By 1920, almost nine million Italians had migrated from Italy to other countries, including the United States.[i] As these migrants began to establish themselves in their new countries, family networks became even more imperative for Italians. Dominic Capraletti, a member of Italy’s proletarian diaspora, migrated to New York City in April 1905.

Dominic Capraletti was born on November 7, 1883 in Montepagono, Italy. This young 22 year old came to the U.S. in search of economic opportunities. Capraletti began his search soon after he arrived in the country, and by 1910 he lived at 822 N Columbus Street in Alexandria Virginia.[ii] Here he lived with his wife, Sophia, who was also an Italian immigrant. Based on the 1920 U.S. Census, Dominic and Sophia had three children: Lucio, Anthony, and Marie. At that time, Dominic was employed by Fruit Grower Express as a car repairman.[iii]

Capraletti’s success in America drew other Italian immigrants. In 1930, Capraletti’s cousin Ernest migrated from Italy.[iv] The Capraletti’s had built a network of support for their extended family to come and join them in America. Ernest moved in with Dominic and his family and followed in his cousin’s footsteps. While living with Dominic, Ernest could search for a job, family, and household to discover similar opportunities as his cousin.

By 1940, Ernest has moved out of the Capraletti’s and into his own house. By 1942, Dominic was drafted to fight for the United States, although it is unclear where he actually did.[v] Dominic passed away at the age of 85 in 1966.[vi] He was survived by his wife Sophia and four children.

[i] Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (Routledge: 2003), 117.

[ii] 1910 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Viriginia, Enumerated District (ED) 5, Sheet no. 12 B, Dominic Capraletti in household of Dominic Capraletti, lines 33-37, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[iii] 1920 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Viriginia, Enumerated District (ED) 819-839, Sheet no. 23B, Dominic Capraletti in household of Dominic Capraletti, lines 60-75, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[iv] 1930 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Viriginia, Enumerated District (ED) 0007, Sheet no. 9A, Dominic Capraletti in household of Dominic Capraletti, lines 22-27, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[v] U.S. Military Draft Registration Card, 1942, “Dominic Capraletti,” accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[vi] Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

 

 

.

The Fruit Growers Express was a company formed in 1920 after the “federal government ordered Armour and Company to sell its fruit-shipping subsidiary following an antitrust decision.” [1] Because the city of Alexandria had the Potomac River and different railroad systems, it was a hotspot for transportation, leading to the success of the FGE company. Located originally at the Potomac Freight Yard, the company then moved to the Cameron Freight Yard, near Telegraph Road and Duke Street because more space was needed due to expansion. [2] According to Alexandria’s local government’s website, at the company’s peak in the 1920s, “FGE could produce as many as 1,000 refrigerated cars a year.” [3] 

 

 Potomac Freight Yard in 1916, Image from the Library of Congress

Examining the 1940 U.S. Census for Alexandria, many Italian immigrants worked for the FGE company, but also included were immigrants from Germany and Scotland.[4] Italian immigrants working for FGE can be found in Wards 3 and 6 of the 1940 U.S. Census.[5] Seven of the nine Italian immigrants working for FGE (78%) 23re car repairers, while there was 1 carpenter; another Italian immigrant listed his occupation as a fruit grower (11%).[6]

1940 U.S. Census, John Guiseppi was a car repairer for FGE

In Donna R. Gabaccia’s Italy’s Many Diasporas, she wrote of the Italian immigrants did not have much money or education, and were laborers when they immigrated to America, especially between 1870 and 1940.[7] A car repairer or carpenter were potentially lower-level jobs, but not necessarily in the railroad industry. They required skills, and were well paying.  John Guiseppe’s wages, for example, was $1200.[8] Frank Attilis, who was also a car repairer for FGE, had a salary received at $1300, not much more than Guiseppe.[9]

1940 City Directory

Immigrating to Alexandria allowed for many opportunities for skilled jobs due to the railroads. Many of the Italians who worked for the Fruit Growers Express, allowing them to provide for their families (both in the U.S. and abroad) and potentially future Italian immigrants.

[1] Alexandria Times, “Fruit Growers Express,” Alexandria Times (2009). https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/historic/info/attic/2009/Attic20090416FGE.pdf

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] 1940. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[5] 1940. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Donna Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (Routledge: New York, 2000).

