Throwback Thursday - The Notebooks

Anyway one morning Achille went to work and took the ferry to Boston. As did a lot of East Bostonians. On this particular morning he happened to lay eyes on a girl and said to himself, that's for me. So he went around the ferry seeking someone that knew who she was. He had that person or some person who knew his background and went to that woman's house and spoke to the uncle that she lived with and his wife. Asked if he could bring his friend to introduce him to the family. Evidently, things went well. Evidently, Raffaelina or Fannie went for him. They married.

My mother was born in Italy on 28. August 1891 in a town, Grottaminarda, within the area of Naples to Euplio Mottola and I did not hear her mother's name. [ed: I think Dad must have forgotten because when I was young, my mother told me my paternal great-grandmother's name was Gaetana as when I was born my grandmother wanted Ma to name me after her mother. Gaetana Maccarone]

My grandfather was born in Siena, Italy. He was educated and was an employee of the Postal Service in Italy. He was transferred to the Grottaminarda area. His home before the transfer was in the upper area of the country. The people were well off and educated. They spoke the high Italian language. He was the Postmaster in my mother to be's area.

Uncle Mike (Mary and Clara [ed: Dad's first cousins. Uncle Mike was married to Raffaella's sister, Filomena] who lived in the Grottaminarda area knew him [ed: Euplio] and spoke highly of him. He [ed: Euplio] fell in love with a woman in the town [ed: Gaetana] and married her.

They had six children. My mother, Filomena, Lucia, Vincent, Luigi, and another daughter. Here again, I did not hear the name of the last child, my aunt.