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THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES THE ITALIAN TEXANS AT SAN ANTONIO .......... liliiii ......... . THE ITALIAN TEXANS .. ~ The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 1994 THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS A series dealing with the many peoples who have contributed to the history and heritage of Texas. Now in print: Pamphlets- The Afro-American Texans, The Anglo-American Texans, The Belgian Texans, The Chinese Texans, The Czech Texans, The French Texans, The German Texans, The Greek Texans, The Indian Texans, The Italian Texans, TheJewish Texans, The Lebanese Texans and the Syrian Texans, The Mexican Texans, Los Tejanos Mexicanos (in Spanish), The Norwegian Texans, The Spanish Texans, and The Swiss Texans. Books - The Danish Texans, The English Texans, The German Texans, The Hungarian Texans, The Irish Texans, TheJapanese Texans, ThePolish Texans, The Swedish Texans, and The T#:ndish Texans. The Italian Texans Principal Researcher: W Phil Hewitt ©1973: The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 801 S. Bowie St. San Antonio, Texas 78205-3296 Rex H . Ball, Executive Director Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 74-620619 International Standard Book Number 0-86701-064-9 Second edition revised; second printing, 1994 This publication was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Houston Endowment, Inc. Printed in the United States of America Front Cover: Frank Liberto and Angelina Rinando Liberto on their wedding day) 1899 Back Cover: Frank Pizzini family and friends, 1913 THE ITALIAN TEXANS I talians were on their way to Texas almost as soon as Europeans began sailing the Atlantic in search of a route to the Indies. Amerigo Vespucci probably viewed the Texas coast in 1497, and his countrymen were with Vasquez de Coronado in his epic journey across the High Plains in 1541. For more than three centuries Italians frequently found their way to the northern provinces of New Spain. Most of these adventurers were from the northern cities of Florence, Genoa and Venice. All came in the service of a nation other than their own. They joined various armies which found Texas a wide-open battleground. Vicente Filisola, for example, was second-incommand to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna during the war for Texas independence, while Prospero Bernardi fought on the side of the Texans at San Jacinto. Italian family arriving in the U. s., 1905 Italian immigration greatly increased after 1875, with the majority of people coming from the impoverished areas of southern Italy and Sicily. Northern Italians from the Alpine provinces of Lombardy and Tuscany arrived in smaller numbers. Economic opportunity was the principal motive for Italian immigration to Texas, but the prospect of compulsory service in the Italian army also inspired many to leave their homeland. The Italian population of Texas was small compared to that of the Northeast and Midwest. By 1920 there were slightly more than 8,000 foreign-born Italians living in Texas, mostly in the Galveston-Houston area, in the Brazos valley between Bryan and Hearne, and in the DallasFt. Worth vicinity. By the mid- 1920's, when restrictive U.S. immigration laws dried up the influx from southern Europe, Italians were well on their way toward assimilation into the Texas population. Still, through their ethnic clubs and societies and a strong sense of community with others of like heritage, they have maintained a distinct identity on the Texas scene. AMERIGO VESPUCCI 1497 Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine whose name was given to the continents of the New World, may have been one of the first Europeans to see the Texas coast. In May 1497 he supposedly sailed to the New World for the Spanish king, Ferdinand of Aragon. He sought to determine whether the new lands were indeed a "new world:' or a part of Asia. Vespucci was then 43 years old and had been working in Spain for five years. He 3 Amerigo Vespucci was well known as an outfitter of ships, banker, merchant, and more than an amateur navigator and geographer. The commanders of the expedition may have been Vicente Yanez Pinzon, captain of the Nina on Columbus's earlier voyages; Juan Dfaz de Solfs and Juan de la Cosa. But Amerigo was the official observer for the king and wrote an account of this voyage and three later ones. From Cadiz the explorers sailed to the present coast of Honduras and around Yucatan to the western and northern coasts of the Mexican Gulf. Thus, he and others on this trip were possibly the first known Europeans to see the coast of what is now Texas. This occurred more than 20 years before Francisco de Garay fitted out the ships that sailed under the command of Alonso Alvarez de Pineda in 1519. Amerigo's accounts mention little of gold, but pay many compliments to the beauty of the people and the land of the New World. His voyage is most readily confirmed by the European maps which followed. These indicated the outline of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico long before Pineda's map of 1519. Amerigo Vespucci has been cleared of earlier charges that he plotted against his good friend Christopher Columbus and contrived to have America named for 4 himself. T he naming was probably the work of a cartographer who did it without Amerigo's knowledge. That the name '~ m erica" stuck is one of history's curious accidents. THE VASQUEZ DE CORONADO EXPEDITION 1541 Italians m Vasquez de Coronado's expedition of 1541 were among the early Europeans who ventured onto Texas soil. In those days the Italian peninsula was broken into a number of small duchies, kingdoms and republics. None was strong enough to mount expeditions of the size and scope launched by Spain and Portugal, so Italian soldiers and sailors in search of adventure, glory and gold often found service in the ranks of those two 16th century superpowers. ,Francisco Vasquez de Coronado assembled his expeditionary force of 225 horsemen and 60 infantry at Culiacan, Mexico, in February 1540. Although the leadership and many of the soldiers were Spanish, a number were Italian. They followed the conquistador into New Mexico and across the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas. The Spanish government considered the expedition a failure, but Vasquez de Coronado and his men had opened the door for many future explorations and an eventual foothold in the American Southwest. HENRI DE TONTI 1686 Although he was overshadowed by his commander, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, Italian-born Henri de Tonti left his own mark on Texas history. Symbolic of his role in the La Salle story is the standard bearing the king's arms which the Frenchman had erected on the Mississippi delta in 1682. Four years later Tonti found it washed over on the beach and planted it on higher ground. La Salle had dreamed of establishing a colony at the mouth of the river to serve as a depot for furs and buffalo hides which the Mississippi basin could supply. But it was Tonti who became the real pathfinder of the great valley; his writings provided the first accurate descriptions of its geography, inhabitants and resources. His data and sketches provided cartographers with the necessary information for the first regional maps. This man of achievement was born at Gaeta, near Rome, about 1650. His father, Lorenzo de Tonti, soon became a political refugee from "Coronado on the High Plains" by Frederic Remington ." . +01 ~ 1.1.U:~ ' 1I'j~ ." , the so-called Masaniello revolt. He took his family to France, where he became a prosperous banker. U nfortunately he was drawn into an unsuccessful plot against the king and was imprisoned in the Bastille until paroled in 1675. It was the elder Tonti who invented and gave his name to the tontine, a financial arrangement whereby the survivor receives the proceeds of a fund established by a group of contributors. At the age of 18 Lorenzo's son, Henri, began a military career as an army cadet. He served for two years, then entered the navy as a midshipman. In 1677 he took part in a French campaign against the Spaniards in Sicily. At Messina his right hand was blown away by a grenade, and while awaiting treatment he was taken prisoner by the Spanish. Six months later he was released in a prisoner exchange and returned to France, where the king awarded him a compensation of 300 liures. Tonti participated in yet another Sicilian campaign, but the wars ended in 1678, and he found himself unem- ''Henri de Tonti in East Texas" by Bruce M arshall ployed. He eased his physical handicap by inventing and wear.ing an ~rtificial hand made of copper. H e solved hi s employment situation by joining La Salle on the latter's return to the New World. Tonti quickly became the French explorer's devoted friend and confidant. Soon after their arrival in the upper Mississippi heartland, Tonti and a motley crew of 30 built the first ship ever to sail the Great Lakes. In 1680 Tonti built Fort Crevecoeur in the Illinois country. Two years later he accompanied La Salle to the mouth of the Mississippi and then began construction of Fort St. Louis near present-day La Salle, Illinois. When the Frenchman temporarily returned to his homeland in 1683, Tonti became the dominant figure in the Mississippi valley and remained so for the next 20 years. La Salle returned with a large number of colonists, heading for the mouth of the Mississippi, but inaccurate navigation, corsairs and shipwrecks forced his landing on the Texas coast, where he established a settlement in 1685. Tonti made his first trip in search of La Salle in 1686. He made a second effort in 1689, but when he was within seven days' march of La Salle's now-abandoned settlement, his men deserted, and he was compelled to return to his fort on the Arkansas River. In the process he was chased 80 leagues by a party of Spaniards under Alonso de Leon, who was attempting to keep the French out of east Texas. For another 17 years Tonti carried on La Sall e's work. He lived among the Illinois Indians until 1702, when he joined Pierre d'Iberville in Louisiana. The people of Arkansas also call him the father of their state. Tonti died at Mobile in 1704, a heroic figure with qualities of endurance, leadership and ability. VICENTE MICHELI 1793 Vicente Micheli was one of the earliest Italian merchants to settle in Texas. A native of Brescia, he arrived at Nacogdoches in 1793. For a time he was involved in the fur trade, working for Barr and Davenport, the only firm licensed to trade with friendly Indians in east Texas. In 1801, while living in Coahuila, Micheli received permission to establish a cotton gin at San Antonio, although it is not known ifhe actually completed the project. He returned to Nacogdoches and engaged in trading and farming until J anuary 1806. That year he and his 15-year-old son moved to the newly founded Villa de Salcedo on the Trinity River. According to a census listing, Micheli possessed a rancho, 200 head of cattle and a drove of mares. When the Salcedo colony failed, Micheli moved again to San Antonio, where he became quite prosperous. He owned the Rancho de San Francisco and later opened a general mercantile store. In time he began referring to himself as the "Merchant of Venice." He died in his adopted city of San Antonio in 1848. 5 Jose Cassiana by Carl von Iwanski GIUSEPPE CASSINI 1826 When Ben Milam captured San Antonio from Mexican forces late in 1835, Giuseppe Cassini - known in Texas by his Spanish name of Jose Cassiano - furnished the Texans food and supplies from his store. His business was looted and his home pillaged a few months later when General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna drove all Texas sympathizers out of the area. Cassiano left town one step ahead of the Mexican army and fled to one of his ranches on Calaveras Creek. When the Alamo fell , he loaded his servants and his remaining valuables on wagons, went to the coast on a safe-conduct pass provided by the Texans and caught a ship to New Orleans. Giuseppe Cassini was born in the village of San Remo in the Genoese republic in 1787. He left home as a young man and soon was in command of his own merchant ship. In 1816 he procured a British passport from the consul in Marseilles, sailed to New Orleans and went into the import-export business. He made numerous trading trips to Texas between 1816 and the mid- 1820's, when he settled permanently in San Antonio. He established a general mercantile store on Main Plaza and began dealing extensively in real estate. In 1826 Cassiano mar- 6 ried Gertrude Perez Cordero, the widow of the last Spanish governor of Texas. When the Texas Revolution ended, he returned to San Antonio and resumed dealing in real estate. An inventory compiled in 1842 showed that he held property in Bexar County, south Texas and New Orleans valued at more than $18,000. Cassiano died on January 1, 1862, just as he was completing plans to buy the entire village of Piedras Negras, Mexico, opposite Eagle Pass. VICENTE FILl SOLA 1836 When General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna came to Texas in 1836 to quell the rebellion against Mexico, General Vicente Filisola came with him as second-in-command. Santa Anna dangerously overextended his forces when his main column chased across the prairies after Sam Hous- "ton's little band of soldiers. Filisola's . troops were left behind on th~ Brazos, unable to rescue the self-styled "N apoleon of the West" after his defeat at San Jacinto. General Vicente Filisala At first Filisola tried to resign his command, but in accordance with Santa Anna's instructions he signed the Treaty of Velasco, then withdrew Mexican troops from Texas. Fellow generals attempted to make him a scapegoat for the disaster. When he was subsequently relieved of his command, he countered by publishing a pamphlet "in defense of his honor and explanation of his operations as commander-in-chief of the army against Texas!' Filisola was too experienced a survivor in warfare to be sidetracked by self-seeking fellow generals. Born in Ravello, Italy, in 1789, he moved with his family to Spain, where he joined the army in 1804. Six years later he was commissioned a second lieutenant "because he had conducted himself with valor in over 20 battles." Filisola was sent to Mexico in November 1811, while the Hidalgo revolt was under way. In 1815 he hitched his career to the rising star of Augustin de Iturbide. When the latter became emperor of Mexico in 1821, Filisola's position took a gigantic leap forward. As a brigadier general he was sent to bring Central America into the Mex- ican empire. He was victorious in his mission, but Iturbide was soon overthrown. In 1823 Filisola issued a decree freeing Central America from its Mexican ties. Back in Mexico Filisola got along well with Iturbide's successor, General Santa Anna. In 1831 he received a colonization grant in Texas, but there is no evidence that he ever made an effort to fulfill the contract. Two years later, at Matamoros, he became acquainted with Stephen F. Austin, who was en route to Mexico City bearing a grievance petition to Santa Anna from the Texas settlers. Austin described Filisola as "a blunt, honest, candid and prompt soldier. He has been over 30 years in service, with important powers entrusted to him-and what is rather uncommon, he has not made a fortune. He is the friend of the farming and agricultural interests - a decided enemy of smugglers and lawyers, for he thinks they demoralize the community by placing temptations before weak or avaricious persons." Later that same year Filisola became ill and retired briefly from military life. By 1835 he was recovered and ready to join Santa Anna for the invasion of Texas. After the battle of San J acin to Filisola remained in northern Mexico. His standing improved considerably when his principal detractor, General Urrea, initiated an unsuccessful revolution of his own. Filisola was now on the winning side. In 1839 he supported the abortive "Cordova Rebellion;' by which Mexico hoped to incite native Mexican and Indian forces against the Texan government. During the Mexican War of 1846 the old soldier served again, this time in the state of Chihuahua. He died as the result of a cholera epidemic III Mexico City on July 23, 1850. ORAZIO DE ATTELLIS After 1816 a number of Italians who had served under Napoleon visited El Correo Atlantico or settled in Texas. One of these was Orazio de Attellis, a hearty adventurer enthralled by combat in both warfare and politics. Born in the Italian province of Campobasso in 1774, he had been with Napoleon on the h!.mous retreat from Moscow in 1812. After the emperor's fall, he was arrested, sentenced to death, pardoned and finally exiled from his native land. On leaving the army, Attellis worked at one time or another as a newspaperman, law clerk, public official and teacher of French. In 1824, at the age of 50, he arrived in America, where he taught, wrote and founded schools in both New York and Mexico. H e stayed in New York for only a year before going to Mexico City, where he became politically involved. The adventure soon palled, and Attellis went back to New York City, where he taught school from 1827 to 1832. Santa Anna summoned him again to Mexico City, this time to found a college. The two parted company when the Italian began a newspaper, El Correo Atlantico, in which he advocated Texas independence. Attellis continued printing his paper in New Orleans, publicizing the Texan cause in Spanish, English, Italian and French. On April 4, 1836, he published Colonel Travis's letter of March 3 from the Alamo in both English and Spanish. When the war was over Attellis was said to have received a substantial land grant from a grateful Texas government. After 12 more years of writing and lecturing in defense of various political causes, he returned to Italy in 1848. By that time he was an American citizen, 74 years old and as bellicose as ever. He died in the land of his birth in 1850. His writings and speeches are credited with attracting other Italians to Texas. PRO SPERO BERNARDI Prospero Bernardi was the only Italian known to have fought with the Texans at the battle of San Jacinto. Born in Italy in 1794, he immigrated to Texas early in 1836. On February 13 he enlisted with Captain Amasa Turner's New Orleans Volunteers. At that time he was described as being 43 years of age, five feet eight inches tall, with dark hair, eyes and complexion. His land grant record states that he was discharged at Galveston a year later. For his service he later received two land grants - one in San Patricio County, the other in present Somervell County. "Prospero Bernardi at San Jacinto" by Bruce Marshall 7 THE REVEREND BARTHOLOMEW ROLLANDO 1845 The first Italian-born missionary to Texas came in 1845. He was the Reverend Bartholomew Rollando of the Lazarist missionary order. Father Rollando worked as assistant to the Reverend John M. Odin, who later became the first Bishop of Galveston -a diocese which included all of Texas at that time. The two men had differences of opinion, and Father Rollando moved to Houston, where he served in 1846. The following year he returned to Galveston, and died on October 11 at the age of 35. DECIMUS ET ULTIMUS BARZIZA 1857 Lawyer and banker Decimus et Ultimus Barziza is remembered as the greatest criminal lawyer in the Texas of his time and as author of a vivid Civil War memoir, The Adventures oj a Prisoner oj War. His unusual name was derived from his position as the "tenth and last" of his parents' children. He was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1838. The family had long been prominent in that colony and had traveled comfortably in the highest circles of English and Ameri- D.U Barziza 8 can society. Barziza's father, an Italian viscount, had come to America in 1814 to take possession of an estate left him by his wealthy American grandmother. He renounced his Italian citizenship and gave up his title in order to claim the land, but expensive and unsuccessful litigation cost him nearly everything. He made a good marriage, however, and settled down to make the most of his situation. He found employment at the local insane asylum and managed to give his sons fine educations at the College of William and Mary. In 1857 Decimus et Ultimus followed three older brothers to Texas. He studied law at Baylor University in Independence, then began a practice at Owensville, the old seat of Robertson County. The Civil War interrupted his career, and he was commissioned a first lieutenant in Hpod's Texas Brigade. Captured at Gettysburg, he was later imprisoned on Johnson's Island but escaped by .. diving through the window of a moving train near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He made his way to Canada, then was smuggled back to the South by sympathetic Canadians. His recollections of wartime experiences were published in Houston several months before the war's end. Barziza reentered the practice of law by acting as defense counsel in a murder case stemming from an old Waller County feud. After he made an impassioned plea for his client's life, the defendant was acquitted, and Barziza's reputation was firmly established. He turned briefly to politics and was elected to the 14th Texas Legislature in 1873, which marked the end of Reconstruction rule in Texas. A contemporary historian viewed him as "black-eyed, blackhaired and ofItalian descent; he was bright, energetic, eloquent and heterogeneous ... fiery, impetuous, bold, quick and ready of speech, with a clear, ringing voice and the dramatic quality highly developed." Barziza resigned from the legislature in 1876 in protest over a bill which would have given the Texas and Pacific Railroad additional time in which to perfect a land grant. He returned to Houston and continued his law practice. He also devoted time to the Houston Land and Trust Company, which he and five lawyer friends had organized in 1875. Barziza died at his home on January 30, 1882, "after a lingering illness." He was only 43, but he had left his mark. Today there is a Barziza Street in Houston, and members of the family still reside in that city. FATHER AUGUSTINE D'ASTI 1860 Father Augustine d'Asti, pastor of St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Civil War