At 7:30 in the morning,
on July 18, 1878, at home in the village of Pisciole which is now called
Sant'Elena Irpinia in the Commune of Pietradefusi, Provence of Avellino,
Lucido Colella and Anna Maria Colantuoni were blessed with a
strong and beautiful baby boy. Emiddio Colella had entered this world.
Emiddio grew up in the village of Dentecane. One of three small villages in
the Commune of Pietradefusi. Like the other boys he worked whenever
possible.
One fateful day he
happened to enter the pasta store of the Micera family. There, struggling to
carry a huge sack of flour was Nicola Micera. Emiddio immediately lifted the heavy sack and put it in its place.
As he was leaving the store, he saw a beautiful girl descending
the stairway from the apartment above the store. It was Carmela
Micera, the teenage daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Micera. Emiddio was
eight years older than Carmela and had never really taken notice of her
before, even though they grew up in the same village. Carmela had
made the transition from little girl to young woman. Emiddio politely
greeted Carmela and then informed Mr. Micera that he would be happy to
stop by in the future to help with the flour sacks. Emiddio made
a regular routine of going to the Micera store on the days when the flour
arrived to help Mr. Micera and to get a chance to see Carmela.
Emiddio knew he was in
love and that he would marry Carmela someday. But he knew that first he must
make preparations for a secure future where there would be opportunity for the
children they would have. Strong, fearless and with a burning desire to make a
good life for Carmela; Emiddio decided to go to America to see for himself if
the great things he had heard about this young country were true.
In the spring of 1901,
Emiddio told Carmela and her father of his intentions. He would go to America,
and if all went well, he would send for Carmela and they would be married.
Emidio was 23 years old. Carmela was 15.
Emiddio made the long
journey to America and settled in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. He
found work with the Long Island Railroad and saved what he could. In less than
two years he was ready to send for Carmela and so he did. On May 20, 1903,
Carmela arrived to start her life with Emiddio. She was 17 years old.
The couple married and
settled into an apartment at 26 Thompson St. in the Little Italy section of
Manhattan. Soon they were blessed with their first child. The blessings
continued until there were nine in all; four boys and five girls.
During this period, by
hard work and sacrifice they managed to buy a home at 77 Madison St. in Hoboken,
NJ. There, the nine children grew into adulthood, married and started families
of their own.
The names of the nine
children are as follows: Louis, Marie, Rose, Nicholas, Josephine, Anne, Joseph,
Gerald and Eleanor
nonno
e nonna, me mancate assaje... Nicolin'
EMIDDIO COLELLA & CARMELA MICERA
PISCIARO - SANT'ELENA IRPINA
If you would like to write to the family of Emiddio Colella and Carmela
Micera use this form.
