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Note: The following information was generously provided by Shirley Frisella Stevens and was written by her father's sister, Martha Frisella: THE FRISELLA FAMILY: Giovanni "John" Frisella was born in 1888, the son of Guiseppe and Mattia. The three other children were: Lilia, Francesco, and Benedetta. Lilia was the eldest of the four children. At age 23, John married Francesca "Frances" Ferrara, then seventeen. Francesca was the only daughter of Bartolomeo and Francesca. Her ambition had been to become a teacher but because she would have to go to another town for her studies, her mother would not let her go alone. Giovanni's mother died very young in her thirties. Guiseppe was left with four children so he married a Greek widow who had a little boy. Guiseppe and Francesco teased and tormented her son so much that she could not take it anymore, so she packed herself and son and left for another town. Giovanni's daughter, Martha (Mattia), was born in January 17, 1912. Giovanni had just finished duty in the Italian Army and was told by an officer that the war in Tripoli was nothing, but that a big war was coming (WWI). Giovanni told his wife, Francesca "Frances" Ferrara, to write to her two brothers (Christopher and Frank) in Clinton, IN to tell them that they were going to America. By September, 1912, Giovanni, Francesca, baby Mattia, and his brother Francisco "Frank", arrived in Clinton. Clinton, IN was a coal mining town so John (Giovanni) and his brother Frank (Francisco) worked in the mines. After about five years, John developed an enzyme condition on his face, caused by the coal dust. He continued to work in the mines for a few more years but had to quit eventually. At nighttime he ran a jitney service in that area even crossing over to the state of Illinois. John had bought his first Model T Ford in 1913. When he got the car he did not wait to be taught how to drive it but just invited his brother Frank to take a ride in it with him. Frank, realizing that his brother did not know how to handle the car, decided to jump out. Eventually, John became an excellent driver and drove his car until the night before his death, at the age of 83, in 1970. Not being able to work in the mines, John bought some cows and started a small dairy. During the summer the cows pastured on the Ferrara farm which had been sold. John leased the farm from the new owner. During the cold winter months the cows were kept in the barn behind the house in Clinton. It was a family enterprise. The cows were hand-milked. John milked them, put the milk in milk cans and Frances would fill the bottles which John delivered to private homes with horse and wagon in the winter and a small Model T Ford truck in good weather. It was a hard life for the whole family. Before going to school, little Joe helped milk some of the cows and Martha helped fil the glass bottles and also helped wash them individually. In 1925 Frances became ill. She had asthma. Extreme summer heat and extreme cold winters were very bad for her. She had a hard time breathing. The doctor told her to change climates - go back to Sicily or find some other warm location. John remembered that he had an uncle, Francesco Frisella, (more likely his brother - M.M.) living in San Francisco. Through correspondence, arrangements were made for Frances to go to San Francisco to try the climate. In September 1925, she arrived there and lived with the Frisellas who treated her like a daughter. They had ten children - seven boys and three girls. Lily was the only one married, the others were all home. It was something trying to remember their names The mother was a great woman who took everything in stride. The San Francisco fog and mild climate was good for Frances. She would say that if seemed to open up her lungs. In January 1926, John and the three children who were now almost 14, 12, and 10 years of age came by train to San Francisco. He had to sell the small dairy, home, and furniture. On the Santa Fe train, Joe and Bert had fun running through the train. In the four days of travel they each wore out a pair of shoes. Martha was very sedate, prim, and proper and did not leave her seat that was next to her father's. Friends had given them cakes, and other food items to eat on the train. John also had bread and salami which he would make into sandwiches for all of them. There certainly must have been a dining car but we did not use it! When in San Francisco, John and Frances rented a flat in the Glen Park district. They lived there for about two months when they bought a house in the Excelsior district at 40 Maynard Street. John did not have a job and Lily's husband, Theodore Rallis, talked John into starting a business with him. They opened a candy store on Market Street and went in over their heads. John knew nothing of the business and he was the one who invested the money. Naturally, the business failed. Frances was going out of her mind. Fortunately, the Reverso's who lived across the street, got John a job at the Simmons Bed factory. Frances worked for an overall Jean factory and they were able to make ends meet. In 1929 the Stock market crashed and then the great depression followed. John lost his job, so he bought an old 7-passenger Pierce-Arrow and bought a jitney permit. He drove a jitney on Mission street to the Ferry Building, from that time on until he retired. Martha was a student at the San Francisco State University and Graduated in 1934. He and Frances managed to raise their family during those days without any help from welfare or anyone else.
Listed on the manifest of the ship "Princess Irene" arriving Sept 5, 1912 is: GIOVANNI "JOHN" FRISELLA, age 24, male, married, nationality: Italian, south; residence: Palazzo, Adriano, Sicily; ID #: 100979180410, page #152. FRANCESCA "FRANCES" FERRARA, age 18, female, married, nationality: Italian, south; residence: Palazzo, Adriano, Sicily; ID # 100979180411, page 152. MATTIA FRISELLA, age 6 months, female, single, nationality: Italian, south; residence: Palazzo, Adriano, Sicily; ID # 100979180412, page 152. FRANCESCO "FRANK" FRISELLA, age 18, male, single, nationality: Italian, south; residence: Palazzo, Adriano, Sicily; ID # 100979180409, page 152. Departure port: Palermo, Sicily, Italy; Ship arrival date: Sept 5, 1912; Arrival port: New York City, NY.
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