Pt 2: Love Across the Ocean: The Story of Guiseppa and Antonio Corbo’s Journey towards la bella vita
A suitor for Guiseppa
In part 1, knowing that a future in Italy’s current state would be extremely challenging, Guiseppa’s parents encouraged their children to immigrate to America, starting with their oldest child, Filomena, who came to America in 1906 with the promise of sending for her siblings as soon as possible.
Little is known about Guiseppa’s life prior to immigrating to America. It does seem possible that by 1912, when she was fifteen years old, she had met the man she would eventually marry: Antonio Corbo. They shared a last name, but were not related. His family were also peasant farmers suffering in the same drought-ravaged conditions. Antonio was only a few years older, born in Fragneto Monforte, Benevento on 15 Jan 1894 and, at seventeen, was thinking about his future.
Interestingly, Antonio had an older brother who had immigrated to America in 1911. In fact, Nicola was living in St. Paul, Minnesota - where Filomena and her husband had been since 1906. It’s unknown if this was a coincidence or if it had been orchestrated. In reviewing ship manifests of those who indicated “Fragneto Monforte” as their hometown, it seems as if New York and Minnesota were both common destinations.
In any case, Antonio made a decision to travel to America for gainful employment. It’s not certain if Antonio’s intentions were to stay or to return, but given that his intended destination was St. Paul, Minnesota, it seems evident that he intended to stay and make a home for his future family.
On April 12, 1912, Antonio obtained his passport. Most likely he was excited and nervous for his trip and the promises of opportunity in a new country. Although the passport allowed about 32 months to use before it would expire, it seems surprising that his trip wasn’t scheduled within a few weeks or even months of having obtained it. As it turned out, just days after having obtained his passport, the Titanic ocean liner struck an iceberg and sunk with disastrous results. Perhaps Antonio was planning to depart within a few weeks of obtaining his passport and then changed his mind in the wake of the international news. We’ll never know for sure, but we can be nearly certain that he prayed he’d be able to gain employment and secure a safe living environment with the goal of being able to send money to pay for Guiseppa’s passage within just a few years. Little did they know that a World War and evolving American immigration laws would create nearly insurmountable obstacles.
In part 3, Antonio makes his way to Minnesota.
Mystery and intrigue abound!