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Family photo taken 1938, before Antonio's return to Italy
adults standing: Nicola LaPietra, Giuseppe DellaPietra, Paolo DellaPietra
adults seated: Victoria LaPietra, Antonio DellaPietra, Josephine DellaPietra
children: Rose LaPietra, Joanne LaPietra, Anthony LaPietra, Anthony DellaPietra, Rosalyn DellaPietra
The Story of Antonio DellaPietra
According to the records of the Comune Di Lanciano, Antonio, the son of Nicola DellaPietra and Maria Morgione was born March 31, 1877 in Lanciano, Province of Chieti in Abruzzo.
In 1900, at age 23, Antonio married Rosaria Sacco. The Sacco family had settled near Lanciano in search of good farmland. The story is told that Antonio saw Rosaria on the street and determined that he would marry her. As the custom would have it, his parent spoke to her parent and it was agreed that this would be arranged. As part of the plan, Rosaria was "kidnapped" on the street and taken to be married in a civil ceremony. She was 17 years of age. The marriage was blessed soon afterwards by a religious ceremony in the church of Santa Lucia in Lanciano.
Antonio was a tenant farmer ("contadino") as was his father and his father before him. This was the economic situation of most families in Italy in the early twentieth century. With a growing family to care for, times were hard. Sometime in 1910, Antonio left Italy for America. He left behind his wife and three children under eight. He traveled to Fairport to join his former neighbor in Lanciano, Francesco Paul LaPietra. With his countryman ("paesano"), he took any work available in order to send money back to his wife and family. It must have been difficult to live as a boarder in someone else's home, to go off daily to work at hard labor and to think of the family left behind. After two years, Antonio returned to Italy. We need to remember that these ocean voyages in the early 1900's were 12-14 days long, arduous and not without risk. Many families said "goodbye" to loved ones never to hear from them again because that ship went down in stormy weather.
The family soon grew with two additional children, Teresa and Joseph. However, the condition in which his family lived remained tenuous, so in 1920 he returned to Fairport with his eldest son, Nicola, age 17. They lived with "Peter Paul" LaPietra at 3 Parker Street. The little money they earned was sent to Rosaria Sacco so that she could purchase land for the family. In 1928 and 1932 he was joined by his other sons, Paul and Joseph.
The passenger records of Ellis Island contain scant references to Antonio's coming. But the ship manifest for 1920 does reveal some information through its references to Nicola. A search of the manifest shows that line #19 refers to the father of Nicola. He had $25.00 upon his arrival and his destination was to his "cousin" Francesco Paolo at 3 Parker Street, Fairport, NY. Following the many columns of the manifest, we learn that he had been here previously, between 1910 and 1912. We also see that he was in good health, had a "natural complexion" and was 5'6" tall with brown hair and brown eyes. The ship on which he traveled with his son was the Ferdinando Palasciano that departed Naples, Campania, Italy and arrived in the Port of New York on July 03, 1920. His first full day upon his return to America coincided with Independence Day, July 4th.
Antonio was a small man with a big heart who suffered for many years with serious arthritis. Still he took all types of jobs, mostly hard labor building the railroad and roads in the area. Antonio loved America. He attended citizenship classes and became a US citizen in 1927. Becoming a citizen allowed him to send for family members. Thus, his sons Paul and Joseph were brought to this country. In 1938, Antonio again returned to Italy because he felt he should be with his wife and two daughters. He was 61. Two years later, 1940, Antonio traveled to Naples, Italy to book passage for a return to the country he loved. However, once in Naples, he thought about leaving his wife, the tense political environment in Europe and decided he should remain in Lanciano. WWII broke out soon after.
The German presence in Italy and the occupation of the DellaPietra homestead by a small German contingent could not have been easy. The citizens of Lanciano and its environs collaborated in resisting the German occupiers. So it was that in October of 1943 a group of Italian partisans composed of young and old men, met in Lanciano to deter the German soldiers. The eighth army of the Allies was located in the south and these civilians were determined to engage a large German force so as to make it easier for the Allies as they moved north. Partisans and civilians were in the piazza when the engagement began. Family lore has it that Antonio was present that day in the piazza. As the partisans waited for the Germans, Antonio felt the need to answer the call of nature. He went under the bridge of the Church of the Madonna del Ponte (Church of the Madonna of the bridge) to restrooms located there to relieve himself. When he returned, he found that the skirmish had occurred and that a number of the Italian partisans had been killed. More than twenty boys, averaging 17 years of age and shouting "okay" even though they did not know its meaning, were killed by the German troops. To this day, the citizens of Lanciano refer to this event as the Martiri 6 Ottobre (Martyrs of the 6th of October). To honor these heroes, this name was given to a street in Lanciano and it is coincidentally on this street that Antonio's remaining daughter, Teresa, still lives.
