When my grandmother passed away, mom saved a bunch of papers we found in her home. Among these were letters written in Italian that none of us could translate. I was in my second year of studying the language and really wasn’t proficient yet. But, now, twelve years and a study abroad in Italy later, I’ve finally got back at it and have started working on these. The genealogy research I’ve been doing has paid off as well, since I’ve finally been able to identify everyone in this first letter which is really neat. I can’t say the translation is perfect – some of the handwriting and nuances of the language can’t be made into a perfect translation, but I think this is pretty close. If you happen to have any suggestions on how to make my translation better, I’m happy to accept corrections!
The letter is from Angiolina (Ducceschi) Cioletti, addressed to Eugenia (Arcangeli) Innocenti.
Marsilio is Eugenia’s cousin and lived with Eugenia and her children through 1940.
Amos is Angiolina’s husband.
Worth noting, Angiolina uses the word “figlie” when referring to her children, meaning they’re all girls (and census records tell me that they were indeed). When referring to Eugenia’s children, she uses the word, “figli” meaning that they’re either all boys, or of mixed gender (in this case, one boy and two girls). She uses the phrase “Vi Fo Sapere” instead of “Vi Faccio Sapere” (I want you to know). “Fo” is a regioinalism particular to Tuscany. Angiolina and her husband came from Piteglio, from what I can find, which is in Tuscany. “Bath Room” is written out in plain English instead of Italian. Towards the end, she uses the letter z instead of s in Penziero (Pensiero) and Verzo (Verso). The stamp has been torn off the envelope – grandma was a stamp collector, so it’s possible that this one ended up in her collection, even though she would’ve been 7 at the time this was written.
| Haledon NJ 20 September 1928Dearest friend,
I come to write you these few lines on paper to tell you that I am fine. Me, my husband, and my children and so I hope that it is the same with you, your husband, and children. Now I want to tell you that we are together in New Jersey and we’re here willingly, and we’re very happy. We have a house with 5 rooms and the bath room makes 6, and we pay $22.50 a month, cold and hot water, and all the amenities. Also, the place is beautiful for the kids. There is no danger. The house is all fenced in. Also Amos is content with his work. He works every day and brings home $6.50 a day, but he works at night, 13 hours of work, but the work is not as tiresome as in the mines. Especially when he came to work every day at Flinton, Marsilio works all day and I hope that he is still, but we hear that the mines are going very badly. Respond to me. I wanted to write you for a long time, but I never took the time, but I thought about my friends. I have always and will now give my greeting to all of you, your husband and children, from me, my husband, and children. Here I sign, your unforgettable friend, Angiolina, my mother Cioletti. I greet you if you’re ever near to me, it would be nice to have a short walk. Here is the Address 268 Belmont Ave |
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