Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Discovering Your Italian Heritage
When asked what they remember most about their upbringing, most Italian-Americans will talk about food, family, and community. Family members lived in close proximity to each other and were an important part of each other's lives. You had Sunday dinner at Nonno (Grandpa) and Nonna's (Grandma's) house every week — if they didn't live with you already. If you got in trouble at school, your cousin Giovanni had already told your mother by the time you got home. You learned to respect your parents and grandparents and took care of them in their old age. Dinner conversation was lively and accompanied by shoving and teasing from your siblings and cousins. Your nonno took great pleasure in secretly giving you more almond cookies than your mother would allow.
Italian customs and holidays often evolved so they were part Italian, part American. A turkey may have appeared on the Christmas table, but so did your nonna's octopus pasta with gravy (spaghetti sauce), Zia (Aunt) Lucia's panella (a type of fried polenta), pannetoni (a sweet bread), and the chicken your zio (uncle) Batta brought to the back door of your grandparents' home a few hours before the meal. Maybe you celebrated the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a Christmas Eve tradition brought over from the old country. Or perhaps your ancestors crossed themselves repeatedly to ward off the malocchio (the evil eye), a superstition that a jealous or envious look from another person could cause physical harm.
All of this is part of Italian-American history, tradition, and culture. The sense of family and tradition is what we hope to keep alive for our children and grandchildren.
Our Italian ancestors often sacrificed a lot to immigrate to the United States, leaving behind their families and a life they would always miss. They (like my great-grandfather, Antonino Lo Schiavo in image A) worked hard, focused on their families, pressed onward when life presented difficulties, and made a better life for themselves and their descendants. All of this should make us proud of where we come from and truly grateful to those who came before.
This guide is designed to help you honor and celebrate your ancestors' legacy. While this book is not exhaustive, it will cover key resources and information you need to research your Italian ancestors. Through your research, you will learn more about Italian history, genealogy, and your cultural legacy than you ever believed possible. By the end of this book, I believe your Italian blood will be 'singing in your veins.'
In this chapter, we'll discuss some of the important facets of Italian- American culture, plus the major immigration trends you can expect to see.
Andiamo! (Let's go! Let's get started!)
ITALIAN IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
Italian immigrants have always been part of the United States' ethnic makeup, but Italians didn't arrive in large numbers until the 1850s. The earliest immigrants were often artisans or laborers recruited by US railroads, mining companies, and other large manufacturers for a certain job as the western part of the United States was settled. Most of these emigrants came from northern areas of Italy, and they sought opportunities to open businesses and own land in the United States and Latin American countries.
The major wave of Italian immigration to the United States occurred between 1880 and 1924, when the United States accepted nearly four million immigrants from Italy. Most came in through the ports of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, although you will find significant Italian immigration into other US ports, such as Baltimore and Los Angeles. Many of these immigrants settled in large cities, where jobs were plentiful and living conditions, less costly, particularly after 1890. Others intimidated by the hustle and bustle of city life moved to outlying towns after a few years of city living. Some were even bound for jobs in Montana or California, depending on where other immigrants from their town or province had already settled.
Most Italian emigrants from 1880 to 1910 were driven from their homeland by poverty and lack of jobs. Changes in property and inheritance laws and the entrenched feudalism in many areas of the country prompted the lower classes to emigrate. With no possibilities of getting a job, they had to find a way to put food on the table and provide for their families.
Some countries (like Argentina) needed settlers to colonize the vast amount of unsettled land and sent representatives to Italy to recruit immigrants with the promise of free land, an attractive offer considering nearly 80 percent of nineteenth-century Italians worked in the agricultural industry. The ability to own land — especially enough to support your family — was a key factor in many immigrants' decision to leave their home country.
Some Italian immigrants intended their stays to be temporary, either for a season or for a particular job. Their plans were then to return to Italy, often with enough money to support their families and perhaps buy a little plot of land. These men were called 'birds of passage,' many going back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean several times over the years.