Antonio's health was declining after years of suffering from serious arthritis and hard labor but his death was unexpected on December 31, 1948. He had entered the hospital for a hernia operation. The cause of his death was later attributed to a heart attack. The small man with the reddish mustache and receding hairline had left his legacy of being a kind, gentle friend and father. The photo on the right was taken in 1949 during Paul's return to Lanciano. The women are wearing the black mourning dress, in rememberance of Antonio.
Remembrances and Tidbits
When Antonio was studying for his citizenship test, Josephine DellaPietra, wife of Antonio's son Paul, would read to him in English and he would write the answers phonetically. Thus, Philadelphia was spelled "filadelfia". This spelling was found in his night class exercise book.
Antonio lived frugally. He would patch and repatch his trousers and shirts.
He is remembered by Josephine DellaPietra, wife of Antonio's son Paul, as a quiet, intelligent and reserved man who endured much discomfort with his arthritis. "He worked like a horse to support his family in Italy."
Army service is compulsory in Italy. Antonio fulfilled his obligation. It may have been here that he perfected his penmanship, which was fluid and readable, unlike most Italian script.
He loved the generosity of his young sons. The money they earned was turned over to him to be sent back to Italy. Even when he was in Italy, they continued to send money. When he died, his sons did not ask that the loan notes he had given them be repaid. Their loyalty was very profound.
In 1933, Antonio and his three sons won the contract to lay forms on High Street and High Street Extension in Fairport for the concrete that was poured to build these roads. It was very laborious but as the Depression was affecting employment, any work was welcomed.
Antonio lived with son Nick and his family before leaving for Italy in 1938. At the goodbye party, "little" Rosalyn, daughter of Antonio's son Paul, had a chicken bone get stuck in her throat. A crowd of grown-ups surrounded her and asked her to open her mouth. Someone went for a flashlight in order to look down her throat. Her refusal to open her mouth (she was not yet 3 years old) created a commotion but she held her lips tightly together and this forced her to swallow the bone. In the background of this activity was her "Nonno" Antonio. To this day, she remembers the event and what her grandfather looked like that evening.
Joanne, daughter of Antonio's son Nick, remembers a time when her brother, Tony, threw a stick with a nail on it and it hit the back of her head. Grandfather Antonio, feeling very bad about what happened, quickly put wine on it to stop a possible infection. She remembers that he may have been in the "doghouse" with her parents since he was supposed to be watching them. He also was the adult who taught her how to tie her shoes. In her words, he was a "small, gentle person".
Nicola (Nick) traveled to Italy in May, 1948 to see his family. He was the only brother to see their Father in ten years. Seven months later they received word that he had passed
away.
The Story of Rosaria Sacco DellaPietra
This third child of the seven Sacco children born to Antonio Sacco and Antoinette Giancaterina lived a long life. Born in 1883, Rosaria died of an infection at age 91 in October 1974.
She was a large-boned woman who stood more than 5' 8" tall. In photographs with her sons, she was as tall as they, so we can conclude that she towered over her slightly built husband, Antonio, who was 5' 6". We know that at age 17 she was married as arranged (with or without her consent) to Antonio. She settled down to being the wife of a tenant farmer and three years later gave birth to her first child, Nicola, on July 16, 1903. Her next child, Maria, was born February 5, 1905. This child was soon followed by Francesco Paolo, born November 21, 1906. Three children in quick succession could not have been easy to support when the landowner required half of the earnings of his tenant. On March 31,1909, on his thirty-second birthday, Antonio and Rosaria became parents of a second daughter, Teresa. Rosaria was 26 years old, he was 32. Times were hard. So it was that in 1910, Antonio left home to travel to the United States where he could earn money to send back to his growing family.
We know that Rosaria wanted to establish the independence of the family by owning land. This was contrary to the advice given by Compare Nicola Bomba who suggested that owning a building in the city of Lanciano and renting apartments would be more financially rewarding. Rosaria wanted land and soon the family was able to buy the property at #144 via Marcianese, Lanciano that contained the family home (see photo, taken in 1949) and the fields in back that looked up to the snow-capped Apennine Mountains. The family occupied the second floor while the ground level room was devoted to keeping animals. When the family slept during the cold months, the warmth of the animals emanated to the floor above and helped to keep the family warm. A few sheep, a cow, some chickens made up the livestock. Grapes were grown out back to make the wine to be consumed. It is not know what other crops were grown on the family property but when Rosaria needed help, a tenant was found who then claimed half of the crop.
