(Continuing “Coming to America” post)
This post tries to summarize the first few years in America.
Giuseppe Ricucci married Grazia Tomaiula in Monte S’Angelo on Jan 30th, 1910. Their first child named Domenico was born and died in 1912 in Monte S’Angelo. On May 30th, 1914 Giuseppe traveled to NY with his younger brother Anthonio to find work and joined his brother Matteo who had come earlier. He left his wife Grace in Monte Sant’Angelo. He first went to Yonkers and finally found work in Derby, Connecticut. He was able to send money for Grace to join him and she arrived 2 years later in December 1916.
Unfortunately, Giuseppe Ricucci died at an early age – (39) in 1923. He was working on the railroad in Port Reading, NJ under terrible conditions and became sick which turned to pneumonia. He left his wife Grace, who could not speak English, with 4 young children – Angelina (age 6), Dominic (age 5), Mary (age 3) and Anthony (age 1). My father Dominic was told that he now was the “man of the house” at 5 years old. Fortunately, there were many Italian families in Port Reading who were able to support them although they were very poor with no working members of the family until first Angelina and then Dominic were old enough to find work in the area.
