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Lucia Borgna: A 1907 November 11th and then a small city there. You want
the name? Diane D'Angelo: Yeah. Borgna: Cavallermaggiore.
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Diane D'Angelo: Can you spell that for me?
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Borgna: I can write it for you really easy. It will be the Pennsylvania
state line. It would be the city where I was born and raised and a big farm
with which we had about 35 cows and everything, 2 or 3 horses, pigs, but
250 chickens. Yeah, we used to raise those every year, living rabbits and
all that. And of course we had a couple men working in a farm for us
besides my brother, because the farm was big. And when they got the point,
they was real busy. Then as girl, we have to go to an elephant. Of course,
I never cared too much to work on a farm, but I used to go, you know, and
then I went to school till I was 13 years old.
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Borgna: And when I was through there, they sent me to learn to to go to
learn to be a dressmaker for three years, you know. And I learned that I
got my diploma and then I started to work for people at home, which.
D'Angelo: in your house? Borgna: And my house. D'Angelo: made clothes?
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D'Angelo: Yeah.
Borgna: Make clothes and all that for people. Whatever I have, you know,
And I used to cut out pattern too. D'Angelo: Uh huh. Borgna: And, uh, of
course, I never cook one thing. I never did the cooking because my mother
and my sister, I have four sisters beside myself. D'Angelo: Four sisters.
Borgna: Uh huh.
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D'Angelo: Were you the oldest.
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Borgna: The youngest one? Uh huh. And, uh, that's why I was a bit spoiled,
maybe, too. And then I work at home till I got married, you know? And.
Course, we got married in 1930 and came in this country in 1930 1st March
from. By boat, which I was on it for 13 days. 13 And I was sick like a dog.
Can't you cancel things if you don't want it? You know, I just tell you the
right story. I didn't eat for 13 days. I was sick till I got to know where
you were.
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D'Angelo: New York.
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Borgna: To New York. And then I got a sandwich. The first sandwich I got
in this country was from a colored guy on a train. He was something funny.
Then since then. Then from New York, we got a train. We got to Greensburg
by train. And my nephew was waiting for us after the Greensburg station.
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D'Angelo: Oh, is that why you came here?
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Borgna: Uh huh. It's the way I came here. And then my nephew and my
brother in law and sister in law, they live here on Cherry Street in
Greensburg. And we don't have any home. And we stay with them for about six
months. Then we find a place and cracker. We went there and Crabtree.
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D'Angelo: Oh, I.
D'Angelo: Didn't know if. Borgna: We lived there for about 20 years. And
we moved here about 25 years ago. Something like that.
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D'Angelo: Uh huh.
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Borgna: Yeah. Because he went back. Of course he was depressed at that
time. You just can't find no job. And I was lucky. Sometime I make $0.25 a
day. $0.50 when I came in this country. Maybe sometime a dollar, you know?
But at that time, even the miner don't make much. They just make a dollar
once a long time ago. And a miner a day a day, he make her just $1.
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Borgna: And lucky we just pay a dollar a day and a dollar. Maybe you live
in the house where we live. When you go tours, you a grandma. When they
used to live in Crabtree, before you get to Burchellanus beside the bridge
is where we used to live. Uh huh. We bought this, uh, that house there.
Then we decide to move to Greensburg, you know, because I got a job in
Rolla and I worked there for about 22 years. D'Angelo: Uh huh. Borgna: Yes.
And what else do you like to know now?
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D'Angelo: Okay. What was your maiden name before?
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Borgna: Cosco, Lucia Cosco. C O S C O. And you went to my mother's name or
first name. And the last I would write her for you.
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D'Angelo: Please put it up.
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Borgna: Um, when I come in this country was the president was too easy. I
was ready to go back every day for seven years between one thing and the
other one, you know, because I have a pretty nice over there. When I left.
And in this country, the language was hard for me to learn. And, you know,
when you talk to the people or people when they talk to you, you don't
understand. You feel like you're dumb, you know, which that's what happened
to me. I used to go to the company store and point there.
