Date: 1978-03-17
Name(s): Carniato, Anita
Description: Mrs. Anita Carniato was born into a large family of fourteen children in 1892 in Treviso, northern Italy. In this interview she discusses her childhood in Italy, how her family earned a living in Canada, as well as her twenty-five years of volunteer work with the Italian Benevolent Society. As a child, Mrs. Carniato lived in the countryside with her family, who were farmers. She attended school until grade four, after which she was unable to continue because of the school's distance from her…
Date: 1984-10-07
Name(s): Comisso, Anita
Description: Anita Comisso was born in 1906 in Udine, Italy, the eldest of four children in her family. In this interview, she describes her childhood in Italy, her migration to Canada at the age of nineteen, and her subsequent relocations within Canada and Italy, due to her husband's work. Mrs. Comisso describes her life in Italy as the daughter of a lumberyard worker. She recalls the First World War being particularly difficult, describing her family's meagre living conditions as well as her mother's…
Date: 1977-09-20
Name(s): Geniole, Audrey
Description: In this interview Audrey Geniole reminisces about her childhood in Toronto. Her colourful reflections and nostalgic interpretations of her youth reveal much about the College Street neighbourhood of the 1930s and 40s. She describes the games, food and activities, adding special details about holiday celebrations and family traditions. Her vivid descriptions of the neighbourhood parties, dancing, wine making and preserve-making, give a real sense of the closeness of the community in those years…
Date: 1990-09-10
Name(s): Maria, E., Proia, Acefredo
Description: This interview is included as a supplement. a description is not available due to poor sound quality, difficulty interpreting the regional dialect, or the subject matter.
Date: 1984-08-04
Name(s): Bertulli, Adriano
Description: Adriana Bertulli was born in 1899 in Italy. In this interview, she discusses her life with her husband in Sudbury, Ontario, spending some time reflecting on how she and her husband made ends meet. Mrs. Bertulli briefly discusses her life in Italy, recalling that she had never met her father who died young while working in Canada. Her mother later remarried, and Mrs. Bertulli was the eldest of five children. In 1920, Mrs. Bertulli's uncle sponsored her to come to Canada in order to leave the…
Date: 1984-07-09
Name(s): Zanatta, Amabile
Description: Amabile Zanatta was born in 1903 in a village near Treviso in northern Italy. She immigrated to Canada in 1924, married and started a family in Sudbury, Ontario. In this interview, she discusses how she came to live in Canada, as well as the employment of her children and her husband. Mrs. Zanatta's parents were farmers. She was one of eight children. In 1924, Mrs. Zanatta's sister, who was living in Britt, Ontario at the time, sponsored her to come to Canada. She describes her journey from…
Date: 1984-07-31
Name(s): Baccega, Angelina
Description: In this interview, Angelina Baccega describes her childhood in Italy, as well as her life as a wife and mother of five children in Sudbury, Ontario. Mrs. Baccega was the daughter of labourers, with her father employed as a woodman and her mother employed in the countryside and at home. She describes the difficulty that distance imposed on continuing with her education past the age of 12. As a result, she left school and began to help support her family by obtaining employment in a factory. Mrs…
Date: 1990-04-17
Name(s): Casella, Anna
Description: In this interview, Anna Casella discusses her entrepreneurial activities in Canada and Italy, as well as caring for her children - particularly nursing her adult son back to health after having lost the use of his legs. Mrs. Casella arrived in Canada as a teenager in 1910. She settled in Northern Ontario, where her father and brother were already living and working. She reminisces about taking in boarders with her cousin and her mother. She shares a touching story about a time when, as a…
Date: 1980-03-17
Name(s): Casella, Anna
Description: In this interview, Anna Casella discusses her entrepreneurial activities in Canada and Italy, as well as caring for her children - particularly nursing her adult son back to health after having lost the use of his legs. Mrs. Casella arrived in Canada as a teenager in 1910. She settled in Northern Ontario, where her father and brother were already living and working. She reminisces about taking in boarders with her cousin and her mother. She shares a touching story about a time when, as a…
Date: 1977
Description: In the first part of the interview a group of Italian men and women participate in telling one gentleman's story of his struggle to start a tailoring business and his experiences as a musician in the 1930s and 40s. The two women present during the interview help to prompt and support his story, as well as debate and challenge some of his claims. The interview is a glimpse into the group dynamics of memory-making and historical truth. The second part of the interview is with a woman. She…
Date: 1973-12-04
Description: In this anonymous interview, the interviewee discusses the details of her immigration from Italy to Canada prior to the First World War, her work life in Canada, and the social organization of Italians in Hamilton, Ontario. This woman arrived in Canada in 1911 to be united with her husband, who was already living in Hamilton. She describes her initial belief that Canada was a temporary home and compares work opportunities in Canada and Italy, noting the availability of more work in Canada. The…
Date: 1977-12-05
Description: This interview is included as a supplement. a description is not available due to poor sound quality, difficulty interpreting the regional dialect, or the subject matter.
Date: 1977-12-05
Description: This anonymous interview describes the immigrant experience of arriving in Canada. The woman being interviewed was living in Halifax with her family in the late 1940s and 50s. Her father would send her down to the immigration offices to meet family and acquaintances from Italy. She gives details of the mental and physical state of the people arriving in Canada, and how government requirements were enforced by immigration officials. The interviewee explains the confusion and difficulty…
Date: 1977-12-05
Description: In this anonymous interview, the woman first describes her childhood in Hamilton, Ontario, and then contrasts immigrants of her parents' generation with those who have arrived post-1950. Te interviewee arrived in Canada in 1920 with her mother to join her father, who had already settled in Hamilton. Her father owned a grocery store and acted as a middleman, helping Italian immigrants communicate with their loved ones and send money to their families back home. She recalls some of the Italian-…
Date: 1973-08-23
Name(s): Demarco, Antionetta
Description: In this interview, Antonietta Demarco describes her family structure and childhood in Italy, her immigration to Canada and life in North Bay, Ontario, and the effect of her husband's internment during the Second World War. She reminisces about childhood memories in Italy, touching on her education and church involvement. She also discusses her decision to marry after her fianc returned from duty in the First World War, despite pressure from her mother to marry early. She discusses her…