Houston, spent his last years secretly distributing food, clothing and money among the needy people of his city. More than a century later, similar gifts are quietly dispensed each day in memory of this native Italian priest. Father Augustine was born at St. Damiano d'Asti in Piedmont. His background is obscure, but he began his novitiate in the order of St. Francis at the age of 16. In 1856 he and four members of this order came to America and established a Franciscan house in New York. In 1860 Bishop Odin of Galveston requested Father Augustine d'Asti that (he Franciscans reestablish themselves in Texas, where they had not been since the revolution of 1836. Father Augustine was appointed Superior. His post was the Church of St. Vincent. His gift giving was actually accomplished through an intermediary, one John Kennedy, a trader known for having the strongest whiskey in town. Father Augustine is also remembered for having blessed the flag which Dick Dowling and his men carried into the battles at Galveston and Sabine Pass. The priest died at age 39 in the spring of 1866 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. Every store in town closed for the funeral. More than a hundred years later d1\sti House at 603 Irvine Street was still carrying on the charitable tradition of this compassionate Italian priest. THE BRUNI FAMILY 1862 Antonio Bruni -a San Antonio businessman, politician and public benefactor- was encouraged by his own success to invite other Italians, especially his relatives, to settle in Texas. He left his native Italy in 1858, landed at Galveston, then proceeded to San Antonio, where he opened a grocery store on Main Street in 1862. His business prospered, and in 1872 he established a general store on Military Plaza. Bruni quickly became a leader of the Italian colony in San Antonio. In 1880 he helped found the first Italian mutual aid society in TexasSocieta Italiana de Mutuo Soccorso -and served as its president for many years. His political career began in 1879, when he was elected alderman. Bruni retired from business about 1908, and died at his Laredo Street home in 1918. His nephew, Antonio Mateo Bruni, was a dominant business and political figure in south Texas for a quarter of a century. He had come as a 16-year-old from Italy in 1872. Antonio Mateo Bruni After an apprenticeship in his uncle's store, he took the stagecoach to Laredo, where he opened his own establishment in 1879. He invested wisely, expanded his business and in 1892 was elected a Webb County \,ommissioner. Four years later he was elected treasurer, a post he held l,mtil his death nearly 40 yeal's later. He was the largest landowner in Webb and Zapata counties: the town of Bruni was established on one of his ranches to provide a shipping point for his agricultural produce. With Bryan Callaghan and James B. Wells, he effectively controlled politics from San Antonio to Corpus Christi to Laredo. Time after time, Bruni rallied massive Democratic victories in his home county. Front-page editorials, flags at half mast and lengthy obituaries marked his passing on August 18, 1931. He was genuinely mourned by thousands of ordinary citizens whose lives he had touched by his kindness and generosity. Today his memory is perpetuated in Bruni Park in Laredo. ANTHONY GHIO 1873 Anthony Ghio achieved his greatest success as a town builder on the northeastern Texas frontier in the 1870's. Born in Genoa in 1832, he came to America at age 17. Soon he was representing a New York firm as a traveling salesman in the southern states and various Caribbean ports. After a brief business venture of his own in St. Louis, he returned to New York as a salesman. He married in 1862, moved to Illinois for a time, then came to Jefferson, Texas, where he opened a mercantile store. In those days Jefferson was the state's leading inland port. Ghio prospered with the town, but there came a time in the early 1870's when the residents refused to permit the entry of a railroad. Ghio could foresee the town's decline and in 1873 made his way through the forest to the site of Texarkana, where town lots recently had been surveyed. He purchased a tract, on which he soon built a house, at the corner of Third Street and Texas Avenue. Among his first efforts was the organization of a Catholic Church. He also worked for the advancement of parochial education. In 1877 Ghio and a partner built a brick opera house, the first structure of its type in Texarkana. He opened another theater in 1884 with a performance by the renowned Boston Opera Company of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe. The event marked Anthony Chio 9 '70 ]1: 1t1r (/J~ I (/dill,;;/" "The Murder of Cardis" by Jose Cisneros a cultural high point in the history of northeast Texas. Three years later he opened Spring Lake Park two miles north of the city. His civic endeavors continued as he built an artificial gas plant and brought the first railroad to that corner of Texas. In 1880 grateful citizens elected Ghio to the first of three terms as mayor and subsequently as alderman from his ward. He and his wife were the parents of eight children. A granddaughter, Corrine GriffithMarshall, became an early silentscreen star. Ghio died in 1917; his wife outlived him by 20 years. LOUIS CARDIS 1877 Italian-born Don Louis Cardis became a tragic casualty in the EI Paso Salt War, one of the unsavory chapters of Texas history. Cardis was a native of Piedmont and had served as a captain in Garibaldi's army before moving to the United States in 1854. Ten years later he came to EI Paso, learned to speak fluent Spanish and won the confidence of the Spanish-speaking citizens. He operated the stage line to Fort Davis and quietly used his spare time to build a political power base. Beginning in 10 1874, he served two terms in the state legislature, where one of his colleagues was D.D. Barziza. In those peaceful days Cardis was described as a delicately featured .. individual with a black moustache and chin whiskers. He habitually . wore a Prince Albert coat, immaculate white linen shirt and black bow tie. Not a good public speaker, he preferred to work behind the scenes. His friends considered him persuasive, witty, intelligent and suave. In 1866 he had connived with half a dozen other local figures to take control of the Guadalupe Mountain salt beds, which had long been regarded as public property. Their efforts were unsuccessful until 1876, when an aggressive newcomer named Charles Howard claimed the entire tract for himself. Cardis was booted aside. He now joined those who wanted to keep the salt beds in the public domain. In October 1877 Howard shot and killed Cardis in an El Paso saloon. Further threats of violence, gunplay, mob action and ineffectual intervention by carelessly recruited Texas Rangers were added elements of the story. Two months after Cardis's death the mob got Charley Howard in a showdown at San Elizario. The Salt War proved only that "good men can die bravely in a bad cause." Today the case is regarded as an early growing pain of the EI Paso Southwest. BRAZOS VALLEY ITALIANS 1880 Italians began arriving in the lower Brazos valley as early as the mid- 1870's when a few families settled near Bryan. Businessmen in that area had long advertised in European newspapers for immigrants to come and help revitalize the local economy. The Italians did not begin responding in numbers until about 1880. Those who did come were mainly from impoverished Sicily. They either harvested Louisiana sugar fields or labored on shares in the Bryan area until they accumulated enough money to buy their own farms. They bought flood-prone land in the Brazos bottoms between Hearne and Bryan. Earlier settlers, including Germans and Czechs, had avoided it, but the Italians were willing to gamble with disaster in exchange for fertile soil that would normally produce abundant crops. They lost badly in 1899 and again in 1900, when devastating floods struck the region, but most of the immigrants stuck it out. By the 1890's Brazos County had one of the largest concentrations of Italian farmers in the United States. In 1905 the Italian ambassador visited Texas and was told that Bryan had 3,000 of his countrymen and that the citizens wished there were ten times that number. Very early J.M. Saladiner and other leaders organized the Agricultural Benevolent Society to aid newly arrived immigrants, but the group also sponsored instruction in the latest farming and soil conservation methods. By 1910 adjacent Burleson and Robertson counties also had significant numbers of Italian residents. For the most part, the farmland of these early Italian arrivals has been retained in family hands. Rural mailboxes reflect such names as Cotropia, De Stefano, Ferrara, Perrone, Restino, Varisco and Salvato. Business and civic leaders in Bryan and Hearne also include individuals with Italian surnames. But cultural identity goes little further; the younger generation is not familiar with the Italian language and does not observe Old World customs. Little is left but loyalty to the Roman Catholic religion and the traditional spaghetti dinner on Sunday. THURBER, TEXAS 1880's The Texas Pacific Coal Company recruited immigrants in the 1880's to work its rich coal mines at Thurber. Many diverse ethnic groups interacted to make Thurber a lusty, brawling industrial town which stood out strangely in the middle of a farming and ranching country. At its height Thurber had a population of 10,000. Poles and Italians did most of the mining; both groups lived on Hill Number 3. A railroad to the mines bisected the hill, with the Poles Antonio and Dortea Varisco and family . on the south side of the track and the Italians on the north. The Italians wt:l'e clannish to the point of dividing their own group according to their place of origin in Italy. Perhaps their most outstanding contribution was to the musical life of Thurber. The Italians were generally conceded to have the best band; members often played at the Dallas Fair. In its heyday the town had an opera house, where major companies liked to perform because of the demonstrative Italian audiences. Equally appreciated were the culinary skills of these people. Each home had an outside oven and a cellar dedicated to the concept of ample "new bread and old wine:' The more elaborate cellars had coolers for cheeses and meats. Carloads of grapes were shipped in from California for the production of homemade wine. Italian children were always the envy of others because they had such delicious grapes in their lunch boxes. Food was a featured attraction at the elaborate Italian weddings. The specialty of these occasions was a rice dish called risotto, which was served with a salad, a variety of meats and barrels of wine. As the wine kegs were emptied, they were stacked up. The success of the festivity was measured by the height of the pyramid . The eve of the Lenten season was marked with a miniature Mardi Gras-type celebration. Men bedecked in outlandish costumes would go house-to-house entertaining the children. At each home the mother would serve a pastry called crostoti and, of course, the inevitable wine. The homemade wine was sometimes a problem - not for the Italians, but for federal agents who were Italian Club picnic at Thurber 11 trying to enforce national prohibition. If there were sufficient advance warning, the residents of Hill Number 3 moved the home brew to secret hiding places. Otherwise, they simply poured it on the ground. When law enforcement personnel arrived, the houses were empty of liquor, and no one knew anything about the aromatic rivulets trickling down the hill. In 1918 oil strikes in the nearby Ranger field marked the end of Thurber as a mining town, since oil was a cheaper fuel than coal. Most of the mines closed in 1921, and the Italians either scattered to nearby towns or returned to their homeland. Today Thurber is a ghost town. COUNT TELFENER AND THE "MACARONI LINE" 1881 In 1880 Count Giuseppe Telfener and several European, New York and Texas financiers developed a grand plan to link New York and Mexico by rail. The New York, Texas and Mexican Railroad Company was chartered in Paris in October 1880, and construction began about a year later. Count Telfener was no amateur in the field; he had just completed a 350-mile rail line in Argentina. Texas was chosen for the starting point because the state offered 16 sections of land for each mile of track completed. Construction on the run between Richmond and Brownsville began with two crews working toward each other from Rosenberg Junction and Victoria. Telfener paid passage for 1,200 Italian laborers, mostly from the northern province of Lombardy-who, he hoped, would eventually bring their families to Texas and settle on land along the right-of-way. Because macaroni was a staple of the laborers' diet, the enterprise soon became known as the "Macaroni Line!' Within six months difficult working conditions and sickness caused half of the Italian work force to quit. A plan to increase the num- 12 Italian railroad workers at Victoria ber of workers to 5,000 was never realized because construction was halted inJuly 1882 after the state had repealed all land grants to railroad builders. Inadvertently Texas had issued certificates for 8,000,000 acres more than was available for distribution. Ninety-one miles of the New "York, Texas and Mexican Railway had been completed between Victo' ria and Rosenberg at a 'cost of $2,000,000. Telfener operated the railroad until 1884, when he sold out to a brother-in-law, John Mackay, the Nevada "Bonanza King." The railroad was sold to Southern Pacific interests in 1885. The only reminders Early Italian home at Montague of the original builders and their grand design are in various town names along the route. Leaving Victoria, one comes first to Telfener (misspelled Telferner); then Inez and Edna, named for the count's two daughters; Louise, Telfener's sisterin- law; Mackay, commemorating the silver baron; and finally to Hungerford, named for the count's fatherin- law and partner. Count Giuseppe Telfener's most important contribution to Texas is represented in the Italian families living in Victoria, Houston, Galveston and elsewhere who are descended from the Italian workmen who built the "Macaroni Line." THE ITALIANS OF MONTAGUE COUNTY 1882 Italians from the Alpine provinces of northern Italy began arriving in Montague County, northwest of Dallas, in 1882. Three Fenoglio families and the Raymondi family arrived in Texas by way of the Illinois coal mines in the late 1870's. They first settled near Pilot Point in Grayson County but discovered in 1881 that they had been swindled; they did not have title to the land that they had cleared and worked. So, dispossessed, discouraged and almost penniless, they headed west. Antonio Fenoglio and his brothers settled near Montague on sandy loam earth that was perfect for vineyards, orchards and vegetable farms. Antonio declared that the soil "tasted" right. By 1900 many families from northern Italy had settled in the vicinity of Montague, Bowie and Nocona. They produced luscious Concord grapes, apples, peaches and a variety of vegetables. The Fenoglios of Montague County have an affinity for the name Antonio or Anthony. The first Antonio was a founder of the colony. One of his nephews, nicknamed "Tony Jack:' was - at the time of his death in 1972 - the last living disciple of Thomas V. Munson, the famous American viticulturist. It was Munson who was credited by the French with saving their vineyards from destruction by phylloxera, a type of plant lice. Antonio's son and grandson also bear the same given name. The grandson served in the legislature from 1951 to 1961 and is familiarly known as "Tony the Rep:' to distinguish him from similarly named cousins. The Carminatis are also a large family, and many of them are named Pete. For a while the Montague telephone directory listed three Pete Carminatis: "Middle Pete," a town dweller; "North Pete:' who lived on his farm north of Montague; and "South Pete:' whose land lay in the other direction. The Italian colony at Montague has never been large; it reached a peak of 69 foreign-born persons in 1910. And these fairskinned blue-eyed Texans of northern Italian stock never did fit the darkfeatured stereotype from southern Italy and Sicily. Recently these Italian-Texan truck farmers have discovered anew the wisdom of their ancestors in choosing this sandy plot of ground on which to settle. The land was originally purchased for $6.00 to $8.00 an acre, with mineral rights ---------------------------------- -- included. Oil discoveries on several of these tracts have enhanced property values considerably. FREDERICK RUFFINI 188.3 Architect Frederick Ruffini lived in Texas only eight years, but he left his trace against the Lone Star skyline. He arrived in Austin from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1877. Within four years he had designed a large number of private and public buildings such as the courthouses at Henderson, Longview, Georgetown and Corsicana, jails at New Braunfels, McKinney, Franklin and Groesbeck, and the old State Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Austin. Millet Opera House and the Hancock Building in Austin were also his handiwork. Ruffini's last project was probably hi~. most imposing. In 1883 he was chosen as the architect, in an eight-entry competition, to design the,.Main Building for The University of Texas at Austin. In accordance with then-fashionable trends; he chose Gothic frosting for the edifice, but he lived to see only the west wing completed. He died in 1885 during an epidemic which swept Austin. SALVATORE LUCCHESE Salvatore Lucchese was born into a bootmaking family near Palermo, Sicily, in 1866. In 1882 he landed at Galveston and settled a year later in San Antonio, where he opened a boot shop. The business grew until he became one of the best-known custom bootmakers in the United States. The business continues today uI1der the direction of his grandson, Sam. Lucchese customers have included movie stars, soldiers and U.S. presidents. Salvatore made boots for Theodore Roosevelt when the latter was in San Antonio with the Rough Riders in 1898. Sam made a pair for Vice-President Lyndon Johnson. The original Lucchese also made boots for Francisco Madero, Salvatore Lucchese leader and tragic victim of the Mexican Revolution. One day, while the rebellion against dictator Porfirio Dfaz was in progress, Salvatore received a call to meet a customer at the store. When he arrived there was Madero in revolutionary garb with bandolier, guns and worn-out boots. He told Lucchese that he needed boots that were easy to get into, because he might have to make a quick escape. Salvatore complied but said later that Madero "didn't get away quick enough the last time." Luccheses made boots for other well-known personalities, such as Gene Autry, General "Hap" Arnold, Lieutenant George S. Patton and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. A pair made for actress Anne Baxter were decorated with a pattern of butterflies reproduced in authentic colors. For many years Luccheses made riding boots for graduating cadets of the old U.S. Army Air Corps. But the air corps quit wearing riding boots in 1934, and the army followed suit in 1938. The cadet corps at Texas A&M University has always included loyal Lucchese fans. Salvatore Lucchese died in 1929, but the firm he founded remains an honored name in boots. 13 Qualia wine press brought f rom Italy THE QUALIA'S VAL VERDE WINERY The oldest licensed winery in Texas is operated by the third generation of the Qualia family on Hudson Road in Del Rio. The enterprise was started in 1883 by Frank and Mary Qualia, who wanted to make wine for family consumption as they had done in their old home near Milan, Italy. As of the mid-1980's about 6,000 gallons of wine are produced annually from 30 acres of vineyards. Qualia's first vines were the Lenoir grape. In the 1930's he brought the Herbemont grape to Texas and began making Dry and Sweet Amber, which are popular with Del Rioans. His original handpress and huge oak casks brought from Italy have been replaced by the latest in technological innova tions, but the aging process takes place in the cool interior of the original winery with its 18-inch adobe walls. Following the retirement of Frank's son, Louis, in 1973, grandson Thomas Qualia became proprietor, while his brother, Robert , assumed control of the family's sheep and cattle ranches in Texas and Mexico. 