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Borgna: See, like now you pick everything up. But I used to tell the store
boss, Jimmy Smelcer, and you go like this with my finger and point where I
want the things what I want because I don't know the name. See, it was
tough. I say, do that again. I don't do it for a year. But too late now
then, little bit by little I learned, you know. And we used to go by the
company store because when you work in a coal mine, you have to buy things
there because they would let you out of job if you don't buy it.
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Borgna: Yes. And I always work like, you know, a bit like a dressmaker.
And then Rena was born in 1933 and. You know, living in a house that I
don't even go to the hospital. Magian and I didn't was feeling too good.
Two weeks after I figured it out. Hospital, you know, for something. And I
come home and I was feeling better. Uh huh. Is the weather things was was
too easy, you know? And I always keep on working a little bit, you know,
dressmaking and, um.
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Borgna: I had three sisters and three days to be February. I don't know if
you hear that name. Nelly and Vince. They was three sisters. They was
married. But, you know, all one time they come over there to my place and
they want some dresses made. I don't understand English. My nephew, the one
his wife is in the hospital. Ernie. He was my interpreter, you know, he
talked to those lady English and then he turn around and talk. My language,
our language, you know, Then I make those dresses without parents. And
that's the way I start my, you know, my little business there.
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D'Angelo: What was it like when you went to school in Italy to learn dress
making?
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Borgna: Well, over there, it's not like here you buy a pattern and you
start to work over there. They teach you how to make the stitches first.
Maybe you make an apron and like is about 6 or 7 girls working there. You
best things all together. The boss cut it and put them together and you sew
them together. See, it's different. But the way they learn there and here
and little bit by little, you just learn. And three years, you know how
many stitches you have to put together. You saw things by hands for a long
time. Then they teach you to solve that sewing machine, you know? Yeah. And
it's different all together. Then you cut, you cut pattern that piece of a
piece of paper or whatever you have.
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Borgna: Then you try them on. People see how they fit. Then you cut the
dress and see how that dress fit. Then you fix, fix anything. Don't look so
good. Then it's too big through the shoulder. You take them in through
there and you make it fit them. That's why maybe I learn to be pretty good
fitter, you know? Maybe that's what it is. Because I learned there to fit
dresses. And of course, even today, if I do alterations, I always can fit
them real nice. You know, I've getting clothes and I like alteration better
than making dresses, especially for me. I don't even like it to start it
because these are the fit myself. I would like to have someone to fit me.
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D'Angelo: It's easier to fix them and to make. Borgna: For me.
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Borgna: It's easy to fix anything, which for some people they say they
like us to describe this make a dress and also we are things. So.
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D'Angelo: So you worked in your home for how long when you came here?
Borgna: Oh.
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Borgna: About 15 years after my daughter was born. I worked until she was
in high school. But 15 years, you know. And then I started to work in a
bon-ton extra, you know, And Bon-ton store used to be a bon-ton store here
in Greensburg and a corner where the Lilly shop is. No, it's right across
from the. Used to be Myer as a store, you know, used to be the Bon-ton
there, or I worked for the Bon-ton. They used to deliver a clothes and a
truck for me and Crabtree, maybe 15 or 20 dresses or ten coats they
delivered to me in Crabtree. Then the week after they can pick them up.
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D'Angelo: So you worked right in your home?
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Borgna: Right in my home there. Then the boss from the Bon-ton. Mr.. I
forgot his name. I don't know.
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Borgna: Yeah, it's funny.
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Borgna: Man, because he was so nice to me. Abrahamsen His name was, uh, he
called me and he said, Lucy, we need some help today. They was busy that
time, you know, fixing dresses or that it was no, uh, mall or anything.
They was all in Greensburg, you know? And he called me up to come in and
help him.
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Borgna: I said, I don't know if I'm allowed to go in. I asked Pete, and he
said, If you want to go and help him for a couple of days, go ahead. And I
was working extra in a bar in town for about 6 or 7 years. Then it looks
like I got tired. I went over to Roger and I asked for a job there. They
gave it to me right away and I worked there 22 years.
