13/06/2026
Those who went to America first
Even before leaving Italy for ever, it was common practice for the men of the family to spend some time of the year working in other countries. Many went to other European countries for a season, Switzerland, Germany and France, and many went as far as America.
Between 1910 and 1920 Italian migration to the United States peaked at over two million. The Immigration Act of 1924 restricted Italian immigration and marked a significant change to US policy. As a consequence of America’s having closed its gates to migration they started to look elsewhere.
Some of our migrants who travelled to America for work – (Source “For a Better Life”)
Pietro Aprile, was born in Modica, Ragusa, Sicily in1885. In 1904 he migrated to America where he worked for a while in the construction industry and as a labourer on the railways between New York and Vancouver. When he arrived home in 1914 World War I had broken out and Pietro was called up for military service. His plan to return to America after the war was foiled by the change to immigration laws in that country.
After migrating to Chicago in the United States in 1914 and working for seven years in the mines, Gino Berton returned home to Fontaniva, a comune in Padua in the Italian region of Veneto, to marry Angela Balin in 1922.
Maggiorino (Mick) Caracciolo was born in 1894 in Montegrosso d’Asti, Piedmont. For whatever reason, Mick and his brothers migrated to America in 1910. Mick apparently settled in Boston but also spent some time in New York. Ellis Island records show that Mick left the USA twice. On his first return to Italy he was drafted into the Italian army. After the war, Mick again headed for the USA, this time arriving in 1920 and returning to Italy in 1921.
Giuseppe Corsaro - In 1913, aged 25, with $US30 in his pocket, Giuseppe left Sicily bound for New York. According to the shipping records he had a cousin living in New Jersey. We are unsure of what Giuseppe did or how long he spent there.
Francesco Ferlazzo was born in 1892, in Patti, Messina. While still young Francesco and his brothers travelled to the USA. They obtained work in the railways and at various factories, probably in Chicago. At the start of World War I Francesco returned to Italy and served as a soldier in the Italian army. After the war Francesco travelled twice more to America looking for work.
The Lando brothers, Luigi (Louis), born 1886 and Giordano (George) 1895, were born in Rossano Veneto, Vicenza. In their early years the brothers had migrated to America and worked in the underground coalmines on the outskirts of Chicago. It was here that they became fluent in English.
Ettore Ravizza - After leaving home just before his sixteenth birthday Ettore made his way to America where he found employment as a waiter at The Waldorf Astoria, New York. He regularly sent money back to his parents to enable the family to build a new home. He returned to Italy for a time but went back to New York in 1916.
