Katie Gabara
English P.3
Nov. 6, 2000
Ancestor Writing Assignment
The year is 1909 and soon I will be on my way to America. I am fifteen years old and my name is Louis Ottobre. I was born in the town of Gioisa Ionica, in the province of Calabria, Italy. We are called the happy and joyous people even thought most of us are very poor. My uncle, who is coming to Italy, has agreed to take me back to America with him. I can’t wait until my uncle comes, for today will be the day I leave Italy to explore America.
As I walked onto the boat my heart began beating as fast as ever, for I was filled with excitement. The boat was occupied with men and women anxious to go to America for man different reasons. As the boat began to depart from Italy, my uncle and I walked over to a group of people and began to sit down slowly. After a couple of hours, men and women were sick when the weather began to change and the ship would move. When large storms came, the water would come into the boat and I began believing we were not going to make it I prayed to God all the time and I even promised him that if I made it to America that I would never eat meat on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Finally we began to reach the skyline of the buildings in New York. Everyone was so thrilled that they cried tears of happiness. When we all reached New York, the men and women got out of the boat and we were all happy to be on land. My uncle and I decided to go to Burnstown, Pennsylvania. I got a job soon in the limestone quarries. It was hard work mining limestone, but it was one of the few jobs immigrants could get not speaking English. Life was very fast I America. Efer4yone moved in cars, buses and trains and worked in big buildings. In Italy, life was slower and people talked to other more. In Pennsylvania I met the love of my life, Catherine Loccisano. Later on I found out that she had come over from Italy just like me and enjoyed life in America more than Italy. I then asked her to marry me and we bought a cottage just behind a large house. Catherine worked for the owners of the house by cooking, cleaning and sewing. Many Italians just like Catherine and I lived together in the small town because of our language barrier.
I grew out of my old job working in the limestone quarries and got a better job at the National Steel Mill. After Catherine and I had been married for about 4 years we moved to Ellwood City, Pennsylvania and raised twelve children in a rented house. We saved money from our jobs to try and buy our own house, with bigger rooms and more space. The local townspeople did not want any Italians living in their town, but when the Mayor of Burnstown heard this, he was disturbed. He knew that our family was religious and worked incredibly hard. The Mayor offered us a chance to buy a large house that he owned when the people who were renting it moved out. We bought the house for three thousand dollars. The house was a two-story home with a livable attic and a large basement, a furnace, living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway downstairs, four bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. This house was much bigger than any other house in the town.
We spent most of our time in the attic. The kids would build model toys and play games as Catherine I watched and smiled continuously. During the cold winter, the basement is where we were all the time studying and helping each other to read. It was hard because Catherine and I were working a lot, but spending time with our children made us very happy. Catherine did not know English as well as the rest of us so she would iron as the children and I read books.
It is 1941, World War II has just started and we need people to fight for our country. My four bravest sons volunteered to serve their country. One fought in a navy submarine, two of them fought with the Army in Germany, and the last was in the Air Force. He was a B-25 airplane pilot in the South Pacific. Years later all of them returned home safely.
It is 1949, and my seventh son Albert, planned to take his mother and I with him to his graduation from New York University. We couldn’t have been prouder of him. After his graduation he had even more surprises planned, he took Catherine and I to Niagara Falls. We never had enough money for a honeymoon after getting married and this was our honeymoon gift from Albert.
I had a fulfilled life as an immigrant from Italy. To raise twelve children and have them all graduate from high school and one from college, owning our own home and having a job to feed and clothe my family. Even though learning a new language and being accepted, as a citizen was hard, America has been a wonderful place and opportunity for my family and me.
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