Frances Ciotola (1908-), Rose Matarazzo (1930-), and Mary Santoni (1911-2009), 1980 February 16
Abstract
In this interview, Ciotola, Matarazzo, and Santoni discuss how their parents met and came over from Italy, and why they chose to move to Baltimore specifically. The sisters also discuss their daily life, including but not limited to: the jobs their parents had, a terrible house fire in 1923, their first jobs, meeting their husbands, and their involvement in unionizing workers.
Dates
- 1980 February 16
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Biographical / Historical
Frances Ciotola, Rose Matarazzo, and Mary Santoni are sisters. Frances is the oldest, Rose is the youngest. Frances became a hairdresser even though it was not considered a reputable job. Rose worked in a factory. Mary worked in a tailor shop. In the early 1930s Frances and Mary joined the union, picketed for better working conditions in the tailer shops. Mary was the captain of the women's side of the union.
Extent
4 Items (105-minute audio recording, tape index, and two biography forms.)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Bibliography
Scope and Contents
The Little Italy oral history collection oral history collection was established to better understand the lives of Italian immigrants who settled in Baltimore from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. This collection includes 16 audio recordings, numerous tape indexes, biographical material, and some additional articles and photographs depending on the interview. There is one full transcript for John Torrieri.
The individuals interviewed helped create Baltimore's Little Italy district into a thriving center of Italian culture. The oral histories focus on a variety of topics: initial American experiences, starting businesses in Little Italy, family life, Italian culture, the Depression, and World War II, among other topics.
The interviews were primarily conducted by Jean Vincenza-Scarpaci, known as "Vincenza," from 1979-1980, except for one recording done by Mary Thayer in 1973. Vincenza is a well-known immigration historian, in particular focusing on Italian American immigration in the United States. While teaching at Towson State University in the 1970s, Vincenza took an interest in the study of groceries and bakeries in Baltimore, Maryland, which led to the creation of this oral history collection. For more information on Vincenza's many works that could be helpful in contextualizing the interviews in this collection, please see the Bibliography.
Narrators of this collection include Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., Maryland's Delegate in the House of Representatives (1939-1947) and Mayor of Baltimore (1947-1959); Joseph Fava who created a successful macaroni brand; brothers Vincent and Michael Pastore who opened a number of groceries; Joe Vaccarino, who owned the Sole D'Italia brand, and a number of other Italian immigrants who settled in the Little Italy area.
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org