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D'Angelo: When did you go to Rogers?
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Borgna: Alison is, uh. We can figure I'm retired four years, and I worked
there 22. What years? It would be, uh, four.
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D'Angelo: 1940.
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Borgna: 37.
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D'Angelo: No.
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Borgna: That's. And 20 will be 26 now 76. D'Angelo: 1950. Borgna: 1950, I
went to work and I worked there until I retire. You know.
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D'Angelo: What was it like working there when you first started? What was
the store like then?
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Borgna: Oh, it was nice already. There always was a nice tour. See, I like
it right away when I come in this country, you know? And I finally went to
war there and buy all my clothes there, you know, which I used to get a
little discount, you know, was nice. But I think he was a nice store. Still
nice, you know. D'Angelo: Mhm. Borgna: And. And I was there five days a
week for 22 years. Yeah. Never missed one day.
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D'Angelo: Never got sick. Borgna: Never got.
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Borgna: Sick. Thank God. Till I retired. And now I'm doing the at home,
you know.
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D'Angelo: What did they pay you when you first started there, too? Borgna:
Or maybe 75.
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Borgna: Or $0.80 an hour? That's all. And then it goes up all the time.
When I finished there, I think I was getting bumped 2.75 or something like
that. No more than that. I don't exactly remember, but I'm that much. Uh
huh, yeah. Dressmaker is too much lock. I mean, I don't know why they don't
give you much credit for the one, uh, no, that job. Because they need them
in this country, don't you think? D'Angelo: Yeah. Borgna: Because sometimes
you get a dress. If they don't fix it right for you, it's wrong. You know.
D'Angelo: You never can wear them. Borgna: And they don't look right. Yeah.
And what else you would like? You know. When I start to work in Royal
there, then I work one year or so, and he was kind of tough to come from
Crabtree, you know, traveling.
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Borgna: There was hardly any buses. Rina was working imperial lighting in
Latrobe. Pete was working there if he was through at the mine. And we don't
want to buy 2 or 3 cars because they would be too, too expensive, you know,
to 2 or 3 car in a family at that time. And then we decide to buy this lot
here and build and we build here, you know? Uh huh. And uh, well, we buy
this lot in 52, I believe. And he was here. But when we come here. But 25
years ago. Uh huh, yeah. And we build a small house because we don't want
to go in a hole. You know? Pizza especially. Right? I always remember I say
I would like to have the marbles because I always like marbles. And Italy,
lots of marbles for people, you know, especially now they have floor all
marble.
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Borgna: There is one thing there, and I always did like it even before I
came in this country. But we don't even want to give me the marbles here
because we thought they was too expensive, you know? But I have to build
another house today. I would build it for marbles a little bit different,
you know, easy to take care one thing, but I'm sorry. Yeah. Just right. And
now. Oh, they told me when they was building. Oh, they say you always can
exchange them. But we never did. When you build one something but you put
something in and a house, then you had to-- D'Angelo: rip it apart. Borgna:
--rip them apart and all that, you know?
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Borgna: And we like my Clevelanders myself, I said, Why bought us, you
know, we tried to manage the best we can and we always do it and we have a
nice life. And is there any other question you like to know? Oh, right over
there. Since I was a young girl, you know, 1230. Yeah, 3 or 4 bike and a
tiny bicycle. And we used to go shopping with the bike and go for a ride.
But the kids, you know, that's all. Not too much. We used to go to church
and maybe to a dance, some old kids dancing for a while. Maybe one fella
was playing the harmonica. He was funny, you know, but not too often. I
don't know why, you know? And then when I was about 18, we used to have the
movie Now CD, you know, which they was. Nice movie, but we was allowed to
go too much because it cost too much money.
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D'Angelo: How much did it cost then in Italy?
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Borgna: In Italy? Uh huh. Well, I don't know if he was maybe $0.25 in
American money because I don't remember how much, you know, because even
the money business changed there, you know, now you can get 900 lira for a
dollar. But. But at that time, it was different. And we used to go to
church.