14 Today the Val Verde Winery produces eight different wines, from the dry red Lenoir to Dry Amber and Sweet Amber from the H erbemont grape. With grapes purchased from vineyards in Pecos County, the winery produces Johannisberg Riesling, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Rose of Cabernet. The list is topped off by quality dessert wines from the Lenoir grape. CHARLES A. SIRINGO 1885 "M y excuse for writing this book is money-and lots of it:' After admitting his motive, Charlie Siringo produced his roll icky autobiography, A Texas Cow Boy. Published before he was 30, it was the first - and remains the best - of the personal range narratives. H e wrote nothing more for thr.ee decades, then produced another half dozen titles before his death. According to author J. Frank Dobie, .. "No other cowboy ever talked about himself so much in print; few had more to talk about." Charles Angelo Siringo was born in Matagorda County, Texas, in 1855. His mother was Irish, his father Italian. Young Charlie became a cowboy at 11. By the spring of 1871 he was working for tough, loudmouthed "Shanghai" Pierce. Siringo drove the Chisholm Trail in its heyday and later drifted into the Texas Panhandle with the first LX herd. At Old Tascosa he made Billy the Kid's acquaintance and later helped lawman Jim East track the young outlaw to his New Mexico hideout. After 15 years with the trail herds, Charlie wrote and published his first and most successful book. In 1886 a Kansas City phrenologist studied the bumps on Siringo's head and advised him to become a detective. The ex-cowboy joined the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, and for the next 22 years he led a dangerous and adventurous life. A friend who knew him during the bloody Coeur D'Alene strike of 1891-1892 re-membered him as "a slender, wiry man, da rk-eyed, dark-moustached, modest. Lately recovered of smallpox, he was noticeably pitted. This would be an undisguisable identification in a tight place, but he did not seem to mind. He was the most interesting, resourceful, courageous detective I ever dealt with:' In 1912 Siringo's second book, A Cowboy Detective, appeared. The Pinkertons reacted strongly against its publication and resorted to legal harassment to prevent its circulation. Apparently they objected not so much to what old Charlie said about them, as to his description of their methods, which -at times - included bribery, perjury, brutality and padded expense accounts. The last years of his life were spent fighting back at those who tried to suppress what he had to say. In 1927 he saw the best of his writing assembled into a dignified and handsome volume by the eminently respectable Houghton-Mifflin Company. Again the Pinkertons raised legal barriers, and its sale was stopped while substitute material was inserted. Charlie Siringo died at Venice, California, in 1928. His stories, while not polished works of art, were always honest. Title page of Siringo's best-seller I FRANK TALERICO 1888 Frank Talerico arrived in San Antonio in 1888 and opened a fruit stand in the business district. In a short time he owned 15 such stands, all operated by friends and relatives he brought over from his native Italy. Eventually he built a substantial warehouse from which his chain stores were supplied. Talerico was born at Spezzano della Sila in 1860. Correspondence from a friend in Texas inspired him to seek his fortune there. In addition to his business endeavors, Talerico organized the small Italian colony in San Antonio and for years was one of its most prominent leaders. He died in 1934 at the age of 74. ADAM E. JANELLI 1889 Adam Janelli, a native of Parma, brought the Salvation Army to Texas onJune 12, 1889, when he preached his first sermon at the corner of Main and Ervay streets in Dallas. Born in 1851, the young man went to sea in search of his fortune. He advanced from an ordinary seaman to the rank of captain, serving in both the Italian and the English merchant marines. On one of his long voyages he docked at Calcutta, India, where he attended several of the Salvation Army's street meetings. He became interested in its work among the poor. On his return to England he left the sea and became friends with General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. Hoping to further this good cause, Adam J anelli entered the United States in 1888. A year later he went to Dallas. The ex-sailor settled there permanently in 1891 and operated a billposting agency. But his real interest was the work of the Salvation Army, which he served as local treasurer until his death. He was a familiar sight at street meetings for more than a quarter of a century. It was J anelli who was largely responsible for the erectiOl) of the Salvation Army Hall on Federal Street. When the Italian-language newspaper La Tribuna Italiana began publication in 1913, J anelli contributed time and money to make it self-sustaining. He translated English into Italian and occasionally lent the paper money to tide it over its frequent crises. When this immigrant humanitarian died in 1925, his funeral was held at the Salvation Army Hall, the services led by the Dallas district commander. ST. JOSEPH'S ALTAR The custom of celebrating, on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph - with St. Joseph's altar, or table-was brought to Texas by Sicilian immigrants during the late 1800's. The celebration itself is peculiar to a single region of the island from which many Italians in Houston, Galveston, Bryan and Hearne came. St. Joseph is the patron saint of Italy and particularly of Sicily. Since the celebration was held during Lent, the feast had to be prepared without meat. Dishes of fish, a Sicilian-style pizza and spaghetti were served to- Mr. and Mrs. Adam E. Janelli gether with fancy biscuits, cakes, pies and vegetables. On the day before the feast the priest was called to bless the food and drink to be used. On the feast day itself families would go out, find the poorest people in the community and bring them to their houses. The master of the house and his family would bathe the feet of the guests, just as Christ did to his disciples before the Last Supper. Then the visitors would be seated at the table. Those served were required to take at least a taste of all the food and drink offered, following which the family and invited guests could eat. At the end of the feast the leftovers were gathered up and distributed to the poor. When the Sicilian immigrants reached Texas, most could speak no English and so felt awkward about choosing poor people who did not understand the language or the custom. Consequently, they selected ' children of the family, and children of friends, to represent the apostles. The ceremony remained unaltered, with the exception of the footwashing ritual. Instead, the children would stand on benches or chairs, and those present would kiss their feet as an act of humility. Afterward 15 the host, his family and friends would carry baskets to the poor in the neighborhood. The celebration of St. Joseph's Alter is still observed among a few Sicilian families in Texas, although the custom is vanishing. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ITALIAN SOCIETY 1890 The Christopher Columbus Italian Society of San Antonio has, for years, been a focal point of the city's Italian colony. Founded in 1890 by Cavaliere Carlo Alberto Solaro and 15 of his compatriots, the organization was a combination of benevolent society and fraternal association. In the early years it loaned money to Italian families in need, furnished advice and counsel in business matters, taught English to new arrivals and provided a framework for social activities. By 1950 the society had changed to some extent: 20 percent of the membership could be non-Italian. It continued, however, to meet the social needs of its members and render numerous charitable services throughout the city. At one time the Christopher Columbus Italian Society was instrumental in building the Italian community church of San Francesca de Paola. More recently it has donated a children's room at Santa Rosa Hospital, and the ladies' auxiliary has outfitted the children of St. Peter's Orphanage. The society's headquarters, located at Christopher Columbus Hall, was completed in 1928. The statue of the New World explorer standing in the adjacent park was presented by the society to the City of San Antonio in 1957. The old neighborhood was carved up by urban renewal, and Italians joined the exodus to the suburbs, but Christopher Columbus Hall- stilI famed for its spaghetti suppers - continues to provide a link to the old country and between old friends and acquaintances. 16 FATHER CARLOS M. PINTO 1892 There was only one small chapel for the entire Roman Catholic population of EI Paso when Father Carlos M. Pinto arrived there in 1892. During his 26 years in the border town the priest was personally responsible for building six parish churchesincluding one in Ciudad Juarezand three parish schools. Pinto was born at Salerno, Italy, in 1841. At nine he entered the College of the Jesuit Fathers, and when only 14 he asked to be admitted to the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. When it came time for him to pronounce his final vows, he was obliged to wait a year until he reached the proper age. Pinto was not yet 20 when the revolution of 1860 drove the Jesuits from Naples. He studied in France and Spain before coming to the United States in 1870. Father Pinto arrived at Pueblo, €olorado, in 1872 as priest of a parish that stretched nearly 175 miles. There was no Catholic church in the town, so he held mass in a school and later in the courthouse. In 1873 he built the first church in Pueblo, naming it after the founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius Loyola. Pinto was not the first Jesuit to serve in EI Paso, but he probably was the most effective. Fathers Carlos Persone and Joseph Montenarelli arrived at the ancient mission of Ysleta in October 1881. They ministered to the needs of the Indian and Mexican populations until Father Pinto arrived. Pinto set out to accomplish two things immediately. First, he would provide a school for the children of Spanish-speaking Catholics; second, he would build parish churches for both English- and Spanish- speaking Catholics. Sacred Heart School opened in October 1892 in a new building with four classrooms. The Sacred Heart Church for Spanish- speaking Catholics was dedicated on April 30, 1893. About a month later Immaculate Conception Father Carlos M. Pinto, Sf Church for the English-speaking Catholics was dedicated. Pinto served as the first pastor of Sacred Heart. For a time, beginning in 1895, Father Pinto also served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Juarez. During one of the Mexican Revolution's anticlerical phases in 1912 Father Pinto was kidnapped as he was leaving the church. Colonel Antonio Rojas, the abductor, demanded a $3,000 ransom. Father Pinto refused the demand, mainly because he did not have the money. Rojas finally settled for a $100 ransom, to be paid by check as soon as Pinto was safely back across the border. True to his word, the priest went back to EI Paso and wrote out a check to Colonel Rojas for the agreed sum. Father Carlos M. Pinto, SJ., died in EI Paso on November 5, 1919, worn out by his many years oflaboring for the English- and Spanishspeaking Catholics of the trans-Pecos region of Texas. . LOUIS COBOLINI 1894 Louis Cobolini, an Italian from Trieste, was largely responsible for the port development of such coastal cities as Corpus Christi, Rockport and Brownsville. Born in 1845, he fought as a young man in Garibaldi's army during the wars to unify Italy. When those wars ended Cobolini was forced to seek refuge in the United States. In 1867 he came to Galveston, where he peddled fish and fruit on the streets. He grew prosperous and soon acquired his own fishing schooner, the Henry Williams. He became a leader in the Galveston fishing industry and later established fisheries at other points along the Texas gulf coast. Almost from the beginning Cobolini took an active part in the organization of Texas labor. In 1894 he was elected president of the State Federation of Labor. He was recognized as a self-taught expert in the field of labor relations and industrial progress, and was frequently called upon to lecture on these subjects in various parts of the United States. After 26 years in Galveston Cobolini moved to Rockport, where he continued development of his extensive fishing interests and worked incessantly for harbor improvements. His efforts continued when he moved to Brownsville in 1907. He devoted much attention to compiling data for a proposed Brazos,santiago Harbor. He was elected to present the Valley's Louis Cobolini case in Washington in 1916, but the project was rejected by the federal government. Undaunted, Cobolini returned home to continue his fight for a port that could handle the Rio Grande Valley's abundant fruit and vegetable output. During the early 1920's this Italian Texan served on the Brownsville city commission. He was a staunch supporter of the municipal ownership of utilities and led the fight to prevent the sale of the Brownsville electric plant in 1922. When the port project was revived in the late 1920's, Cobolini was chosen to present arguments to a visiting team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His vast store of technical knowledge, his enthusiasm and his broad grasp of local problems provoked favorable comment from the engineers. Louis Cobolini died in 1928 of overexposure at the age of 84, after leadin'g an inspection team of U.S. Army engineers through Brazos Pass. Ii,is dream of a deepwater port for Brownsville was finally realized eight years later. FRANK LIBERTO 1899 At different times Frank Liberto owned grocery stores in three American cities and effectively served the Italian community in each. He came from his native Sicily in 1890 and settled first in New Orleans, where he opened a small grocery. In 1899 he moved to Beaumont and established the Crescent City Market on the Houston highway. He also helped organize the San Salvadore Society, which assisted newly arrived immigrants in finding jobs, loaned them money to start businesses and provided burial expenses for members. In 1909 Liberto contracted malaria and moved to the drier climate of San Antonio for his health. He established Frank Liberto and Company, the first to deal in imported Italian foods and spices, and operated the business until his death in 1940. In 1927 he was one of four founders of the Italian parish church of San Francesco de Paola. From Beaumont and from San Antonio Liberto wrote friends and relatives in Sicily, urging them to come to Texas. Many heeded that advice. Frank's oldest son, Sam, was a pioneer in radio. In 1921 he opened his first radio shop in San Antonio, and in 1926 he established KGCI, the third radio station in the city. Sam was instrumental in putting Texas's first all,spanish-language program on the air in 1928. Another of the Liberto sons became the first priest to emerge from the San Antonio Italian colony. Vincent Liberto was ordained in the Order of Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1929. DICKINSON, TEXAS 1900 Italians from southern Italy and Sicily began settling on the Galveston County mainland before 1900. Many were brought there by the Stewart Title Company and still others by the active Italian consul at Galveston. Clemente Nicolini, an ex-sea captain, had acquired considerable acreage near Dickinson. For a time he operated what amounted to a one-man immigration bureau and land development company. He steered recent arrivals to Dickinson and even managed to entice away some Brazos valley Italians. Soon there were more than 200 of these people living in the neighborhood. Families bought the fairly inexpensive land, wrote for friends and relatives to join them, and began raising fruit for the commercial market. During the first and second decades of this century, Italians in Dickinson shipped tens of thousands of cases of strawberries in refrigerated boxcars to markets throughout the Midwest. Then in the 1920's they began raising figs commercially. Before the decade had ended, however, the produce of the Rio Grande Valley farmers began undercutting the 17 . ., JII Loading strawberries at Dickinson, 1909 Dickinson truck farmers, and they gradually abandoned their efforts at large-scale truck farming. Until recently the Italian presence in Dickinson was felt through the celebration of St. Joseph's Altar. And many older residents remember the brick beehive ovens sitting in front or in back of Italian homes, where the womenfolk used to bake the weekly bread supply. But in the mid-1930's the economy of Dickinson began to revolve around oil, and many of the residents, Italians among them, became refinery workers or sought employment in Galveston or Houston. POMPEO COPPINI 1902 An amazingly high percentage of the outstanding statuary in Texas parks, cemeteries and public buildings is the work of a single gifted Italian immigrant - Pompeo Coppini. Born in Moglia, Italy, his family moved to Florence in 1871, when he was a year old. He ran away from home to become an- artist rather than the civil engineer that his parents had wanted him to be. Finally, with parental consent, he was allowed to enroll in the Academy of Fine Arts at Florence, where he finished the normal eight- 18 year course in three. Thereafter, he followed various pursuits until he could save enough money to start his own ,::;tudio in Florence. He soon became known as one of the best portrait sculptors in Italy. In 1896 Coppini sailed to New York, where he eventually opened his Own studio. In 1902 he accepted a commission for the five statues which compose the Confederate monument on the State Capitol grounds at Austin. The sculptor liked Texas so much that he established a home and studio in San Antonio, where the terrain and climate reminded him of his native region of Italy. His next important work of art was an equestrian statue honoring Terry's Texas Rangers. He won the competition for the contract from no less eminent a colleague than Elisabet Ney. The project was plagued by accidents -an infected blister on Coppini's hand led to severe blood poisoning; the dry Texas weather played havoc with the clay model; then a fire almost destroyed the artist's studio. But, on its completion in 1907, the work was widely acclaimed. Also in 1902 Coppini was commissioned to design a monument to President Rufus C. Burleson of Baylor University. The only suitable model he could find for the devout, teetotaling Dr. Burleson turned out to be a drunken bum. The derelict seemed perfectly happy and at ease holding a Bible in his hand. When the statue was completed Mrs. Burleson declared that it looked exactly like the good doctor. In 1917 Coppini executed a similar memorial to Governor SuI Ross on the Texas A&M campus. The sculptor's name is doubtlessly remembered by several generations of freshmen who were required to clean the mud-daubed figure. The letters COPPINI, engraved deeply in the base, surely left a lingering impression. This Italian Texan also executed the monument at Sam Houston's tomb in Huntsville, the Texas heroes' memorial at Gonzales, a series of statues on The University of Texas at Austin campus, the Alamo cenotaph and another series in the Hall of Texas Heroes at Dallas. He headed the art department at Trinity University in San Antonio from 1942 to 1945, at which time he returned to New York. He died in 1957 and was buried in San Antonio, where Dr. Waldine Tauch, his adopted daughter and pupil, administered the Coppini Academy until she died in 1986. Coppini working on the Alamo Cenotaph JOE GRASSO, SHRIMP INDUSTRY PIONEER 1910 Joe Grasso from Ase Costello, Sicily, pioneered in the Texas gulf coast shrimp industry. Born in 1883, Grasso sailed early in life to Florida but stayed only a short time. In 1906 he arrived at Galveston harbor aboard a small steamer. After working as a fisherman, then as a longshoreman, and saving a little money, he returned to Sicily, married his childhood sweetheart and brought her back to Galveston. Joe Grasso began his fishing business with a single small boat. He bought a barge, anchored it at the foot of Pier 20 in Galveston and was soon one of the larger wholesale fish dealers in the city. For the first 15 years Grasso sold what shrimp he caught as bait. In those days virtually no one ate it. Then, in the late 1920's, Grasso began freezing shrimp for export to Japan. For the next few years almost his entire catch was contracted to the Japanese. Joe Grasso died in 1936 at the age of 53. His son, Joe Jr., assumed control of the operation. He expanded the business and, in 1948, moved the Shrimp boats at Grasso's Pier 9 company to Pier 9. He built a large modern plant, installed almost a half mile of piers and dredged one of the la.rgest slips in Galveston. During the 1970's Joe Grasso al).d Son, Inc., operated only five boats of their own; they bought almost all of their shrimp from independent operators. Grasso also expanded into other fields. Marine Mud, Inc., had offices in Galveston and Sabine Pass, supplying drilling mud and other materials to offshore drilling sites. Joe Grasso Jr. died in 1975, and his businesses were sold in 1979 by the family. CHARLIE PAPA AND THE TEXAS TRIBUNE 1913 For almost 50 years La Tribuna Italiana kept alive the glories ofItalian culture among the Italian residents of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The newspaper was founded in June 1913 by Charles Saverio Papa, an immigrant from Cefalu, Sicily. Papa came to the United States in 1904. For four years he operated barbershops in Baltimore and Rich-mond. He arrived in Dallas in May 1908 during the height of one of the city's worst floods. As he jumped from dry spot to dry spot along the flooded streets, he got the impression that Dallas was America's answer to Venice with its waterways. Until 1913 he operated a barbershop, the type that today would be called a hairstyling salon. Papa began his weekly newspaper with nothing more tangible than its motto: JUSTICE FREEDOM OPPORTUNITY AMERICA. He had no press, no printer, no staff and no money. Papa was ad solicitor, business manager, editor and janitor. Then in 1916 Louis Adin, a printer of some experience, arrived from Italy by way ofEI Paso. Adin became a full partner in the venture. He could write editorials and news columns; more importantly, he could operate the linotype machine. He often translated, composed and set type all in one process, an achievement few could equal. Until the mid-1930's Charlie Papa and Louis Adin maintained close ties with Italy, but as the mother country began its imperial expansion, those ties loosened. When Mussolini declared war on the Allies in 1940, Papa and Adin changed the name of the paper to The Texas Tribune and began publishing entirely in English. Louis Adin had often joked that he could speak and write five languages, and of the five English was his worst, so he retired. Charlie Papa published the paper in its weekly format until his death in a 1947 auto accident. For a time Mrs. Bab Langley edited the paper. In 1951 Joe Genaro became editor. Together he and Mrs. Langley continued The Texas Tribune in Charlie Papa's tradition until December 1962. In their last editorial they noted that the paper had always stood for the advancement of the Italian community- socially, econoD;lically and politically. "The amalgamation of our people into the whole American society has been our aim." Now that 19 the amalgamation was completed, the oldest Italian newspaper in the Southwest ceased publication. ENRICO CERRACHIO 1914 Enrico Cerrachio contributed many pieces of sculpture to the Texas scene, including the famous equestrian statue of Sam Houston in Hermann Park in Houston, a bust of Governor Miriam A. Ferguson in the State Capitol and a statue of President Anson Jones on the courthouse square at Anson in Jones County, Texas. Cerrachio was born near Naples in 1880. As a boy he played hooky in order to make clay figures of the saints. He once molded a small statue of a local nobleman