Founded in 1990, the Senator John Heinz History Center's Italian American Program is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history and culture of Italian Americans in Western Pennsylvania through exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and community outreach. For nearly three decades, it has documented the pivotal role Italian Americans play in shaping the region's political, economic, religious, and cultural landscapes. The Italian American Collection is one of the largest repositories of Italian American material culture in the United States. This specialized collection houses approximately 800 objects, including textiles, utensils, tools, sculptures, housewares, and other three-dimensional items, and thousands of archival records in the form of books, photographs, immigration materials, family papers, records from mutual beneficial societies and fraternal organizations, and oral histories from more than 300 first, second, and third generation Italian Americans from Western Pennsylvania.
Among the many Italian immigrant communities documented by the Italian American Program, the Tuscans of Pittsburgh are among the most well represented thanks to the records of the Lega Toscana di Protezione, donated by Laura Baccelli Vondas-Vizzuto. The collection, housed in the History Center's Detre Library & Archives, is one of the most complete assortment of records from an Italian lodge, containing minutes, membership information, and financial records from the men's organization and the Ladies' Auxiliary. Besides the Lega records, oral histories from restauranteurs John and Nino Barsotti and Bruno Tambellini shed a light on the both the social and business practices of the Lucchesi; photographic collections from Tambellini's on Seventh Street, Tambellini's in the North Hills, and Tambellini's in Bridgeville illustrate three of the eleven Tambellini's restaurants that once populated the Pittsburgh metro area. Some of the artifacts representing the local Tuscan community in the collection are an espresso machine from Poli's Restaurant, a fryer basket used to make fried zucchini from Tambellini's Ristorante on Seventh Street, bottles from Roma Bottling Works, Prohibition-era bottles of Tambellini's China Celli Elixir, and fiberglass murals of the Walls of Lucca and Puccini-inspired vignettes by artist Ivo Zini.
Melissa E. Marinaro is the Director of the Italian American Program at the Senator John Heinz History Center where she oversees the institution's Italian American Collection and manages the Italian American Program's public and educational programming, community outreach, and Italian American Advisory Council. Marinaro has a BFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and a MA in Art History with a concentration in the History of Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design. She has worked at The Art Institute of Chicago in Museum Education, The Chicago History Museum in Special Collections, and was the Interim Director of Education at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. In 2009, she co-founded a small commercial art gallery and project space in Chicago with two peers from Columbia College; they successfully hosted over 40 exhibitions and participated in art fairs, neighborhood festivals, and public art works. She taught courses at Chicago Semester, an off-campus program for college juniors and seniors, and The Chicago Photography Center.
Since joining the History Center's staff in January of 2013, Marinaro has cultivated significant artifact and archival collections related to post-war Italian immigration to Western Pennsylvania, the Passionists' first monastery in North America, Italian folk-revival troupe I Campagnoli, former Vice Consul of Italy in Pittsburgh, Joseph D'Andrea, and local Italian American foodways businesses. Her research interests include post-war Italian immigration, Italian American identity (particularly in veterans), and oral history and storytelling as a research device. Marinaro is currently the Exhibition Review Editor for the journal The Italian American Review.
For more information about the Italian American Collection's archival holdings, please search the online catalog or contact the Detre Library & Archives Reference Desk at library@heinzhistorycenter.org.
This project, being multi-faceted and containing research from several specialties and academic domains, thanks all the individuals and groups who personally contributed to development on the project. With students and faculty from multiple campuses all graciously investing their energy in this project, it's impossible to imagine that this project would have developed to its current point.
Being that the Tuscan League's materials that we studied throughout this semester were a primary pedagogical resource for Dr. Insana and her translation workshop students in the fall of 2017, we are happy to thank the students from that class for the continued work that they developed in transcribing and translating the first 75 pages of the first volume of Lega minutes. The student participants who contributed to the initial linguistic study of these documents are the following: Jenna Bernadino, Jordan Brewer, Jessica Cappellini, Zachary Enick, Maria Fenner, Eliza Jermyn, Rita Keil, Luke Langkamp, Kaleigh Mauroni, Archie Millar, Henry Novara, and Calvin Salazar. Of that group of students, Zachary, Eliza, Rita, and Archie were the four who decided to continue their own personal research projects on the Tuscan League after their first exposure to them in the classroom.
