Theresa D’Eredita’s “Little Italy” Collection

at the Nuova Monopoli

Repository

Charlene MartinIST 628April 26, 2010

• a neighborhood in the city of Syracuse,

New York which received an influx of Southern Italian immigrants 1900- mid 1920’s

• occupies a larger portion of the city than what was designated as the Little Italy Historic District in 1985 (500 – 900 blocks of North Salina Street)

• Most immigrant Italians planned to stay only long enough to earn money for their Italian homestead…only 20 – 30% returned to Italy.

North Side, aka “the old Little Italy” of Syracuse, New York

Case American Immigration Law Foundation (2004). The Story of Italian Immigration: A Brief History. In Awards Programs. Retrieved from: http://www.ailf.org/awards/benefit2004/ahp04essay.asp

Case, Dick. (2003, September 14). Today’s “Little Italy” Different From Yesteryear’s. Post-Standard, pp. B1, B3.

Mission Statement• primary: the informational and evidential documentation of the life of

Theresa D’Eredita as an Italian immigrant in Syracuse New

York’s “Little Italy”

secondary: documentation of the cultural heritage of “Little Italy” and the

“North Side”

• this information is invaluable because most research regarding the Italian

immigrant experience in Central New York focuses on Utica and Rochester

Collection Development• The Repository was named after an Italian social benefit society established

in Syracuse by Theresa’s relatives, to reflect a documentation strategy effort to expand the collection beyond Theresa’s record group. The Repository will work with descendants of the society to encourage donations.

The Barbarossa

Outreach Opportunities and Future Areas of Growth via Google Maps

• The holy cards series will attract an international network of researchers and collectors seeking informational and evidential

value of the cards within a cultural heritage context

• Theresa’s immigration story may create interest in the Repository from those researching Italians who immigrated to

Syracuse, which has not received the same documentation that those immigrating to Utica and Rochester have.

Series I:Printed Material

The Heart of the Collection: “Collection of Prayer to the

Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei”

with holy cards inserted between the pages, with marginalia in Italian on verso

unstamped postcard with no saint designation,

with marginalia in Italian on verso

“…overcome (illegible) to send them the most affectionate welcome and sincere greetings from dear grandparents Onofrio & Crescenza.”

“Affectionate greetings for your name day, from Uncle Gio De Michele.”

I n f o r m a t i o n a l Va l u e

Preservat ion Si tuat ions: Holy Cards & Prayer Book

I n - h o u s e p r e s e r v a t i o n b y t r a i n e d R e p o s i t o r y S t a f f :

H o l y C a r d s• c l e a n i n g• s t o p - g a p t r e a t m e n t w i t h

H o l l i n g e r © B o o k e e p e r D e a c i d i f i c a t i o n S p r a y( u n t i l p r o f e s s i o n a l c o n s e r v a t i o n c a n b e a f f o r d e d )

O u t s o u r c e d p r e s e r v a t i o n :

P r a y e r B o o k• d e a c i d i f i c a t i o n• b i n d i n g r e p a i r

H o ly C a r d s : S to ra g e & Pub l i c Se r v i c e s I s sue s

I d e a l S t o r a g e • s t o r e d i n a c i d - f r e e f o l d e r s• a c i d - f r e e p a p e r i n t e r l e a v e d

b e t w e e n c a r d s• h u m i d i t y c o n s t a n t 4 5 % ,

t e m p e r a t u r e 6 5 - 6 8 F

I d e a l R e a d i n g R o o m U s e• r e s e a r c h e r s w i l l b e

e n c o u r a g e d t o u s e C D - R d i s c s

c o n t a i n i n g d i g i t a l s u r r o g a t e s o f i t e m s • r e s e a r c h e r s m a y n o t r e m o v e

i t e m s f r o m t h e i r M y l a r s h e e t s

Security, Disaster Plan, and Intellectual Control Issues

do not copy

• collection materials should be restricted to the 2nd floor to avoid flood damage and easy break-in access

• storage in a stainless steel filing cabinet which locks

• subterranean windows and doors should be secured with barred gates, and an alarm system should be installed

• folder-view digital images are provided for free via web-based Google Maps; watermarks or “do not copy” overlaid on digital images provided per request

• matching call slips against folder content before the researcher exits ensures items are not stolen from the reading

room

• copies of the Disaster Plan and all finding aids, along with a high-density hard disc drive containing all Repository digital surrogates, will reside at off-site storage in Pennsylvania

Series II: Photographs of the D’Eredita Family at

131 John Street

The D’Eredita’s 1940’s – 1950’s : the Iconic Family in Front of the Homestead

Picture

131 John StreetSyracuse, N.Y.

Theresa D’Eredita

Evidential Value

American Immigration Law Foundation (2004).The Story of Italian Immigration: A Brief History. In Awards Programs. Retrieved from http://www.ailf.org/awards/benefit2004/ahp04essay.asp

“ ‘La Familiga’ was at the core of Italian immigrant life, and often seen as the root of survival.”

Series III:Roman Catholic

Liturgical Paraphernalia

“certify…that the black veil attached with a seal here was worn by the sacred stature Thursday and Good Friday, then touched the walls (of the Holy House)…”

The Holy House is built on the foundations of the house where Mary was born, which were transported to Loreto, Italy. The Virgin of Loreto is considered the patron saint of emigrants.

commemorative porcelain plate 1950’s – 1960’s

Outsourcing Preservat ion Si tuat ion:

Commemorat ive Pla te

l a r g e , u n p r o f e s s i o n a l l y r e p a i r e d c r a c k o f f t h e c e n t e r o f t h e p l a t e ; l a r g e c h i p o n o n e s i d e

Series IV: Genealogical

Materials

Secret family recipe revealed…or was it?it has been verified by D’Eredita descendents that the

recipe was censored by Mrs. De Michele

Evidential and Informational Value

S e r i e s V: E p h e m e ra

E v i d e n t i a l Va l u e

• Food wrappers from local Italian markets extant when Theresa was alive were donated by co-creator Charlene Martin as part of a documentation

strategy, to connect the cultural heritage of “Little Italy” with the censored meatball recipe of the 1950 Syracuse Herald-Journal newspaper article.

• The wrappers have been treated to remove traces of food product.

more information about the “North Side” and “Little Italy”

Di Lauro Bakery Enjoys a Century of SuccessFrom Syracuse.com / Post Standard

March 2008, by Lauren Longvideo segment

http://www.syracuse.com/slideshows/080114_Bakery.ssf

annual Italian Festival in downtown Syracusehttp://www.festaitaliana.bizland.com/

Northside Community Alliancehttp://www.ournorthside.org/

Thank

You! CLM 2010