The Gattinara immigration

112 Pages·2000·5.4 MB·English

by  Piana, Edward R.

The Gattinara Immigration
The modern day wonder ofthe World Wide Web allows Sustaining Members
ofthe Statue ofLiberty-EUis Island Foundation (SOLEIF) to access immigration
records ofmillions ofentrants from 1892-1924. Actually, more than 22 million
came to America through Ellis Island during that 32 year span oftime. The largest
number arrived from Italy.
Original Ellis Island records have been transcribed to print by the Mormon
Church and can be viewed on home computers. Available are the original manifests
(ship passenger lists), pictures ofthe ships and information on each passenger. In
addition to the immigrant’s name, other information can be extracted from the
transcribed records or from the original manifests. This includes date ofarrival,
height, complexion, physical condition, occupation, age, marital status, port of
departure, place oforigin, citizenship, funds on hand and destination in U.S.A.
Ifthe individual previously had been to the U.S. A. this also was recorded in the
manifests. Was he or she an anarchist, which obviously was cause for refusal of
entry? Failure to pass the medical examination also won the unlucky individual a
return trip on the next ship. I he manifests actually were filled out at the poi t of
embarkation and then upon arrival at Ellis Island, inspectors used the manifest
information to examine each immigrant.
The cost of becoming a Sustaining Member and full details on the available
records can be obtained at www.ellisislandrecoids.oiK-
My particular interest centers on the group of immigrants from Gattinara, a
small town located between Torino and Milano at the foot of the Alps in Piedmont,
Italy.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2016 with funding from
Boston Public Library
https://archive.org/details/gattinaraimmigraOOpian
They began arriving in America in the late 1800’s when hail storms and crop
diseases (particularly those infecting the vineyards) ruined their food supply and
their source ofa livelihood. In addition to the U.S.A., they flocked to Argentina,
Africa, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Many also moved to nearby France where customs
and language made their assimilation much easier.
In the U.S.A., their destinations included Coalgate, Indian Territory' which
later became the 46th State in the Union (Oklahoma). There they were attracted by
employment in the coal mines. Another popular attraction was Canton,
Massachusetts where the textile, leather and rubber industries offered them jobs.
Over time, the Gattinarese influx to Canton formed the largest group ofimmigrants
from any single community in the world ever to settle in the town. Significant
numbers also located in New York City, Chicago, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa,
California and West Virginia.
Economics overrode other considerations in their difficult decision to leave
their town and homeland which, at that time, were one and the same in their minds.
It may be difficult in modern times here in the U.S.A. to appreciate the uniqueness
ofthat small community ofGattinara and how it could, in their minds, be both
hometown and homeland. Italy had been comprised ofcity-states and did not
become a nation until the 1860’s. French was the traditional language ofnearby
Torino until 1900; German that ofthe territory north ofGattinara. Each region
such as Piedmont and Lombardy in the north spoke its own dialect that was
completely foreign to those in the Southern provinces ofthe country where their
own distinct dialects were spoken. A further language refinement developed from
one town to the next. Roasio, five miles away from Gattinara, could distinguish its
dialect as more Biellese than that ofGattinara. In essence, due to language, limited
communications, self-sufficiency and containment within the community, a history'
of regionalism, etc, Gattinara was viewed by its citizens as their true homeland.
Campanilismo is the Italian word used to define this trait whereby the population
relates only to its immediate confines -only as far as they can hear or see the
campanile (bell tower).
What were they leaving behind? Gattinara had been populated by the Celts-
Ligurians before the birth ofChrist. It came under the rule ofthe Romans as they
expanded northward. Finally, after countless invasions throughout Europe over
many centuries, the town gained its independence on March 30, 1242 and its
inhabitants were freed from feudalism. For the briefperiod between 1804-1814, the
town was annexed to France under the Napoleonic expansion. Even its name has
undergone an evolution from the Roman Catula Ara to Gatinaria to the dialect
version ofGatinera and finally to the current Italian name ofGattinara.
Gattinara, at its center, at one time was surrounded by a moat. The
perimeter streets form a perfect rectangle with parallel and crossing streets. Heavy
wooden doors( in some cases 200 years old) open from the streets to the courtyards
where three or four families might own their own sections ofproperty on two floors.