[8] 1940. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[9] 1940. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries could be looked at as a time of great migration. Around 150 million people left their homes in search for, what Italians called, “work and bread.”[1] Phillip “Felix” Pulzone was one of the 150 million included in this statistic. He was born in Italy on December 1, 1881. When he was 30 years old, he and his wife, Maria, immigrated to the United States and settled in Alexandria, Virginia.[2]

It is unclear whether or not Pulzone and his family had the intention on staying in the United States or not, especially due to the fact that by 1920, after nine years of living in the U.S., he did not speak English and was not naturalized.[3] While in Virginia, he lived at 816 Columbus Street in Alexandria with his family and two additional boarders, and he worked as a car repairman for a railroad company.[4]

Like other immigrants, he registered for the World War I draft in Alexandria. All eligible men, regardless of citizenship, were required to register.  What is interesting here is that his draft card–unlike the 1920 U.S. Census–notes that he does speak English.  

(Felix Pulzone’s registration for the draft card, 1918. Photo courtesy of Ancestry)

Pulzone died on September 29, 1933 in Byberry, Pennsylvania, while his family still lived in Alexandria. His cause of death, interestingly enough, was “general paralysis of the insane.” Upon further review, I found that there was a mental institution in Byberry where he must have died. Unfortunately, there is not much information on the life of Pulzone leading up to his death. This could be due to the fact of his mental illness.

(Death certificate of Felix Pulzone. Photo courtesy of Ancestry)

Pulzone was one of many workers of the world, who brought his family over from Italy in hopes of financial gain, maybe to return home one day. However, his wife and children lived in the same house in Alexandria seven years after his death[5], so it is most likely the Pulzone family came to the United States to stay..

[1]: Donna Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (London: UCL Press, 2000), 60.

[2]: 1920 United States Federal Census, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com.

[3]: Ibid.

[4]: Ibid.

[5]: 1940 United States Federal Census, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com.

According to Donna Gabaccia, in her book Italy’s Many Diasporas, Italian migration happened in waves and there were different motivations for emigrating that depended on social status, political climate, and economics. One of the waves Gabaccia describes as the “Workers of the World” included mostly young men, often single, who left Italy for work.[i] These Italians immigrated to America to find jobs, make money, and return to Italy. When looking at Italian immigrants living in Alexandria from the 1920 U.S. Census, I was most interested in these “workers of the world,” and yet, their position as such made them difficult to find them. Twelve Italian immigrants, eight of whom were single men, boarded together on 23 B North Columbus Street.[ii] Given that they were not establishing a home nor a family, these men were likely not planning on staying in the United States. When I tried to research the individual men, I could not find record of them beyond the census (although there could have been alternative spellings of their names). For example, Vincent Till, a 35 year old fireman working at the Acid Plant, or his brother, Frank Till, working the same job, are unable to be tracked in any birth, death, or marriage certificates nor any travel or immigration documents on Ancestry.com.[iii] Vincent Till and Frank Till are not an anomaly, the same thing happened when I searched for Anthony Capalai, a 21 year old carpenter, and Joseph Cappolett, a 24 year old truck driver.[iv]

As you can see in Figure 1, the location of this apartment on 23 North Columbus Street is just a couple blocks from the water. Many of these lodgers were likely working in the port on the Potomac River. This gives more evidence to the idea that people like the Tills, Capalai, and the Cappolett were here exclusively for work, even if that meant squeezing into an apartment that was close to work just to save money and prevent any extra costs. 

Figure 1 (Courtesy of Google Maps)

The Tills’ occupation as firemen at the acid plant does not seem like an ideal job. I found dozens of articles in the Washington Post describing fires at the acid plant throughout the early 1900’s. Figure 2 is a clip from the Washington Post on August 18, 1900 that announces a fire at the acid plant that started in the engine room.[v] Although this is before the Tills worked there, it seems that they knew it was a dangerous occupation when they entered it. Figure 3 shows another clip from the Washington Post on July 6, 1925 that describes a similar fire at the acid plant, now renamed, that was caused by lightning.[vi] This means there were fires before the Tills, and after them, and likely while they were there hence their position as fireman. The Tills, like most Italian working immigrants from 1870 to 1914, landed an occupation that required minimal skill. It was a seemingly dangerous occupation.

Figure 2

“Alexandria News in Brief,” The Washington Post, Aug 19, 1900. Accessed October 10^th, 2016, ProQuest.

Figure 3

“140,000 Blaze Demolishes Big Alexandria Plant.” The Washington Post, July 6, 1925. Accessed October 10^th, 2016. ProQuest.

Although there is not enough information available to truly understand the lives of these men, the limitations of the data available speaks volumes. If they had chosen to stay in America, establish families, continue to work, there would likely be record of such, although changes in spellings make it difficult to track them. This fact, combined with poor and dangerous working and living conditions, explains why these “workers of the world” likely migrated to other countries for better work and or returned home to Italy.

[i] Donna Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (Routledge: New York, 2000).

[ii] 1920. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria,Virginia, digital image, accessed October 9, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[iii] 1920. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria,Virginia, Frank Till, line 69, digital image, accessed October 9, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[iv] 1920. U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria,Virginia, digital image, accessed October 9, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[v] “Alexandria News in Brief.” The Washington Post, Aug 19, 1900. Accessed October 10th, 2016, ProQuest. http://ezproxy.umw.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/144205032?accountid=12299.

[vi] “140,000 Blaze Demolishes Big Alexandria Plant.” The Washington Post, July 6, 1925. Accessed October 10th, 2016. ProQuest.

In 1920, the Rhecche family appeared on the U.S. Census for Alexandria, Virginia.[1] Thomas Louis, the head of the household, was around thirty years old and an Italian immigrant. [2] His wife, Annie Mae, née Roberts, was roughly thirteen years younger than him at the age of eighteen.[3] At the time, they were renting their home, which doubled as the location of their shoemaking business, with another Italian immigrant, Bujano Gomdanico, and their two toddlers, Rosalie and Thomas Joseph, ages two and three respectively.[4] There are some discrepancies between the birthplace and parentage of Thomas Louis’ wife and children on this census; however, other records clarify that they are all born in Virginia, and Annie Mae’s parents were not Italian immigrants.[5]

The Rhecche family had undergone some fascinating changes from 1920 to 1940. First, they had purchased a home, where they still hosted their shoemaking business, at 1118 King Street just a few blocks away from where they rented in 1920.[6] Around 1926, Thomas and Annie had their third child, Mary E. Rhecche.[7] Additionally, the Rhecches no longer had a renter, but their eldest daughter had married a man from West Virginia, Thurlow L. Wilson.[8] Though there was no income listed on the 1940 U.S. Census for the Rhecche family,  their home’s value was listed as $3,400.[9]

In many ways, Thomas Louis Rhecche was quite different from other Italian immigrants. First, his was an artisan, and owned his own business as a shoemaker.[10] Second, he lived in Ward 4, where few other Italians lived (most were clustered in Ward 3).[11] Third, he had married an American and not a fellow Italian immigrant or the daughter of Italian immigrants.[12] Finally, he pursued naturalized citizenship.[13]

Despite not being a citizen in 1920, Thomas Louis’ World War I draft card shows that he had already pledged his allegiance to the U.S. When answering his country of affiliation, he penned in “U.S.A.”[14] Under the section questioning his citizenship status, Thomas Louis’ handwriting is slightly illegible; however, it appears to read that he had filed for naturalization.[15] This is interesting because the date of registration was June 5, 1917, three years before the census in which he was still not naturalized.[16] It is possible that this delay could have occurred because of the war or that, like today, the process was rigorous and time consuming. It is also worth noting that despite filing out draft cards for both World War I and World War II, Thomas Louis participated in neither. On the World War I draft card, he requested a draft exemption due to his position as the sole financial supporter of his wife and child.[17] Thomas Louis’ World War II draft registration fell into the category of the “Fourth Registration,” which was also known as the “old man’s registration” for its recruitment of men between the ages of forty-five and sixty-four.[18] Interestingly, the two draft cards claim two different birthplaces. The first claims Rome and the second a smaller town called Segni, in the mountains just south of Rome.[19] Another interesting fact about the Rhecche family is that, even though Thomas Louis did not serve, his eldest daughter, Rosalie, had enlisted in June 1945 with the USArmy. [20]

Rosalie’s registration is also unique because she was married in 1939, as indicated by both divorce records and the 1940 U.S.Census.[21] Additionally, she appears to have had at least once child by around 1937, Michael Lavern Wilson.[22] However, the dates may be incorrect as he was not listed on the 1940 U.S. Census. [23] Though her stint in the military was short, just over a year, she retired as a Private First Class and was buried at Quantico National Cemetery.[24] Ironically, she was granted a divorce from Thurlow L. Wilson in 1972 after two years of separation, but he was still listed as her husband on her grave.[25]

The foremost scholar on Italian immigration, Donna R. Gabbacia, discusses the many waves of Italian immigration in Italy’s Many Diasporas. Thomas Rhecche falls into her third diasporic wave of “millions of laborers migrating in and out of Italy between 1870 and 1940.” [26] Though there are no apparent records of when and where he arrived in the U.S., the previously noted records do indicate that he falls into this category by his birthday and birthplace, his skilled occupation, and how he settled in Alexandria, Virginia and did not return to Italy.[27] It is also supported by his burial at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church with his wife and son.[28] The Rhecche family’s loyalties were quickly aligned to the U.S., as seen by military service and Thomas Rhecche’s early application for naturalization. The Rhecche family, however, is set apart from some of the other Italian immigrants mentioned in Gabaccia’s work. She addressed a disenchantment with the US, calling it the “bitter land” and a place of that made Italians and Italian-Americans feel “uneasy.”[29] This lack of comfort, plus their goal to return home, often ensure that many Italian men returned home.  For Rhecche, that was not the case.

