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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…

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.

This is a joint interview with Frank and Maria Cantalini, who came to Canada from Italy in 1951 and 1960 respectively. They settled in Sarnia, Ontario. The husband and wife were interviewed separately, although each contributes to the other's interview. In the interviews, the couple talks mostly about their employment in Canada and their children. Mrs. Cantalini also discusses her community activities. Mr. Cantalini was born in 1929 into a large family in Navelli, Italy. At the age of twenty…

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.

In this interview, Carlo and Maria Farina describe their migration story, and their work lives in Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Farina grew up in the same village in Sicily, Italy. Mr. Farina was born in 1926, and immigrated to Sarnia, Ontario in 1953, by way of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The couple married by proxy, a common practice at the time that saved grooms the expense of an overseas trip to marry their Italian brides. In 1956, a newlywed Mrs. Farina joined Mr. Farina in Canada. They both wanted to…

The focus of this interview is Assunta Giancarlu's decision to come to Canada with her husband, and her extensive community involvement in Sarnia, Ontario. Mrs. Giancarlu was born in Aquila, Italy. Although she was born to a family of four children, she was the only child to live to adulthood. Already living in Canada, Mrs. Giancarlu's future husband returned to Italy in 1955 to marry Mrs. Giancarlu. Her husband understood the impact it would have on his in-laws if their only daughter left…

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.

In this interview, Grazia Ubriaco discusses her childhood in Italy around the turn of the twentieth century, her immigration and adjustment to life in Canada, and her impressions of Canadian society. She recalls her family's livelihoods in Italy and her father and brother's emigration to Canada. She remembers life in Italy being difficult, but she says her family persevered by subsisting off of their land holdings. She joined her husband in Thunder Bay, Ontario with great reluctance,…

In this interview, Pierina Vidotto offers detailed descriptions of her work as a skilled seamstress in Italy and Canada and of her difficult adjustment to life in Fort William, Ontario. The interview focuses on Mrs. Vidotto's family life in Italy and in Canada, her work history, and her community involvement in Canada. Mrs. Vidotto was born in a northern Italian village in the early twentieth century. She learned to sew at an early age and worked as a seamstress after she completed grade…

In this interview, Vincenza Fusco speaks at length about her family business in Toronto, Ontario, while also touching on her family life and adjustment to Canada. Mrs. Fusco was born in Sicily in 1900, and was the eldest of eight children. Much of her family migrated to North America, with the majority of her father's family settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Fusco's husband had immigrated to Canada at the age of ten, and was a Canadian citizen when he went to Italy for her. They…