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Borgna: And Sunday night, Sunday, 5:00, they have a benediction and mass
and all that. They used to take a walk around the place there where he was
all three and all that walk for maybe a half hour. And then we went back
home and maybe we used to. Go home. And I used to be a gang there. All our
young kids, maybe they were singing or play some kind of game or play cards
a little bit for fun. You know, that was our Sunday life.
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D'Angelo: How did you first meet your husband in Italy?
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Borgna: When he came over there after he was here for about 7 or 8 years.
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D'Angelo: He was here first.
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Borgna: He was here a year first. And then he came over there to visit his
family. And we met my my friend. We was together and he tell me who he was.
He told me we was and all that. And then we I don't know. He asked me if I
would go out or if I don't mind, he would come over our place because he
knows my family. And then we got together, I don't know, some time.
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Borgna: And one thing I always remember my mother said to me, Does that
boy come from a nice family? But I don't want you to go to United State.
That was hard. But after she said, Well, is a nice boy, what are you going
to do if you're in love? You have to go. And, you know, she just can stop
me from going back in. And then 4 or 5 months after we got married, we
didn't live and go to together for so long, long time because he was
supposed to come back in this country.
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D'Angelo: So you knew when you were leaving that you were coming here for
the rest of your life? Borgna: Oh, yeah.
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Borgna: Well, no, he said we would go back, but you never, you know, never
know, especially when you have a family. And it took me about 6 or 7 years
to get used to this country. I was almost crying every day, but now I don't
want to go back there. I'm honest. I'm really a bit spoiled, really like
millionaire people in this country. No matter who we work for, what we have
in our house and everything.
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Borgna: Is wonderful and is a big change. Though since I came in this
country in 1931, it was much better than the old country. When I come here
because I used to see some little kids and Crabtree walking without shoes
in a street because they don't have enough milk and bread to give it to the
kids that time. It's not like today they are getting what? Relief over
welfare and all that that time. They don't give him much. They just was
working for WPA or something like that. They used to call it, you know.
D'Angelo: Yeah.
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Borgna: And today is different. They don't work. They still can raise the
family and all that, but at that time was tough and people used to make a
big garden and eat lots of stuff from the garden there. Of course we was
lucky. We always had a little bit more than somebody else because we just
have one baby and Peter Rabbit money when he come and maithili and when we
come back, we used those money, which he was nice to have it, and then we
always got along and try to we always try to have everything what we need
and a house and to eat and to be dress up decent, you know, but not to
throw money away because, you know, sometime you just can't throw
everything away and you never save any money. And this way we save a little
bit and we are in pretty good shape today. You know.
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D'Angelo: When you first came here to Crabtree, were there a lot of
Italian people that lived there together?
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Borgna: You know, lots of people, yes. But she was nice in one way that I
can talk to people. And he was nice cause I have to learn English when I
kind of my job to, you know, Lilly English the best you can because when
you came in this country, if you are over 20, it's too hard to learn any
language. You know, it's not so easy when you learn the language. I think
you have to be young. Of course I can talk. Very broken language. D'Angelo:
Three. Borgna: Yeah. Italian Piemontese. It would be a dialect and a little
bit English.
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D'Angelo: Uh huh. Borgna: yes. Oh yeah. Uh huh. I can tell that Italian,
which I learned when I. A school and then to our family and a lot of my
family, we talked to him and there's nobody understands us. Sounds like
friends. Good bet. Mhm. Yeah. You have this thing going on. We already was
in a forum, you know, and of course I had but 4 or 5 brothers before me and
sister.
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Borgna: I was almost the youngest one and only one younger brother than me
and they were formed pretty well started when I was little and they all
were there. And when they raised all those cow and calf, whatever, they
they take them to the market on Monday and they get the money and come
home, you know, sell them. And they used to sell the milk to the factory
where they used to make butter. Oh, Uh huh. And cheese. That's why sell
cheese. We used to get some cheese every month from that factory there
because we were sending the milk and. They sell them.