Endnotes

1. 1920 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T625-1877, Page 16B, Enumeration District: 8, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid. Note that ‘Bujano’ is an approximation and the name could be Bujans or even Bryano.
5. 1920 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T625-1877, Page 16B, Enumeration District: 8, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.; Virginia Death Records, 1912-2014, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, Certificate of Death: Annie Mae Rhecche, accessed October 11, 2016, http://ancestory.com/.
6. 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. 1920 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T625-1877, Page 16B, Enumeration District: 8, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Alexandria, Virginia, National Archives and Records Administration: M1509, Roll: 1984206, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
15. Ibid.
16. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Alexandria, Virginia, National Archives and Records Administration: M1509, Roll: 1984206, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; 1920 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T625-1877, Page 16B, Enumeration District: 8, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
17. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Alexandria, Virginia, National Archives and Records Administration: M1509, Roll: 1984206, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
18. U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, Fourth Registration for Virginia, April 27, 1942, The National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis Missouri, NAI Number: 563732, Record Group: 147, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
19. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Alexandria, Virginia, National Archives and Records Administration: M1509, Roll: 1984206, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, Fourth Registration for Virginia, April 27, 1942, The National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis Missouri, NAI Number: 563732, Record Group: 147, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; Segni is roughly forty miles south Rome.
20. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006, National Cemetery Administration, Quantico National Cemetery, Section 17, Site 647, PFC Rosalie Wilson, US Army, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/.
21. Virginia Divorce Records, 1918-2014, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, State File No.: 72-002031, for Rosalie Rhecche and Thurlow Wilson, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestory.com/.; 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.
22. Virginia Marriage Records, 1936-2014, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, State File No.: 73-009362, for Michael Wilson and Charlotte Houtz, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestory.com/.
23. 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.
24. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006, National Cemetery Administration, Quantico National Cemetery, Section 17, Site 647, PFC Rosalie Wilson, US Army, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/.
25. Virginia Divorce Records, 1918-2014, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, State File No.: 72-002031, for Rosalie Rhecche and Thurlow Wilson, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestory.com/.; S. Veterans Gravesites, ca. 1775-2006, National Cemetery Administration, Quantico National Cemetery, Section 17, Site 647, PFC Rosalie Wilson, US Army, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/.
26. Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (London: UCL Press, 2000), 12.
27. 1920 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T625-1877, Page 16B, Enumeration District: 8, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; 1940 U. S. Federal Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Roll: T627-4304, Page 15A, Enumeration District: 101-114, Image 1027, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.archives.com/.; S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Alexandria, Virginia, National Archives and Records Administration: M1509, Roll: 1984206, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.; U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, Fourth Registration for Virginia, April 27, 1942, The National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis Missouri, NAI Number: 563732, Record Group: 147, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.
28. “Thomas L Rhecche”, Saint Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia, Memorial No.: 103362968, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/.
29. Gabaccia, 184-185.
30. Gabaccia, 184-185, 190.

In Italy’s Many Diasporas, Donna R. Gabaccia states that historically Italian immigrants often returned home to Italy after working for a certain amount of time. Italian immigrants that immigrated to a country, like the United States, were mainly men who sent money back to their families in Italy. It was a rare occurrence for a whole family to immigrate.[i] One of the Italian immigrant family that did come to the United States and decided to stay was the Pulzone family of Alexandria, Virginia.

Felix A. Pulzone, the patriarch of the family, was the first member of the family to enter the country in 1911, leaving his wife, Maria, and eldest daughter, Rosena, in Italy. Unlike other Italian immigrants, Pulzone did not return to Italy. Instead, his wife and daughter immigrated to the United States in 1913. Three years later, the family relocated to Alexandria, Virginia. He got a job with a local railroad company as a car repairer. The Pulzones had eight children in Alexandria–Edgar, Orlando, Geraldine, Marian, Raymond, Joseph, Cecilia and Paul–and lived at 837 North Columbus Street near other Italian immigrants.[ii]

Alexandria, Virginia Directory. The image courtesy of Ancestry.com

On September 29, 1933, Pulzone passed away. He was buried at the Saint Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery.[iii] By the 1940 U.S. Census, the rest of the Pulzone family lived together on East Peyton Avenue.[iv]

Maria Pulzone was not employed outside of the home, but three of her sons supported the household. The eldest son, Edgar, was a mail clerk, making $1,170 a year. Orlando, the second eldest, worked for the federal government as messenger, making $1,245 a year. Marion, who worked as a messenger for a private company, only made $650.[v] They probably continued to support her until her death in 1953.