and, as a result, was sent to study at the Institute of Avelliono, where he worked under Rafael Bellezzo for three and a half years. He spent another two years learning to cast bronze and carve marble. By then Cerrachio was almost 21 and was facing three years of military service, so he booked passage to New York City, arriving in 1900. Cerrachio first saw America as an undeveloped land of opportunity. Enrico Cerrachio 20 He was so overjoyed at the sight of the New York skyline that he threw his tools overboard, believing that he could soon purchase better ones. H e was quickly disillusioned. He spoke no English and had no money, and people were unimpressed with his credentials. For a time Cerrachio slept on a park bench and ate at a Bowery soup kitchen. He finally joined a work gang clearing land for a railroad. Eventually he was able to resume sculpting. The artist came to Houston in 1914. Soon he had commissions for a Doughboy statue, which the city presented to General John J. Pershing, and for busts of Governor Ferguson, "Cactus Jack" Garner and Albert Einstein, as well as statues of Sam Houston and Rudolph Valentino. One of Cerrachio's most interesting pieces was a bronze portrait heag of Christ, two and a half times life-size. He displayed it in a velvetlined case so designed and lighted .. that the head seemed to turn with the motion of the viewer, facing him or . her directly at any angle. Actually the portrait was the reverse, or concave, side of a relief mask. The rotating effect was derived from a shifting light which created the optical illusion. The tip of the nose, which appeared to be against the front glass, actually extended back to the center of the box. Cerrachio returned to New York City in 1944 and practiced his art there until his death in 1956. JOSEPHINE LUCCHESE DONATO 1922 Josephine Lucchese began her career as a coloratura soprano with aNew York debut in 1922. This daughter of Sam Lucchese, San Antonio bootmaker, soon became popularly known as "the American Nightingale:' She received her training in San Antonio and New York, at a time when it was considered impossible to achieve success as a serious artist Josephine Lucchese Donato unless one had studied in Italy. She was the first to disprove this assumption, winning fame in the United States, Europe and, finally, in Italy itself. Mme. Lucchese made her stage debut in Rigoletto at the Manhattan Opera House in New York. Subsequently she was soloist at the Pilgrim Tercentenary Festival in Boston and was featured at the Teatro Nacional in Havana, Cuba. She sang opposite some of the leading tenors of the time, including Tito Schipa and Giovanni Martinelli. In 1930-1931 she toured North America for six months, then traveled to Europe where she gave 150 operatic and concert performances in Holland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Switzerl and. Mme. Lucchese appeared with the San Carlo and Milan Opera companies, among others. She returned to become the leading coloratura soprano of the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company. She was on the music faculty at The University of Texas from 1957 until 1970, when she retired. Mme. Lucchese gave private voice lessons to a highly select group of students until 1971. She died in San Antonio in 1974. THE VALDESE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1929 In May 1929 the Italian-speaking Protestants of Galveston organized the Valdese Presbyterian Church with 35 charter members. Although the church was officially a mission of the Brazos Presbytery, the membership identified themselves as belonging to the Waldensian Church, which originated in 1170-1176 along the Rhone River valley. The founder of this sect was a Lyons merchant named Valdes (also referred to as Waldo). The early Waldensians were essentially a lay group who practiced poverty and obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. The first Italian Protestants began coming to Galveston about 1890. Most were from the province of Tuscany. They had no minister and worshipped under the guidance of lay leaders. In 1927 the Reverend Arturo D'Albergo arrived to serve these people. D'Albergo was a native of Pachino, Sicily. He had come to America at an early age and had been educated at the New York Presbyterian Seminary. He held a number of pastorates in the United States before World War 1. During the war UAlbergo served in the Italian armed forces and later became pastor of the Waldensian Churches of Pachino and Syracuse in Sicily. He returned to the United States in 1920 and reached Galveston in 1927. D'Albergo served as the first and only pastor of the Valdese Presbyte- Pastor and members oj Valdese Church rian Church. Services were bilingual: older members generally attended Italian language worship, while the younger people participated in the English language service. In 1943 the Reverend D'Albergo retired. The Valdese Presbyterian Church was dissolved in September 1943 and its membership accepted into the First Presbyterian Church of Galveston. The 01der generation no longer felt out of place, and the younger one felt perfectly at home as members of First P;esbyterian. The Reverend Arturo U'Albergo, who had helped the Italian Protestants make the transition from the old world to the new, died in 1944. FATHER CARMELO TRANCHESE 1932 On July 17, 1932, in the depths of the depression, Father Carmelo Tranchese, SJ., first entered the run-down church of Our Lady of Guadalupe on San Antonio's west side. His parishioners, some 12,000 Mexican Americans crammed into one square mile of slums, were desperately poor, often hungry and living in squalor which Father Tranchese had thought impossible in the United States. Carmelo Tranchese was then 50 years old. Italian by birth, he had become a Jesuit priest when he was quite young. He was a recognized scholar and had held a high position at the University of Naples before coming to the U.S. as a missionary. He first served at Denver and later at El Paso, working among the Indian and Mexican populations. At the San Antonio parish house on the evening of his arrival, he sat on an empty apple crate - there were no chairs - and took stock of his new situation. The church building was a wreck, the parish deeply in debt, and there was not even a broom with Father Tranchese performing a wedding ceremony 21 which to sweep the dirty quarters. In 1933 things got worse. Most of the parishioners eked out a living shelling pecans. When the National Industrial Recovery Act put a floor under wages, many pecan shellers were dismissed from their jobs and thrown onto an already glutted labor market. There had never been money for luxuries; now there was none for essentials. Tranchese begged donations for people on the verge of starvation and despair. San Antonio Mayor C.K. Quin sent squad cars to collect the staples. The priest set up a distribution system in the churchyard and provided food and fuel to some 7,000 people for more than four months. But the parishioners also needed jobs and decent shelter. Tranchese began campaigning for public housing to be built with laborers from his congregation. His efforts went unrewarded until one day a young man from Washington arrived at the parish house, saying, "I am the answer to your letters:' After other visits and other letters the proposal was finally approved. But there were disappointments ahead. The Supreme Court declared the national housing program unconstitutional. Later the court reversed its decision, and the plan was reapproved. Land was acquired, and construction was well under way when the federal government realized that it had paid far too much for the run-down slum dwellings. The director of the National Housing Authority cancelled the project, and Father Tranchese's hopes for the future of his parish were blasted again. Not quite defeated, the priest sat down and wrote a letter. It began: "My dear Mrs. Roosevelt. ... " In time public housing was built. This was, perhaps, Tranchese's biggest venture. But he worked constantly to improve the daily existence of his flock. He organized a mutual burial society, established a community welfare center, set up a children's health clinic, constructed a playground and opened a nursery schoo!. He also helped form a class in which 22 the neighborhood girls were taught their national songs and dances. Around Christmas time he led the rehearsals for the traditional Los Pastores pageant. In 1953 Father Carmelo Tranchese retired to the Jesuit house at Grand Coteau, Louisiana, where he died three years later. He had started at the top and worked his way down. In the process he became a hero to the people of San Antonio's west side. THE FRANK AND JENNIE INGRANDO FOUNDATION 1951 On Saint Patrick's Day in 1950 a childless couple, Frank and Jennie Ingrando of Houston, established a foundation to provide for the care of neglected children. They were about to begin construction of a home on the Gulf Freeway when Jennie became incurably ill and plans had to be postponed. After her death in May 1951 Frank decided to carryon alone. He was the architect, foreman and contractor for the building, which was designed to house 100 children. As Frank said after Jennie's death: "We both wanted to see children with lots of ground around them. We wanted them to have a few ponies, flowers, chickens and a garden, maybe:' The home was dedicated in the summer of 1954 and was opened in 1955, but Frank Ingrando did not live to see the first children move in; he had died the previous December. The Ingrando home operated until 1962, when the original structure was sold and a smaller, more economical place was purchased. The new quarters were operated until 1969. By then, the state and county had assumed responsibility for the care of the children the Ingrando home was intended to help. The foundation continued to donate money to organizations already taking care of children. It made gifts to the City of Houston for a park to be named the Frank and J ennie Ingrando Park. It gave property to finance an intensive care unit for children at St. Joseph's Hospital. It also contributed to the Houston School for the Deaf, to the Boy Scouts, to the San Jose Clinic and to other children's groups. One of the more unusual gifts was to Dominican College in Houston. The gift provided for continuation of a special mass recited each year on September 8. The mass had its origins in the 1900 storm which destroyed Galveston. Frank's father, Ignacio Ingrando, had vowed that, if his family survived the storm, he would mark the occasion annually. The family survived, and the mass has been observed with only a few exceptions ever since. Sicilian-born Frank Ingrando was two years old when his parents immigrated to Texas in 1888. Jennie Barbera was born in America to Italian parents who had settled in Houston shortly after the Civil War. As a boy Frank worked in his father's store, then opened his own paint shop. All the while, he was buying property whenever he could. By the late 1920's the Ingrandos possessed all the material comforts they felt they would ever need, so they turned their energies toward saving and investing for the children's home. J ennie kept the books, collected the rents and counseled with Frank in real estate investments. As a result of the tax reform act of 1969, it became uneconomical to operate the foundation, and the final gifts were made in 1973. But the memory of Frank and Jennie Ingrando will live on in the park and in other good works provided for the children of Houston. TEXAS COMMITTEE ON ITALIAN MIGRATION 1955 In 1955 the American Committee on Italian Migration formed its Texas chapter with General Vincent Chido and Mrs. Bruno Bagnoli as cochairmen. More than 300 families immi- grated to Texas under the auspices of this committee. These families were of varied nationalities-Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and Yugoslavbut all were either skilled craftsmen or professionals. The committee provided them assistance in obtaining housing and a job. LIGHT D'ALBERGO BAILEY 1966 Light D'Albergo Bailey dedicated her adult life to fostering an understanding of the Italian language and culture in Texas. Lasting evidence of her dedication is the Clay and Light Bailey Collection of Italian Culture at the University of Houston, which she and her husband gave in 1966. She shared her enthusiasm with many church, civic and social groups, but always her favorite audience was her students. They responded to her efforts by performing at the level she set for them. Light D'Albergo was born in 1908 in New York, where her father, the Reverend Arturo D'Albergo, was serving as a Presbyterian minister. She spent her early years in Sicily at Palermo and Pachino. Then she received her bachelor of arts degree from The University of Texas at Mrs. Light D'Albergo Bailey Austin in 1930. That same year she married Clay Bailey, then began teaching Spanish, Latin and Italian in the Galveston public schools. From 1936 to 1951 she taught Spanish at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and also introduced Italian as a regular course. In 1951 Mrs. Bailey dme to the University of Houston and began the regular instruction of Italian there. . She was constantly engaged in efforts to preserve the Italian heritage in the United States. In 1961 she was awarded the Cultural Medal by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Four years later The University of Texas requested her translation of Annibale Ranuzzi's Il Texas to be placed in the Texana Collection. She was further honored in 1969 by Unico, the Italian national service organization. Light D'Albergo died in ] anuary 1972. Three months later the President of Italy posthumously conferred upon her the decoration of Knight Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. FOSSATI'S RESTAURANT 1973 Fossati's Restaurant and Delicatessen is the oldest business in Victoria, Texas. It was founded in 1882 by Frank Fossati, a 30-year-old Italian immigrant from Brescia. As a youth Fossati's Restaurant at Victoria he was apprenticed as a stonecutter and spent ten years in Austria learning the fine points of the art. In 1880 he came to America through the gates of Ellis Island. From friends he learned that Texas was building a new state capitol and that expert stonecutters were much in demand. Frank traveled to Austin, only to learn that he was five or six years early; the project was still in the planning stage. He hired on as a laborer with the Southern Pacific Railroad, building the high bridge over the Pecos River in west Texas. After that he found work in Victoria, cutting stone for the excellent wage of three dollars a day. Then, for health reasons, he entered another line of bus iness. On March 1, 1882, Frank Fossati opened a chili and sandwich stand on Market Equare. He also sold imported cheeses, sausage and olive oil. Gradually the business grew, and Fossatl's became a popular meeting place for the Italians of Victoria, especially the new arrivals. After several moves Fossati's finally came to rest at its present location on South Main. In 1910 Frank's son, Caeton J. (Kite), entered the family business. Under his management Fossati's began its evolution from a mere restaurant to a tradition and an institution. Public officials made a point of being seen in Fossati's. Countless political campaigns 23 I, :1 I' I were organized there, and the owners aired their own political opinions as well. During the "free silver" campaign of William Jennings Bryan, Frank began using silver dollars exclusively to transact business. The restaurant became known locally as "the silver dollar place." At Fossati's a man's station in life was not important. Through its doors came lawyers, gamblers, doctors, mechanics and politicians. All that was required by the management was that they act like gentlemen. After Kite retired the business was subleased, then closed for a time. The Fossati Family Corporation bought the building back in 1985 and reopened Fossati's in 1986. ITALIAN TEXANS TODAY Today's Italian Texan bears little resemblance to his forebears . Many Town Square at Thurber about 1910 24 of the cultural characteristics that once distinguished him have disappeared. The "little Italys" in urban areas have been fragmented by urban renewal or decimated by the suburban exodus. Except among members of the older generation, the language has largely fallen into disuse. The last newspaper directed solely at Italian Texans ceased publication in 1962. The beehive ovens of Thurber and Dickinson have given way to storebought bread. Despite this trend toward assimilation, there remain many visible signs of an Italian presence in Texas. In Montague one can still buy fruits and vegetables raised by the descendants of those early pioneers from northern Italy. The Qualia winery in Del Rio has expanded its production. Italian service organizations, such as UNICO, remain active in charitable and civic affairs. In San Antonio the Christopher Columbus Italian Society's spaghetti dinners attract hundreds of second- and third-generation Italian Texans, as well as non-Italians who appreciate fine food . Italians are still coming to Texas. The immigrants who have arrived since World War II are trained professionals or skilled workers who are almost immediately assimilated into the fabric of American life. No matter when they came, all Italian Texans remain proud of their ancestry. They are also proud of their contributions toward making Texas a better place in which to live. PHOTO CREDITS All photos are from the collection of The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, courtesy of the following lenders. Credits from left to right are separated by semicolons and from top to bottom by dashes. Copies of these photographs may be obtained from the ITC Library. Cover Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 23 Page 24 Back cover Sam Liberto, San Antonio. George Eastman House Collection, Rochester, NY. Frederick J. Pohl, Amerigo Vespucci, Pilot Major (New York: Columbia University Press, 1944) - Collier's Magazine, December 9, 1905. The Institute of Texan Cultures. Gilbert Perez, San Antonio-Museum of History, Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico, D.F. William Morrow, Houston -The Institute of Texan Cultures. Harris County Civil Court Building, Houston; Catholic Archives of Texas, Austin. A 20th Century History oj Southwest Texas, vol. II (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1907) - Frank W. Johnson and Eugene C. Barker, A History of Texas and Texans, vol. V (Chicago: American Historical Society, 1914 ). C.L. Sonnichsen, The El Paso Salt War; 1877 (El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1961). Brazos Varisco, Bryan -Texas Pacific Oil Co., Inc., Dallas. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Innocenti, Victoria; copy courtesy Henry Hauschild, Victoria-Mrs. C.P. Nabours, Montague. Lucchese family, San Antonio. Val Verde Winery, c/o Thomas M. Qualia, Del Rio; Charle~ Siringo, A Texas Cowboy (Chicago: M. Umbdenstock & Co., 1885). Mrs. E.T. Crosson, Dallas. Sister Lilliana Owens, Carlos M. Pinto, Sj (El Paso: Revista Catolica Press, 1951). Texas State Archives, Austin. Beulah Owens Hughes, Dickinson - Coppini Academy, San Antonio. The Institute of Texan Cultures. Houston Public Library, Houston; Florentine Donato, San Antonio. Clay Bailey, Houston - Saturday Evening Post, August 21, 1948. Robert W. Shook, Victoria - Clay Bailey, Houston. Joe Martin, Sinton. Henry Guerra, San Antonio. 25 Italic numerals identify illu strati ons. Adin, Louis 19 Agricultural Benevolent Society 10 Agriculture 10-11, 13, 17-18 Attellis, Orazio de 7 Bailey, Light D'Albergo 23 , 23 Barbera, J ennie see Ingrando, J ennie Barbera Barziza, Decimus et Ultimus 8, 8 Bernardi, Prospero 7, 7 Brazos County, Texas 10-11 Bruni, Antonio 9 Bruni, Antonio Mateo 9, 9 Cardis, Louis 10, 10 Carminati family 13 Cassiano, Jose see Cassini, Giuseppe Cassini, Giuseppe 6, 6 Cerrachio, Enrico 20, 20 Christopher Columbus Italian Society 16 Cobolini, Louis 16-17, 17 Coppini, Pompeo 18, 18 El Correo Atlantico 7, 7 Customs, Italian 11, 15-16, 18 D'Albergo, Arturo 21, 21 D'Albergo, Light see Bailey, Light D'Albergo d'Asti, Father Augustine 8-9 , 8 Dickinson, Texas 17 -18, 18 Donato, Josephine Lucchese 20, 20 Fenoglio, Antonio 13 Fenoglio family 12-13 Filisola, Vicente 6-7, 6 Fishing industry 17, 19, 19 Fossati, Caeton J. (Kite) 23-24 Fossati, Frank 23-24 .. Fossati's Restaurant, Victoria, Texas 23-24, 23 Ghio, Anthony 9-10, 9 Grasso, Joe and Joe Jr. 19 Immigration 3, 3, 10, 12 , 17 , 22 -2 3, 24 In gran do, Frank 22 Ingrando, Jennie Barbera 22 J anelli, Adam E. 15, 15 INDEX La Salle, Rene Rubert Cavelier, Sieur de 4-5 Liberto, Angelina Rinando front cover Liberto, Frank 17, front cover Liberto, Sam 17 Liberto, Vincent 17 Lucchese Josephine see Donato, J osephine Lucchese Lucchese, Salvatore 13, 13 Lucchese, Sam 13 Micheli, Vicente 5 Montague, Texas 12-13, 12 New York, Texas and Mexican Railroad 12, 12 Nicolini, Clemente 17 Papa, Charles Save rio 19-20 Pinto, Father Carlos M. 16, 16 Pizzini (Frank) family back cover Qualia family 14 Raymondi family 12 Religion: see d'Asti, Fr. Augustine; Pinto, Fr. Carlos M.; St. Joseph's Altar; Tranchese, Fr. Carmelo; Valdese Presbyterian Church Rinando, Angelina see Liberto, Angelina Rinando Rollando, Rev. Bartholomew 8 Ruffini, Frederick 13 St. J oseph's Altar 15-16 Saladiner, J.M. 10 Siringo, Charles Angelo 14, 14 Talerico, Frank 15 Telfener, Giuseppe 12 The Texas Tribune 15, 19-20 Thurber, Texas 11 -12, 11, 21- Tonti, Henri de 4-5 , 5 Tranchese, Father Carmelo 21-22, 21 La Tribuna Italiana see The Texas Tribune Valdese Presbyterian Church 21, 21 Val Verde Winery 14, 14 Varisco (Antonio) family 11 Vasquez de Coronado, Francisco, expedition 4, 1- Vespucci, Amerigo 3-4, 3 27 .. One oj a series prepared by the staff oj THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES AT SAN ANTONIO
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Title | Italian Texans |
Date-Original | 1994 |
Subject | Italian Americans -- Texas. |
Description | Part of the Institute of Texan Cultures' The Texians and the Texans series. |
Creator | University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio |
Publisher | University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio |
Type | text |
Format | |
Form/Genre | Books |