Elisa Beshero-Bondar is an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg campus, and she also serves as the sponsor for the Greensburg chapter of Sigma Tau Delta and as the director of Greensburg's Center for Digital Text. Additionally, Elisa is a chair member of the TEI Technical Council, an eleven-person team that maintains and continues development of the TEI ecosystem, about which you can learn more in our About the Methods page. Elisa volunteered her expertise in text-encoding and TEI compliance and was the chief mentor for the portion of the project on social mapping of the members of the Lega. Additionally, Elisa facilitated an online collaboration of student digital humanists from the greater Pittsburgh area and abroad, all of whom comprised a weekly web conference to discuss new ditigal technologies and to develop individual DH projects.
David J. Birnbaum is a professor and co-chair of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature at the University of Pittsburgh. As a digital humanist, David is an internationally renowned specialist in electronic text processing. Along with Elisa Beshero-Bondar, he contributed personally and extensively in the development of the social mapping of the League's members and the rendering of the reading view of the minute logs.
Lorraine Denman is an EdD candidate and a lecturer in the Italian department at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland. In the Fall semester of 2018, Lorraine served as the linguistic advisor and mentor for the research surrounding the appearance of English loanwords in the volume of minutes.
While the work for the spatial map was completed, for the most part, independently and under loose guidance, we thank the faculty from the Geology department at the University of Pittsburgh for the mentorship given to student researchers throughout the development of the geographical maps of Tuscan League's residences. You can read more about the Geology departments GIS Studies certificate program here.
The online resources used for this project were a collection of free and paid databases, including some geneological websites, archived newspaper articles, and more, and they were used to compile the biological profiles of each of families that are discussed in our About the Lega webpage. An itemized list of all the online resources and articles consulted for this project are listed below, organized by family.
United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6KF-RN6 : 13 March 2018), Muzio Frediani, 1917-1918; citing Pittsburgh City no 2, Pennsylvania, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,908,014.
United States Census, 1920,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6B2-GHX : accessed 2 April 2018), Muzio Frediani, Pittsburgh Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 346, sheet 7B, line 90, family 146, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1519; FHL microfilm 1,821,519.
Builder Plans 36 Dwellings.The Pittsburgh Press, 6 March 1928.
Italian-Americans Launch Anti-Red Letter Campaign.The Pittsburgh Press, 16 Feb 1946.
Thousands Join Drive to Tell Truth to Italy.The Pittsburgh Press, 22 Feb 1948.
Work of Four Italian Groups To Be Unified.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3 March 1948.
New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVP8-4JR4 : 15 March 2018), Muzio Frediani, 1948; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHNQ-YTQ : 18 October 2017), Muzio Frediani and Rufina Diana, 1950.
Lower Hill Demolition Evacuates Oldest Italian Weekly in Nation.The Pittsburgh Press, 21 Dec 1956.
Muzio Frediani.The Pittsburgh Press, 1 June 1961.
Rites Set For Unione's Publisher.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2 June 1961.
ISDA Paper Expected to Back Scott.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12 Oct 1962.
ISDA Plea for Rovitto Repudiated.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 15 Oct 1965.
Victor Frediani.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 13 July 1990.
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh City Deaths, 1870-1905,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZWQ-7BR : 11 March 2018), Stephen Maffei in entry for Jennie Maffei, 13 Nov 1902; citing v 112 p 388, Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh; FHL microfilm 505,873.
Foreign-American News: Italians.The Pittsburgh Press, 22 March 1908.
Italian Societies.The Pittsburgh Press, 20 Sep 1914.
Italian Societies.The Pittsburgh Press, 7 Oct 1917.
United States Census, 1920,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M61D-3KS : accessed 4 April 2018), Stephen Maffei, Pittsburgh Ward 2, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 331, sheet 1A, line 11, family 3, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1518; FHL microfilm 1,821,518.
