Joel Conte Genealogy

06/30/2026

Celebrate 250 years of America with the Italians who discovered it.

Cristoforo Colombo was born in Genoa in 1451. His 1492 voyage across the Atlantic opened sustained contact between Europe and the Americas and changed the course of human history forever.

Giovanni Caboto called Venice home. Sailing under the English flag in 1497, he reached the shores of North America and laid the groundwork for English colonization of the continent we now call home.

Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence in 1454. His voyages to the New World made him the first to recognize that the lands Columbus had reached were not Asia but an entirely new continent. The world named it after him.

Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in Tuscany around 1485. In 1524 he mapped the Atlantic coastline of North America and sailed into the harbor that would one day become New York, the gateway to the American dream for millions.

NIAF is a proud Supporting Partner of America250, honoring the Italian explorers whose curiosity, courage, and vision made the American story possible.

10/31/2025

06/23/2025

Southern Italians should be able to check a box for Mediterranean. Olives matter 🫒

05/15/2025

Ancestry Discovers Pope Leo XIV’s Sicilian Roots

Genealogists at Ancestry uncovered compelling documents that trace the paternal line of Robert Prevost, now known to the world as Pope Leo XIV.

The pope’s paternal grandfather was born Salvatore Giovanni Gaetano Riggitano in 1876 in Milazzo, in the province of Messina, island of Sicily, Italy. His grandfather later took the French surname “Prevost” which was the maiden name of his wife’s (Suzanne Fontaine) mother, Jeanne Eugenie Prevost.

A real American story made possible by immigrants. Not the typical American story that first comes to mind with "The First American Pope", but relevant and significant nonetheless.

Learn more about some of the interesting discoveries Ancestry genealogists discovered about Pope Leo XIV's family history.

05/15/2025

Genealogist discovered Pope Leo XIV's maternal family (Martinez) descended from Black Creole roots, settled in New Orleans, and migrated to Chicago. A real American story, but not the typical American story from the history books.

"Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born man who became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, has Black family roots in New Orleans, Louisiana, records show.

ABC News has obtained several records, including U.S. Census records from the early 1900s, demonstrating that the first American pope's family tree reflects the complex racial history of this country.

Both of Leo XIV's maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, are described as Black or mulatto in several census documents."

Pope Leo XIV's family tree reflects America's complex racial history, according to records obtained by ABC News.

04/24/2025

Google: "From Tree to Roots book". When I tried this, my book appeared next to "Roots" by Alex Haley. It is such an honor to be near the shady tree of giants. 🌳 Get your copy today! 📘 https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Roots-Heritage-Travel-Guide/dp/B0F1YPTDFZ/

04/04/2025

04/03/2025

My new and book to , "From Tree to Roots" is free this week on Amazon until April 6th. Get the ebook on Amazon Kindle. I'm trying to get the first 50 reviews. 📚 Give the book a look 👀 and leave a review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ , please, and thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Roots-Heritage-Travel-Guide/dp/B0F1YPTDFZ/

While prices are going up everywhere, this promotional price is FREE this week only. 50 reviews will help Amazon KDP promote the book to more online shoppers. Thank you for your support.