The 1940 census rolls give us a few more details about the bride (Dorothea Scalco), because she was randomly selected to answer a few more questions. Her father and mother were born in Italy, she was only married once, and by 1940 she had given birth five times (a number that matches the number of children living at the same 705 Otis Place NW address, Josephine, Rito, Nickey, Theresa, and Vincent). She was not employed and did not yet have a social security number. (The census also reflects that, by 1940, their oldest son, Rito, then 14, had worked for nine weeks the previous year, earning a total of $23.)

They all have faces full of character. There's bad stuff coming down the road--there always is--but they're facing the future with courage. I wish I could step back in time and talk to them.