Rosina Pasquariello, Peggy’s paternal grandmother, age 55 in 1939. Rosina had arrived on Ellis Island, in 1908 on the passenger ship Konig Albert. She brought her hopes and dreams for a new life in America, as well as three trunks filled with her best linens and clothes, including a wedding dress and veil for her union with husband Andrea, 34 at the time.
Childhood in Naples
My paternal grandmother, Rosina Pasquariello, was born on November 26, 1881 in Arpaise, Benevento, Italy, a small village thirty miles northeast of Naples. As a young girl growing up in Naples, Rosina was curious, smart, and hardworking. She attended school for the mandatory four years of free compulsory education, but her teachers were disappointed when she left. Rosina, quick and intelligent, showed so much promise. Like so many girls of that time, she was denied any more education due to economic and cultural norms for women. Female roles were limited to that of homemakers or service providers such as seamstresses or store clerks. This was especially true in cities such as Naples with poor economies and few chances of advancement for anyone.
Nevertheless, Rosina made the most of her situation. Naples was a big and busy city. Rosina was a “city girl,” finding work in a department store waiting on customers and wrapping presents. Always wanting to be busy, she sewed, made cookies, and even found time to swim in the Bay of Naples. She enjoyed her close-knit family including her aunts, uncles, and cousins.
One cousin, Andrea, had been back and forth between Italy and New York several times between 1894 and 1902. During that period, he had established himself to be a successful contractor and experienced worker in stone masonry in Brooklyn, New York. Andrea must have had a special feeling for Rosina when he wrote to his uncle, Paolo, asking for her hand in marriage. After careful deliberation between Rosina and her parents, the proposal was accepted. The Civil Ceremony was performed in Naples, by Proxy, and the Roman Catholic ceremony was to be performed immediately in Brooklyn immediately upon her arrival.
Three Trunks and a Wedding
At 26 years old, Rosina arrived at Ellis Island, New York on September 25, 1908, on the passenger ship Konig Albert. Along with her hopes and dreams for a new life in America, she brought three trunks filled with her trousseau prepared beautifully with the best of linens and clothes, including a wedding dress and veil. Andrea, 34 years old, was there to meet his new wife. They were married in the Catholic Church on October 4, 1908, just nine days after Rosina’s arrival. After the church wedding, Andrea brought his new bride to a nicely furnished apartment in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn years
Now in Brooklyn, Rosina, 27, easily adjusted to city life, which is all she had ever known. As Andrea’s business grew, so did their new family with the birth of their first child, Amelia, born August 22, 1909. In that same year, 1909, her younger sister, Teresa, 25, came for a visit and became a permanent Brooklyn resident when she married John Fidanza, a shoemaker, in 1911.
Rosina’s second child, my father, Antonio Paolo, was born on September 3, 1911. Soon after, Andrea and family moved to a house that Andrea recently had built at 1418 70th Street. Happy with their new beautiful home, they were financially stable.
During this time, Andrea suggested that Rosina and her two children return to Italy for a visit with her parents. Rosina was elated but quickly disappointed when her father wrote: “Dear Daughter, unless you come here to stay, do not come at all. Your mother and I cannot withstand another heart-breaking farewell.” While her father’s reply sounds somewhat heartless, it demonstrates the sacrifices that families made when their children immigrated. Loving them deeply meant letting them go for the advantages and opportunities in the new world, while realizing at the same time they may never see them again.
Andrea and Rosina had two more children in Brooklyn: Felicia, on January 8, 1914 and Paul, born August 12, 1916.
Change in Plans
In 1904, Andrea, with the advice and encouragement of Gustav Thorne, whom he knew in Brooklyn, purchased a house that was quite well kept with two stories with ten rooms on 165 acres in West Hartland, Connecticut. Throughout the years, he allowed various relatives to live there including his brother Carmine, wife, and seven children, who had emigrated from Italy.
During the summer of 1917, Andrea and Rosina planned a two-week vacation in West Hartland, Connecticut. When they arrived, Rosina was shocked to see the disrepair and shambles. The whole house was filthy, open windows with no screens, and flies swarming all over. The two families who were living there acted as if Andrea and his family were an intrusion.