While most left the homeland for economic reasons, other Italians emigrated to avoid mandatory military conscription. Those from the southern areas of the mainland and Sicilia (Sicily), especially, felt little loyalty to the national government, which continued some of the same policies after Italian Unification (see chapter 4) that had kept the working class in poverty for many years.
Prior to 1880, more immigrants came from the northern provinces, usually emigrating through the ports of Genoa, Italy, or Le Havre, France (image B), but the bulk of Italian immigrants were southern Italians seeking economic opportunities. After 1880, most Italian immigrants came from southern Italy and Sicilia (historically the poorest regions of modern Italy), emigrating from the port of Napoli. In fact, statistics show that eighty percent of the United States' total Italian immigration came from southern Italy and Sicilia.
At the time, US lawmakers were concerned that immigrants, Italian or otherwise, would become public charges immediately upon entering the United States. As a result, they crafted immigration law that attempted to ensure Italian immigrants were financially soluble. Immigrants were required to state the amount of money in their possession, the name of the person they were going to stay with, and where that person resided. Each immigrant also needed a sponsor, someone willing to support them financially until they were able to find jobs and support themselves. This was often a family member, be it a sibling or distant cousin. This helped ensure the immigrant had sufficient financial means or support.
Immigrants also received a thorough physical at their port of entry, and those who didn't pass because of a physical ailment were sent back on the next ship heading to Italy. Others were detained until the ailment had abated. Records of those detained can be found amongst the immigration manifests, usually at the end of each ship's passenger list.
The immigrants' life experiences and where in Italy they originated influenced their decisions about how to live in the new country. According to historian Edward C. Stibili in a 1987 article for the U.S. Catholic Historian:
The culture of the southern Italian peasant has been described by scholars as characterized by religious syncretism, campanilismo (village-mindedness), and amoral familialism ... Loyalty to the paese (country) and local saints were overshadowed by loyalty to the peasant's immediate family. The family gave the individual both status and a measure of security.
It wasn't until 1869 that Italy began to record the numbers of emigrating Italians. Initially, most were headed for temporary employment in other parts of Europe and South America, where they did not intend to settle permanently. (See the International Italian Immigration sidebar for more.) Their focus shifted to the United States around 1880. J.T. Senner wrote in an 1896 article for the North American Review:
As long as the migration to and from was entirely unrestricted [by the Italian government], Italians in large numbers were in the habit of crossing and recrossing the ocean, some as many as ten times, as so called 'birds of passage' and taking out of the United States, or other countries of [North] America, the gains which their standard of living, far below that of an American wage earner, made it easy for them to accumulate.
Initially, living conditions for immigrants were poor, but they quickly improved so much that they exceeded what the immigrant had left behind. Italian immigrants often lived quite modestly during the first few years, as they saved enough money to support their families back home or for purchasing tickets so the rest of their family could join them in America. Even some immigrants who didn't originally intend to stay in the Americas wound up sending for family members to permanently join them. According to Senner:
Quite a large proportion of those who originally came to the United States with no intention of acquiring residence, found the country so advantageous and congenial to them that they changed their minds, sent for their families, and settled permanently within the United States, acquiring, in time, rights of citizenship.
Unlike records from some European ports, Italian emigration resources (except for passenger lists, which came with immigrants and are held at American repositories) were largely destroyed. Italian officials felt they had no historical value, and thus the passenger lists, passports (or documents needed to get them), and ship passenger tickets found in a family's possession are the only likely source of emigration information on an Italian ancestor. We'll talk more about these resources in chapter 2.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN LIFE: LA FAMIGLIA (THE FAMILY)
For Italians and those of Italian descent, la famiglia, or 'the family,' has always been the most important social unit, putting focus on family, church, and community. Immigration to other countries was often the only means of providing for and protecting their families when jobs and opportunities were lacking. Starvation was a reality in the lives of many Italians prior to emigration, and it was a powerful motivator when it came time to decide whether or not to emigrate. They made great sacrifices so we could have the lives we enjoy now. America, after all, is the land of opportunity, and a gift we often take for granted.
