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/.
