Some of the Services the Society Can Provide

All genealogy and heraldry research and related services are conducted by Flavio Andreatta, Genealogist, Italian Genealogy and Heraldry Society of Canada. Flavio is a leading world expert in Italian genealogy, heraldry and family history research. Flavio is also a retired Canadian immigration officer and has won many awards of merit for his years of service to the government and people of Canada. Please feel free to contact the President, Tim Sellan, at or 226.975.1469 about how he can help you with your Italian family history research.

Society Research Library

The Italian Genealogy and Heraldry Society of Canada has the largest library of Italian genealogy and heraldry research materials in the world outside of Italy. Most of these materials are written in Italian, old Italian, and Latin. Although members are allowed to access the information in this library, Flavio Andreatta’s expertise and guidance is necessary to ensure proper use of such a rare and valuable resource.


Genealogy is about facts such as names, dates of birth or death, places and events such as marriages. It is the recorded data that proves who we are related to. Obtaining accurate information and interpreting it properly is often a challenge. Flavio Andreatta and our Society members can be a vital source of information and assistance. The Society can help you begin researching your family tree and provide needed guidance and assistance along the way.

With Flavio’s expertise, our research library, and partners in Italy, we can help you get the information you are looking for. Form letters are available, written in Italian, requesting information on various topics from Italian sources including government agencies, libraries, institutions, etc. These letters have a proven track record of receiving the desired information requested and are easy to use. No experience or understanding of Italian is needed.

We can provide you with direction, as well as addresses, on where to write for this information in your research area in Italy. Assistance in translations in Italian or English for letters and documents is available upon request. We will accept, maintain and catalogue your genealogy information, coats-of-arms, family histories, photographs, maps, and memorabilia in an safe environment. The information will be used to help others researching the same families and, of course, vice-versa.

Family Histories

While genealogy deals with facts, family history is about the lives of your ancestors, specifically how they lived. What were your ancestors lives like? How did they live? How where their lives shaped by factors such as war, famine, migrations, and geography? This is where your family history comes alive. It is through understanding of the lives of your ancestors that you can truly begin to understand who you are today. Let us help you discover your family history. You never know what you will find!

Origin of Surnames

Closely associated to your family genealogy and family history is the origin of your Italian family surname. Genealogy can also be done by starting with the origin of your surname and move forward to the present. Knowing the origin of your family surname can enhance your family history and help with genealogy research.

Heraldry / Coats-of-arms

Coats-of-arms are a type of identification of an individual. Not everyone has a coat-of-arms, but many do. There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet and elsewhere about coats-of-arms. Only the Italian Genealogy and Heraldry Society of Canada and a few of our partner organizations in Italy should be trusted regarding coats-of-arms information. If your family has an Italian coat-of-arms, we probably have a record of it in our library. We can take the description of your family coat-of-arms (called a “blazon”) and have a professional heraldic artist in Italy faithfully reproduce it according to the official rules of heraldry. This guarantees that your coat-of-arms is authentic. You can even have a new official coat-of-arms created and registered by our Society.

Lectures and Meetings

Our Society has general meetings and lectures on the second Tuesday of the month at the Fogolar Furlan Club of Windsor at 7:00 p.m. Lectures can be on a variety of topics including genealogy, heraldry, history, names, surnames, nobility, language, geography and ethnicity in Italy. Lectures can also be provided to organizations given one month’s notice.


Every fall the Society holds a fundraising dinner. Besides a delicious dinner, we have wonderful displays of family histories and Italian culture. There is also a silent auction of various valuable and rare Italian cultural items to raise funds for the society.


Interested in exploring your Italian family history? Contact Tim Sellan at and ask to come to one of our meetings. Membership is $50 per year and covers meetings, general inquiries and basic services. Additional research services are provided at additional cost. A tax deductible charity receipt will be provided for all donations.

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