An immigration Story

Joseph Orso 1932

In the late 1920s the majority of vineyards in southern Italy had dried up leaving 1000s of owners, managers, and workers to be displaced from their work, their homes, but never their families. During this time, my great-grandfather Michael Orso left Italy in search of a way to keep his family fed and healthy. With strong family ties that are almost a staple of being an Italian, he brought his wife, 3 sons, and 1 daughter to the United States from Reggio di Calabria Italy to stay with his extended family in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With this tie, they were carried through both cultures and managed to not only live in this new world, but thrive. World Culture in the early 20th century was founded on a strong back bone, a loyalty to one’s family, and a dedication to God. With this mentality being a part of every individual’s life back then, amalgamation or assimilation wasn’t as hard as people would have thought.

Upon his arrival in the United States he promptly started a family business called “Joe’s Lunch” that served sandwiches and beer to the factory workers that worked across the street. As with everything in Italian life, a love of food played a central part in the workplace and in the home. At the house, Pasta was served at every meal. Sandwiches and Pasta, Hamburgers and Pasta, Soup and Pasta, everything came with pasta. Even on Christmas the meal consisted of meats, cheeses, fish, and pasta. On Fridays, since the family was Roman Catholic, fish was always eaten in place of red meats.

Roman Catholicism played a very important role in the home. There was no belief in birth control so Michael’s family was fairly large just like his sister Kathrin’s who when she came over had brought 9 children from Italy. Holidays were centered mostly among the American Holidays, but also included St. Nicholas’ day, St. Anthony’s day, St. Joseph’s day, and All Kings’ day. At every age and at every holiday, wine was the only thing that the family would drink. Along with the assimilation into American culture came the marriages of the children. In the first generation, they intentionally married non-Italians, and each child was permitted to choose whom they would marry on the grounds that their betrothed was Roman Catholic.

Michael Orso and Flora Schmilafski 1930

My grandfather Joseph, Michael’s youngest son married a catholic German girl named Patricia, my grandmother, whose mother, Flora Schmilafski, came from Germany. Her name was changed when she came off the boat. Originally Flora’s last name was Hammer, but since the boat she was on contained mostly Poles, she was meshed in with them. Not too much is known about Flora. She spoke little to no English throughout her whole life and hadn’t adapted so quickly to American society as the Orsos had, but she had a daughter who married Joseph and the two did make a beautiful pair.

Some 50 years later, I was born. My German and Italian heritage plays a significant role in my life and my family’s. Holidays in my family are still grounded on the traditions that Michael and Flora brought to this country and are not quite spent the same way as the typical American teenager’s. Faith still plays a very large role in the play that is my life, and understanding this helps me to understand where I am going, who I am, and what God expects from me.

Knowing where you come from and who you are is important. Maybe not every family is able to trace their heritage or their family, but starting and keeping traditions and remembering the past is an integral part of what you stand for. The United States is a melting pot. In this melting pot, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone, and all the thanks go out to people like Michael and Flora who when their lives seemed dark and empty, dared to look for something new.