A LITTLE BACKGROUND
In the late nineteenth Century, mass migration from Italy
accelerated. Chicago's foreign-born Italian population, 16,008 in 1900, peaked
at 73,960 in 1930. These newcomers were predominantly peasants (contadini) from
the southern regions, particularly Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. Drawn to
Chicago's market for railroad workers, these laborers were enrolled in
work gangs by padrones (labor contractors), who shipped them to construction sites
throughout the country. Women were sent for and families established as they
gained stable employment in the city's public works and industries. Many women worked in the sweatshops and factories of the garment industry.[i]
LIFE IN ITALY
Angelo
was born on March 13, 1880, in the village of Gesuiti to Carmela Perri and
Raffaele DeLio. Gesuiti is a
village belonging to the San Vincenzo La Costa municipality in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. Family lore says this
rural community was so small that a person could yell from one end of the
village to another and be clearly heard. Of course, that might be a slight
exaggeration, but as of this writing, a whopping 370 people are currently
living in Gesuiti, so maybe...
My great-grandparents were farm laborers, so opportunities in
the tiny hamlet were limited. Between
1880 and 1920...the height of the Italian migration to the United States...approximately
four million Italians, the majority from Southern Italy, arrived on America's
shores looking for economic opportunities they could not find at home. After
Italy's unification, following the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, most
of the factories and wealth remained in the northern part of the country, while
Southern Italy remained primarily agricultural. Although the farms were in the
South, they were owned by wealthy Italians from the North, who offered the
peasants terms similar to those given to sharecroppers in the U.S. following
the Civil War, resulting in an estimated 26 million Italians...one-quarter of
the country...leaving for the United States and other countries between 1861
and 1885. In addition, with high taxes and low wages for farm workers, Southern
Italy was regularly stricken by drought, and water became a luxury.[ii]
The Decision to Leave
In
the late 1800s, most of the grapevines in southern Italy were destroyed by a
mysterious parasite, and as a result, many farms began to fail. As unemployment
rose among farmers and farm laborers, there was decreased demand throughout the
economy, and many skilled workers were thrown out of work. To add to
southern Italy's troubles, cholera and malaria swept through the area, causing
waves of death. And as if this was not bad enough, the early 20th Century saw a
wave of natural disasters strike the region. Mount Etna erupted, as did Mount
Vesuvius, burying a town near Naples. So, like many others before him,
Raffaele, or Ralph as he was called, preceded his wife and son to the United
States to establish a more promising future for his family in what would soon
become their newly adopted country.
LIFE BEGINS IN AMERICA
 |
| 1. SS Bolivia |
The
date was January 4, 1888, and one of the ships arriving in New York harbor that
day was the SS Bolivia from the port of Naples, Italy. My maternal grandfather,
Angelo DeLio, was seven years old when he came to America with his mother, Ma
Carmella Perri, as she was listed on the ship's passenger manifest or list if
you prefer. A notation on the side of the manifest indicates 777 aliens from
Italy were traveling as third-class steerage passengers during that sailing. Of
course, imagining three weeks at sea under those circumstances as an adult is
difficult. But imagine, if you will, making that trip as a 7-year-old boy under
such crowded conditions...traveling across the open sea in harsher temperatures
than you have ever experienced in your life, leaving behind your friends,
family, and the only way of life you have ever known, and doing it all at
Christmastime!
It is unclear
whether Carmela and Angelo arrived at New York's Ellis Island or Castle Garden
Immigration Center by way of any documentation. However, logic and my research
efforts led me to conclude that Castle Garden was the port of entry that began
my great-grandmother and my grandfather's adventure. I reached this conclusion
based on two of the most obvious facts, the facilities' operation dates. First, Castle Garden opened for
operation on August 1, 1855, and closed on April 18, 1890. Second, Ellis Island
operated between 1892 and 1954. But a fire on June 15, 1897, broke out in one
of the towers of the main building and collapsed the roof. Thankfully, none of
the 200 immigrants on the island at that time were killed, but all Ellis Island
records and those from the Castle Garden era dating back to 1840 were
destroyed.
 |
| 2. The Battery & Castle Garden Immigration Center - N.Y. |
As
of this writing, I am still looking for documentation of when or how the
DeLios' made their way from New York to Chicago. Of course, a valuable resource
in genealogy is the federal census. The United States census of 1890 would have been the first
to include my great-grandparents and grandfather since their immigration to
America. But most 1890 census
materials were destroyed in 1921 when a building that housed them
caught fire. The subsequent disposal of the remaining damaged records by
government order in the mid-1930s was a dark day for genealogical
research.
The 1890s
 |
| 3. Chicago Street Map - 1890s |
For all intents and purposes, the DeLios left New York soon after their arrival, settled in the Little Italy area of Chicago, Illinois, and never looked back.
