Eventually, traveling back to Italy, my Nonno (grandfather) married my Nonna (grandmother; Teresa Mostrioni). Having a prearranged marriage in Italy was a common occurrence, and that is how my grandparents were married. It was a marriage arranged by the families, a commitment made by the parents when Nonna and Nonno were children.
Nonno remained in Italy for a few years and then decided to immigrate again to America. He traveled alone and left Nonna back in Italy. He would send for her once established. This time he became a naturalized citizen, giving up his Italian citizenship.
My Nonno finally sent for my Nonna in the mid-1930s. She came through Ellis Island in New York City like the millions of immigrants before her. I can recall my Nonna telling me that while she was sailing to America, she connected with a neighbor from her hometown of Conflenti, Italy. They separated at Ellis Island, and Nonna never thought she would see her friend again. Imagine her surprise when she found her several years later when Nonna and Nonno moved to Dearborn, Michigan. They became neighbors again in their new hometown. Nonna rarely spoke of the venture to America. Still, there was a lilt in her voice to finally be with her husband and begin the adventure of her lifetime.
My grandparents, once reunited in America, took the train to Mansfield, Ohio, settled there, and began raising a family. Nonno worked for a coal distributor (considered menial work for immigrants). Word spread through informal immigrant networks that many Italians from Conflenti had settled in Michigan and worked for Ford Motor Company. The opportunity was there for work and social connection. They moved to the Italian ethnic enclave of Salina just outside of Dearborn, Michigan.
My Nonno established a position with Ford Motor Company as a coal hauler and eventually got promoted to an assembly line worker. The Ford Motor company relied heavily on migrant workers and paid them less than non-immigrants.
Like many ethnic enclaves, Salina was considered 'seedy' with overcrowded conditions, discrimination, higher crime rates, and substandard housing. My Nonna took odd jobs doing laundry and any other work she could find and never told her husband. She stashed away the money for a rainy day.
Then one day, my Nonna said it was time to move. She showed my Nonno the cash she had hidden over the past years. Nonna dreamed of moving up in the world by moving to Dearborn to a bigger home and being closer to many Italian friends who followed the same upward mobility. I still am amazed by Nonna's perseverance and fortitude to accomplish what she did.
As time went on, there were financial struggles due to the Great Depression, yet they were determined to start their family. My first Aunt was born in an actual hospital in 1939, a first for the family. It was a difficult labor and birth, and the doctors told Nonna that it would be detrimental to her health to have more children. How wrong they were.
During their time in Salinas, Nonna gave birth to my other two aunts at home with the help of a midwife. The family was growing. By 1944, the family grew more with three additional children, including my mother, who was born at home. The last child was my late Uncle Victor, born in 1945. He was named Victor for the 'Victory' of the Allied Forces in World War II. The love of family, home, community, and the country was strong.
Everything was going so well, and it was the quintessential American Dream with what appeared to be a happy ending. Then one day, a crisis came that rocked the family and forever changed them.
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Join us next week for Part 3 - Of Generations and Heritage - Fede, Famiglia, Amici, Cibo
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