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D'Angelo: And would you say that you were poor or rich?
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Borgna: Well, we didn't. Was poor like some other people, maybe. I don't
know about money because they never tell me how much money we have. You
know, I was young and all that, but we we had more than some other people
around there because we live in a big farm, you know, And we had chicken to
eat.
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Borgna: We had meat and milk every morning, which some people had to go
and buy it, you know, it would be a bit different, you know, And like I
used to say when I came to Crabtree, lots of people was worse than what we
was immediately, you know? Uh huh. Course, everything changed now when I
went back in 72. Don't look like the same place and all that.
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D'Angelo: Is the farm still in your-- Borgna: still there.
00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:23.000
Borgna: No, no, not a family. They saw that, but they remodeled that. And
I went there and I took my picture where I was born. Right. I stopped after
you.
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D'Angelo: What do you remember about your your grandparents.
00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:49.000
Borgna: Remembering at all? I never remember them. They was already gone
when I was, you know, I was the youngest one in the family. See, not much
about my, you know, uncle. Yes, they all was farm around there. My uncle,
they all have a big farm, but not the grandparents run things. D'Angelo: Uh
huh.
00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:54.000
D'Angelo: Your brothers and sisters, did they stay in Italy or where did
they go?
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Borgna: They are all over there. Not one move. I was the only one. Uh huh.
Which living? The mayor in our city. When I went to get my marriage
license, we go out to the city hall, and the mayor said to me, Oh, I don't
know why you go to America because you have a nice over here. You don't
want me to come here. Even Pete can tell you that. But I said to him, well,
I'm I'm a I'm loving. I don't want my husband to to go without me now
because he might find another girl there, you know. And he said, no, He was
a small city where we come from. Are you?
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:55.000
D'Angelo: Okay.
00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:10.000
Borgna: Pigeon Centre, Italian club and Crabtree and I jointed the. Church
society. You know what you call.
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:12.000
D'Angelo: Saint Bartholomew. Borgna: Yes.
00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:26.000
Borgna: Uh huh. Oh, yeah. That's a lot. I, uh, moved to Greensburg. He
was, you know, belong there to the Catholic Church.
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.000
D'Angelo: Were there a lot of activities at the church then? Borgna: You
guys enough?
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:40.000
Borgna: Yeah, we used to have a meeting every month. And then for the
young girls that something goes on or or that. Yeah.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:53.000
D'Angelo: Did you find any problems when you came over here because you
were Italian? Do you did you feel that people didn't treat you the same way
as they treated others?
00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:56.000
Borgna: I did. Borgna: Did you?
00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:57.000
D'Angelo: In what way?
00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:35.000
Borgna: More than one time. Is something they try to push you a little bit
on the side. D'Angelo: Uh huh. Borgna: Oh yeah. Oh, I. Well, I always say
I'm not that smart, but I was smart enough to understand that, you know, so
many times. And even what my English. What are you going to do? One time it
was a woman come in our lunchroom and royals there we was eating dinner
like we are here, you know, lunch together.
00:29:35.000 --> 00:30:19.000
Borgna: And I was talking to her and she said to me, Oh, I don't
understand you English. And she makes me feel so bad. And then this lady
left because you can't say nothing, you know? And. This girl said to me.
Lucy, don't let your English bother you, because you did just good like
anybody else. There you are. You know, So at that time, I don't have
anybody, you know, But it's like you say, not so easy.
00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:27.000
D'Angelo: Did you have any explain any problems finding work because you
were Italian or. Borgna: No. D'Angelo: Buying a house?
00:30:27.000 --> 00:31:27.000
Borgna: No, we didn't know is one things. And this problem, we don't have
it. Of course. You mean to buy a house or anything like that? No, but I
don't know when we bought the lot here. See, they like it or not because
they know we talk broken English and they can tell no matter if you don't
tell them you are Italian. Of course they take me lots of Polak. You know
that because they say I look like they live and take me for a Jewish,
Jewish or German or different kind of people except Italian. You know what
I mean? And of course, we always got along.