Not much is known about Angelo's childhood in Italy or the United States. I have found nothing about that time in his life. I am curious to know what kind of education, if any, he had other than the responses to questions on the federal census report; according to the 1900 census, Angelo could speak English but not read or write. However, when the 1910 census was taken, Angelo could also read and write. Whether he was self-taught or not is an open question.
On January 2, 1892, Carmella gave birth to Emilia Maria DeLio. There is a 12-year age gap between Angelo and his younger sister. Based on information obtained in the 1900 and 1910 census records, my
great-grandmother gave birth to 4 children, with only two surviving. I'm still
determining where Angelo fits in the line of succession, but Emilia, or Millie
as her family called her, was the 4th and last child.
 |
| 4. State Street North of Madison-Chicago - 1890s |
The 1890s was an extraordinary decade in Chicago's
history. The World's Columbian Exposition (the Chicago World's Fair
as it is also known) was held in 1893. "Prairie-school"
architects like Frank Lloyd Wright began to acquire a measure of
fame. Theodore Dreiser started writing his first novel, Sister Carrie, in
1899, whose initial setting takes place in Chicago and has
been called the 'greatest of all American urban novels.' [iii] On
the darker side, Chicago was home to a serial killer during the
fair. For several years before and during the exposition, Herman Mudgett,
aka H.H. Holmes, was busily luring
victims (including a number of fairgoers) to a three-story, block-long building
near the fairgrounds, later known as the "Murder" Castle. His reign
of terror ended when he was arrested in 1894. [iv] Also, just two
days before the exposition was set to close, Chicago's recently re-elected
mayor, Carter Harrison Sr., was shot and killed by a disgruntled—and
deranged—office seeker.
According
to the U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, two years after the close of the
World's Columbian Exposition, my grandfather Angelo became a naturalized
citizen on March 16, 1895. Angelo is listed as a minor child living at 140
Sherman Street in Chicago, though I have yet to pinpoint where that address
might have been.
1900-1909
 |
| 5. Angelo DeLio - ca 1900 |
In June 1900, Angelo was 20, living at 180 West Polk Street
with his parents and sister, Millie. And had a job as a day laborer. For the
record, a day laborer is a person who is hired for
a day or more to do work that usually does not require special
skills.
 |
| 6. Marriage Registry - Holy Guardian Angel Church - 1905 |
By 1905, marriage was looming large for 24-year-old Angelo. As was
common back then, it was a marriage arranged between both sets of my
great-grandparents, Ralph and Carmela DeLio, and Michele (Michael) and Saveria
Lufrano. The young girl who would one day become my grandmother was their
daughter Mary. Mary Lufrano was 14 years old at the time of her marriage to
Angelo DeLio. They were married at the Holy Guardian Angel Church on January
15, 1905. The young married couple would move in with Angelo's parents at the
Polk Street address.
 |
| 7. Holy Guardian Angel Church- Arthington St. - Chicago |
Before the decade's end, Mary gave birth to 2 sons, Carmine Raffaele
(who was called Carl but whose nickname was Carmie), born on April 17, 1906,
and Michael Joseph (called Mike or Mikey by the family) on July 3, 1909. Both
boys would be baptized at the same church that performed Angelo and Mary's
marriage ceremony.
1910-1920
In 1910, the family unit (Ralph, Carmela, Millie, Angelo,
Mary, and the two young boys) moved to the second-floor apartment in a 3-flat
apartment building at 640 S. Sangamon Street, where they lived for the next two
years. My grandmother Mary's uncle Frank, his wife, and six children occupied
the 1st floor, and two boarders lived in a basement apartment in the Sangamon
Street house.
By 1912, the family expanded yet again. This time, Mary gave
birth to a daughter, Guiseppa (who went by the name Josephine but was called
Josie by family and friends) on July 26, 1912. As a result, the Delios moved
once more to 712 S. Morgan Street, where they remained for another year or
so. However, most of these houses mentioned here are long gone due to
the reconfiguration of the area to accommodate a highway, a church center, the
University of Illinois college campus, and several state-of-the-art medical
facilities.
December 30, 1914, brought the birth of Angelo and Mary's second daughter,
Francesca Carmela (Francie). At the time of Francie's delivery, the family now
lived at 711 S. Loomis. This rowhouse still exists.
 |
| 8. The Delios House on DeKalb |
The final move occurred at some point in 1916 to the last house they would all
live together as a complete family unit. Angelo was now a freight handler for
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and could finally afford to buy a home, which
he did at 2129 W. DeKalb Street (or Bowler Street as it is now known).
