Maria Amalia Sacchiero
(Post No. 13) Maria was 37 when she sailed on the SS Roma from Italy to America with her husband, Paul Riedener, and their four young children: Amy, 8, Lydia, 6, Teresa, 2, and Silvio, 6 months.
The journey by ship took several weeks, the conditions were difficult with everyone frequently being seasick, while baby Sil was very sick throughout, giving Maria much to worry about. Keeping three other small children happy and healthy would have been very difficult, too. They arrived at Ellis Island, New York, on August 24, 1928.
Born in 1891 in Palermo, Sicily, Maria's mother was Rosaria Di Stefano and her father was Girolamo Sacchiero. Maria had one sister and three brothers. Leaving Sicily and her family behind forever was very hard for her. Among other things, this meant her four children would never know their grandparents or the Sicilian language or culture. Maria had trouble learning English at her age, making it difficult to assimilate, or even to go shopping for goods or groceries. But she persevered and made a new life in America with her husband and children, eventually learned the language well enough to answer questions on the citizenship test, and became a U.S. Citizen in 1941.
San Francisco was their home and they enjoyed the City's many offerings such as Sunday concerts in Golden Gate Park and trips to Ocean Beach.
Maria was 5 feet, 2 inches tall and had brown eyes. She had musical talent and gave piano lessons in the Old World. It is not clear if she ever gave lessons in America. She was an excellent cook and passed down many old Sicilian family recipes to her daughters.
Maria had a heart condition and suffered a sudden collapse while shopping at a San Francisco department store on February 2, 1946. She died that very day just two weeks shy of her 55th birthday. One small bright spot that can be gleaned from this tragedy is that Maria lived long enough to see her first grandchild born one year before, on February 8, 1945 — Susan Mary Gorman.
See additional photos on this page.
COMMENTS:
Susie - Nov. 18, 2021
So sad she lived such a short time! I have always loved that photo
of her that is on her graveside stone in color. Thanks, Nancy, for keeping
the past alive for us
Nancy - Nov. 18, 2021
You're welcome, Susie. Our grandmother sure ws a beautiful woman!
Lindy - Nov. 21, 2021
Wish we could have known Amalia. I'm sure she would have reminded us
of mommy. And how hard it must have been to leave her family. She and
Papa were planning to return to Italy to visit family the year she died.
Thanks for helping us to know our long past family members.
Nancy - Nov. 21, 2021
Yes, Lindy, you're right about Amalia just missing her first return
to Sicily to visit family after being away from them for 18 years. Very sad indeed.
Thanks for reading my family tree blog! xoxo