Language | eng |
Finding Aid | http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utsa/00234/utsa-00234.html |
Local Subject | Texas History |
Rights | http://lib.utsa.edu/specialcollections/reproductions/copyright |
Digital Publisher | University of Texas at San Antonio |
Date-Digital | 2012-06-26 |
Collection | UTSA. Institute of Texan Cultures. Educational Programs Department Records, 1972-1991 |
Transcript | THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES THE ITALIAN TEXANS AT SAN ANTONIO .......... liliiii ......... . THE ITALIAN TEXANS .. ~ The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 1994 THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS A series dealing with the many peoples who have contributed to the history and heritage of Texas. Now in print: Pamphlets- The Afro-American Texans, The Anglo-American Texans, The Belgian Texans, The Chinese Texans, The Czech Texans, The French Texans, The German Texans, The Greek Texans, The Indian Texans, The Italian Texans, TheJewish Texans, The Lebanese Texans and the Syrian Texans, The Mexican Texans, Los Tejanos Mexicanos (in Spanish), The Norwegian Texans, The Spanish Texans, and The Swiss Texans. Books - The Danish Texans, The English Texans, The German Texans, The Hungarian Texans, The Irish Texans, TheJapanese Texans, ThePolish Texans, The Swedish Texans, and The T#:ndish Texans. The Italian Texans Principal Researcher: W Phil Hewitt ©1973: The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 801 S. Bowie St. San Antonio, Texas 78205-3296 Rex H . Ball, Executive Director Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 74-620619 International Standard Book Number 0-86701-064-9 Second edition revised; second printing, 1994 This publication was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Houston Endowment, Inc. Printed in the United States of America Front Cover: Frank Liberto and Angelina Rinando Liberto on their wedding day) 1899 Back Cover: Frank Pizzini family and friends, 1913 THE ITALIAN TEXANS I talians were on their way to Texas almost as soon as Europeans began sailing the Atlantic in search of a route to the Indies. Amerigo Vespucci probably viewed the Texas coast in 1497, and his countrymen were with Vasquez de Coronado in his epic journey across the High Plains in 1541. For more than three centuries Italians frequently found their way to the northern provinces of New Spain. Most of these adventurers were from the northern cities of Florence, Genoa and Venice. All came in the service of a nation other than their own. They joined various armies which found Texas a wide-open battleground. Vicente Filisola, for example, was second-incommand to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna during the war for Texas independence, while Prospero Bernardi fought on the side of the Texans at San Jacinto. Italian family arriving in the U. s., 1905 Italian immigration greatly increased after 1875, with the majority of people coming from the impoverished areas of southern Italy and Sicily. Northern Italians from the Alpine provinces of Lombardy and Tuscany arrived in smaller numbers. Economic opportunity was the principal motive for Italian immigration to Texas, but the prospect of compulsory service in the Italian army also inspired many to leave their homeland. The Italian population of Texas was small compared to that of the Northeast and Midwest. By 1920 there were slightly more than 8,000 foreign-born Italians living in Texas, mostly in the Galveston-Houston area, in the Brazos valley between Bryan and Hearne, and in the DallasFt. Worth vicinity. By the mid- 1920's, when restrictive U.S. immigration laws dried up the influx from southern Europe, Italians were well on their way toward assimilation into the Texas population. Still, through their ethnic clubs and societies and a strong sense of community with others of like heritage, they have maintained a distinct identity on the Texas scene. AMERIGO VESPUCCI 1497 Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine whose name was given to the continents of the New World, may have been one of the first Europeans to see the Texas coast. In May 1497 he supposedly sailed to the New World for the Spanish king, Ferdinand of Aragon. He sought to determine whether the new lands were indeed a "new world:' or a part of Asia. Vespucci was then 43 years old and had been working in Spain for five years. He 3 Amerigo Vespucci was well known as an outfitter of ships, banker, merchant, and more than an amateur navigator and geographer. The commanders of the expedition may have been Vicente Yanez Pinzon, captain of the Nina on Columbus's earlier voyages; Juan Dfaz de Solfs and Juan de la Cosa. But Amerigo was the official observer for the king and wrote an account of this voyage and three later ones. From Cadiz the explorers sailed to the present coast of Honduras and around Yucatan to the western and northern coasts of the Mexican Gulf. Thus, he and others on this trip were possibly the first known Europeans to see the coast of what is now Texas. This occurred more than 20 years before Francisco de Garay fitted out the ships that sailed under the command of Alonso Alvarez de Pineda in 1519. Amerigo's accounts mention little of gold, but pay many compliments to the beauty of the people and the land of the New World. His voyage is most readily confirmed by the European maps which followed. These indicated the outline of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico long before Pineda's map of 1519. Amerigo Vespucci has been cleared of earlier charges that he plotted against his good friend Christopher Columbus and contrived to have America named for 4 himself. T he naming was probably the work of a cartographer who did it without Amerigo's knowledge. That the name '~ m erica" stuck is one of history's curious accidents. THE VASQUEZ DE CORONADO EXPEDITION 1541 Italians m Vasquez de Coronado's expedition of 1541 were among the early Europeans who ventured onto Texas soil. In those days the Italian peninsula was broken into a number of small duchies, kingdoms and republics. None was strong enough to mount expeditions of the size and scope launched by Spain and Portugal, so Italian soldiers and sailors in search of adventure, glory and gold often found service in the ranks of those two 16th century superpowers. ,Francisco Vasquez de Coronado assembled his expeditionary force of 225 horsemen and 60 infantry at Culiacan, Mexico, in February 1540. Although the leadership and many of the soldiers were Spanish, a number were Italian. They followed the conquistador into New Mexico and across the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas. The Spanish government considered the expedition a failure, but Vasquez de Coronado and his men had opened the door for many future explorations and an eventual foothold in the American Southwest. HENRI DE TONTI 1686 Although he was overshadowed by his commander, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, Italian-born Henri de Tonti left his own mark on Texas history. Symbolic of his role in the La Salle story is the standard bearing the king's arms which the Frenchman had erected on the Mississippi delta in 1682. Four years later Tonti found it washed over on the beach and planted it on higher ground. La Salle had dreamed of establishing a colony at the mouth of the river to serve as a depot for furs and buffalo hides which the Mississippi basin could supply. But it was Tonti who became the real pathfinder of the great valley; his writings provided the first accurate descriptions of its geography, inhabitants and resources. His data and sketches provided cartographers with the necessary information for the first regional maps. This man of achievement was born at Gaeta, near Rome, about 1650. His father, Lorenzo de Tonti, soon became a political refugee from "Coronado on the High Plains" by Frederic Remington ." . +01 ~ 1.1.U:~ ' 1I'j~ ." , the so-called Masaniello revolt. He took his family to France, where he became a prosperous banker. U nfortunately he was drawn into an unsuccessful plot against the king and was imprisoned in the Bastille until paroled in 1675. It was the elder Tonti who invented and gave his name to the tontine, a financial arrangement whereby the survivor receives the proceeds of a fund established by a group of contributors. At the age of 18 Lorenzo's son, Henri, began a military career as an army cadet. He served for two years, then entered the navy as a midshipman. In 1677 he took part in a French campaign against the Spaniards in Sicily. At Messina his right hand was blown away by a grenade, and while awaiting treatment he was taken prisoner by the Spanish. Six months later he was released in a prisoner exchange and returned to France, where the king awarded him a compensation of 300 liures. Tonti participated in yet another Sicilian campaign, but the wars ended in 1678, and he found himself unem- ''Henri de Tonti in East Texas" by Bruce M arshall ployed. He eased his physical handicap by inventing and wear.ing an ~rtificial hand made of copper. H e solved hi s employment situation by joining La Salle on the latter's return to the New World. Tonti quickly became the French explorer's devoted friend and confidant. Soon after their arrival in the upper Mississippi heartland, Tonti and a motley crew of 30 built the first ship ever to sail the Great Lakes. In 1680 Tonti built Fort Crevecoeur in the Illinois country. Two years later he accompanied La Salle to the mouth of the Mississippi and then began construction of Fort St. Louis near present-day La Salle, Illinois. When the Frenchman temporarily returned to his homeland in 1683, Tonti became the dominant figure in the Mississippi valley and remained so for the next 20 years. La Salle returned with a large number of colonists, heading for the mouth of the Mississippi, but inaccurate navigation, corsairs and shipwrecks forced his landing on the Texas coast, where he established a settlement in 1685. Tonti made his first trip in search of La Salle in 1686. He made a second effort in 1689, but when he was within seven days' march of La Salle's now-abandoned settlement, his men deserted, and he was compelled to return to his fort on the Arkansas River. In the process he was chased 80 leagues by a party of Spaniards under Alonso de Leon, who was attempting to keep the French out of east Texas. For another 17 years Tonti carried on La Sall e's work. He lived among the Illinois Indians until 1702, when he joined Pierre d'Iberville in Louisiana. The people of Arkansas also call him the father of their state. Tonti died at Mobile in 1704, a heroic figure with qualities of endurance, leadership and ability. VICENTE MICHELI 1793 Vicente Micheli was one of the earliest Italian merchants to settle in Texas. A native of Brescia, he arrived at Nacogdoches in 1793. For a time he was involved in the fur trade, working for Barr and Davenport, the only firm licensed to trade with friendly Indians in east Texas. In 1801, while living in Coahuila, Micheli received permission to establish a cotton gin at San Antonio, although it is not known ifhe actually completed the project. He returned to Nacogdoches and engaged in trading and farming until J anuary 1806. That year he and his 15-year-old son moved to the newly founded Villa de Salcedo on the Trinity River. According to a census listing, Micheli possessed a rancho, 200 head of cattle and a drove of mares. When the Salcedo colony failed, Micheli moved again to San Antonio, where he became quite prosperous. He owned the Rancho de San Francisco and later opened a general mercantile store. In time he began referring to himself as the "Merchant of Venice." He died in his adopted city of San Antonio in 1848. 5 Jose Cassiana by Carl von Iwanski GIUSEPPE CASSINI 1826 When Ben Milam captured San Antonio from Mexican forces late in 1835, Giuseppe Cassini - known in Texas by his Spanish name of Jose Cassiano - furnished the Texans food and supplies from his store. His business was looted and his home pillaged a few months later when General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna drove all Texas sympathizers out of the area. Cassiano left town one step ahead of the Mexican army and fled to one of his ranches on Calaveras Creek. When the Alamo fell , he loaded his servants and his remaining valuables on wagons, went to the coast on a safe-conduct pass provided by the Texans and caught a ship to New Orleans. Giuseppe Cassini was born in the village of San Remo in the Genoese republic in 1787. He left home as a young man and soon was in command of his own merchant ship. In 1816 he procured a British passport from the consul in Marseilles, sailed to New Orleans and went into the import-export business. He made numerous trading trips to Texas between 1816 and the mid- 1820's, when he settled permanently in San Antonio. He established a general mercantile store on Main Plaza and began dealing extensively in real estate. In 1826 Cassiano mar- 6 ried Gertrude Perez Cordero, the widow of the last Spanish governor of Texas. When the Texas Revolution ended, he returned to San Antonio and resumed dealing in real estate. An inventory compiled in 1842 showed that he held property in Bexar County, south Texas and New Orleans valued at more than $18,000. Cassiano died on January 1, 1862, just as he was completing plans to buy the entire village of Piedras Negras, Mexico, opposite Eagle Pass. VICENTE FILl SOLA 1836 When General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna came to Texas in 1836 to quell the rebellion against Mexico, General Vicente Filisola came with him as second-in-command. Santa Anna dangerously overextended his forces when his main column chased across the prairies after Sam Hous- "ton's little band of soldiers. Filisola's . troops were left behind on th~ Brazos, unable to rescue the self-styled "N apoleon of the West" after his defeat at San Jacinto. General Vicente Filisala At first Filisola tried to resign his command, but in accordance with Santa Anna's instructions he signed the Treaty of Velasco, then withdrew Mexican troops from Texas. Fellow generals attempted to make him a scapegoat for the disaster. When he was subsequently relieved of his command, he countered by publishing a pamphlet "in defense of his honor and explanation of his operations as commander-in-chief of the army against Texas!' Filisola was too experienced a survivor in warfare to be sidetracked by self-seeking fellow generals. Born in Ravello, Italy, in 1789, he moved with his family to Spain, where he joined the army in 1804. Six years later he was commissioned a second lieutenant "because he had conducted himself with valor in over 20 battles." Filisola was sent to Mexico in November 1811, while the Hidalgo revolt was under way. In 1815 he hitched his career to the rising star of Augustin de Iturbide. When the latter became emperor of Mexico in 1821, Filisola's position took a gigantic leap forward. As a brigadier general he was sent to bring Central America into the Mex- ican empire. He was victorious in his mission, but Iturbide was soon overthrown. In 1823 Filisola issued a decree freeing Central America from its Mexican ties. Back in Mexico Filisola got along well with Iturbide's successor, General Santa Anna. In 1831 he received a colonization grant in Texas, but there is no evidence that he ever made an effort to fulfill the contract. Two years later, at Matamoros, he became acquainted with Stephen F. Austin, who was en route to Mexico City bearing a grievance petition to Santa Anna from the Texas settlers. Austin described Filisola as "a blunt, honest, candid and prompt soldier. He has been over 30 years in service, with important powers entrusted to him-and what is rather uncommon, he has not made a fortune. He is the friend of the farming and agricultural interests - a decided enemy of smugglers and lawyers, for he thinks they demoralize the community by placing temptations before weak or avaricious persons." Later that same year Filisola became ill and retired briefly from military life. By 1835 he was recovered and ready to join Santa Anna for the invasion of Texas. After the battle of San J acin to Filisola remained in northern Mexico. His standing improved considerably when his principal detractor, General Urrea, initiated an unsuccessful revolution of his own. Filisola was now on the winning side. In 1839 he supported the abortive "Cordova Rebellion;' by which Mexico hoped to incite native Mexican and Indian forces against the Texan government. During the Mexican War of 1846 the old soldier served again, this time in the state of Chihuahua. He died as the result of a cholera epidemic III Mexico City on July 23, 1850. ORAZIO DE ATTELLIS After 1816 a number of Italians who had served under Napoleon visited El Correo Atlantico or settled in Texas. One of these was Orazio de Attellis, a hearty adventurer enthralled by combat in both warfare and politics. Born in the Italian province of Campobasso in 1774, he had been with Napoleon on the h!.mous retreat from Moscow in 1812. After the emperor's fall, he was arrested, sentenced to death, pardoned and finally exiled from his native land. On leaving the army, Attellis worked at one time or another as a newspaperman, law clerk, public official and teacher of French. In 1824, at the age of 50, he arrived in America, where he taught, wrote and founded schools in both New York and Mexico. H e stayed in New York for only a year before going to Mexico City, where he became politically involved. The adventure soon palled, and Attellis went back to New York City, where he taught school from 1827 to 1832. Santa Anna summoned him again to Mexico City, this time to found a college. The two parted company when the Italian began a newspaper, El Correo Atlantico, in which he advocated Texas independence. Attellis continued printing his paper in New Orleans, publicizing the Texan cause in Spanish, English, Italian and French. On April 4, 1836, he published Colonel Travis's letter of March 3 from the Alamo in both English and Spanish. When the war was over Attellis was said to have received a substantial land grant from a grateful Texas government. After 12 more years of writing and lecturing in defense of various political causes, he returned to Italy in 1848. By that time he was an American citizen, 74 years old and as bellicose as ever. He died in the land of his birth in 1850. His writings and speeches are credited with attracting other Italians to Texas. PRO SPERO BERNARDI Prospero Bernardi was the only Italian known to have fought with the Texans at the battle of San Jacinto. Born in Italy in 1794, he immigrated to Texas early in 1836. On February 13 he enlisted with Captain Amasa Turner's New Orleans Volunteers. At that time he was described as being 43 years of age, five feet eight inches tall, with dark hair, eyes and complexion. His land grant record states that he was discharged at Galveston a year later. For his service he later received two land grants - one in San Patricio County, the other in present Somervell County. "Prospero Bernardi at San Jacinto" by Bruce Marshall 7 THE REVEREND BARTHOLOMEW ROLLANDO 1845 The first Italian-born missionary to Texas came in 1845. He was the Reverend Bartholomew Rollando of the Lazarist missionary order. Father Rollando worked as assistant to the Reverend John M. Odin, who later became the first Bishop of Galveston -a diocese which included all of Texas at that time. The two men had differences of opinion, and Father Rollando moved to Houston, where he served in 1846. The following year he returned to Galveston, and died on October 11 at the age of 35. DECIMUS ET ULTIMUS BARZIZA 1857 Lawyer and banker Decimus et Ultimus Barziza is remembered as the greatest criminal lawyer in the Texas of his time and as author of a vivid Civil War memoir, The Adventures oj a Prisoner oj War. His unusual name was derived from his position as the "tenth and last" of his parents' children. He was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1838. The family had long been prominent in that colony and had traveled comfortably in the highest circles of English and Ameri- D.U Barziza 8 can society. Barziza's father, an Italian viscount, had come to America in 1814 to take possession of an estate left him by his wealthy American grandmother. He renounced his Italian citizenship and gave up his title in order to claim the land, but expensive and unsuccessful litigation cost him nearly everything. He made a good marriage, however, and settled down to make the most of his situation. He found employment at the local insane asylum and managed to give his sons fine educations at the College of William and Mary. In 1857 Decimus et Ultimus followed three older brothers to Texas. He studied law at Baylor University in Independence, then began a practice at Owensville, the old seat of Robertson County. The Civil War interrupted his career, and he was commissioned a first lieutenant in Hpod's Texas Brigade. Captured at Gettysburg, he was later imprisoned on Johnson's Island but escaped by .. diving through the window of a moving train near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He made his way to Canada, then was smuggled back to the South by sympathetic Canadians. His recollections of wartime experiences were published in Houston several months before the war's end. Barziza reentered the practice of law by acting as defense counsel in a murder case stemming from an old Waller County feud. After he made an impassioned plea for his client's life, the defendant was acquitted, and Barziza's reputation was firmly established. He turned briefly to politics and was elected to the 14th Texas Legislature in 1873, which marked the end of Reconstruction rule in Texas. A contemporary historian viewed him as "black-eyed, blackhaired and ofItalian descent; he was bright, energetic, eloquent and heterogeneous ... fiery, impetuous, bold, quick and ready of speech, with a clear, ringing voice and the dramatic quality highly developed." Barziza resigned from the legislature in 1876 in protest over a bill which would have given the Texas and Pacific Railroad additional time in which to perfect a land grant. He returned to Houston and continued his law practice. He also devoted time to the Houston Land and Trust Company, which he and five lawyer