As the years passed, the Pulzone family expanded. Three of the four eldest Pulzone brothers (Edgar, Marion, and Raymond) decided to stay in Alexandria. Edgar Pulzone married Dorothy Didlake in 1940.[vi] In 1958, Edgar died of carcinoma of the kidneys.[vii] The second eldest Pulzone brother, Orlando, left Alexandria to join the U.S. Army in 1941 and served for four years.[viii] While in the army, he married Ruth Fitzpatrick and they later settled down in Maryland.[ix] Orlando lived in Maryland until his death in 1978.[x] Marion, the third Pulzone brother, followed his brother into the U.S. Army in 1943 and was released from service in 1944.[xi] After his release from the army, he married Gertrude McDonald and returned to Alexandria.[xii] Marion lived in Alexandria until the day he died in 1989.[xiii] Raymond worked on the Alexandria railroad board.[xiv] Later in life, at age 46, he married Carrie Altizer.[xv] Pulzone lived in Alexandria with his wife until he the day that he died in 1985.  It is unclear what happened to other members of the Pulzone family.

The Death Certificate of Edgar Pulzone. The image is courtesy of Ancestry.com

 

[i] Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (London: UCL Press, 2000), 1-14

[ii] 1920 Federal Census (Population Schedule) Alexandria, Virginia, sheet number 45, line 37-47, digital image, accessed on October 10, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/; 1916 U.S. City Directories, Alexandria Virginia, page 272, Felix Pulzone, line 31, digital image, accessed October 17, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/.

[iii] Find a Grave Index In the U.S., 1600s-Current, 1933, Felix Pulzone, digital image accessed October 18, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.

[iv] 1938 U.S. City Directories, Alexandria Virginia, page 329, line 8-12, digital image accessed October 18, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/.

[v] 1940 Federal Census (Population Schedule) Alexandria, Virginia, sheet number 10, line 73-79, digital image, accessed on October 10, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/.

[vi] Virginia Marriage Records 1936-2014, Edgar Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[vii] Virginia Death Records, 1912-2014, Edgar Pulzone, page 346, accessed on 10/26/2016, htt://ancestry.com/.

[viii] U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs BIRLS Death File, Orlando Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[ix] Virginia Marriage Records 1936-2014, Orlando Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[x] Find a Grave Index In the U.S., 1600s-Current, 1933, Orlando Pulzone, digital image accessed October 20, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.

[xi]U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs BIRLS Death File, Marion Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[xii] Virginia Marriage Records 1936-2014, Marion Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[xiii] Find a Grave Index In the U.S., 1600s-Current, 1933, Marion Pulzone, digital image accessed October 20, 2016, htt://ancestry.com/. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.

[xiv] Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Raymond Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

[xv] Virginia Marriage Records 1936-2014, Raymond Pulzone, accessed on 10/20/16, htt://ancestry.com/.

 

The 1940 U.S. Census for Alexandria, Virginia lists two men with the surname of Giuseppe living within a short distance. After further research, the men are likely either brothers or cousins. James Giuseppe is listed as a forty-three year old Italian immigrant working as a carpenter with an American wife and six children, ages four months to seventeen years old, all born in Virginia. He had three years of education while his wife received seven years. His children over the age of five were all educated starting around age seven. He earned $1,800 a year and owned a house on East Raymond Street. It is likely James immigrated sometime in the 1920s because his oldest child was seventeen years old at the time of the 1940 census and had been born in Virginia.[1]

 

In the same census, down the street was another Giuseppe family that had parents from Italy. Both John and Mary Giuseppe were originally from Italy and immigrated to the United States where all four of their children were born. John was a car repairman and made $1,200 a year. Mary did not have an education and took care of the household.[2] John and Mary’s oldest child was also 17 and born in Virginia; it is possible that James and John immigrated together.[3] Their children all had been educated starting around age seven or eight. Their oldest child had reached his second year of high school.[4] Both men would have been in their twenties when they immigrated, as John and James were forty-nine and forty-three, respectively, at the time of the 1940 U.S. Census.[5]

 

The Giuseppes were part of approximately 9 million Italians living outside of Italy by the 1920s.[6] By the 1930s, they were part of 3.5 million Italians in America, many of whom were trying to escape from Mussolini and Fascism.[7] Despite this, there were many Italians in America who saw Mussolini’s Italy as a homeland to be proud of.[8] It is unclear whether either Giuseppe family supported or opposed Mussolini and Fascism. Previous diasporas had a lot of Italians leave Italy, work elsewhere for a while and then return to Italy, but that stopped by the time the Giuseppes came to America. They, like many other Italians around the same time, likely intended on staying in America for good.

