My great-grandmother, Rosa Bordoni, arrived from Northern Italy with seven children in tow in 1909. She gave birth to my grandmother, Josephine, on a little farm outside Martinez in 1911. Poverty, prejudice and their traditions led them to form tight family circles.

Grandma Jo settled in Crockett. She picked fruit in the Central Valley, took in washing during the Depression and labored at C&H Sugar factory after Pearl Harbor to V-J Day. Aunt Jennie's family lived in Port Chicago; her home was destroyed the night the ships exploded. Uncle Sam escaped death on the docks that night because he was on a smoke break.

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Source: http://www.sacbee.com/