This DeKalb Street rowhouse was the family homestead for the Delio side
of my family until around 1950 and was as much a part of the family as anyone
living there. Inside its four walls, this well-loved home saw its fair share of
celebrations and sorrows. The birth of the two youngest Delios took place in
this house. My mother, Maria Saveria (who went by the name Marilyn but whose
nickname within the family was Mary), was born on June 10, 1917, and my uncle
Giovanni Angelo (or John as he was known, but whose nickname was Johnny), on
September 10, 1920, completed the family.
 |
| 9. DeKalb Street - Chicago |
1921-1930
By the mid-to-late 1920s, the DeLio children were in school
and had friends over, which meant plenty of noise and constant activity. In
addition, the four oldest siblings were now dating, and the two younger kids
were...well, busy being kids. My mother used to tell a story about my grandfather
that when it was time for her and her siblings' friends (notably, his
daughters' boyfriends) to go home, Grandpa would come into the living room and
start winding the mantel clock. He never had to say a word; that one action
said it all. His pretty daughters knew better than to argue with him or beg for
another hour. Their boyfriends respectfully, and perhaps with some trepidation, said goodnight and went home. Angelo's sons were treated a little more leniently. Besides, they were more
than likely getting the same treatment at their girlfriend's houses by their
fathers. In June of 1930, Carl married his longtime sweetheart, Catherine
Citro.
By the decade's end, all four of my great-grandparents had
passed away. Ralph DeLio and Michael Lufrano in 1928, and Carmela DeLio and
Saveria Lufrano in 1929, which was a sad time for the family, but things were
about to get a lot worse when a little something called the Great Depression
began with the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 and then spread worldwide.
1931-1944
The lowest point of the Depression came between 1931–1933. Then, the stock market crash marked the beginning of a decade of
high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm
incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal
advancement. Altogether, there was a general loss of confidence in the
financial future. Recovery would not come until 1940.[v]
Life continued per the norm from 1931 (well as
"normal" as it could be) until the end of 1936, when the pace picked
up, and three more DeLio siblings would marry. Francie would marry Dominic
Segreti in November 1936; three years later, Josie would marry Joe Lipari in
September 1939; two months after that, Mike would marry Irene Urbaniak in
November 1939. Then the bottom dropped out once again...
The
Draft and WWII
On September 1, 1939, Germany's invasion of Poland marked
World War II's start. That global conflict would rage on for six years. On
September 16, 1940, the United States instituted the Selective Training and
Service Act of 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45
to register for the draft. This was the first peacetime draft in United States
history.
Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was the provocation
needed for the United States to join the war on the
8th of that month officially. Following Japan's surprise attack,
Congress amended the Selective Training and Service Act to require
all able-bodied men ages 18 to 64 to register with their local draft
board for military service for the duration of World War II plus six months
after. In practice, however, only men 18 to 45 were drafted.[vi]
On April 27, 1942, my grandfather Angelo signed up for the
draft. Grandpa's draft card described him as 62 and working for the B
& O Railroad. He stood 5 feet tall, 131 pounds, with a sallow complexion,
gray eyes, black hair, and no "other obvious physical characteristics that
will aid in identification."
My uncle Johnny, the youngest of Angelo's sons, was on active
duty in the U.S. Army and served between 1942 and 1944. I am still
determining the exact dates, but he did fight in and around Italy. Also, during
his military service, Johnny married Lee Rodgers, a girl he met in the army,
around 1943. Unfortunately, the marriage would end about five years
later.
The last of the DeLio children to marry was my mother,
Marilyn, to my father, Rocco Poppa. They married in July 1944. Sadly, my
grandfather missed the opportunity of walking his youngest daughter down the
aisle...
A Bittersweet Ending...
Shortly after complying with the draft requirement, my
grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He suffered from the
dreaded disease for roughly two years before it finally took his life on
February 21, 1944, at the age of 63.
I never had the privilege of knowing my grandfather. From all I have learned about him, he was a good man who left the family too soon through no fault of his own. Grandpa was gone long before I was born, and I am sad about that. I would
have liked him. But, more importantly, I know I would have loved
him. Researching his life brought me closer to him. In truth, I wish I had uncovered
more, but the clock has yet to run down, and until it does, my search continues.
PHOTO CREDITS / SOURCES
1. S.S. Bolivia (built 1873 by Robert Duncan& Company for the Anchor Line. She was transferred to the Glasgow-Naples- New York
service in Nov. 1887)
2. Battery and Castle
Garden, New York City. Vintage photograph by William Henry Jackson (1843-1942). Published
by Detroit Publishing Co. 1890-1897)
3.
Chicago Map – 1890 (University of Chicago
Library)
4. State Street North from Madison (Historic B&W Photo of Chicago 19th Century–Copyright
1990 By Detroit Photographic Co)
5. Angelo DeLio ca 1900 (Author's Private
Photo Collection)
6.
Page from the 1905 Marriage Registry of
Holy Guardian Angel Church
7.
Photo of Holy Guardian Angel Church (The
Newberry Library)
8. Angelo and Mary DeLios' DeKalb Street Rowhouse – 2019 (Author's Private Photo Collection)
9. DeKalb Street – 2019 (Author's Private Photo Collection)
[i] http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/658.html
[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Americans
[iii] Donald L. Miller, City of the Century, (Simon &
Schuster, New York, 1996) p. 263.
[iv] Eric Larson, The
Devil in the White City (Random House,
New York, 2003)
[v]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression
[vi]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