[1] 1940 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, E Raymond Street, sheet no. 10A, James Guiseppe, line 7-14, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/

[2] 1940 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, E Raymond Street, sheet no. 10A, James Guiseppe, line 7-14, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/

[3] 1945 U.S. City Directories, Alexandria, Virginia, page 184, Dorothy Giuseppe, line 17, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/

[4] 1945 U.S. City Directories, Alexandria, Virginia, page 184, Dorothy Giuseppe, line 14-17, digital image, accessed October 20, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/

[5] 1940 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, E Raymond Street, sheet no. 10A, James Guiseppe, line 7-14, digital image, accessed October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/

[6] Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (London: Routledge, 2003), 141.

[7] Gabaccia, 146.

[8] Gabaccia, 147.

When Italians came to the United States in the early twentieth-century, they were looking for jobs and a chance to improve their lot in life. Many of the Italians, especially the men, took jobs working as laborers, generally in awful conditions. However, in some cases, these immigrants were able to obtain better jobs, which afforded them and their families a better life. One such immigrant was Alfredo (later referred to as the Americanized Alfred) Caporaletti, who was born April 26, 1886 in Montepangano Teramo, Italy.[1] On April 17, 1903, Alfredo arrived in New York City after taking the Italian ship the S.S. Lboenicia from Naples. The passenger manifesto has him listed as a single farm laborer, whose final destination was Philadelphia where his brother lived.[2] This practice of moving to an area with family already settled was typical for immigrants. It was an way to find housing, often staying with family, and gave them access to a support system to help find a job and to stay connected to their home country. His initial job appeared to be a farm laborer and by 1910, Alfredo had made enough money to visit to Cologna, Italy before returning to Philadelphia on June 10, 1910 on the S.S. Taormina.[3]

It was after moving to Alexandria, Virginia that Alfred and his family’s shifted away from the agriculture to industrial work. By 1912, Alfredo moved to Alexandria and was working as a car repairman, probably for one of the local railroad companies.[4] In 1918, he filled out a draft card for World War I, but was disqualified from service due to a hernia.[5] It is hard to know exactly when, but by 1928 Alfred had married Mary Braclo.[6] They would had three children–Louis, Laura, and Julius.[7] Sadly, on November 6, 1935 Mary died of an appendiceal abscess after being admitted to the hospital two days prior.[8]

Even with all the information about Alfred, it is hard to pin down exactly what job he held during the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1928 city directory, his job is listed as a cook, but in the 1930 U.S. Census, his occupation is listed as car repairer again, working for Fruit Growers Express, a company affiliated with the rail industry. By 1940, Alfred was again working as a cook in a hotel.[9] He remained a cook until his death on April 20, 1956, where his death certificate has listed his employment as chef at the Mayflower Hotel, in Washington D.C.[10]  It is unclear why he switched between two very different occupations during his life.

These job changes most likely led to an increase in money for the Caporaletti family. In 1930, Alfred’s address is listed as 312 Queen Street and he was renting for $100 a month.[11] However, by 1940 he owned his own house at 414 Queen Street, and the house was valued at $1,700.[12]

Alfred Caporaletti’s life represents one aspect of the Italian immigrant experience. He initially settled in Philadelphia with his brother, before moving to Alexandria along with his entire family. Besides remaining close to his family, Alfred also represents upward mobility. He came as a laborer, then worked alternatively as a car repairman and a cook. Each new career brought money, which he appeared to use to eventually buy a home.

Bibliography

[1]. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, “Alfred Caporaletti,” accessed October   6, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[2]. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820 – 1957, “Alfredo Caporaletti,” accessed October 6, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[3]. Pennsylvania, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1800 – 1926, “Alfredo Caporaletti,” accessed  October 7, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[4]. 1912 Alexandria City Directory, “Alfredo Caporaletti,” accessed October 8, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[5]. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards , 1917 – 1918, “Alfred Caporaletti,” accessed October 8, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[6]. 1928 Alexandria City Directory, Alfred Caporaletti,” accessed October 9, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[7]. 1940 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Enumerated District 101-7, sheet no. 20 – A, lines 2 -5, “Alfred, Louis, Laura, and Julius Caporaletti,” digital image, accessed October 8, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[8]. Virginia, Death Records, 1912 – 2014 for Mary Caporaletti, “Mary Caporaletti,” accessed October 9, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[9]. 1940 U.S. Census. Alexandria, Virginia. “Alfred Caporaletti.”

