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| Back- Pep, Vivian, Tony, Marian, Front- Frank, Mary |
Let me tell you about my family. By that I mean the family of my mother's mother. Carmella Bruno was born in the small town of Maida in the Calabria region of Italy back in 1893. She was still in her teens when she married my grandfather, Frank Pellegrino. They had three children before she turned twenty and then they moved to the United States, initially living in Pleasantville, NJ and eventually settled in Ambler, PA. I can't begin to imagine what the long boat trip was like with three children, let alone leaving her family and hometown and moving to a totally different country. There was and still is a strong Italian population in Ambler which must have helped. Her brother Joe also lived there. I never met my Grandfather, since he died when my Mom was just a little girl, but I do remember going to visit Uncle Joe who always seemed to be in a good mood, and it seemed, was liked by everyone.
My grandparents owned a home and small grocery store on Maple Street in Ambler and had seven children by the time my Grandfather died when Carmella was in her thirties. Being a kind person she was too generous with helping out neighbors by extending credit. This unfortunately meant she had to sell the store when the people who owed her money weren't able to pay. About this time she met a young man who worked across the street from her store. Sam wooed her and convinced her to marry him and move down the road a little way to Norristown. Carmella eventually had two more children with Sam.
Times were tough and Mom and her brothers and sisters went to school for a while, but eventually had to quit school and go to work at various jobs. They had times of being split up when Grandmom and Sam went to New Jersey to work on farms. I've heard stories of multiple moves and evictions, yet they stayed together as best they could. All of this is obviously handed-down stories from before my time, but it sets the background of staying connected. Grandmom and Sam eventually split up and Grandmom managed to keep the family together.
Carmella had three children that died long before I was born, but I grew up with Aunt Ange (Angeline), Aunt Pep (Josephine), Aunt Marion, Uncle Frank, my Mom Mary, Uncle Tony, Aunt Vivian, Uncle Joey, aka Puppy Dog, and Aunt Marie (the baby). Aunt Vivian moved away to Delaware after she married Uncle Fred, and Uncle Joey spent time in the Army, including a few years in Viet Nam but the rest of the family lived in Norristown or close by. Uncle Frank did a bit of traveling and had a few long distance moves, and there could be a whole story written about his adventures, but I'll leave that tale for his children to tell.
Carmella was always busy. Aside from the usual household tasks such as cooking and laundry, she had a large vegetable garden and a smaller flower garden. She knitted and crocheted clothing for the family and also some that she made for regular customers. I still have a multi-colored bedspread that she made for me decades ago. Until I finally outgrew it, I held onto a beautiful russet colored sweater she knitted for me back when I was in seventh or eighth grade . She also chartered buses for trips to a variety of places. We traveled to church feasts and festivals around the Mid Atlantic area as well as cultural sites like Washington D.C. , the New York Worlds Fair in Queens back in 1964, and Atlantic City home of the Steel Pier and the Diving Horse.
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| New York World's Fair- top- Grandmom and neighbor Frances,below I think Ricky Tyson, Me, MaryAnn and JoAnn and Aunt Ange |
The family lived in a number of houses before they settled into the house which was my childhood home. Mom and Dad, my brother Bob and sister Mary lived two blocks away when I was born, but my earliest memories are of living at 441 Sandy Street. We moved in with Grandmom before I can remember, and my parents eventually split up. This was the family home for decades of Sunday dinners and holidays and birthdays and all sorts of family celebrations. After years of moving - initially from Maida, Italy and around Ambler and Norristown this was where where Gradmom lived for many decades until she died.
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| Grandmom and Mom with my nephew Billy. |
Sandy Street is where I grew up and stayed until my mid-twenties after I married, the last one to leave the nest. That is where my Mom lived until she was almost ninety and finally moved in with my sister Mary. Mom maintained the family home and Sunday morning traditions, and for years the aunts, uncles and cousins came together there for Christmas Eve dinner. Mom mostly lived on her own, and sometimes with children or grandchildren moving back to stay for a while. Always involved with her family, neighbors, work and church, she provided a safe harbor for us there over the years.
With this background, I have found myself trying to keep the balance between roots of home and love of travel, between being alone and enjoying the company of friends and family, enjoying traditions and exploring new adventures. Story telling is my latest form of adventure and I am still finding my way around the writing and formatting and hope to soon find the path to finishing and publishing a book. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride and looking to see what comes next.
