Coming to New Jersey

About a million and half Italian Americans – people with Italian ancestry – call New Jersey home. Only New York can claim more Italian Americans living within its borders – about one million more than New Jersey.

The history of Italian Americans in the Garden State is a relatively recent one. Before the Civil War, few Italian Americans worked and lived there (The 1860 U.S. census lists only 105 people who were born in Italy living in New Jersey). But despite their small presence, Italian Americans left their mark.

– 1800, Giovanni Battisti Sartori came to Trenton and set up the first spaghetti factory in the United States and the first Catholic Church in New Jersey.
– 1805, Lorenzo Da Ponte, who became instrumental in promoting Italian literature, ran a grocery and dry goods store in Elizabeth.

It was not until the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, however, that Italian Americans came to New Jersey in big numbers.

– 1900, Approximately 42,000 arrive
– 1910, One hundred and fifteen thousand arrive
– 1930, Almost 200,000 Italian Americans lived in the state and made up ten percent of the state’s population.

To all corners of the state

While many sought out family and friends in the state’s big cities like Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Hoboken, Union, Trenton, and Camden, a small number moved to the southern part of the state to buy and farm the land. In the latter part of the 19th century, Vineland and Hammonton were two of the most popular agricultural towns. Here, Italian Americans could escape life in the crowded dirty city and unskilled, low-paying jobs. By the early 1900s, Vineland boasted more than 500 property owners and 1,400 Italian families, while Hammonton was made up of more than 1,000 Italian Americans.

Some Italian Americans came to southern New Jersey as migrant workers. Many families – women, men, and children – left the bigger towns of Camden in New Jersey and Philadelphia to pick everything from cranberries to strawberries.

Although most Italian Americans who came to the United States at the end of the 19th century were poor farmers from southern Italy, most did not find jobs working the land. The great majority were unskilled laborers, building railroads, roads, sewers, bridges, and tunnels. Some worked in factories and in the building trades. Many were artisans. Weavers and dyers from Lombardy found jobs in Paterson’s silk industry. Hatters from Piedmont lived and worked in Orange. And craftsman and sculptors from Tuscany were employed at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Company.

In the state’s large cities, people from the same region or province came together to form “urban villages,” also called Little Italies. Here, some Italian Americans held skilled jobs as barbers, shoemakers, and tailors and provided services to the people who lived there. A tiny number were doctors, lawyers, bankers, journalists, and teachers.

Gaining influence and becoming a political force

When it came to work, Italian Americans were quick to voice their opinions about conditions and pay. Hundreds of strikes took place in New Jersey in the early part of the 20th century. Paterson silk workers, southern glassblowers, waterfront longshoremen, Passaic textile workers, and Trenton factory workers were active in the labor movement.

But when it came to religion and politics, Italian American in New Jersey had a harder time coming together and creating a strong voice. They were more devoted to family, friends, and the regions they came from. It was not until 1950 that there were 50 Italian parishes in the state. And, it was not until the mid-1900’s that Italian Americans’ political presence became pronounced. At that time, there were two congressmen – Peter Rodino and Hugh J. Addonizio – many state legislators and judges, and several mayors in the state.

Today, Italian Americans are active at the national and local levels. In 1982, Italian American Marie L. Garibaldi became the first woman justice in the New Jersey Supreme Court. And in the recent years, Italian Americans have become U.S. Senators – Robert Toricelli – and the state’s governor – James Florio and Donald T. DiFrancesco.

Since the mid-1900’s, many Italian Americans have left unskilled jobs and the big cities to settle into white-collar jobs and life in the suburbs. Although more Americanized than their ancestors, they continue to celebrate their rich heritage.