In 1912, Antonio returned from his sojourn in America. The following September 28, 1913, the youngest child, Giuseppe, was born. For eight years, Antonio labored to support his family. However, it was difficult and he decided in 1920 to return to the United States, this time taking his eldest son, Nicola, then seventeen. For the next eighteen years, Rosaria carried on as the head of household. The task included four children, land and property to take care of. During his married life of 48 years, Antonio was absent 20 of those years. Obviously, Rosaria became accustomed to managing on her own.
In fact, she possessed a "take charge" personality. She was able to obtain the job of turning the water supply on and off for the municipality of Lanciano. Each day she would walk to a nearby area where she turned on the water supply. Besides the income for this job, she had free water for the duration of her life. Rosaria was also the "unofficial mayor" of the neighborhood of Marcianese. When neighbors would come to complain about a situation, she would take the small train that stopped nearby into the city to inform city officials. For many years, she acted as the "leader" of the neighborhood.
Her home consisted of a center entrance room that functioned as the kitchen. The kitchen fireplace was used to cook and heat the attached rooms. To each side was a bedroom. An "outhouse" was in use until the 1960's. It is a puzzle as to where all the inhabitants slept in the early days. According to the youngest child, Giuseppe (Joseph), he would lay in bed and feel the rain come down on him through a porous roof. When her daughter Maria's house was leveled by bombs in WWII, she brought the entire family into her house. Fortunately, her daughter had survived by being pulled out of the rubble created by the bombs through the efforts of Compare Nicola Ciampini. The lower room that had formally housed animals was converted into an apartment where the LaFarciola children lived with their parents. At one point during the war, the home was occupied by German soldiers. The family took refuge in a nearby aqueduct. The soldiers did not leave before helping themselves to all the linens found in the house and the feathered carbinieri hat that belonged to Paul. In 1952, Maria died of "female cancer". Now it became more imperative for Rosaria to care for her grandchildren. The younger children, Maria and Rosaria, were usually found upstairs in their Grandmother's quarters where she nurtured them through their childhood.
The reasons for Rosaria's refusal to move the family to America are not totally clear. It is said that when she visited her doctor and talked about traveling to America, he discouraged her by saying she would not survive the voyage. After that, there was no interest in joining her husband and sons. Rosaria was thought to have an irregular heart beat but during her life she demonstrated great strength. Family lore is that she was able to lift a large, heavy barrel despite her heart problems. True or not, she did possess a strong personality. Her sons demonstrated constant devotion over the distance of a great ocean, much to the chagrin of her three daughters-in-law. Her requests for assistance and money were never refused. The visits of her sons usually ended with much commotion; her tearful pleadings that she would never see them again wrought much heartache in her sons.
There is much we don't know about Rosaria. Whether she could read and write is an unanswered question. We do know she was an intelligent woman who was not easily fooled by anyone. Once her grandchildren began to care for the family by doing the shopping, cooking and laundry, she could devote her days to knitting. She would walk to the nearby church, Madonna delle Grazie, for services. She would take the train into Lanciano to conduct business. When she was visited by her sons and their families, she followed the custom of gifting them with a "regale". This was usually a gift of jewelry. (More likely paid for by the visiting son.) After her husband's death, she always dressed in black as her pictures indicate. She had a forceful voice and could dominate a room by her physical presence. The grandchildren she raised have many warm memories of their days in her home. During her life, she received shots for an unknown malady that is thought to have caused the infection in her leg. If she had followed the advice of those who loved her and gone to the doctors to obtain medical attention for her infection, it is believed she would have lived years longer.
During her years as Mother and Grandmother, she received much love and devotion. She was the epitome of the "mamma mia" so often portrayed in descriptions of the Italian Mother. She was caring to her grandchildren and strongly bonded with her children. Her life touched many and left memories yet to be told.
Remembrances and Tidbits
The family home was near a body of running water ("fonde") where the laundry would be done. It was a difficult life for those who resided here.
When his wife, Maria, was seriously ill, her husband, Peter LaFarciola journeyed to Foggia to seek a miracle from Padre Pio. This sainted priest told him it was too late to save his wife. Upon his return, she was hospitalized in Chieti.
A bathroom was added to the home in Marcianese in the early 1960's through the efforts of her surviving sons, Paul and Joseph. Paul at this time was traveling to Lanciano with his wife and young daughter, Marie and did not wish to have his child use the outhouse.
For her 90th birthday, Rosaria's surviving sons and their wives traveled to Italy to celebrate with her. She was a healthy and vibrant celebrant at the party.
The events of WWII were difficult on Rosaria. Her home was occupied by German soldiers, her daughter Maria was a survivor of a house that collapsed on her because of the bombing and her father, Antonio at age 95, was lost to the family as he ran from the bombs falling around them in Lanciano.