Rosina took action, and in no time managed to get the two families leave. So began a new life in the country, unlike anything she had ever experienced. Resigned, she accepted the challenge with much courage and determination to make this house their own. Their home was called the “Old Homestead of the Pasquariello family” on Mill Street until 2016.
The Spanish Flu
In 1918, the Spanish Flu ravaged the nation, and New York city recorded 20,000 deaths. Rosina’s sister, Teresa, married with three young children, became a young widow when her husband contracted the virus and died suddenly. Now as the sole support of herself and three children, Teresa worked as a seamstress during the week in Brooklyn. Her children lived with Rosina and Andrea and family in West Hartland with Teresa visiting on weekends.
Life in Connecticut
Rosina and Andrea had two more children, born at home in West Hartland: Anna on August 8, 1919; and their last child, Edith, on August 24, 1921. Andrea continued his business in Brooklyn, shuttling back and forth whenever possible and spending winter months with the family and slowly renovating his home. In 1923, Andrea dissolved his business, sold the Brooklyn house, and returned permanently to West Hartland, working as a mason in many neighboring towns.
One can only imagine how completely different this new lifestyle was for Rosina. The city girl who brought the trunks of beautiful linens and dreamed of a comfortable new life was confronted with a new reality, living in a farmhouse with few amenities, a husband traveling back and forth, and six children. Of course, there were nine children most of the time when Teresa worked in New York.
Meanwhile, Andrea slowly repaired the house and, within a few years, the rooms were plastered, the floors replaced and chimneys rebuilt. Electricity did not come until 1935, so kerosene lamps were used for lighting. There were no in-door bathroom facilities. Water came first from a nearby well. Indoor plumbing also came in 1935 as well as an electric hot water heater. In 1951 an oil-burning furnace was installed.
The Great Depression and World War II
It must have been quite challenging for Rosina during the Great Depression and World War II with the stark reality of food shortages and rationing regulations. Of course, her most important role was that of mother, feeding and nurturing her growing family. Just as critical was her role as a farmer, which included tending to the chickens, cows, and large gardens. She grew and harvested the food, canning and preserving as she went along. Not only did she feed her six children but often provided for Teresa’s children, Camille, Mary, and Philomena. Adding to the mix were many homeless, hungry people who often appeared at her doorstep begging for food during those desperate times.
Peggy’s paternal grandparents, Rosina and Andrea Pasquariello with their first two children, Amelia and Anthony, Peggy’s father. Brooklyn, NY, circa 1913.
Educating her children
For the next several years, Rosina’s attention focused on insuring that her children received the best education, one that was denied her. They attended a one-room school house down the street and later the Gilbert School, for high school in Winsted, Connecticut. Being a strict disciplinarian, she made sure that homework was done and deemed as important as chores on the farm. Her goal was realized when both her sons, Anthony and Paul, both high ranking students from grammar school throughout their college years, graduated from Yale University. Anthony obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1933, and Paul in 1937. Paul went on to Yale Law School, graduating in 1940. Both sons received full tuition, room, and board scholarships to this prestigious Ivy League school. Her four daughters graduated from high school and had successful business careers as secretaries and administrative assistants.
Final Years
Rosina proudly became a United States citizen in 1930, pleased to be in a country that afforded her family all the opportunities sadly not available in Italy. Although Rosina’s health declined in her later years, she did live to see and enjoy four grandchildren: Rose Marie, Alice, Anthony, and Margaret, all Anthony’s children. She passed away on August 4, 1951, at age 69.
Lessons from Rosina
Rosina’s life did not exactly turn out the way she imagined when she arrived in New York. She was a planner and loved all things beautiful, including the excitement of city life. Instead, she found herself and her children living in the countryside, in a house in disrepair. Her original dream did not work out, but she created a new focus, educating her children so that they would realize their dreams.
Her story is that of many other immigrants who paved the way for future generations; education would unlock the doors so often closed to them. It was the critical foundation for their children’s success in this new country.
Her lesson bears a simple and powerful truth. When one dream is not attainable, make a new one. Always expect the unexpected and learn from that experience. Most important of all, stay focused on the goal and take the necessary steps to achieve your dreams.