MAMA
This is Mama- not Mamma but Mama- two short staccato syllabus. She was my paternal Grandmother 1881-1967. Her name was Teresa Gianantonio, her family came from Bascilicata in Southern Italy but she was born in Buenos Aires in Argentina. She was a real force in our family and her children (all 7 adored her, one of my Aunts had a problem with her- but that is a another story.) she is in front of her home at 1107 Garret Street near 12th and Dickinson in South Philly. Mama married my Grandfather Franceso Braccia in or about 1907 or 08. My Grandfather came from Altino in the Abruzzo and by 1910 was an established designer and tailor of women’s clothing. He spoken English very well and was a success. Despite some reservations from his family ( she was after all not Abruzzes ) he formally courted her. Her family being very poor , were rather happy to have their daughter catch the eye of such a promising man. Teresa worked in the Bayouk cigar factories in North Philly as, I believe, a cigar roller at … Maybe that’s what I love Cigars…She accepted Francesco’s proposal and they were engaged – I have been told it was Teresa’s mother who insisted on the match , so that my grandfather could help support his wife’s family. My grandmother’s family was a hoot- Uncle Falucc (Fa-Lucc with a as a long vowel) who never had a career or permanent employment, and Uncle Harry who lived in rented rooms and whose only job seemed to be selling toys on Broad street during the Mummer’s parade- what he did the rest of year I have no idea. Francesco and Teresa were married and soon moved to the new Italian neighborhood around the Moraymensing prison , (where today stands a large Acme ( or Ak-a-Me) and community center at Passyunk Avenue and Dickinson-Reed) and purchased a new home at 1107 Garrett street. Teresa while a happy bride was unsuited to domestic life, as she could neither cook nor clean and Frank did not desire she learn these skills from her mother whose simple Basilicata food and style of housekeeping left a lot to be desired by Francesco. Frank soon turned to his paisani at Palumbo’s ( remember the famed restaurant off the Italian Market-9th Street?) who sent a chief to specifically teach Teresa how to prepare good Abruzzesse food ( Spaghetti alla guitara, Balotte, etc..) as well as set table and organize a house. While she soon learn to do this to Frank’s taste, in child bearing there were a number of problems. Terese had 2 or 3 stillborns, each follow by bleeding etc.. A doctor warned that unless Teresa had a hysterectomy she would surly die in the next attempt to have children. Had Frank and Teresa heeded this advice you would not be reading this BLOG as I would not be writing it. Instead of heeding the doctor Frank and Teresa, on the advice of neighbors, turned toward the divine and Teresa made a novena to the Madonna at St. John’s church at 13th and Chestnut-I recall that Mama always loved to go to this church and light candles in the downstairs shrine ( which was so beautiful before the remodeling of the early 70’s) - well God hears all prayers and in 1913 Teresa gave birth to a healthy boy- a dieudon (gift of God as the French say) and they called this child Luigi after Franceso’s father. Luigi was soon fallowed by Romeo, Rosa, Guiseppi (called Joseph), Donato (called Denny) Norma (After the Bellini opera) and finally in 1926 by Frank (my dad). I remember Mama as a resourceful and forceful person- we were all in awe of her because my father adored her- a real Oedipal thing- very Italian. When she died in 1967 my mom wore black for 30 days like some Queen had died! She was a real tough mother in law- never felt any of her daughters-in-law could take care of her sons the way she did.. She was probably right, but oh what a mother in law she must of have been. When I would ask my mom she would just roll her eyes. But that’s what the old timers were like.. hell she was born in 1881!! I remember her standing on the stoop of her house waiting for us (how did she know we were on the way??) I wonder if in her wildest imagination she could have thought, while standing on her Garrett street stoop in 1963, that Little Frankie would grow up, grow old , and be writing about her and posting for all the world to see in something called a BLOG via something called an internet……