Coming to America

My maternal grandmother, Ersilia Ghilardi Taramelli Fiorini was a 26-year-old fiancée-to-be when she arrived in New York Harbor on September 24, 1906. She was engaged to Enrico Peter Taramelli from Buguia, Italy. Enrico was living in Springfield, Illinois, with Ersilia's brother Egidio when Ersilia's got off the boat at Ellis Island in the shadow of Lady Liberty.

What an adventure that had to have been.  Many of us baby boomers who were born and raised in Minnesota may have moved around a bit here and there. But our parents—the sons and daughters of immigrants—took root here, and here they have remained.

A large Italian family

I was in the first wave of the boomer generation: I was born in 1946 and have, so far, lived in seven states and one foreign country.  My Mother, Rita Fiorini Sullivan Ylatupa, was one of ten kids. Outside of her oldest sibling, the rest of the litter were all born in Chisholm—on the "Iron Range" of Northern Minnesota. 

It was this area of the Range where they lived their lives, married, and raised their brood through good times and bad. And it is this area where Ersilia Taramelli Fiorini, Enrico Peter Taramelli and Silvio Fiorini are all buried.

Most of the family history of life in the "old country" revolves around the quaint mountain town of Sassoferrato. Grandma Ersilia and her six siblings were born in Sassoferrato. They were raised by their parents, Domonic and Margherita Rossini Ghilardi. 

Of the seven children, five of them came to America and one returned. There have been over 150 descendants of these seven children. A little over two-thirds of these descendants live in America, and the rest live in Italy. 

Visiting the "old country"

I don't know exactly how many relatives I have in Italy. So, in August 2018, my family and I spent two weeks eating our way from one end of the country to the other.  The single best day was spent at Grandma Ersilia's family home in Sassoferrato with a slew of relatives.  

We were welcomed to the home of my second cousin, Franca Ghilardi Mancini, and her husband Nello. Franca and Nello's children, Marilena and Mauro, are in a high-end textile business just down the road in Pergola.  

The food and wine we consumed that day would have provided enough sustenance to feed the population of a small country.  As we were leaving the ristorante, our son spotted a couple bottles of wine from Fiorini Vineyards on display.  I have no idea how close we are to those relatives, but it's close enough for me.  I always knew I came from good, well-aged stock.

Life on the Iron Range

Grandma Ersilia married Enrico Peter Taramelli upon her arrival in Springfield, Illinois. Ersilia and Enrico ended up running the boarding house they were living in. Their oldest child, Angeline Taramelli Cicchi, was born in Springfield.  In March of 1908, they moved to the Minnesota Iron Range town of Chisholm in order to partake in the opportunities of the Iron Mining Industry.  It was there that the rest of Grandma Ersilia's brood took shape, starting with the births of Peter Taramelli in 1909 and Righetta Taramelli Rolle in 1910.  Unfortunately, Enrico Peter Taramelli died before Righetta was born.  

During that time, there was a close family friend by the name of Silvio Fiorini. Silvio was born in Collagna, Italy in 1880 to Hercules and Eureka Fontolini Fiorini.  Silvio arrived at Ellis Island one month after Ersilia on October 23, 1906.  He was sponsored by his brother, Fulindo Fiorini, from Mountain Iron, Minnesota. 

Fulindo returned to Italy after a few years, but Silvio stayed on.  Ersilia Ghilardi Taramelli married Silvio Fiorini on May 18, 1912. The two settled down in Pillsbury Location in Chisholm, along with dozens of other Italian families to begin a new life. 

It was the beginning of, "The Ovens of Pillsbury Era," that ushered in the next generation of the Ghilardi-Taramelli-Fiorini Family Saga!