Page 13: CHAPTER IV • MAMA AND DAD 1899-1905
My parents married in London in the latter part of 1899. When Johnnie was about a year old, toward the end of 1901, despite my mother’s family’s objections my parents moved to Italy, to the paternal home in Castelmezzano.
This was a terrible letdown for dear Mama – leaving London, then the largest city in the world, to go to a tiny and strange community. The five mile ride from the railroad station, on the back of a donkey with Johnnie in her arms, was an experience she never forgot.
On arrival in town, with aching sores on her bottom, well-dressed and wearing a pretty bonnet, she was greeted by Dad’s grandmother, Celestina Casella, who promptly removed Mother’s bonnet, stamping on it and yelling to my father in Italian, “Where did you pick up this whore?” This was a typical example of prejudice, malice and ignorance.
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Photo taken in London before departure. Dad and Mama with Johnnie.
Mama’s experiences with the language barrier, combined with lack of proper facilities and shops, created unaccustomed problems, which in time she had to patiently learn to overcome. Soon after their arrival, to ease some of the problems, Dad converted one of the rooms to a fairly stocked grocery store, the first one in town. He did quite well with it, and also by tutoring students in foreign languages. Nevertheless, my parents were unhappy with the ground floor living quarters, which were indeed very crude and uncomfortable.
Dad requested permission to move up to the second floor, and asked for financial help from his brothers for the coast of improvements.
Upon receiving the okay and the funds, he immediately proceeded to make the necessary improvements to the rooms, and moved. At the same time he completed erecting the stone retaining walls and the stairway to the main entrance of the second floor.
Page 14: Meanwhile the family had increased. The first girl, Caroline 1, died at birth. Charles was born in 1903, and Joseph in 1905.
In 1905 Uncle Charles made an unexpected visit to town. His main purpose was to verify that their funds had been properly used. Evidently he must have been satisfied. Shortly after he left he shipped in a large wood-burning stove, complete with oven and hot water storage, which was installed where the old fireplace had been.
On his return to the U.S. Uncle Charles, and Joseph, convinced Grandma and the other members of the family to let Saverio have the use of the entire house. It was then that Dad completed the unfinished interior work on the third floor, which he rented, creating a little extra income. Eventually he erected the remaining retaining walls, surrounding the large garden.
BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THE OLDER CHILDREN
In the early, struggling period in Castelmezzano, before many improvements were made, as the older boys John, Charles and Joseph were growing up, Papa decided despite Mother’s reluctance to initiate preliminary plans for a brighter future for them, in America. Therefore, brother John came to New York in 1910, with a friend of the family.
Our grandmother Carolina and the unmarried members of her family visited Castelmezzano in 1912. Brothers Charles and Joseph escorted her. The photo was taken prior to Grandmother’s visit.
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Left to right – Carolina, Joe, a servant girl, Mama holding Celestina, Charles, Michael. 1912
Next: MYSELF, SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN ITALY & THE BOYS IN AMERICA
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