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Immigrants: 1955

49 years after they arrived from Italy, my father and grandmother pose at her new home in Calpella, California. He's 53, she's 73. In the background beyond the fence, part of the vineyard my grandfather had sold a couple years before after working it for almost 40 years. Also, our 1948 Hudson. One of my brother's first Ektachrome slides, restored and color-corrected. View full size.

49 years after they arrived from Italy, my father and grandmother pose at her new home in Calpella, California. He's 53, she's 73. In the background beyond the fence, part of the vineyard my grandfather had sold a couple years before after working it for almost 40 years. Also, our 1948 Hudson. One of my brother's first Ektachrome slides, restored and color-corrected. View full size.

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OMG! I knew we had a connection !

After reading some of the comments on this pic, I got hit by a bolt of lightning when I realized that MY grandfather came to America on the LaTouraine from France as well! WOW-EE! I'm going to have to check my copy of the Ellis Island manifest and see if it could have possibly been the same TRIP on the same SHIP! Weird how little threads of familiarity are out there in the universe, if you watch for them. Cool.

My GF was a farmer from Vicalvi, and came to NYC and then settled in New Jersey. We're practically family!

Italian-Americans

Well, your Father and your Granny in particular, actually look Italian if you ask me. Two of many thousand of Italians that made your Country great along the XX century.

You can actually be proud of them.

Massimo La Civita - Italy

How quickly we become Americans

I have a client whose daughters were born in Pennsylvania but whose ethnic heritage is "100 percent Japanese. But when we are in Tokyo, you can tell they're Americans from a block away."

My heritage (look at my name!) is wholly Celtic, but I am American to my soul.

Our Immigrant Roots

On January 1, 1906, the French ship La Touraine sailed past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor from Le Havre France. Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the US. On board were Giovanna and her sons Guido and Albino. Giovanna was 23, Guido would be four on 19 January, and Albino was 2. They were from Murialdo, Savona, Italy. On 2 January 1906, the family first set foot on US soil. The date January 2nd was always mentioned by our father as the most important day of his life next to his birthday. So much so, that I often got confused and thought January 2nd was his birthday.

They crossed the US by train and arrived in San Francisco to reunite with husband and father, Agostino.

When they became US citizens Agostino changed his name to Austin, and Giovanna to Joan. (Although everyone still called them by their original names.) They always voted.

Thanks again

Love your family photos! We are in the same age bracket and they make me think of my family! Thanks for sharing!

You look like your grandmother.

Quite a resemblance.

Old Smoothie

Speaking of the '48 Hudson with its velvet smooth cork faced wet clutch which ran in a mysterious fluid called Hudsonite. Your dad certainly knew his automobiles.

Stunning!

Hope he prospered after all those years of work! 40 years isn't anything to sneeze at!

Immigrants Once Now Americans

A good picture made great by your description. How proud you must be. Is the property still in your family? Did your grandfather live on the proceeds from the vineyard?

Doug Santo
Pasadena, CA

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