The Immigration Story of Mary Carriero (Italian immigrant)
The Museum reviews and accepts donated personal or family memories and histories into its collection. As a learning institution, the accounts help us understand how individuals recollect, interpret, or construct meaning from lived experiences. The stories are not modified by Museum staff. The point of view expressed is that of the author and not that of the Museum.
Port of Arrival:
Related Ship:
Conte Biancamano (1925-1942, 1947-1960)
S2012.1123.1
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Credit format: [Name], arrived from [Country], [Date of Arrival]. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 [Object ID Number].
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Italian immigrant Mary Carriero arrived at Pier 21 in 1954 on board the Conte Biancamano on her way to relatives in Windsor, Ontario. She recalls the uncertainty her mother felt about the decision to come to Canada.
Story Text:
I left Italy from Naples with my widow mother Filomena Mandato in Vitale and widow Grandmother Saveria Mandato to join our family in Windsor, Ontario. We left on November 1, All Saints Day and everyone was sea sick, my mother was helping a lot women with children travelling alone afraid to travel period. After three days at sea I surprised my mother on deck one morning crying, but she said she was not crying, I forced her to tell me what was wrong and she said "I know what I left and I don't know where I am going, all I have in Canada are my brothers . My parents who lived in the states in 1914 said that in America families are not intimate, we are three women.
We landed at Pier 21 in Halifax after 8 days at Sea at the port they give us $20.00 each total of $60.00 my mother said what nice people they give us money for nothing. On the train they served us fresh wonder bread, today its beautifull in 1954 I took a slice squeezed it and said look mom its not cooked. We were on the train for 2 days from Halifax to Windsor via Montreal. When the train stopped my godmother handed us a luggage, when we opened it there was a large loaf of Italian bread, 2 L wine, and a very large chicken stuffed like a turkey, which we shared with our friends that we made on the boat. When we finally arrived in Windsor the station was a very large black burn at the foot of Ouellette Avenue. My grandmother was reunited with her brother and her son after 25 years and my mother was reunited with her two brothers, one from Cleveland, Ohio and one from Windsor, Ontario.
I was 12 years old it was very hard to adjust to the new life, no language, temperature was very cold, no friends, etc.
My mother and grandmother passed away, I went to night school and did accounting for 30 year, retired from that and went to work in a travel agency for another 18 years in the italian community where I accompany Italian seniors on vacation. I have three children, one is an oral surgent, one electrical technician, and my daughter took social science and works with the handicapable. I have (8) grandchildren and my husband is now retired but was a metal mechanic, also came from Italy in May 1955.
Only the first 2 years were hard, today we have beautiful homes and have a lot hopes for our grandchildren. We keep telling them never to take their nationality for granted, we had to work hard to become canadians, and we are proud canadians.
We are also involved in the italian community, we belong to the Caboto Club, I was an honorary member of the Ciociaro folklore group, all the events that go on at our Church St. Angela Merici for which my mother was a cook at the St. Angela Hall for 30 years and then volunteer work for another 5 years.