[10]. Virginia, Death Records, 1912 – 2014 for Alfred Caporaletti, “Alfred Caporaletti,” accessed October 9, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[11]. 1930 U.S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Enumerated District 101 – 12, sheet no. 8B, Alfred Caporaletti, line 97, digital image, accessed October 6, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/.

[12]. 1940 U.S. Census. Alexandria, Virginia. “Alfred Caporaletti.”

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Italian immigrants traveled to the United States in search of work. Many of these immigrants found jobs as manual laborers in mines and on railroads.[1] However, as time progressed, many of these immigrants became artisans, craftsmen, and professionals. When looking at records such as the 1920 and 1940 U.S. Censuses, you can see how many Italian immigrants transitioned to better paying, more stable jobs and established families.[2] Such is the case with Tony Guiffre, a beer distributor in Alexandria, Virginia. Tony was born January 17, 1882 in Italy. According to the Kelly Long family tree on Ancestry.com, Gaetano Antonio Guiffre or “Tony” was born in Palermo, Sicily to Gaetano and Giuseppa Guiffre.[3] Tony is listed as “Tony Queffra” in the 1920 U.S. Census and he stated he immigrated to the U.S. in 1887.[4] However, according to the 1930 U.S. Census, he immigrated to the United States in 1883.[5] Unfortunately I could not find any travel documents on when his family came the America. Nevertheless, after looking at the Kelly Long’s family tree, I believe the Guiffre family migrated sometime around 1887 because his sister Agostina was born in Italy in 1884 and his brother, Michael, was born in 1888 in Washington, D.C.[6]

It appears that Tony resided in the Washington Metropolitan Area for much of his life. Tony married U.S. citizen Theresa Casassa on July 22, 1902 in Washington D.C.[7] She was born on July 22, 1882, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[8] In the 1920 U.S. Census in the column “Naturalization” Tony is listed as “Un” or not naturalized.[9] In both the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Censuses, he is listed as being naturalized [10] so I presume he was naturalized sometime in the years between 1920-1930, though I could not find any naturalization papers to support this claim. Later, he registered for the draft in Montgomery County, Maryland, on September 11, 1918.[11]

Unlike other Italian immigrants in Alexandria, he was not a laborer on the railroad like many others did in Alexandria during this period. One explanation for this occurrence is the fact that Tony arrived in the United States as a very young child and was educated in the U.S. and could pursue different skills.  In 1905, the Washington, D.C. City directory listed Tony as a carpenter.[12] However, only a few years later, he and his wife moved to Alexandria where Tony worked as a shoemaker. All throughout the year of 1912, ads for his shoe making and repair business in Alexandria can be found in the Washington Herald.[13] Tony was apparently successful in the shoemaking and repair business because, as seen in the Alexandria city directories from 1928-1934, he progressed from being a shoe maker to a department store owner.[14] What I found to be most intriguing about Tony Guiffre is that in the 1934 Alexandria City Directory he was listed as store owner of Del Ray Department Store.[15] However, two years later, in the 1936 Alexandria City Directory, Tony is listed as a beer distributor. According to later records such as the 1940 U.S. Census and the 1942 Alexandria City Directory, he was a beer distributor for the remainder of his life. It is possible, with the end of Prohibition, that Tony found a niche market in beer, although the exact reason is not known.[16] What is interesting about Tony is that on the 1940 U.S. Census, he is listed as owning a home valued at $3,000 yet he has no income or salary.[17] It is probable that since he owned his own business at the time he did not give himself a yearly salary but instead just kept the profits from his business.

The Guiffre family did not move much around the city. In the 1938 Alexandria City Directory, Tony was listed as residing at 101 West Peyton Avenue.[19] Two years later Guiffre family are listed as living at 116 East Peyton Avenue, which was later renamed Del Ray Avenue.[20] Tony lived the remainder of his life at this residence, where he passed away on June 25, 1943, from coronary thrombosis (blood clot in the heart).[21] He is buried next to his wife in Saint Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery.[22]

By studying archival records such as U.S. censuses and city directories, one can gain a better insight into the individual lives of immigrants. These documents demonstrate that some immigrants are able to move beyond the low wage manual labor jobs of their parents and become successful professionals, artisans, and businessmen.

