How would I find information on my husbands family when I have no information?

Question

My husbands family came from Northern Italy, maybe Lombarde. They came through Ellis Island. They changed their name from Martini to Martin. My father-in-law will not help me. I have been searching but have not had luck. Martin is a common name. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

What time period did they come to North America?

Have you tried using ellisisland.org to search for Martins and Martinis to narrow down possible families? Does your husband have anyone else in his family he could ask, like an aunt?

Was your father-in-law born in the US? Is it possible he or one of his older siblings might appear in the 1940 census? How about his parents?

Answer 1

I would start with Ellis Island records, and records where he settled. Look for naturalization records as well, some of the declarations list parents, birthdate and place, etc.....  Look for his siblings, if known, what family members arrived with him, who was person at destination he was heading to.