Introduction to the Residents of 671 Franklin Street
671 Franklin street has been occupied by multiple different families and individuals from 1910 to 1947, however the most important occupants in relation to this research would be the Bacigalupi family. The head of the Bacigalupi family was Antone, who was an Italian immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen (U.S. Census Bureau, 1910). Antone was married to Catherine Bacigalupi, and together they had a son, Joseph (ibid). Antone immigrated to the U.S. in 1869, and U.S. census data suggests he was not able to speak English for a number of years after arriving here, but in 1910, he is recorded as an English speaker (U.S. Census Bureau, 1900; U.S. Census Bureau, 1910). He worked as a laborer at the local tannery, and owned his home on Franklin Street without a mortgage (U.S. Census Bureau, 1900). According to Santa Clara city directories, the Bacigalupis occupied the property from at least 1912 until 1924, but U.S. census records from 1900 puts the family in the 671 property even earlier, which would make them the most probable associates with the archaeological deposits at this site, which were given at TPQ of 1905. Aside from the Bacigalupis, several other individuals and families, primarily of Italian and Spanish descent, occupied the property after 1924.
Italian Immigrants in 19th and 20th Century America
The California Gold rush of the 1850s brought with it the first wave of Italian Immigrants to the San Francisco Bay, and by the 1860s, CA had the largest population of Italian immigrants in the country (The Bancroft Library, 2007). Italian immigration only increased through the 1880s until the 1930s, with many Italians from Northern Italy being drawn to CA for the wine industry, and the state’s agricultural opportunities (ibid). Though many of the Italians that came to the U.S. during this time period had the intention of making money and eventually moving back to Italy, a large number found great success in the U.S. and decided to stay and make a life here, like Antone Bacigalupi (ibid).