 

1. Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas, (New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2003), 61.
2. Ibid., 64-65.
3. Gaetano Antonio Guiffre, Kelly Long family tree, accessed October 23, 2016, Ancestry.com.
4. 1920 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Queffra, digital image, accessed October 23, 2016, Ancestry.com.
5. 1930 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
6. Gaetano Antonio Guiffre, Kelly Long family tree, accessed October 23, 2016, Ancestry.com.
7. Tony Guiffre, District of Columbia, Select Marriages, 1830-1921, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
8. Theresa Guiffre, Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
9. 1920 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Queffra, digital image, accessed October 23, 2016, Ancestry.com.
10. 1930 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com. and 1940 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
11. Tony Guiffre, S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
12. 1905 Washington D.C. City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
13. The Washington Herald. (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, January through August 1912, images provided by Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.   loc.gov.
14. 1928, 1932, 1934 Alexandria City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
15. 1934 Alexandria City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, com.
16. 1940 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
17. 1940 U. S. Census (Population Schedule), Alexandria, Virginia, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
18. 1936 Alexandria City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
19. 1938 Alexandria City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
20. 1942 Alexandria City Directory, Tony Guiffre, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, com; Tony Guiffre, Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014.
21. Tony Guiffre, Virginia, Death Records, 1912-2014, digital image, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
22. Tony Guiffre, S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, accessed October 8, 2016, Ancestry.com.
23. Tony Guiffre, image provided findagrave.com, accessed October 8, 2016.

During the early twentieth century in the United States, a wave of Italian immigrants came to America seeking economic opportunities, many with hopes to create a better life back home. In her book on Italy’s migration patterns, historian Donna R. Gabaccia referred to these as “Conservative Adventurers”, men who would migrant to work wage jobs, and then return to Italy with the spoils of their American escapade.[1]

Many Italian immigrants–whether because of the lack of funds or interest in staying in the United States permanently–also did not buy homes.  This is supported by the fact that out of the 39 Italians immigrants listed in the 1920 U.S. Census for Alexandria, Virginia, 17 did not own a home and only 2 reported that they had become citizens.[2] Citizenship also was not among the top priorities for a migrant who planned to return to Italy. 

Status of Italian Immigrants in the Alexandria

Year	Citizen Status
1920	19 Non-Citizen 2 Citizen
1940	41 Citizen 24 Non-Citizen

(Data collected from 1920 and 1940 US Federal Census (population schedule) records, accessed from http://www.ancestry.com/)

By 1940, many Italian immigrants had begun to find their prospects in U.S. better than war-torn Europe. Even before the outbreak of war, Benito Mussolini’s abolition of constitutional rights and establishment of a police state in Italy would have been a damper on many immigrants’ plans to return home. The 1940 U.S. Census also shows an increase in Italian immigrants taking more skilled jobs, starting their own businesses,  buying homes, and gaining citizenship and, for their children, an education.[4] Italian immigrants found that life in the United States had become more attractive than returning to an uncertain conflict and repressive regime back in Italy.

Housing Situations for Italian Immigrants in Alexandria

Year	Housing
1920	20 Listed as renting, boarding, lodging
1940	25 Owned 12 Rented

(Data collected from 1920 and 1940 US Federal Census (population schedule) records, accessed from http://www.ancestry.com/)

The lack of education also impacted the ability of Italian immigrants to access certain types of jobs. According to census data from 1920, out of forty Italian immigrants, only half claimed that they were literate, 7 were illiterate and many did not disclose.[5] The 1940 U.S. Census, however, did not include questions about literacy, but educational level. Interestingly, about half of Italian immigrants stated that they had completed some elementary education and a fourth had some high school or college education. Whether this group of immigrants, many of whom were new to the area, went to school in Italy or the U.S. is unknown.  

Even the cultural barriers for women working began to dissolve between 1920 to 1940. One example in the 1940 U.S. Census was Mary LItterio whose husband owned a construction business.  She was born in Virginia; it is unclear whether she is of Italian ancestry, but she found employment as a typist for the government and made more than a male relative in their household.[4] Women’s role in the workplace had become a necessity for the onset of war in Europe and the Great Depression. 

Example of female work opportunity in the United States, 1940

Lunzio Creiv	cousin	M	bricklayer	building	$1,166
Mary Litterio	wife	F	typist	gov’t	$1,456

(Data collected from 1940 US Federal Census (population schedule) records, accessed from http://www.ancestry.com/)

Whether motivated by terrible prospects back at home or genuine interest in pursuing citizen, between 1920 and 1940, there was a serious shift among Italian immigrants in Alexandria to remain in the U.S. 

[1] Donna R. Gabaccia, Italy’s Many Diasporas (New York: Routledge, 2000) 94.

[2] 1920 US Federal Census (population schedule) Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed on October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[3] 1940 US Federal Census (population schedule)  Alexandria, Virginia, sheet number 19A, line 1-3, digital image, accessed on October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[4] 1920 US Federal Census (population schedule) Alexandria, Virginia, digital image, accessed on October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.

[5] 1940 US Federal Census (population schedule)  Alexandria, Virginia, sheet number 19A, line 1-3, digital image, accessed on October 11, 2016, http://www.ancestry.com/.