Guide to the Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania Oral Histories, 1997-c1999
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania Oral Histories
- Creator
- Senator John Heinz History Center
- Collection Number
- MSS 691
- Extent
- 1.5 linear feet (4 boxes)
- Date
- 1997-c1999
- Abstract
- The Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania Oral Histories consist of 75 oral histories and transcripts that were conducted to document the history of prominent Italian American families across Western Pennsylvania. The fruition of these oral histories was the 1999 publication of the Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania book that individually chronicles the histories of 96 Italian American families of Western Pennsylvania.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
The Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania book was the manifestation of an initiative championed by the Italian American Leadership Campaign beginning in 1996. A facet of the Senator John Heinz History Center's Italian American Collection, this leadership campaign adopted the mission of gathering and disseminating the stories of prominent Italian American families across Western Pennsylvania. The leadership campaign committee set about fulfilling this mission by gathering the financial and personnel resources needed to conduct oral histories with over 100 Italian American families living in Western Pennsylvania. In essence, these oral histories were meant to chronicle the histories of these Italian Americans families, from immigration to cultural assimilation. With Cookie Roberson serving at the helm of this project as fund raising counsel and project director, the Boundless Lives oral history initiative was carried out by a number of interviewers trained by the project's staff, as well as Nick Ciotola and Cathy Cerrone Fratto, two previous curators of the Italian American Collection. As these oral histories were conducted, efforts were also made to obtain family photographs that document the individuals featured in these family histories. Although a considerable number of these oral histories were conducted with first generation Italian Americans that emigrated from Italy, a majority of the oral histories that comprise this collection were conducted with second- and third-generation Italian Americans born and raised in the United States. As indicated above, the fruition of these oral histories was the 1999 publication of the Boundless Lives book that individually chronicles the histories of 96 Italian American families of Western Pennsylvania.
Scope and Content Notes
The Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania Oral Histories consist of 75 oral histories and transcripts that were conducted to document the history of prominent Italian American families across Western Pennsylvania. Generally speaking, these oral history interviews revolve around the following key themes: immigration from Italy, settlement in Western Pennsylvania, cultural assimilation, and success in America. As they were conducted by a number of different interviewers, the content, length, style, and quality of these oral histories vary. Of the oral histories that comprise this collection, the following interviews are worthy of mention for their quality of their content: Eugene Barone, Luigi Caruso, Mario Farina, Angelo Gualdaroni, John Notaro, Joe D'Andrea, Pietro DiPietro, Providenza Crisanti, Ralph Falbo, and A. J. Palumbo.
Conditions Governing Access
None.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Internal transfer from the Museum Division in 2000.
Archives accession # 2000.0013
Preferred Citation
Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania Oral Histories, 1997-c1999, MSS 691 , Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Sierra Green on 01/04/2012.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
Boundless Lives: Italian Americans of Western Pennsylvania. Edited by Mary Brignano. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, 1999. F 160 .I8 B68 1999 q.
Subjects
- Italian Americans--Social life and customs
- Italians--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
- Italian American families--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh