Bio of Nicola DellaPietra, aka Nick LaPietra
Imagine a June day in a sunny Italian town where a family is gathered to say good bye to a father and eldest son and brother as the two embark on a long journey to America. It was 1920 and Nicola DellaPietra, having reached the age of 17 the previous July, was leaving with his father, Antonio, for the port of Naples and ultimately for the port of New York. He was leaving behind his mother, Rosaria, and siblings: Paul, Maria, Teresa and Peppino (Giuseppe). It would be natural for him to wonder if he would ever see his mother and siblings again. It was probably a tearful good bye if later separations between Mother and sons are any indication. There were a few other residents of Lanciano traveling this same voyage from Naples but this did not make it easier on the emotions. They embarked on the ship Ferdinando Palasciano on June 17th, traveling steerage and would be on the Atlantic Ocean seventeen days, arriving at Ellis Island on July 3, the eve of Independence Day.
The manifest (List 34) of “alien passengers” made note that Nicola was traveling with his father, was able to read and write, his occupation was listed as “laborer” and that he came from southern Italy, namely the city of Lanciano. It mentioned that he left behind his mother, Rosaria, and that his final destination was Fairport, NY. Since his father, Antonio, had been in America earlier (1910-1912), we know that Antonio was familiar with travel to western New York where he would be met at the rail station by his first cousin, Francesco Paolo LaPietra (aka Peter Paul).Their final destination was to their cousin’s house where they would remain until Nick’s marriage.
During the early years of Nicola’s stay in the US, he probably hired out to do heavy, hard labor as would his father and cousin, Peter Paul. There is no certainty that he worked on the Erie Canal, the railroad or building roads. This, however, was the common work given to Italian immigrants. Early in his work history, Nicola did work for the Dispatch Car Shops in East Rochester. Some few years later he began building his family home for himself and his bride, Victoria Vecchiarelli (see story on Victoria below). For the bulk of his work history, Nicola was an independent trucker delivering sand and gravel. His primary employer was John Redmond and Sons Sand and Gravel Company where he also acted as a night watchman. In addition, we also know that he built some houses in East Rochester. His need to provide for his family created an ambition to work hard and long as was common among Italian men who came to America in search of security and jobs. During WWII, Nick and his brother, Paul, leased a large farm of 250 acres in Carleton, NY as a means of income and helping the war effort. They also kept a large “victory” vegetable garden to produce vegetables to be canned for family use during the year. On Sundays the two families would pack up food for the day and travel the many miles to farm wheat. It was the intention of the brothers to move their two families to the large white farmhouse on the property but this plan dissolved in the face of unhappiness with such a move from their children.
We do not know the circumstances of his meeting his bride, Victoria, but in all likelihood it was an arranged marriage since he came from Abruzzo and she from the Lazio region of Italy. They were married in St. Anthony’s Church on July 3, 1926. The date corresponded six years to the date of Nick’s arrival in America. Once the couple was in their home on West Elm Street in East Rochester, Nick invited his father and brother Paul (who arrived in the US in 1928) to come live with him and his young family. For the next forty years, Nick’s focus would be entirely on his family.
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Nick and Tony |
Nick and Patty |
The question often asked is “why did he change his name to LaPietra”? The official records at Ellis Island show him as Nicola DellaPietra and he went by this name when he arrived in Fairport. Sometime between 1920 and 1930, however, the name was changed to “LaPietra”. This is confusing to us today but something very familiar to this family and their beginnings in Lanciano. There, brothers often went by different names (DellaPietra and LaPietra) because the Italian language allowed them to speak of family members as “of the or Della” or “the or La”. Perhaps in some legal transaction in this country, his name was listed as LaPietra and he adopted it. More likely, because his was staying with his cousin F. Paolo LaPietra, it was easier to adopt the name of the person who was his American contact. It might also have been an act of showing respect to his very successful cousin by the adoption of his last name. Whatever the cause, the Census of 1930 shows him as Nicolas LaPetra (their spelling error), Victoria LaPetra and Rose LaPetra. For the remainder of his life he was LaPietra while his brothers maintained the DellaPietra name.
When Nick left home in 1920 the question was - would he ever see his mother again. In 1938 his father returned to Italy and, because of WWII, did not return to the US even though he was a citizen. In 1948, Nick returned to Lanciano to see his parents. He had not seen his mother in twenty eight years and he was the only son to see his father since 1938 and before Antonio passed in 1949. We must remember that to make this journey to Italy in 1948 required flying in propeller planes, many hours in the air, numerous stops and the fortitude to leave your wife and children behind while taking a trip that was not commonly exercised by civilians in the late 1940’s. Nick passed away on April 26, 1966 at the very young age of sixty-six. He left his wife, five children as well as his extended family and friends to mourn his passing.
Victoria Vecchiarelli LaPietra
Her family is her story. Victoria Vecchiarelli was born on December 10, 1908 in Pontecorvo, a very small mountain town on the west coast of the Italian peninsula in the Lazio region of Italy. Her records at the Ellis Island website reveal that she came to the US in 1923 arriving on June 21. She was just a young girl of 14 seemingly traveling alone on the ship, America, since the manifest does not show any other family member with her. Her name was spelled Vittoria Vacchiarelli and her destination was 58 Jones Street and her contact were her parents, naming one G. Battista Vecchiarelli. What we do know is that the family had settled in Rochester and eventually established a small grocery store on Verona Street.
By 1926 she was married at the age of 17 years to Nicola LaPietra and settled into her home in East Rochester. Sometime before or after her marriage, she worked at a canning factory which was a common job for immigrant women in the 1920’s and 1930’s. When she married Nick, she also gained a family, namely his father and brother who came to live with her in 1928. After the birth of her daughters, Rose and Joanne, she suffered an episode of rheumatic fever. This illness affected her heart and her health from then on was not the best. As the wife of the eldest brother, her home became the gathering place for his brothers and their families. It was not unusual for them to gather on Sundays and holidays in her home. One of the trademarks of her hospitality were the cookies she always had available: small round Italian cookies with white or pink frosting as well as chocolate cookies. A pot of coffee was always available to serve guests.
For Victoria, her life revolved around her children. She saw them all married and began to welcome grandchildren around her table. Her life changed with the death of Nick in 1966 but she continued to welcome family and friends into her home until her death in 1973 at the age of 64. This was much too young an age for a mother loved by her children and family to pass on to the next life.