friends had organized in 1875. Barziza died at his home on January 30, 1882, "after a lingering illness." He was only 43, but he had left his mark. Today there is a Barziza Street in Houston, and members of the family still reside in that city. FATHER AUGUSTINE D'ASTI 1860 Father Augustine d'Asti, pastor of St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Civil War Houston, spent his last years secretly distributing food, clothing and money among the needy people of his city. More than a century later, similar gifts are quietly dispensed each day in memory of this native Italian priest. Father Augustine was born at St. Damiano d'Asti in Piedmont. His background is obscure, but he began his novitiate in the order of St. Francis at the age of 16. In 1856 he and four members of this order came to America and established a Franciscan house in New York. In 1860 Bishop Odin of Galveston requested Father Augustine d'Asti that (he Franciscans reestablish themselves in Texas, where they had not been since the revolution of 1836. Father Augustine was appointed Superior. His post was the Church of St. Vincent. His gift giving was actually accomplished through an intermediary, one John Kennedy, a trader known for having the strongest whiskey in town. Father Augustine is also remembered for having blessed the flag which Dick Dowling and his men carried into the battles at Galveston and Sabine Pass. The priest died at age 39 in the spring of 1866 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. Every store in town closed for the funeral. More than a hundred years later d1\sti House at 603 Irvine Street was still carrying on the charitable tradition of this compassionate Italian priest. THE BRUNI FAMILY 1862 Antonio Bruni -a San Antonio businessman, politician and public benefactor- was encouraged by his own success to invite other Italians, especially his relatives, to settle in Texas. He left his native Italy in 1858, landed at Galveston, then proceeded to San Antonio, where he opened a grocery store on Main Street in 1862. His business prospered, and in 1872 he established a general store on Military Plaza. Bruni quickly became a leader of the Italian colony in San Antonio. In 1880 he helped found the first Italian mutual aid society in TexasSocieta Italiana de Mutuo Soccorso -and served as its president for many years. His political career began in 1879, when he was elected alderman. Bruni retired from business about 1908, and died at his Laredo Street home in 1918. His nephew, Antonio Mateo Bruni, was a dominant business and political figure in south Texas for a quarter of a century. He had come as a 16-year-old from Italy in 1872. Antonio Mateo Bruni After an apprenticeship in his uncle's store, he took the stagecoach to Laredo, where he opened his own establishment in 1879. He invested wisely, expanded his business and in 1892 was elected a Webb County \,ommissioner. Four years later he was elected treasurer, a post he held l,mtil his death nearly 40 yeal's later. He was the largest landowner in Webb and Zapata counties: the town of Bruni was established on one of his ranches to provide a shipping point for his agricultural produce. With Bryan Callaghan and James B. Wells, he effectively controlled politics from San Antonio to Corpus Christi to Laredo. Time after time, Bruni rallied massive Democratic victories in his home county. Front-page editorials, flags at half mast and lengthy obituaries marked his passing on August 18, 1931. He was genuinely mourned by thousands of ordinary citizens whose lives he had touched by his kindness and generosity. Today his memory is perpetuated in Bruni Park in Laredo. ANTHONY GHIO 1873 Anthony Ghio achieved his greatest success as a town builder on the northeastern Texas frontier in the 1870's. Born in Genoa in 1832, he came to America at age 17. Soon he was representing a New York firm as a traveling salesman in the southern states and various Caribbean ports. After a brief business venture of his own in St. Louis, he returned to New York as a salesman. He married in 1862, moved to Illinois for a time, then came to Jefferson, Texas, where he opened a mercantile store. In those days Jefferson was the state's leading inland port. Ghio prospered with the town, but there came a time in the early 1870's when the residents refused to permit the entry of a railroad. Ghio could foresee the town's decline and in 1873 made his way through the forest to the site of Texarkana, where town lots recently had been surveyed. He purchased a tract, on which he soon built a house, at the corner of Third Street and Texas Avenue. Among his first efforts was the organization of a Catholic Church. He also worked for the advancement of parochial education. In 1877 Ghio and a partner built a brick opera house, the first structure of its type in Texarkana. He opened another theater in 1884 with a performance by the renowned Boston Opera Company of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe. The event marked Anthony Chio 9 '70 ]1: 1t1r (/J~ I (/dill,;;/" "The Murder of Cardis" by Jose Cisneros a cultural high point in the history of northeast Texas. Three years later he opened Spring Lake Park two miles north of the city. His civic endeavors continued as he built an artificial gas plant and brought the first railroad to that corner of Texas. In 1880 grateful citizens elected Ghio to the first of three terms as mayor and subsequently as alderman from his ward. He and his wife were the parents of eight children. A granddaughter, Corrine GriffithMarshall, became an early silentscreen star. Ghio died in 1917; his wife outlived him by 20 years. LOUIS CARDIS 1877 Italian-born Don Louis Cardis became a tragic casualty in the EI Paso Salt War, one of the unsavory chapters of Texas history. Cardis was a native of Piedmont and had served as a captain in Garibaldi's army before moving to the United States in 1854. Ten years later he came to EI Paso, learned to speak fluent Spanish and won the confidence of the Spanish-speaking citizens. He operated the stage line to Fort Davis and quietly used his spare time to build a political power base. Beginning in 10 1874, he served two terms in the state legislature, where one of his colleagues was D.D. Barziza. In those peaceful days Cardis was described as a delicately featured .. individual with a black moustache and chin whiskers. He habitually . wore a Prince Albert coat, immaculate white linen shirt and black bow tie. Not a good public speaker, he preferred to work behind the scenes. His friends considered him persuasive, witty, intelligent and suave. In 1866 he had connived with half a dozen other local figures to take control of the Guadalupe Mountain salt beds, which had long been regarded as public property. Their efforts were unsuccessful until 1876, when an aggressive newcomer named Charles Howard claimed the entire tract for himself. Cardis was booted aside. He now joined those who wanted to keep the salt beds in the public domain. In October 1877 Howard shot and killed Cardis in an El Paso saloon. Further threats of violence, gunplay, mob action and ineffectual intervention by carelessly recruited Texas Rangers were added elements of the story. Two months after Cardis's death the mob got Charley Howard in a showdown at San Elizario. The Salt War proved only that "good men can die bravely in a bad cause." Today the case is regarded as an early growing pain of the EI Paso Southwest. BRAZOS VALLEY ITALIANS 1880 Italians began arriving in the lower Brazos valley as early as the mid- 1870's when a few families settled near Bryan. Businessmen in that area had long advertised in European newspapers for immigrants to come and help revitalize the local economy. The Italians did not begin responding in numbers until about 1880. Those who did come were mainly from impoverished Sicily. They either harvested Louisiana sugar fields or labored on shares in the Bryan area until they accumulated enough money to buy their own farms. They bought flood-prone land in the Brazos bottoms between Hearne and Bryan. Earlier settlers, including Germans and Czechs, had avoided it, but the Italians were willing to gamble with disaster in exchange for fertile soil that would normally produce abundant crops. They lost badly in 1899 and again in 1900, when devastating floods struck the region, but most of the immigrants stuck it out. By the 1890's Brazos County had one of the largest concentrations of Italian farmers in the United States. In 1905 the Italian ambassador visited Texas and was told that Bryan had 3,000 of his countrymen and that the citizens wished there were ten times that number. Very early J.M. Saladiner and other leaders organized the Agricultural Benevolent Society to aid newly arrived immigrants, but the group also sponsored instruction in the latest farming and soil conservation methods. By 1910 adjacent Burleson and Robertson counties also had significant numbers of Italian residents. For the most part, the farmland of these early Italian arrivals has been retained in family hands. Rural mailboxes reflect such names as Cotropia, De Stefano, Ferrara, Perrone, Restino, Varisco and Salvato. Business and civic leaders in Bryan and Hearne also include individuals with Italian surnames. But cultural identity goes little further; the younger generation is not familiar with the Italian language and does not observe Old World customs. Little is left but loyalty to the Roman Catholic religion and the traditional spaghetti dinner on Sunday. THURBER, TEXAS 1880's The Texas Pacific Coal Company recruited immigrants in the 1880's to work its rich coal mines at Thurber. Many diverse ethnic groups interacted to make Thurber a lusty, brawling industrial town which stood out strangely in the middle of a farming and ranching country. At its height Thurber had a population of 10,000. Poles and Italians did most of the mining; both groups lived on Hill Number 3. A railroad to the mines bisected the hill, with the Poles Antonio and Dortea Varisco and family . on the south side of the track and the Italians on the north. The Italians wt:l'e clannish to the point of dividing their own group according to their place of origin in Italy. Perhaps their most outstanding contribution was to the musical life of Thurber. The Italians were generally conceded to have the best band; members often played at the Dallas Fair. In its heyday the town had an opera house, where major companies liked to perform because of the demonstrative Italian audiences. Equally appreciated were the culinary skills of these people. Each home had an outside oven and a cellar dedicated to the concept of ample "new bread and old wine:' The more elaborate cellars had coolers for cheeses and meats. Carloads of grapes were shipped in from California for the production of homemade wine. Italian children were always the envy of others because they had such delicious grapes in their lunch boxes. Food was a featured attraction at the elaborate Italian weddings. The specialty of these occasions was a rice dish called risotto, which was served with a salad, a variety of meats and barrels of wine. As the wine kegs were emptied, they were stacked up. The success of the festivity was measured by the height of the pyramid . The eve of the Lenten season was marked with a miniature Mardi Gras-type celebration. Men bedecked in outlandish costumes would go house-to-house entertaining the children. At each home the mother would serve a pastry called crostoti and, of course, the inevitable wine. The homemade wine was sometimes a problem - not for the Italians, but for federal agents who were Italian Club picnic at Thurber 11 trying to enforce national prohibition. If there were sufficient advance warning, the residents of Hill Number 3 moved the home brew to secret hiding places. Otherwise, they simply poured it on the ground. When law enforcement personnel arrived, the houses were empty of liquor, and no one knew anything about the aromatic rivulets trickling down the hill. In 1918 oil strikes in the nearby Ranger field marked the end of Thurber as a mining town, since oil was a cheaper fuel than coal. Most of the mines closed in 1921, and the Italians either scattered to nearby towns or returned to their homeland. Today Thurber is a ghost town. COUNT TELFENER AND THE "MACARONI LINE" 1881 In 1880 Count Giuseppe Telfener and several European, New York and Texas financiers developed a grand plan to link New York and Mexico by rail. The New York, Texas and Mexican Railroad Company was chartered in Paris in October 1880, and construction began about a year later. Count Telfener was no amateur in the field; he had just completed a 350-mile rail line in Argentina. Texas was chosen for the starting point because the state offered 16 sections of land for each mile of track completed. Construction on the run between Richmond and Brownsville began with two crews working toward each other from Rosenberg Junction and Victoria. Telfener paid passage for 1,200 Italian laborers, mostly from the northern province of Lombardy-who, he hoped, would eventually bring their families to Texas and settle on land along the right-of-way. Because macaroni was a staple of the laborers' diet, the enterprise soon became known as the "Macaroni Line!' Within six months difficult working conditions and sickness caused half of the Italian work force to quit. A plan to increase the num- 12 Italian railroad workers at Victoria ber of workers to 5,000 was never realized because construction was halted inJuly 1882 after the state had repealed all land grants to railroad builders. Inadvertently Texas had issued certificates for 8,000,000 acres more than was available for distribution. Ninety-one miles of the New "York, Texas and Mexican Railway had been completed between Victo' ria and Rosenberg at a 'cost of $2,000,000. Telfener operated the railroad until 1884, when he sold out to a brother-in-law, John Mackay, the Nevada "Bonanza King." The railroad was sold to Southern Pacific interests in 1885. The only reminders Early Italian home at Montague of the original builders and their grand design are in various town names along the route. Leaving Victoria, one comes first to Telfener (misspelled Telferner); then Inez and Edna, named for the count's two daughters; Louise, Telfener's sisterin- law; Mackay, commemorating the silver baron; and finally to Hungerford, named for the count's fatherin- law and partner. Count Giuseppe Telfener's most important contribution to Texas is represented in the Italian families living in Victoria, Houston, Galveston and elsewhere who are descended from the Italian workmen who built the "Macaroni Line." THE ITALIANS OF MONTAGUE COUNTY 1882 Italians from the Alpine provinces of northern Italy began arriving in Montague County, northwest of Dallas, in 1882. Three Fenoglio families and the Raymondi family arrived in Texas by way of the Illinois coal mines in the late 1870's. They first settled near Pilot Point in Grayson County but discovered in 1881 that they had been swindled; they did not have title to the land that they had cleared and worked. So, dispossessed, discouraged and almost penniless, they headed west. Antonio Fenoglio and his brothers settled near Montague on sandy loam earth that was perfect for vineyards, orchards and vegetable farms. Antonio declared that the soil "tasted" right. By 1900 many families from northern Italy had settled in the vicinity of Montague, Bowie and Nocona. They produced luscious Concord grapes, apples, peaches and a variety of vegetables. The Fenoglios of Montague County have an affinity for the name Antonio or Anthony. The first Antonio was a founder of the colony. One of his nephews, nicknamed "Tony Jack:' was - at the time of his death in 1972 - the last living disciple of Thomas V. Munson, the famous American viticulturist. It was Munson who was credited by the French with saving their vineyards from destruction by phylloxera, a type of plant lice. Antonio's son and grandson also bear the same given name. The grandson served in the legislature from 1951 to 1961 and is familiarly known as "Tony the Rep:' to distinguish him from similarly named cousins. The Carminatis are also a large family, and many of them are named Pete. For a while the Montague telephone directory listed three Pete Carminatis: "Middle Pete," a town dweller; "North Pete:' who lived on his farm north of Montague; and "South Pete:' whose land lay in the other direction. The Italian colony at Montague has never been large; it reached a peak of 69 foreign-born persons in 1910. And these fairskinned blue-eyed Texans of northern Italian stock never did fit the darkfeatured stereotype from southern Italy and Sicily. Recently these Italian-Texan truck farmers have discovered anew the wisdom of their ancestors in choosing this sandy plot of ground on which to settle. The land was originally purchased for $6.00 to $8.00 an acre, with mineral rights ---------------------------------- -- included. Oil discoveries on several of these tracts have enhanced property values considerably. FREDERICK RUFFINI 188.3 Architect Frederick Ruffini lived in Texas only eight years, but he left his trace against the Lone Star skyline. He arrived in Austin from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1877. Within four years he had designed a large number of private and public buildings such as the courthouses at Henderson, Longview, Georgetown and Corsicana, jails at New Braunfels, McKinney, Franklin and Groesbeck, and the old State Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Austin. Millet Opera House and the Hancock Building in Austin were also his handiwork. Ruffini's last project was probably hi~. most imposing. In 1883 he was chosen as the architect, in an eight-entry competition, to design the,.Main Building for The University of Texas at Austin. In accordance with then-fashionable trends; he chose Gothic frosting for the edifice, but he lived to see only the west wing completed. He died in 1885 during an epidemic which swept Austin. SALVATORE LUCCHESE Salvatore Lucchese was born into a bootmaking family near Palermo, Sicily, in 1866. In 1882 he landed at Galveston and settled a year later in San Antonio, where he opened a boot shop. The business grew until he became one of the best-known custom bootmakers in the United States. The business continues today uI1der the direction of his grandson, Sam. Lucchese customers have included movie stars, soldiers and U.S. presidents. Salvatore made boots for Theodore Roosevelt when the latter was in San Antonio with the Rough Riders in 1898. Sam made a pair for Vice-President Lyndon Johnson. The original Lucchese also made boots for Francisco Madero, Salvatore Lucchese leader and tragic victim of the Mexican Revolution. One day, while the rebellion against dictator Porfirio Dfaz was in progress, Salvatore received a call to meet a customer at the store. When he arrived there was Madero in revolutionary garb with bandolier, guns and worn-out boots. He told Lucchese that he needed boots that were easy to get into, because he might have to make a quick escape. Salvatore complied but said later that Madero "didn't get away quick enough the last time." Luccheses made boots for other well-known personalities, such as Gene Autry, General "Hap" Arnold, Lieutenant George S. Patton and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. A pair made for actress Anne Baxter were decorated with a pattern of butterflies reproduced in authentic colors. For many years Luccheses made riding boots for graduating cadets of the old U.S. Army Air Corps. But the air corps quit wearing riding boots in 1934, and the army followed suit in 1938. The cadet corps at Texas A&M University has always included loyal Lucchese fans. Salvatore Lucchese died in 1929, but the firm he founded remains an honored name in boots. 13 Qualia wine press brought f rom Italy THE QUALIA'S VAL VERDE WINERY The oldest licensed winery in Texas is operated by the third generation of the Qualia family on Hudson Road in Del Rio. The enterprise was started in 1883 by Frank and Mary Qualia, who wanted to make wine for family consumption as they had done in their old home near Milan, Italy. As of the mid-1980's about 6,000 gallons of wine are produced annually from 30 acres of vineyards. Qualia's first vines were the Lenoir grape. In the 1930's he brought the Herbemont grape to Texas and began making Dry and Sweet Amber, which are popular with Del Rioans. His original handpress and huge oak casks brought from Italy have been replaced by the latest in technological innova tions, but the aging process takes place in the cool interior of the original winery with its 18-inch adobe walls. Following the retirement of Frank's son, Louis, in 1973, grandson Thomas Qualia became proprietor, while his brother, Robert , assumed control of the family's sheep and cattle ranches in Texas and Mexico. 