Once here, Italians became unified

Consequently, when early Italians immigrated to California, they generally identified themselves by their regional identities - Sicilian, Genovese, Lucchesi, Calabrese, etc. First came the men, but they farmed as families, with women and children helping in the fields, so relatives soon followed. This was unlike the northern European custom, where only men worked in the fields.

The early Italians here tended to live within their own enclaves. The children spoke only Italian in the homes and learned English when they went to school. Girls often didn't finish high school, as an education was not considered important for women. They tended to marry people who shared their regional origins. While outsiders might look at the group as a whole, there were really subdivisions within that group. At first, they tended to settle, socialize and intermarry within their group. Their occupations might differ, or if farmers, their choices of crops might differ as a reflection of their region of origin. Merely by being considered as one group by most Americans, a certain amount of unification was achieved. Since the dominant religion in the United States used to be Protestant, the Catholic Church was not always held in popular esteem. Columbus Day became a solidifying event for the Italians, possibly substituting for religious fests. As a new secular holiday, it allowed all Italians to celebrate their heritage together.

Turinese Jesuits founded the oldest university in this area, Santa Clara, in 1851. It started as an all-male boarding school, and was always favored in the early days by the local Italians because of this connection.

Here in San Mateo County, Italians gradually replaced the Irish farmers in the Colma area. They were determined in dealing with the hardships of the weather. They tried to specialize in crops that did well in a cool foggy climate. In South San Francisco in 1908, 120 of the 600 people in the town directory were Italian. They came mostly from provinces in northern and central regions. There were two waves of mass migration from Italy. The first was during the political unrest of 1850-1870, and then in 1880-1930, although it slackened after 1914. Overpopulation and an agricultural depression in Italy caused people to come here looking for more land.

Italians also dominated the hog farming business on the northern Peninsula. Swill was collected from San Francisco's hotels and restaurants and used to feed the hogs. It became assumed that all swill collectors were Italian. This may have led to Italian-owned garbage companies.

Italians were the second group to come to the Coastside after the Portuguese. They also dominated the Bay shrimp business before the Chinese took that over. Working in farming, fishing or manufacturing, Italians became one of the largest immigrant groups in San Mateo County in the early days.

Rediscovering the Peninsula appears in the Monday edition of the Daily Journal. For more information on this or related topics, visit the San Mateo County History Museum, 777 Hamilton St., Redwood City.