The Ancestors Portal was born, in line with other portals dedicated to genealogical research and family history, promoted in many countries, from the desire to make available online the enormous documentary heritage of personal and genealogical interest – in particular, civil status records, draft lists and matriculation roles – preserved in the Italian State Archives, essential for conducting research on family and individual history, but also of great interest for historical, genealogical, demographic research and social Sciences.

The digitization and publication in the Ancestors Portal of this extensive documentation is made possible by the agreement signed in June 2011 and being renewed between the Directorate General for Archives of the Ministry of Culture and Family Search, Genealogical Society of Utah.
Under the agreement, in collaboration with the individual State Archives, Family Search digitizes the civil status registers and draft lists.

The Ancestors Portal has two main purposes:

• allow the user to consult free of charge the digital reproductions of the civil status registers, military service lists, matriculation roles and other documents of a genealogical and personal nature, kept in the individual Italian State Archives, and also, where available, the databases of names cited in the registers, via functions Search by name and Search registries;
• provide ample information on the documentation useful for genealogical research, personal data, the history of families and individuals, but also for demography and social history, kept in the Italian State Archives (marital status, draft lists, matriculation roles, etc. ), as well as on nominative databases, taken from this documentation, which can be consulted online or in the study rooms of the individual State Archives, thanks to the Explore the Archives .