14 Today the Val Verde Winery produces eight different wines, from the dry red Lenoir to Dry Amber and Sweet Amber from the H erbemont grape. With grapes purchased from vineyards in Pecos County, the winery produces Johannisberg Riesling, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Rose of Cabernet. The list is topped off by quality dessert wines from the Lenoir grape. CHARLES A. SIRINGO 1885 "M y excuse for writing this book is money-and lots of it:' After admitting his motive, Charlie Siringo produced his roll icky autobiography, A Texas Cow Boy. Published before he was 30, it was the first - and remains the best - of the personal range narratives. H e wrote nothing more for thr.ee decades, then produced another half dozen titles before his death. According to author J. Frank Dobie, .. "No other cowboy ever talked about himself so much in print; few had more to talk about." Charles Angelo Siringo was born in Matagorda County, Texas, in 1855. His mother was Irish, his father Italian. Young Charlie became a cowboy at 11. By the spring of 1871 he was working for tough, loudmouthed "Shanghai" Pierce. Siringo drove the Chisholm Trail in its heyday and later drifted into the Texas Panhandle with the first LX herd. At Old Tascosa he made Billy the Kid's acquaintance and later helped lawman Jim East track the young outlaw to his New Mexico hideout. After 15 years with the trail herds, Charlie wrote and published his first and most successful book. In 1886 a Kansas City phrenologist studied the bumps on Siringo's head and advised him to become a detective. The ex-cowboy joined the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, and for the next 22 years he led a dangerous and adventurous life. A friend who knew him during the bloody Coeur D'Alene strike of 1891-1892 re-membered him as "a slender, wiry man, da rk-eyed, dark-moustached, modest. Lately recovered of smallpox, he was noticeably pitted. This would be an undisguisable identification in a tight place, but he did not seem to mind. He was the most interesting, resourceful, courageous detective I ever dealt with:' In 1912 Siringo's second book, A Cowboy Detective, appeared. The Pinkertons reacted strongly against its publication and resorted to legal harassment to prevent its circulation. Apparently they objected not so much to what old Charlie said about them, as to his description of their methods, which -at times - included bribery, perjury, brutality and padded expense accounts. The last years of his life were spent fighting back at those who tried to suppress what he had to say. In 1927 he saw the best of his writing assembled into a dignified and handsome volume by the eminently respectable Houghton-Mifflin Company. Again the Pinkertons raised legal barriers, and its sale was stopped while substitute material was inserted. Charlie Siringo died at Venice, California, in 1928. His stories, while not polished works of art, were always honest. Title page of Siringo's best-seller I FRANK TALERICO 1888 Frank Talerico arrived in San Antonio in 1888 and opened a fruit stand in the business district. In a short time he owned 15 such stands, all operated by friends and relatives he brought over from his native Italy. Eventually he built a substantial warehouse from which his chain stores were supplied. Talerico was born at Spezzano della Sila in 1860. Correspondence from a friend in Texas inspired him to seek his fortune there. In addition to his business endeavors, Talerico organized the small Italian colony in San Antonio and for years was one of its most prominent leaders. He died in 1934 at the age of 74. ADAM E. JANELLI 1889 Adam Janelli, a native of Parma, brought the Salvation Army to Texas onJune 12, 1889, when he preached his first sermon at the corner of Main and Ervay streets in Dallas. Born in 1851, the young man went to sea in search of his fortune. He advanced from an ordinary seaman to the rank of captain, serving in both the Italian and the English merchant marines. On one of his long voyages he docked at Calcutta, India, where he attended several of the Salvation Army's street meetings. He became interested in its work among the poor. On his return to England he left the sea and became friends with General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. Hoping to further this good cause, Adam J anelli entered the United States in 1888. A year later he went to Dallas. The ex-sailor settled there permanently in 1891 and operated a billposting agency. But his real interest was the work of the Salvation Army, which he served as local treasurer until his death. He was a familiar sight at street meetings for more than a quarter of a century. It was J anelli who was largely responsible for the erectiOl) of the Salvation Army Hall on Federal Street. When the Italian-language newspaper La Tribuna Italiana began publication in 1913, J anelli contributed time and money to make it self-sustaining. He translated English into Italian and occasionally lent the paper money to tide it over its frequent crises. When this immigrant humanitarian died in 1925, his funeral was held at the Salvation Army Hall, the services led by the Dallas district commander. ST. JOSEPH'S ALTAR The custom of celebrating, on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph - with St. Joseph's altar, or table-was brought to Texas by Sicilian immigrants during the late 1800's. The celebration itself is peculiar to a single region of the island from which many Italians in Houston, Galveston, Bryan and Hearne came. St. Joseph is the patron saint of Italy and particularly of Sicily. Since the celebration was held during Lent, the feast had to be prepared without meat. Dishes of fish, a Sicilian-style pizza and spaghetti were served to- Mr. and Mrs. Adam E. Janelli gether with fancy biscuits, cakes, pies and vegetables. On the day before the feast the priest was called to bless the food and drink to be used. On the feast day itself families would go out, find the poorest people in the community and bring them to their houses. The master of the house and his family would bathe the feet of the guests, just as Christ did to his disciples before the Last Supper. Then the visitors would be seated at the table. Those served were required to take at least a taste of all the food and drink offered, following which the family and invited guests could eat. At the end of the feast the leftovers were gathered up and distributed to the poor. When the Sicilian immigrants reached Texas, most could speak no English and so felt awkward about choosing poor people who did not understand the language or the custom. Consequently, they selected ' children of the family, and children of friends, to represent the apostles. The ceremony remained unaltered, with the exception of the footwashing ritual. Instead, the children would stand on benches or chairs, and those present would kiss their feet as an act of humility. Afterward 15 the host, his family and friends would carry baskets to the poor in the neighborhood. The celebration of St. Joseph's Alter is still observed among a few Sicilian families in Texas, although the custom is vanishing. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ITALIAN SOCIETY 1890 The Christopher Columbus Italian Society of San Antonio has, for years, been a focal point of the city's Italian colony. Founded in 1890 by Cavaliere Carlo Alberto Solaro and 15 of his compatriots, the organization was a combination of benevolent society and fraternal association. In the early years it loaned money to Italian families in need, furnished advice and counsel in business matters, taught English to new arrivals and provided a framework for social activities. By 1950 the society had changed to some extent: 20 percent of the membership could be non-Italian. It continued, however, to meet the social needs of its members and render numerous charitable services throughout the city. At one time the Christopher Columbus Italian Society was instrumental in building the Italian community church of San Francesca de Paola. More recently it has donated a children's room at Santa Rosa Hospital, and the ladies' auxiliary has outfitted the children of St. Peter's Orphanage. The society's headquarters, located at Christopher Columbus Hall, was completed in 1928. The statue of the New World explorer standing in the adjacent park was presented by the society to the City of San Antonio in 1957. The old neighborhood was carved up by urban renewal, and Italians joined the exodus to the suburbs, but Christopher Columbus Hall- stilI famed for its spaghetti suppers - continues to provide a link to the old country and between old friends and acquaintances. 16 FATHER CARLOS M. PINTO 1892 There was only one small chapel for the entire Roman Catholic population of EI Paso when Father Carlos M. Pinto arrived there in 1892. During his 26 years in the border town the priest was personally responsible for building six parish churchesincluding one in Ciudad Juarezand three parish schools. Pinto was born at Salerno, Italy, in 1841. At nine he entered the College of the Jesuit Fathers, and when only 14 he asked to be admitted to the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. When it came time for him to pronounce his final vows, he was obliged to wait a year until he reached the proper age. Pinto was not yet 20 when the revolution of 1860 drove the Jesuits from Naples. He studied in France and Spain before coming to the United States in 1870. Father Pinto arrived at Pueblo, €olorado, in 1872 as priest of a parish that stretched nearly 175 miles. There was no Catholic church in the town, so he held mass in a school and later in the courthouse. In 1873 he built the first church in Pueblo, naming it after the founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius Loyola. Pinto was not the first Jesuit to serve in EI Paso, but he probably was the most effective. Fathers Carlos Persone and Joseph Montenarelli arrived at the ancient mission of Ysleta in October 1881. They ministered to the needs of the Indian and Mexican populations until Father Pinto arrived. Pinto set out to accomplish two things immediately. First, he would provide a school for the children of Spanish-speaking Catholics; second, he would build parish churches for both English- and Spanish- speaking Catholics. Sacred Heart School opened in October 1892 in a new building with four classrooms. The Sacred Heart Church for Spanish- speaking Catholics was dedicated on April 30, 1893. About a month later Immaculate Conception Father Carlos M. Pinto, Sf Church for the English-speaking Catholics was dedicated. Pinto served as the first pastor of Sacred Heart. For a time, beginning in 1895, Father Pinto also served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Juarez. During one of the Mexican Revolution's anticlerical phases in 1912 Father Pinto was kidnapped as he was leaving the church. Colonel Antonio Rojas, the abductor, demanded a $3,000 ransom. Father Pinto refused the demand, mainly because he did not have the money. Rojas finally settled for a $100 ransom, to be paid by check as soon as Pinto was safely back across the border. True to his word, the priest went back to EI Paso and wrote out a check to Colonel Rojas for the agreed sum. Father Carlos M. Pinto, SJ., died in EI Paso on November 5, 1919, worn out by his many years oflaboring for the English- and Spanishspeaking Catholics of the trans-Pecos region of Texas. . LOUIS COBOLINI 1894 Louis Cobolini, an Italian from Trieste, was largely responsible for the port development of such coastal cities as Corpus Christi, Rockport and Brownsville. Born in 1845, he fought as a young man in Garibaldi's army during the wars to unify Italy. When those wars ended Cobolini was forced to seek refuge in the United States. In 1867 he came to Galveston, where he peddled fish and fruit on the streets. He grew prosperous and soon acquired his own fishing schooner, the Henry Williams. He became a leader in the Galveston fishing industry and later established fisheries at other points along the Texas gulf coast. Almost from the beginning Cobolini took an active part in the organization of Texas labor. In 1894 he was elected president of the State Federation of Labor. He was recognized as a self-taught expert in the field of labor relations and industrial progress, and was frequently called upon to lecture on these subjects in various parts of the United States. After 26 years in Galveston Cobolini moved to Rockport, where he continued development of his extensive fishing interests and worked incessantly for harbor improvements. His efforts continued when he moved to Brownsville in 1907. He devoted much attention to compiling data for a proposed Brazos,santiago Harbor. He was elected to present the Valley's Louis Cobolini case in Washington in 1916, but the project was rejected by the federal government. Undaunted, Cobolini returned home to continue his fight for a port that could handle the Rio Grande Valley's abundant fruit and vegetable output. During the early 1920's this Italian Texan served on the Brownsville city commission. He was a staunch supporter of the municipal ownership of utilities and led the fight to prevent the sale of the Brownsville electric plant in 1922. When the port project was revived in the late 1920's, Cobolini was chosen to present arguments to a visiting team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His vast store of technical knowledge, his enthusiasm and his broad grasp of local problems provoked favorable comment from the engineers. Louis Cobolini died in 1928 of overexposure at the age of 84, after leadin'g an inspection team of U.S. Army engineers through Brazos Pass. Ii,is dream of a deepwater port for Brownsville was finally realized eight years later. FRANK LIBERTO 1899 At different times Frank Liberto owned grocery stores in three American cities and effectively served the Italian community in each. He came from his native Sicily in 1890 and settled first in New Orleans, where he opened a small grocery. In 1899 he moved to Beaumont and established the Crescent City Market on the Houston highway. He also helped organize the San Salvadore Society, which assisted newly arrived immigrants in finding jobs, loaned them money to start businesses and provided burial expenses for members. In 1909 Liberto contracted malaria and moved to the drier climate of San Antonio for his health. He established Frank Liberto and Company, the first to deal in imported Italian foods and spices, and operated the business until his death in 1940. In 1927 he was one of four founders of the Italian parish church of San Francesco de Paola. From Beaumont and from San Antonio Liberto wrote friends and relatives in Sicily, urging them to come to Texas. Many heeded that advice. Frank's oldest son, Sam, was a pioneer in radio. In 1921 he opened his first radio shop in San Antonio, and in 1926 he established KGCI, the third radio station in the city. Sam was instrumental in putting Texas's first all,spanish-language program on the air in 1928. Another of the Liberto sons became the first priest to emerge from the San Antonio Italian colony. Vincent Liberto was ordained in the Order of Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1929. DICKINSON, TEXAS 1900 Italians from southern Italy and Sicily began settling on the Galveston County mainland before 1900. Many were brought there by the Stewart Title Company and still others by the active Italian consul at Galveston. Clemente Nicolini, an ex-sea captain, had acquired considerable acreage near Dickinson. For a time he operated what amounted to a one-man immigration bureau and land development company. He steered recent arrivals to Dickinson and even managed to entice away some Brazos valley Italians. Soon there were more than 200 of these people living in the neighborhood. Families bought the fairly inexpensive land, wrote for friends and relatives to join them, and began raising fruit for the commercial market. During the first and second decades of this century, Italians in Dickinson shipped tens of thousands of cases of strawberries in refrigerated boxcars to markets throughout the Midwest. Then in the 1920's they began raising figs commercially. Before the decade had ended, however, the produce of the Rio Grande Valley farmers began undercutting the 17 . ., JII Loading strawberries at Dickinson, 1909 Dickinson truck farmers, and they gradually abandoned their efforts at large-scale truck farming. Until recently the Italian presence in Dickinson was felt through the celebration of St. Joseph's Altar. And many older residents remember the brick beehive ovens sitting in front or in back of Italian homes, where the womenfolk used to bake the weekly bread supply. But in the mid-1930's the economy of Dickinson began to revolve around oil, and many of the residents, Italians among them, became refinery workers or sought employment in Galveston or Houston. POMPEO COPPINI 1902 An amazingly high percentage of the outstanding statuary in Texas parks, cemeteries and public buildings is the work of a single gifted Italian immigrant - Pompeo Coppini. Born in Moglia, Italy, his family moved to Florence in 1871, when he was a year old. He ran away from home to become an- artist rather than the civil engineer that his parents had wanted him to be. Finally, with parental consent, he was allowed to enroll in the Academy of Fine Arts at Florence, where he finished the normal eight- 18 year course in three. Thereafter, he followed various pursuits until he could save enough money to start his own ,::;tudio in Florence. He soon became known as one of the best portrait sculptors in Italy. In 1896 Coppini sailed to New York, where he eventually opened his Own studio. In 1902 he accepted a commission for the five statues which compose the Confederate monument on the State Capitol grounds at Austin. The sculptor liked Texas so much that he established a home and studio in San Antonio, where the terrain and climate reminded him of his native region of Italy. His next important work of art was an equestrian statue honoring Terry's Texas Rangers. He won the competition for the contract from no less eminent a colleague than Elisabet Ney. The project was plagued by accidents -an infected blister on Coppini's hand led to severe blood poisoning; the dry Texas weather played havoc with the clay model; then a fire almost destroyed the artist's studio. But, on its completion in 1907, the work was widely acclaimed. Also in 1902 Coppini was commissioned to design a monument to President Rufus C. Burleson of Baylor University. The only suitable model he could find for the devout, teetotaling Dr. Burleson turned out to be a drunken bum. The derelict seemed perfectly happy and at ease holding a Bible in his hand. When the statue was completed Mrs. Burleson declared that it looked exactly like the good doctor. In 1917 Coppini executed a similar memorial to Governor SuI Ross on the Texas A&M campus. The sculptor's name is doubtlessly remembered by several generations of freshmen who were required to clean the mud-daubed figure. The letters COPPINI, engraved deeply in the base, surely left a lingering impression. This Italian Texan also executed the monument at Sam Houston's tomb in Huntsville, the Texas heroes' memorial at Gonzales, a series of statues on The University of Texas at Austin campus, the Alamo cenotaph and another series in the Hall of Texas Heroes at Dallas. He headed the art department at Trinity University in San Antonio from 1942 to 1945, at which time he returned to New York. He died in 1957 and was buried in San Antonio, where Dr. Waldine Tauch, his adopted daughter and pupil, administered the Coppini Academy until she died in 1986. Coppini working on the Alamo Cenotaph JOE GRASSO, SHRIMP INDUSTRY PIONEER 1910 Joe Grasso from Ase Costello, Sicily, pioneered in the Texas gulf coast shrimp industry. Born in 1883, Grasso sailed early in life to Florida but stayed only a short time. In 1906 he arrived at Galveston harbor aboard a small steamer. After working as a fisherman, then as a longshoreman, and saving a little money, he returned to Sicily, married his childhood sweetheart and brought her back to Galveston. Joe Grasso began his fishing business with a single small boat. He bought a barge, anchored it at the foot of Pier 20 in Galveston and was soon one of the larger wholesale fish dealers in the city. For the first 15 years Grasso sold what shrimp he caught as bait. In those days virtually no one ate it. Then, in the late 1920's, Grasso began freezing shrimp for export to Japan. For the next few years almost his entire catch was contracted to the Japanese. Joe Grasso died in 1936 at the age of 53. His son, Joe Jr., assumed control of the operation. He expanded the business and, in 1948, moved the Shrimp boats at Grasso's Pier 9 company to Pier 9. He built a large modern plant, installed almost a half mile of piers and dredged one of the la.rgest slips in Galveston. During the 1970's Joe Grasso al).d Son, Inc., operated only five boats of their own; they bought almost all of their shrimp from independent operators. Grasso also expanded into other fields. Marine Mud, Inc., had offices in Galveston and Sabine Pass, supplying drilling mud and other materials to offshore drilling sites. Joe Grasso Jr. died in 1975, and his businesses were sold in 1979 by the family. CHARLIE PAPA AND THE TEXAS TRIBUNE 1913 For almost 50 years La Tribuna Italiana kept alive the glories ofItalian culture among the Italian residents of Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The newspaper was founded in June 1913 by Charles Saverio Papa, an immigrant from Cefalu, Sicily. Papa came to the United States in 1904. For four years he operated barbershops in Baltimore and Rich-mond. He arrived in Dallas in May 1908 during the height of one of the city's worst floods. As he jumped from dry spot to dry spot along the flooded streets, he got the impression that Dallas was America's answer to Venice with its waterways. Until 1913 he operated a barbershop, the type that today would be called a hairstyling salon. Papa began his weekly newspaper with nothing more tangible than its motto: JUSTICE FREEDOM OPPORTUNITY AMERICA. He had no press, no printer, no staff and no money. Papa was ad solicitor, business manager, editor and janitor. Then in 1916 Louis Adin, a printer of some experience, arrived from Italy by way ofEI Paso. Adin became a full partner in the venture. He could write editorials and news columns; more importantly, he could operate the linotype machine. He often translated, composed and set type all in one process, an achievement few could equal. Until the mid-1930's Charlie Papa and Louis Adin maintained close ties with Italy, but as the mother country began its imperial expansion, those ties loosened. When Mussolini declared war on the Allies in 1940, Papa and Adin changed the name of the paper to The Texas Tribune and began publishing entirely in English. Louis Adin had often joked that he could speak and write five languages, and of the five English was his worst, so he retired. Charlie Papa published the paper in its weekly format until his death in a 1947 auto accident. For a time Mrs. Bab Langley edited the paper. In 1951 Joe Genaro became editor. Together he and Mrs. Langley continued The Texas Tribune in Charlie Papa's tradition until December 1962. In their last editorial they noted that the paper had always stood for the advancement of the Italian community- socially, econoD;lically and politically. "The amalgamation of our people into the whole American society has been our aim." Now that 19 the amalgamation was completed, the oldest Italian newspaper in the Southwest ceased publication. ENRICO CERRACHIO 1914 Enrico Cerrachio contributed many pieces of sculpture to the Texas scene, including the famous