More Stories from the Old Country

Luigi and Maria Ancora emmigrate to Argentina

In 1924, the Ancora family was finally ready to rejoin Belasario in America. But some bureaucratic corruption prevented Nonni's brother and sister from making the journey to America. A rich family bribed an official in the office, and Luigi and Maria's Visa papers were stolen. So the family was presented with their only option. Nonni and her Grandmother sailed to America, while Luigi and Maria embarked for Argentina.

They did at least have a cousin in Argentina to get them settled. Carmela's sister's son had settle in Buenos Aires earlier, and the brother and sister set aground with "Francesco." Nonetheless, the hope was to secure a visa from Argentina and be reunited in Rhoda Island. Unfortunately, the emigration laws in Argentina made the sibling's flight impossible. As such, Luigi became a electrician and supported his sister among the large Italian community in Buenos Aires. He would eventually marry and an Italian woman, and Perota (Compillo) and Beba (Butti) were his two daughters.

Maria would marry Alfonso but all her children died in child birth. Although she ended up raising Luigi's children after his wife died. Perota married and gave birth to Marcella, and Beba married Hugo who was a navy man in the time of Juan Peron. Their kids were Silvio and Ricardo, and they later opened deli and made homemade macaroni.

The family separation was entirely permanent, though. Nonno and Nonni visited Argentina in 1964 and Luigi came to Sparta and Shenorock in 1974. I actually remember Luigi watching TV with us as Richard Nixon resigned before the nation. Apparently he had a comment that spoke to his times in Argentina. "In my country, Peron would have had them all shot."

The Old and the New World are all Connected

In the Italian peasant class, families used to send their children out to learn a trade. The man pictured above with his wife owned a grove in Franca Villa, and eight year old Nonno trained on his farm. Prior to that, Nonno had apprenticed with a barber, whose name was Manuelo Flora. He didn't particularly like that trade, and after six or seven months, Nonno asked his family to learn something else. Thus, he ended up on the farm. But the connection to the Barber carried over to America and played a part in our family history.

By 1941, Nonno had long established himself at Giovanni's. The Cafueri's lived on 339 East 55th, and because of nerves and stress, Nonno developed headaches. As a result, his doctor recommended that Nonno would benefit from fresh air, and that the family, "should move to the suburbs."

Believe it or not, the Bronx was known as the country back then. In and around this time, Nonno became reconnected with his old mentor through his own barber. Manuelo was working for a shop in Manhattan and lived on Van Nest Avenue. So when Nonno was faced with moving, Manuelo knew of an apartment on Mead Street, and the Cafueri's took flight.

A small apartment with one bedroom, Mommy and Zia slept in the living room. Of course, the space turned out to be too small, and when another apartment opened up at 1738 Garfield, the Cafueri's moved again.

Then in 1942, the Daughter's of the American Revolution put the house at 1726 Garfield Street up for sale, and the Cafueri's were able to pay a $6,000 lump sum. Nonno's long time employer provided the balance. But Nonno would only accept the generosity as a loan and later paid back Giovanni.

Nonetheless, Manuelo would go onto open his own shop on Union Port Road with John the Barber. The families remained friends, and their son Joe helped Mommy on occasion with her driving lessons. In fact, a license and Joe's assistance actually gave Mommy an introduction to this area long before moving to Shenorock. She followed Joe up the narrow, windy Taconic at the designated speed limit of 35 MPH, and Sparkle Lake in Yorktown became a frequent escape.

So another fragile array of threads brings us all to today.