Little by little, the city’s Italian enclaves became masked by subsequent ethnic settlements or were erased entirely as a result of redevelopment. They left school in the fourth grade to help the his familia scrape a living from their new home.It was difficult to feed such a large family in rural ItalyDad's name on the Ellis Island wall - Saverio Finzi
Due to the large numbers of Italian immigrants, Italians became a vital component of the organized labor supply in America. An examination of the region’s Italian roots reveals both the complexity of the Italian Diaspora and the exceptionally diverse fabric of Southern California’s history.Long before an Italian community was established in Southern California, Italians influenced the Western United States and stimulated international interest in region. Arriving in 1827, sailor Giovanni Leandri was the city’s first Italian settler. Become a Member. Leandri established a successful store at the Plaza and purchased a portion of Rancho San Pedro, as well as the 48,000-acre Rancho Los Coyotes in present-day Buena Park, and the neighboring Rancho Cañada de la Habra.The city’s hospitable social climate provided Italian immigrants with considerable opportunities for upward mobility, and by 1850, Los Angeles’ Italian community included prominent businesspeople, civic and religious leaders. In fact, by 1915, the number of emigrants from the South nearly matched those coming from the North. My father told of not having enough coal or wood to fire up their kitchen stove--the only heat in winter. In fact, Italians were the largest immigrant population to work in the mines. Before every shred of positive print is wiped out, I thought I would refresh your memory and mine by reprinting “I Am An Italian-American”… The Italian Hall welcomed dignitaries, celebrities, and historical figures, including activist Emma Goldman, the Flores-Magon brothers, theorists of the Mexican Revolution, and Italian flying ace Francesco de Pinedo.The Italian Hall also played an integral role in the city’s free speech and labor movements and survived pivotal events in Italian American history, including the registration, relocation and arrests of so-called Italian “enemy aliens” during World War II. They were poor. By 1914, the number of Italians immigrating to the United States reached it's peak at over 280,000 making the journey to America. The numerous wineries in the Plaza area, many of which were Italian-owned, were responsible for Olvera Street to originally be named Wine Street, and by 1869, Los Angeles led the state in wine production.This early period contains many success stories. Christopher Columbus has long been exalted as a heroic figure in American history: the first explorer to establish a European presence in the New World. In the mining industry especially there was an ethnic hierarchy: English-speaking workers held the skilled and supervisory positions while the Italians were hired as laborers, loaders, and pick miners.My Grandfather, Sergio Finzi had made two preliminary Voyages across the Atlantic trying to establish connections and work so he could bring his wife and children over. But even though the South had a sparser population with less labor skills, more per capita came from these southern regions. Genealogy Workshops.