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The D’Agnolo (Da-n-yo-lo) Family 

I have been asked many times by foreigners in the United States, smiling like we have something unique in common, “What country are you from?” Each time I’m caught off guard, but answer that I’m from the United States. However, my accent gives it away on the first word, and the smile usually dims before I finish. I usually add though that the curly hair is the result of my Italian ancestry. That can sometimes bring back the smile, and they respond, “I thought so.” I can thank my mom and her ancestors for the genealogy that resulted in the anomaly I have for hair. She knows my strife as well as many of my aunts, uncles and cousins.

    Strife might be too strong of a word, however. I’m actually quite enamored with my Italian side (and have learned to work with my hair). I have always loved my mom’s maiden name. D’Agnolo. It just sounds beautiful in a roll-off-the-tongue kind of way. My actual last name, Swank, represents my other side, the German side. However, I’m a little biased since my dad’s side is almost non-existent and does not speak to us due to personal reasons, hence the reason I’ll be focusing on my mom’s side. My mom’s side held all the customs, traditions, and family that I grew up with and as a result all of my attention. My dad is amazing; his family just has heavy history and family problems.  

            History is also difficult to track on my mom’s side. It’s not something the family talks about very often. The tradition in Italy, according to my uncle Brian, was to keep things within the family and not talk to outsiders. However, as the children of the original immigrants, my great grandparents, became more Americanized they moved outside of the family circle and lost a lot of that history and communication. I’m also guessing it is because it was a difficult adjustment to life in America for my great grandparents and as a result their children, including Louis, my grandpa, or Nonu as we call him.

      According to my Nonu, his parents were born in 1901. His father, Ottorino (Otto) D’Agnolo, was born specifically on January 26, 1901, according to his obituary. The birth date of my great grandmother, originally Josephine Penzi, is the same as my own, but 86 years ealier on November 19 (Celeste). The town they grew up in “was a very small rural town in the foot hills of the Italian alps, mostly farming* and existing,” and they “eventually grew up next door to each other.” The town was Fanna in the northeastern part of Italy (Brian).  *This link is a YouTube video of a farm in Italy.
        Life in America started when Otto came to America in 1924. The main reasons Otto and Josephine made the decision to move to America “were opportunity and a much fuller life experience. They had been living in poverty and working very hard on small scratch farms” (Louis). Jobs were plentiful in America compared to Italy. Also, another reason may be the rising hold of fascism and control from Mussolini in Italy. This letter to the editor of the New York Times from Carlo Marlini, an Italian-American, shows a little bit of the fear even Italians in the U.S. had of facism. Also, immigration laws were becoming more and more picky and discriminatory. Due to the fact that World War I had put a stigma on Southern and Western parts of Europe, as well as the rise of socialist ideas and fascism, America was not as willing to let as many immigrants from those parts into the country. This article, "Italy feels hard hit by immigration law," is about the immigration laws in effect during the year Otto originally came over to America, 1924. According to this article, he was lucky to have arrived early since the quota was met almost half way through the year. As discussed with my mom, Celeste, for a person in Italy, or anywhere (ABOVE) Louis (Luigi) D'Agnolo, photo courtesy of Chris D'Agnolo           in Europe at this time, to always have the option of moving to America would have been a nice safety net. However, when America started to pass more stringent immigration laws, that option was suddenly not always available. This may have prompted a lot of people to emigrate when they saw their window of opportunity closing. But, like so many, money and a job was the root cause for the D'Agnolo emigration. Otto only had six years of education, not a lot to qualify for a job, but had learned multiple languages while traveling around Europe. He knew German, Dutch, and French, not fluently, but enough to get by. This may have been the reason he learned English so quickly in American since, according to Louis, Otto came over, learned English and a trade and then returned to Italy in 1926. Two years is not a lot of time to learn much of anything. His quick skills with languages may have helped him then better learn his trade. During Otto's return to Italy, he married Josephine and returned to the United States six months later. While he was in the U.S. he got his citizenship and was able to bring his wife, and by that time daughter, Gloria, to America. A funny side note about Josephine, according to my uncle Brian, is that she literally thought the roads in America were paved in gold. “It was probably how they viewed the wealth that could be created (in the U.S.)” was his interpretation. Nine months after she learned the streets were not gold, Louis was born and a few years later Roy (Louis).

My uncle Brian, explained it a little further. In Italy, my family did tile and terrazzo work (bigger versions of mosaics with marble on the floor in decorative designs) as well as some farming. This is particularly important to my family because the trade of brick laying or tile has been passed down from generation to generation. My great grandfather learned it, then taught it to his family including Louis, who then taught it to his family, including his daughter’s boyfriend, who is now my dad. The streets aren’t gold, but there are a lot of beautiful floors out there as a result of my family. Back to the story line, my great grandfather came to America with contacts in Detroit, but it is said that he decided to go to Rockford, Ill., to avoid the mafia in big cities like Chicago. It is also said that some of my family members had done tile and terrazzo work for the mafia and were paid in large cash sums. It was after some success in this business that Otto was then able to bring his family over and continue it here in America.
         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       (Oldest to youngest) Ottorino, Josephine, Gloria, Louis, and Roy D'Agnolo in America.