The Francisco Fornasiero Family as told by Stella Muoio

Always curious, but always too tired to take in the details of my grandma’s family stories after a long day. My poor grandma’ would be so bored during the day by herself, so I gave her a homework assignment… these are her words.

My dad was a guard on the Italian-Austrian border before coming to the United States. When over here, he worked on a farm along with his brother’s and sister. To have this farm they had to cut down trees, shrubbery’s so they could plant corn, potatoes, vegetables and strawberries, etc.

Most of the products were shipped to New York.
The rich land owner went to Italy and got a ship load of people and brought them to the United States. So my relatives and their friends could come over.

My mother had two children over there. While in North Carolina she had 4 more. Since the family was getting large he found a job in Wallace, NC in a lumberyard.

While working there he got double pneumonia, was rushed to Wilminton, NC. He died 3 days later on the 17th of March.

After my father died the priest helped mother send two of the children to an orphanage in NC.
That year we all moved to Hopewell, VA, she sent two more so three of us stayed. I was her helper, took care of my younger bother while mother worked in peoples homes.

My mother worked hard for us. My dads parents helped my mother. My youngest brother was born 5 months after my dads death.

My dads brothers went to work at Camp Lee building the camps, now Fort Lee.

My mother could not speak English so my aunt helped her. She washed clothes for the well-to-do, scrubbed floors, cleaned houses for a living.

Grandpa helped her get a cow and she sold milk and butter.

Finally she got a job in a silk company through my aunt. She was doing so well in her life. One of my dad’s brother’s (Vito) felt sorry for her and wanted to help her with his brother’s children. So he married her. Another brother had a home build by all for brothers. So then he (Vito) worked in a bar and a restaurant. So he sold the house to my mother ahdn his brother for $200. We loved there about 6 years.

(the next sentence was not legable)

That one (neighbor) asked my mother if she wanted to come to Richmond and be his partner in a restaruant. My step father agreed.

First before going in business we worked in an Italian Club in Highland park. The law was so strict with alcohol that they sold the business and opened the restaurnt at 315 N. Adams Street, Richmond,Virginia. Rent went up, so mom moved across the street to 306 N. Adams Street. Mother ran the place bu herself with all our help. I was her cook and butcher. Mom and I walked 7 blocks everymorning until 4 o’clock, rain or shine, snow or ice. She kept the business until war brok out. I went in the servies in 1942.

A woman at the restaurat threw a bottle at her boyfriend, missed him and hit my stepfather in the eye. So that year mom sold the place.

She sold two houses on Mian Street and a farm house in Chesterfield, Virginia and bought the hosue on Hilliard Road, Richmond, Virginia.

Gra’ma was even so cute as to write The End.