While some Italian immigrants knew they were immigrating permanently, others intended their time in America to be temporary. These immigrants were called 'birds of passage,' hard-working Italians who immigrated with the season or for a particular job and intended to return home to Italy. They moved back and forth between countries with the seasons, as new opportunities arose, or as more money was needed to support their families, buy land, pay taxes, etc.
Similarly, many immigrants practiced chain migration, a system of sponsorship amongst family and friends. The father of a family usually came first, followed by an eldest son and (eventually) the rest of the family. However, if an immigration was intended to be temporary, the father and eldest son might immigrate at the same time, enabling them to save double the money.
Some immigrants eventually became disillusioned with America. In his book La Merica (Temple University, 2003), Michael La Sorte writes:
Disillusionment could come in a variety of forms. Many Italians demanded more of America than America was willing or able to give. Men came to America under the impression that they would be employed in a job of their own choosing the day they landed. Farmers who sought to manage a farm were informed that Italian farm managers simply did not exist. Those with training from technical schools in Italy did not find jobs commensurate with their talents. Others had great difficulty making the necessary adjustments to American culture.
However, despite the difficulties, what immigrants found in the New World was usually far better then what they left behind in the old country. Those who chose to settle permanently in the United States worked hard to create lives for themselves (image C).
In many Italian immigrant families, it was common for couples to speak Italian (or their local dialect) amongst themselves at home but to insist their American-born children speak and learn only English. This was their way of ensuring that their American-born children would have as many advantages as possible, many of which were not possible for the average person in Italy.
Extended family members settled close to each other or remained close despite their town of residence within the United States. Cousins of all levels (first, second, third) knew each other and grew up knowing they had an extended family unit to rely on when things got tough. Reliance on public charity was considered disgraceful unless there were absolutely no family members left to depend on.
Fraternal organizations dedicated to helping Italian-Americans begin their lives in the United States began to appear in the mid- to late nineteenth century. Membership dues supported these organizations, which provided help to new immigrants and served as a connection to their homeland. Many Italian immigrants purchased life insurance policies through their fraternal organizations, as an assurance that their families would receive some sort of financial assistance were they to pass away. The Order Sons of Italy in America and the Sons of Columbus were two such organizations. However, smaller groups more specific to an Italian region or town also existed. For example, a Sicilian living in Pittsburgh in the early twentieth century could join the Unione Frattelanza Siciliana, or the Fraternal Sicilian Union, through which they enjoyed many benefits and could socialize with those from their area of the country.
Many of our ancestors married someone from the same town or region, even after immigrating to the United States (image D). This concept, known as campanilismo (or regionalism), was common because of the prevalent opinion that the bride's and groom's families should be well acquainted with one another. This practice served to strengthen family ties by expanding that all- important family unit who supported you in times of trouble.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
• Learn the basics of Italian-American immigration. Knowing the broader cultural context surrounding your ancestor's decision to leave the country — and researching the immigrant experience — can inform and enrich your family stories, plus give you a greater appreciation for the hardships your ancestors experienced.
• Consider searching for your immigrant ancestor in other countries that were popular destinations for Italian emigrants. Many emigrants who ended up in the United States first came through countries such as Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, chasing job opportunities.
• Find clues to your Italian ancestry by asking questions about their everyday lives here in the United States. What foods did they eat? Did several generations live together? What Italian traditions did your family celebrate?
• Research their lives after they arrived in the United States. What challenges did they face? Did they belong to a fraternal organization? Did they go back and forth to Italy several times before settling permanently in the United States?
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Melanie D. Holtz.
Excerpted by permission of F+W Media, Inc..
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