archival records. Pamela enjoys writing narratives and histories of African American, Alsatian, Canadian, English, German, Irish, Italian, Scottish, and Swiss families, with special focus on individuals who worked in the transportation and communication industries.