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Monday, October 2, 2023
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Most Italians trace their immigration to the massive wave after
World War II, but the first settlement of Italians in Canada
dates back to 1665, when soldiers from various parts of what
later became Italy were recruited by the French army. Many remained
in New France after their North American tour of duty. Italians
also served under British command during the war of 1812. Following
the war, some soldiers who had grown fond of the country decided
to remain and put down roots. It seems, in fact, that the only
Italian contacts with the Windsor area in the 1800s occurred
mainly through the United
States.
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Steamer
trunks at Pier21
Courtesy of Pier21
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| According to the 1881 census, there was
one person living in Windsor who was born in Italy and 3 of Italian origin.
The lonely Italian living
in Windsor in 1881 was Michael Cauzillo, 26 years old at the time of
the census, Catholic and married to Mary, Catholic and of the German
origin. They had one daughter, Minni, 1 year old, born in Ontario.
There
were 52 listed
in the 1901 statistics.[The statistics from a booklet called “Windsor:
A Statistical Package”, compiled by the Essex County Historical
Society in 1983- “Statistics of the Ethnic Origins of Windsor’s
Population from 1871 to 1981”] |
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The blackest years
of the economy of the new Italy were between 1889 and 1894, when
ever-increasing numbers emigrated from Italy and for the most
part from rural Italy. In looking at the 1891 census, the majority
of the Italians who were living in Windsor at that time
most likely came from rural Italy. The 1891 census listed
a ditch or |
Checking
Documents at Pier21
Courtesy of Pier21
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drain digger, by the name
of Joseph Maurillo. Also listed was John Domenic, a 64 year
old market |
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| gardener, and
his German wife, Ellen. In the same census is recorded John Courtier,
whose name was probably transcribed by a French enumerator. Most probably
his name was Curti, but in checking old Windsor Directories,
it went from Curtis to Cutie to Courti, which is the closest to the
proper spelling. Incidentally this gentleman was the first Italian
to live on Erie St. His home in 1896 was at 83 Erie St. Also in
the 1891 census, it is found that the first Italian to live in Old
Sandwich Town was Louis Gumio(Gunnio). |
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By going through
the Windsor Directories from 1893-1895, there weren’t
many more Italians settling in Windsor during this period,
with the possible exception of Joseph Marco, who had a fruit
store on Pitt St. But beginning with the 1895 Windsor Directory,
Italian family names reappear. One such family
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Italian immigrants on the train to
Southwestern Ontario Courtesy of Pier21
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is the Ferrari family.
In 1895 Stephen Ferrari appears and by 1897/1898 the number of
Ferraris had grown. |
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There were 3 Ferraris – Louis,
Serafino and Stephen. In Walkerville, there was John Ferrari. By
1903, a Eugene Ferrari was in business in Walkerville. John,
Eugene and Louis Ferrari were brothers. Another family that first
appears in 1896 is the Merlo family. Louis Merlo was a labourer
and was living at 16 Lillian in 1897/1898. (Nevi Rusich, presentation
for the Windsor Italo-Canadian Culture Centre, February 1988). |
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The
opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. |
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