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Today most of the vineyard; have bIS Wi"e'
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tsmais. i he carmvale promoters are the numerous “tahinne”
clubs with colorful names, each dedicated to th^r lL LZg sS^^ie .

tabina has existed for hundreds ofyears. American restaurants ofdistinction in the
past few years have upgraded their menus with risotto and polenta. In Gattinara
(and elsewhere in Northern Italy) the two dishes have been peasant staples for
centuries. Food and dry goods have priority every Tuesday morning in Gattinara.
That is the day for the “marca” or in proper Italian - “mercato”. Street vendors set
up shop on the major central streets and then move on to other towns on other days
ofthe week.
Outside the perimeter ofthe “old town” compound of600 or more year old
block houses, new villas have been erected during the post-war period. While there
are only 8500 inhabitants, Gattinara covers a vast area. In recent years the town
erected a beautiful Olympic pool and soccer stadium for its citizens. A carryover
from the 1800’s persists in the form ofthe “lavatoio”, a public open air laundry,
which utilized a stream that is funneled through an elaborate brick culvert carrying
the water waist high past the women washing their bundles ofclothes. For 200 years
the women have labored there. The allure ofexchanging gossip for many probably
supercedes the comfort ofthe home washing machine.
Although referred to as “bars”, they more appropriately fall into the
category of“coffee houses” where local citizens make at least one daily stop for an
expresso or cappuccino. Looking out northward on a clear day, Monte Rosa’s
snow-capped peak can be seen as it rises into the Alpine sky. A number ofbanks
ATM
are located in town to accommodate even the foreign travelers dependent on
services. The town operates its own hospital as well. The remodeled town hall is
open daily and on Saturday morning.
In short, Gattinara has a long history ofprogress and development; yet it
retains much of its historic traditions and charm.
During the late 1800’s and the first two decades ofthe 1900’s, regardless of
local ties and attractions, significant numbers found it necessary to emigrate
primarily for economic reasons but also due to political turmoil and the ravages of
war. Much ofEurope at that time could be compared to an overworked plot of land
that produced a diminishing and insufficient crop. America, on the other hand, was
a virgin, fertile land that held out the promise of unlimited opportunities. For most
immigrants the New World met those expectations and allowed the immigrants to
build a base in one generation upon which their successors could expand and thrive
as fully integrated Americans.
In spite of the culture shock of a new land where climate, language, customs,
distance, uncertainties, loss offriends and family and unforeseen discrimination
would pose enormous difficulties for them, they came as did millions ofothers from
every part ofEurope.

As part ofsucceeding generations scattered throughout the United States, we
can pause to reflect on those events ofour ancestors which determined the course of
our own lives and which influenced, in fact, America’s own development.
The Ellis Island Foundation offers an opportunity to view the path taken by
each immigrant from Gattinara who came through the Port ofNew York during
that expansive period between 1892 and 1924. For those who came into Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore and other ports along the East Coast, further research will
be required. The National Archives and Records Administration with regional
offices around the country contains microfilm records ofship manifests as well as
other source material, however the search is tedious and slow.
These names and other information covering those who came through Ellis
Island represent my efforts to assemble the available background material from the
manifests. The work is subject to human error. Some ofthe information is
incomplete or unavailable due to a combination offactors such as poor legibility,
misspellings, computer transcription errors, unavailability ofsource documents, etc.
All corrections and additions to this compilation will be welcomed and certainly,
any personal comments will be appreciated.
Edward R. Piana
87 Independence Street
Canton, MA., 02021, U.S.A.
[email protected]
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