United States Census, 1930,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCCN-QLQ : accessed 4 April 2018), Steve Maffei, Pittsburgh (Districts 251-488), Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 301, sheet 26A, line 27, family 309, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1981; FHL microfilm 2,341,715.
Italian Democrats Back Party Ticket.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 Oct 1939.
United States Census, 1940,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQZQ-GS6 : accessed 11 April 2018), Stephen Maffei, Ward 18, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-523, sheet 7A, line 26, family 141, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 38. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3667.
Young Democrats Named On Convention Committee.The Pittsburgh Press, 24 July 1940.
Stefano Maffei.The Pittsburgh Press, 27 Oct 1947.
Knox Fires 7; Deputy's Job Still Unfilled.The Pittsburgh Press, 2 Jan 1948.
United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6KK-Z7T : 13 March 2018), Samtino Or Santino Pasquinelli, 1917-1918; citing Pittsburgh City no 13, Pennsylvania, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,909,242.
United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6KF-VFK : 13 March 2018), Americo Pasquinelli, 1917-1918; citing Pittsburgh City no 1, Pennsylvania, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,907,961.
United States Census, 1920,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFTN-7LV : accessed 5 April 2018), Santino Pasquinelli, Pittsburgh Ward 18, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 615, sheet 3A, line 23, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1521; FHL microfilm 1,821,521.
United States Census, 1920,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX96-K5X : accessed 5 April 2018), Americo Pasquinelli, Pittsburgh Ward 24, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 708, sheet 11A, line 6, family 246, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1524; FHL microfilm 1,821,524.
100 Cases of Bonded Whisky Confiscated.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 20 Aug 1921.
Court News: United States Court.Pittsburgh Daily Post, 7 Feb 1923.
United States Census, 1940,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQZ7-SW7 : accessed 5 April 2018), Santino Pasquinelli, Ward 18, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-528, sheet 10B, line 80, family 209, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3667.
United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQNQ-S3J : 9 March 2018), Santino Pasquinelli, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Pasquinelli.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1 Dec 1955.
United States Census, 1910,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MG3M-CXP : accessed 28 March 2018), Emil Pellegrini, Pittsburgh Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 307, sheet 4B, family 81, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1299; FHL microfilm 1,375,312.
United States Census, 1920,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M618-TZV : accessed 28 March 2018), Emilo Pellegrini, Pittsburgh Ward 2, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 336, sheet 2B, line 74, family 35, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1518; FHL microfilm 1,821,518.
Morning Wedding Solemnized.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2 July 1924.
Name Picnic Aides.The Pittsburgh Press, 8 July 1928.
United States Census, 1930,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCC2-49N : accessed 28 March 2018), Emilia Pellegrini, Pittsburgh (Districts 251-488), Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 322, sheet 46A, line 21, family 574, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1982; FHL microfilm 2,341,716.
City Architect Named by Farley.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11 Sept 1936.
United States Census, 1940,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQZ7-DL3 : accessed 28 March 2018), Emil Pellegrini in household of Vincent Matteucci, Ward 19, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-566, sheet 3B, line 63, family 79, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3669.
Debate on Free Trade.The Pittsburgh Press, 26 Feb 1946.
Proud.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 Dec 1948.
Zelma Pellegrini Engaged to Bernard J. DeNardo.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 July 1950.
Family Album.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 Dec 1953.
Crosstown Chatter.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11 May 1954.
Crosstown Chatter.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 19 Aug 1958.
Casimiro Pellegrini, Prominent Architect.Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 July 1967.
Architect Pellegrini's Rites Slated.The Pittsburgh Press, 23 July 1967.
United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6KN-3RD : 13 March 2018), Modesto Zini, 1917-1918; citing Pittsburgh City no 2, Pennsylvania, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,908,015.
United States Census, 1930,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCC2-HHV : accessed 5 April 2018), Modesto Zini, Pittsburgh (Districts 251-488), Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 300, sheet 8A, line 16, family 108, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1981; FHL microfilm 2,341,715.
United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQNJ-QHD : 9 March 2018), Modesta Zini, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
Modesto Zini.The Pittsburgh Press, 20 July 1953.