Robert Ferrari papers

The following questions and responses come from the autobiographies obtained through the Finnish American Family History Project. Each immigrant was asked to provide answers to the listed questions. Most biographies are in English; some are in the immigrant's native language.

1. Country of origin? Robert Ferrari's parents lived in Rocca Nova, Italy. He was born in the U.S.

2. Occupation in native country? Ferrari's father was a shepherd

3. Reason for immigration? Ferrari's father felt that no future existed in Italy. He also had lost his political hope for a republic in Italy.

4. Date of immigration? Ferrari's father immigrated to the U.S. in 1872. His mother immigrated in 1878.

5. Did the author repatriate or remain in the U.S.? Ferrari resided in the U.S.

6. State(s) and city(s) of settlement in the U.S.? Ferrari's parents settled in New York City. Ferrari resided in New York City.

7. Occupation(s) in the U.S.? Ferrari wanted to become a teacher, but Anglo-Saxons were in the teaching profession. He taught English to Italians at night school. In 1910 he became a lawyer. He was concerned with the problems of the Italian immigrant. From 1909 until 1915 he was a lecturer for the Scholastic Council of New York. In 1915 he taught courses in criminology at New York University during the summer session. From 1916 to 1917 Ferrari was a Traveling Fellow in the Columbia University law school, and in 1917 taught comparative criminal law and criminology at the University of Paris. He also contributed articles to newspapers and journals. In 1917 he again became a teacher, then later went back to law. In 1936 Ferrari was teaching criminology at John Marshall College of Law in New York, and was a member of the advisory board of the John Marshall Law Journal. In 1938 he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

8. Political affiliations in the U.S.? (also ethnic affiliations?) Ferrari first joined the Republican party out of family loyalty. In 1920 he joined the Farmer Labor party. He ran for New York State Supreme Court judge and for the Court of General Sessions. With the end of the Farmer Labor party he rejoined the Republicans. He was also a member of the Free Masons.

9. Labor or occupational affiliations in the U.S.? Ferrari was a member of the Harvard Defense Group.

10. Information on family life?-nuclear and/or extended family? Ferrari wanted to go west, but his father's death and family duty kept him in New York.

11. Information on courtship or gender roles? Italians rarely left their communities. Italian girls were kept at home and marriages were generally arranged.

12. Information on the wider ethnic community? The community on Hester Street consisted of a majority of Irish with some Germans and Anglo-Saxons. The community later became an extension of Little Italy. The family later moved to another street where they were the first Italian family. The community later became Italian. When Ferrari was in college the family moved uptown to a neighborhood of Anglo-Saxons and Irish. Later more Italians came to the neighborhood.

13. Experiences with discrimination or political persecution? There were few Italians in the legal profession. Anglo-Saxons looked down on them because they were seen as laborers and tended to have a different personality type. Educated immigrants had difficulty finding work. Italians had an interest in politics, but were generally ignored by government The Tammany Hall scandal exploited them. In the court system there was no justice for the foreigner. Judges only wanted convictions.

14. Any other outstanding features worthy of notice? The city was overcrowded and poor. Women and children worked in sweat shops for low wages. There was a high rate of tuberculosis due to the immigrants' working conditions. Many immigrants returned to Italy to die and contaminated many Italian villages. There were not many doctors to serve the community. Ferrari's family only spoke Italian and maintained Italian customs; however, American holidays were observed. Children in the community were warned not to go to Chinatown, an area of opium dens. Ferrari wrote of the importance of teachers who introduced him to the American life and gave him a love of learning. His parents encouraged him to get an education. Ferrari spent a large part of his life in the study of law and often compared American and European legal systems.

15. Any account of the immigration process, voyage, Ellis Island inspection?0001 Robert Ferrari. [Autobiography in English.] 442pp. No information. This autobiography is part of the Robert Ferrari Papers in the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota. [According to Ario Flamma's book Italinin di America, Ferrari was born in Italy. In his autobiography Ferrari stated that he was born in the U.S.]