equestrian statue of Sam Houston in Hermann Park in Houston, a bust of Governor Miriam A. Ferguson in the State Capitol and a statue of President Anson Jones on the courthouse square at Anson in Jones County, Texas. Cerrachio was born near Naples in 1880. As a boy he played hooky in order to make clay figures of the saints. He once molded a small statue of a local nobleman and, as a result, was sent to study at the Institute of Avelliono, where he worked under Rafael Bellezzo for three and a half years. He spent another two years learning to cast bronze and carve marble. By then Cerrachio was almost 21 and was facing three years of military service, so he booked passage to New York City, arriving in 1900. Cerrachio first saw America as an undeveloped land of opportunity. Enrico Cerrachio 20 He was so overjoyed at the sight of the New York skyline that he threw his tools overboard, believing that he could soon purchase better ones. H e was quickly disillusioned. He spoke no English and had no money, and people were unimpressed with his credentials. For a time Cerrachio slept on a park bench and ate at a Bowery soup kitchen. He finally joined a work gang clearing land for a railroad. Eventually he was able to resume sculpting. The artist came to Houston in 1914. Soon he had commissions for a Doughboy statue, which the city presented to General John J. Pershing, and for busts of Governor Ferguson, "Cactus Jack" Garner and Albert Einstein, as well as statues of Sam Houston and Rudolph Valentino. One of Cerrachio's most interesting pieces was a bronze portrait heag of Christ, two and a half times life-size. He displayed it in a velvetlined case so designed and lighted .. that the head seemed to turn with the motion of the viewer, facing him or . her directly at any angle. Actually the portrait was the reverse, or concave, side of a relief mask. The rotating effect was derived from a shifting light which created the optical illusion. The tip of the nose, which appeared to be against the front glass, actually extended back to the center of the box. Cerrachio returned to New York City in 1944 and practiced his art there until his death in 1956. JOSEPHINE LUCCHESE DONATO 1922 Josephine Lucchese began her career as a coloratura soprano with aNew York debut in 1922. This daughter of Sam Lucchese, San Antonio bootmaker, soon became popularly known as "the American Nightingale:' She received her training in San Antonio and New York, at a time when it was considered impossible to achieve success as a serious artist Josephine Lucchese Donato unless one had studied in Italy. She was the first to disprove this assumption, winning fame in the United States, Europe and, finally, in Italy itself. Mme. Lucchese made her stage debut in Rigoletto at the Manhattan Opera House in New York. Subsequently she was soloist at the Pilgrim Tercentenary Festival in Boston and was featured at the Teatro Nacional in Havana, Cuba. She sang opposite some of the leading tenors of the time, including Tito Schipa and Giovanni Martinelli. In 1930-1931 she toured North America for six months, then traveled to Europe where she gave 150 operatic and concert performances in Holland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Switzerl and. Mme. Lucchese appeared with the San Carlo and Milan Opera companies, among others. She returned to become the leading coloratura soprano of the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company. She was on the music faculty at The University of Texas from 1957 until 1970, when she retired. Mme. Lucchese gave private voice lessons to a highly select group of students until 1971. She died in San Antonio in 1974. THE VALDESE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1929 In May 1929 the Italian-speaking Protestants of Galveston organized the Valdese Presbyterian Church with 35 charter members. Although the church was officially a mission of the Brazos Presbytery, the membership identified themselves as belonging to the Waldensian Church, which originated in 1170-1176 along the Rhone River valley. The founder of this sect was a Lyons merchant named Valdes (also referred to as Waldo). The early Waldensians were essentially a lay group who practiced poverty and obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. The first Italian Protestants began coming to Galveston about 1890. Most were from the province of Tuscany. They had no minister and worshipped under the guidance of lay leaders. In 1927 the Reverend Arturo D'Albergo arrived to serve these people. D'Albergo was a native of Pachino, Sicily. He had come to America at an early age and had been educated at the New York Presbyterian Seminary. He held a number of pastorates in the United States before World War 1. During the war UAlbergo served in the Italian armed forces and later became pastor of the Waldensian Churches of Pachino and Syracuse in Sicily. He returned to the United States in 1920 and reached Galveston in 1927. D'Albergo served as the first and only pastor of the Valdese Presbyte- Pastor and members oj Valdese Church rian Church. Services were bilingual: older members generally attended Italian language worship, while the younger people participated in the English language service. In 1943 the Reverend D'Albergo retired. The Valdese Presbyterian Church was dissolved in September 1943 and its membership accepted into the First Presbyterian Church of Galveston. The 01der generation no longer felt out of place, and the younger one felt perfectly at home as members of First P;esbyterian. The Reverend Arturo U'Albergo, who had helped the Italian Protestants make the transition from the old world to the new, died in 1944. FATHER CARMELO TRANCHESE 1932 On July 17, 1932, in the depths of the depression, Father Carmelo Tranchese, SJ., first entered the run-down church of Our Lady of Guadalupe on San Antonio's west side. His parishioners, some 12,000 Mexican Americans crammed into one square mile of slums, were desperately poor, often hungry and living in squalor which Father Tranchese had thought impossible in the United States. Carmelo Tranchese was then 50 years old. Italian by birth, he had become a Jesuit priest when he was quite young. He was a recognized scholar and had held a high position at the University of Naples before coming to the U.S. as a missionary. He first served at Denver and later at El Paso, working among the Indian and Mexican populations. At the San Antonio parish house on the evening of his arrival, he sat on an empty apple crate - there were no chairs - and took stock of his new situation. The church building was a wreck, the parish deeply in debt, and there was not even a broom with Father Tranchese performing a wedding ceremony 21 which to sweep the dirty quarters. In 1933 things got worse. Most of the parishioners eked out a living shelling pecans. When the National Industrial Recovery Act put a floor under wages, many pecan shellers were dismissed from their jobs and thrown onto an already glutted labor market. There had never been money for luxuries; now there was none for essentials. Tranchese begged donations for people on the verge of starvation and despair. San Antonio Mayor C.K. Quin sent squad cars to collect the staples. The priest set up a distribution system in the churchyard and provided food and fuel to some 7,000 people for more than four months. But the parishioners also needed jobs and decent shelter. Tranchese began campaigning for public housing to be built with laborers from his congregation. His efforts went unrewarded until one day a young man from Washington arrived at the parish house, saying, "I am the answer to your letters:' After other visits and other letters the proposal was finally approved. But there were disappointments ahead. The Supreme Court declared the national housing program unconstitutional. Later the court reversed its decision, and the plan was reapproved. Land was acquired, and construction was well under way when the federal government realized that it had paid far too much for the run-down slum dwellings. The director of the National Housing Authority cancelled the project, and Father Tranchese's hopes for the future of his parish were blasted again. Not quite defeated, the priest sat down and wrote a letter. It began: "My dear Mrs. Roosevelt. ... " In time public housing was built. This was, perhaps, Tranchese's biggest venture. But he worked constantly to improve the daily existence of his flock. He organized a mutual burial society, established a community welfare center, set up a children's health clinic, constructed a playground and opened a nursery schoo!. He also helped form a class in which 22 the neighborhood girls were taught their national songs and dances. Around Christmas time he led the rehearsals for the traditional Los Pastores pageant. In 1953 Father Carmelo Tranchese retired to the Jesuit house at Grand Coteau, Louisiana, where he died three years later. He had started at the top and worked his way down. In the process he became a hero to the people of San Antonio's west side. THE FRANK AND JENNIE INGRANDO FOUNDATION 1951 On Saint Patrick's Day in 1950 a childless couple, Frank and Jennie Ingrando of Houston, established a foundation to provide for the care of neglected children. They were about to begin construction of a home on the Gulf Freeway when Jennie became incurably ill and plans had to be postponed. After her death in May 1951 Frank decided to carryon alone. He was the architect, foreman and contractor for the building, which was designed to house 100 children. As Frank said after Jennie's death: "We both wanted to see children with lots of ground around them. We wanted them to have a few ponies, flowers, chickens and a garden, maybe:' The home was dedicated in the summer of 1954 and was opened in 1955, but Frank Ingrando did not live to see the first children move in; he had died the previous December. The Ingrando home operated until 1962, when the original structure was sold and a smaller, more economical place was purchased. The new quarters were operated until 1969. By then, the state and county had assumed responsibility for the care of the children the Ingrando home was intended to help. The foundation continued to donate money to organizations already taking care of children. It made gifts to the City of Houston for a park to be named the Frank and J ennie Ingrando Park. It gave property to finance an intensive care unit for children at St. Joseph's Hospital. It also contributed to the Houston School for the Deaf, to the Boy Scouts, to the San Jose Clinic and to other children's groups. One of the more unusual gifts was to Dominican College in Houston. The gift provided for continuation of a special mass recited each year on September 8. The mass had its origins in the 1900 storm which destroyed Galveston. Frank's father, Ignacio Ingrando, had vowed that, if his family survived the storm, he would mark the occasion annually. The family survived, and the mass has been observed with only a few exceptions ever since. Sicilian-born Frank Ingrando was two years old when his parents immigrated to Texas in 1888. Jennie Barbera was born in America to Italian parents who had settled in Houston shortly after the Civil War. As a boy Frank worked in his father's store, then opened his own paint shop. All the while, he was buying property whenever he could. By the late 1920's the Ingrandos possessed all the material comforts they felt they would ever need, so they turned their energies toward saving and investing for the children's home. J ennie kept the books, collected the rents and counseled with Frank in real estate investments. As a result of the tax reform act of 1969, it became uneconomical to operate the foundation, and the final gifts were made in 1973. But the memory of Frank and Jennie Ingrando will live on in the park and in other good works provided for the children of Houston. TEXAS COMMITTEE ON ITALIAN MIGRATION 1955 In 1955 the American Committee on Italian Migration formed its Texas chapter with General Vincent Chido and Mrs. Bruno Bagnoli as cochairmen. More than 300 families immi- grated to Texas under the auspices of this committee. These families were of varied nationalities-Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and Yugoslavbut all were either skilled craftsmen or professionals. The committee provided them assistance in obtaining housing and a job. LIGHT D'ALBERGO BAILEY 1966 Light D'Albergo Bailey dedicated her adult life to fostering an understanding of the Italian language and culture in Texas. Lasting evidence of her dedication is the Clay and Light Bailey Collection of Italian Culture at the University of Houston, which she and her husband gave in 1966. She shared her enthusiasm with many church, civic and social groups, but always her favorite audience was her students. They responded to her efforts by performing at the level she set for them. Light D'Albergo was born in 1908 in New York, where her father, the Reverend Arturo D'Albergo, was serving as a Presbyterian minister. She spent her early years in Sicily at Palermo and Pachino. Then she received her bachelor of arts degree from The University of Texas at Mrs. Light D'Albergo Bailey Austin in 1930. That same year she married Clay Bailey, then began teaching Spanish, Latin and Italian in the Galveston public schools. From 1936 to 1951 she taught Spanish at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and also introduced Italian as a regular course. In 1951 Mrs. Bailey dme to the University of Houston and began the regular instruction of Italian there. . She was constantly engaged in efforts to preserve the Italian heritage in the United States. In 1961 she was awarded the Cultural Medal by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Four years later The University of Texas requested her translation of Annibale Ranuzzi's Il Texas to be placed in the Texana Collection. She was further honored in 1969 by Unico, the Italian national service organization. Light D'Albergo died in ] anuary 1972. Three months later the President of Italy posthumously conferred upon her the decoration of Knight Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. FOSSATI'S RESTAURANT 1973 Fossati's Restaurant and Delicatessen is the oldest business in Victoria, Texas. It was founded in 1882 by Frank Fossati, a 30-year-old Italian immigrant from Brescia. As a youth Fossati's Restaurant at Victoria he was apprenticed as a stonecutter and spent ten years in Austria learning the fine points of the art. In 1880 he came to America through the gates of Ellis Island. From friends he learned that Texas was building a new state capitol and that expert stonecutters were much in demand. Frank traveled to Austin, only to learn that he was five or six years early; the project was still in the planning stage. He hired on as a laborer with the Southern Pacific Railroad, building the high bridge over the Pecos River in west Texas. After that he found work in Victoria, cutting stone for the excellent wage of three dollars a day. Then, for health reasons, he entered another line of bus iness. On March 1, 1882, Frank Fossati opened a chili and sandwich stand on Market Equare. He also sold imported cheeses, sausage and olive oil. Gradually the business grew, and Fossatl's became a popular meeting place for the Italians of Victoria, especially the new arrivals. After several moves Fossati's finally came to rest at its present location on South Main. In 1910 Frank's son, Caeton J. (Kite), entered the family business. Under his management Fossati's began its evolution from a mere restaurant to a tradition and an institution. Public officials made a point of being seen in Fossati's. Countless political campaigns 23 I, :1 I' I were organized there, and the owners aired their own political opinions as well. During the "free silver" campaign of William Jennings Bryan, Frank began using silver dollars exclusively to transact business. The restaurant became known locally as "the silver dollar place." At Fossati's a man's station in life was not important. Through its doors came lawyers, gamblers, doctors, mechanics and politicians. All that was required by the management was that they act like gentlemen. After Kite retired the business was subleased, then closed for a time. The Fossati Family Corporation bought the building back in 1985 and reopened Fossati's in 1986. ITALIAN TEXANS TODAY Today's Italian Texan bears little resemblance to his forebears . Many Town Square at Thurber about 1910 24 of the cultural characteristics that once distinguished him have disappeared. The "little Italys" in urban areas have been fragmented by urban renewal or decimated by the suburban exodus. Except among members of the older generation, the language has largely fallen into disuse. The last newspaper directed solely at Italian Texans ceased publication in 1962. The beehive ovens of Thurber and Dickinson have given way to storebought bread. Despite this trend toward assimilation, there remain many visible signs of an Italian presence in Texas. In Montague one can still buy fruits and vegetables raised by the descendants of those early pioneers from northern Italy. The Qualia winery in Del Rio has expanded its production. Italian service organizations, such as UNICO, remain active in charitable and civic affairs. In San Antonio the Christopher Columbus Italian Society's spaghetti dinners attract hundreds of second- and third-generation Italian Texans, as well as non-Italians who appreciate fine food . Italians are still coming to Texas. The immigrants who have arrived since World War II are trained professionals or skilled workers who are almost immediately assimilated into the fabric of American life. No matter when they came, all Italian Texans remain proud of their ancestry. They are also proud of their contributions toward making Texas a better place in which to live. PHOTO CREDITS All photos are from the collection of The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, courtesy of the following lenders. Credits from left to right are separated by semicolons and from top to bottom by dashes. Copies of these photographs may be obtained from the ITC Library. Cover Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 23 Page 24 Back cover Sam Liberto, San Antonio. George Eastman House Collection, Rochester, NY. Frederick J. Pohl, Amerigo Vespucci, Pilot Major (New York: Columbia University Press, 1944) - Collier's Magazine, December 9, 1905. The Institute of Texan Cultures. Gilbert Perez, San Antonio-Museum of History, Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico, D.F. William Morrow, Houston -The Institute of Texan Cultures. Harris County Civil Court Building, Houston; Catholic Archives of Texas, Austin. A 20th Century History oj Southwest Texas, vol. II (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1907) - Frank W. Johnson and Eugene C. Barker, A History of Texas and Texans, vol. V (Chicago: American Historical Society, 1914 ). C.L. Sonnichsen, The El Paso Salt War; 1877 (El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1961). Brazos Varisco, Bryan -Texas Pacific Oil Co., Inc., Dallas. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Innocenti, Victoria; copy courtesy Henry Hauschild, Victoria-Mrs. C.P. Nabours, Montague. Lucchese family, San Antonio. Val Verde Winery, c/o Thomas M. Qualia, Del Rio; Charle~ Siringo, A Texas Cowboy (Chicago: M. Umbdenstock & Co., 1885). Mrs. E.T. Crosson, Dallas. Sister Lilliana Owens, Carlos M. Pinto, Sj (El Paso: Revista Catolica Press, 1951). Texas State Archives, Austin. Beulah Owens Hughes, Dickinson - Coppini Academy, San Antonio. The Institute of Texan Cultures. Houston Public Library, Houston; Florentine Donato, San Antonio. Clay Bailey, Houston - Saturday Evening Post, August 21, 1948. Robert W. Shook, Victoria - Clay Bailey, Houston. Joe Martin, Sinton. Henry Guerra, San Antonio. 25 Italic numerals identify illu strati ons. Adin, Louis 19 Agricultural Benevolent Society 10 Agriculture 10-11, 13, 17-18 Attellis, Orazio de 7 Bailey, Light D'Albergo 23 , 23 Barbera, J ennie see Ingrando, J ennie Barbera Barziza, Decimus et Ultimus 8, 8 Bernardi, Prospero 7, 7 Brazos County, Texas 10-11 Bruni, Antonio 9 Bruni, Antonio Mateo 9, 9 Cardis, Louis 10, 10 Carminati family 13 Cassiano, Jose see Cassini, Giuseppe Cassini, Giuseppe 6, 6 Cerrachio, Enrico 20, 20 Christopher Columbus Italian Society 16 Cobolini, Louis 16-17, 17 Coppini, Pompeo 18, 18 El Correo Atlantico 7, 7 Customs, Italian 11, 15-16, 18 D'Albergo, Arturo 21, 21 D'Albergo, Light see Bailey, Light D'Albergo d'Asti, Father Augustine 8-9 , 8 Dickinson, Texas 17 -18, 18 Donato, Josephine Lucchese 20, 20 Fenoglio, Antonio 13 Fenoglio family 12-13 Filisola, Vicente 6-7, 6 Fishing industry 17, 19, 19 Fossati, Caeton J. (Kite) 23-24 Fossati, Frank 23-24 .. Fossati's Restaurant, Victoria, Texas 23-24, 23 Ghio, Anthony 9-10, 9 Grasso, Joe and Joe Jr. 19 Immigration 3, 3, 10, 12 , 17 , 22 -2 3, 24 In gran do, Frank 22 Ingrando, Jennie Barbera 22 J anelli, Adam E. 15, 15 INDEX La Salle, Rene Rubert Cavelier, Sieur de 4-5 Liberto, Angelina Rinando front cover Liberto, Frank 17, front cover Liberto, Sam 17 Liberto, Vincent 17 Lucchese Josephine see Donato, J osephine Lucchese Lucchese, Salvatore 13, 13 Lucchese, Sam 13 Micheli, Vicente 5 Montague, Texas 12-13, 12 New York, Texas and Mexican Railroad 12, 12 Nicolini, Clemente 17 Papa, Charles Save rio 19-20 Pinto, Father Carlos M. 16, 16 Pizzini (Frank) family back cover Qualia family 14 Raymondi family 12 Religion: see d'Asti, Fr. Augustine; Pinto, Fr. Carlos M.; St. Joseph's Altar; Tranchese, Fr. Carmelo; Valdese Presbyterian Church Rinando, Angelina see Liberto, Angelina Rinando Rollando, Rev. Bartholomew 8 Ruffini, Frederick 13 St. J oseph's Altar 15-16 Saladiner, J.M. 10 Siringo, Charles Angelo 14, 14 Talerico, Frank 15 Telfener, Giuseppe 12 The Texas Tribune 15, 19-20 Thurber, Texas 11 -12, 11, 21- Tonti, Henri de 4-5 , 5 Tranchese, Father Carmelo 21-22, 21 La Tribuna Italiana see The Texas Tribune Valdese Presbyterian Church 21, 21 Val Verde Winery 14, 14 Varisco (Antonio) family 11 Vasquez de Coronado, Francisco, expedition 4, 1- Vespucci, Amerigo 3-4, 3 27 .. One oj a series prepared by the staff oj THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES AT SAN ANTONIO |
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