8/22/2019 Family Stories - Zanella

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Family Stories: The ZanellasFamily Stories: The Zanellasy father was born in San Paolo Brazil. His

father, Joseph and mother Maria went to

Brazil to earn the money needed to begin

their future back in Covelo di Terlago

Austria. Prior to their return my grandparents added my

Zias Giusepina, Maria and Adelina and after theyreturned came Zio Atillio and Zia Esther.Covelo is north

west of Trento in the Valle Di Laghi, a very small town

made up of farms and a small but vibrant dairy industry

(cheese and milk producing). Covelo is a beautiful town

and to this day a strong presence of Zanellas and other

familys who can trace their origin to a Zanella remains.

My mother was Pierina Paoli also of Covelo and her par-

ents were Anna and Francesco. Just before World War II

they moved to Rovereto. During the First World War

both my father and his father served in the Austrian army

in the Tiroler Kaiser Jaegger. Both returned with 2orphan cows in tow I guess this was their idea of right-

ful compensation for serving since there was no other

payment. These 2 cows were the actual start of that dairy

business and Monte

Gazza which was the

location of their summer

grazing and milking oper-

ation. In 1960 when I was

11 years old I had the

great pleasure of helpingto move the cows along

with my Zio Atillio,

cousins Renata and

Giuliano from the hot

summer fields to the cool

grazing on Monte. Gazza.

It was a 6 hour trek up a

small winding road and at

the top we slept, ate and

lived for a week in a small house made of stone and mud,

an experience never to be forgotten

My father came to the United States in 1920 where he

found work digging the subways in New York City. He

returned to Covelo and then returned to the States in

1923 and in 1929 married my mother and came to the

U.S. for good. They settled in Mount Carmel,

Pennsylvania along with his sister, Zia Beppina and her

husband Zio Paolo. The first generations Americans had

already begun with the birth of my cousin and godfather

Albert, followed by my sister Theresa, my cousin Joseph

and then me, Victor. My

father worked as a coal miner

for 38 years. He was best

know for his constant state

of tranquility, his strength

and complete dedication tohis family. He was a tall man

of great strength and had the

compassion of a priest. He

had the green thumb of a

true Trentino farmer and

loved to grow his garden. He

could end a conversation just

by raising his hand and saying

basta and never having or wanting to raise his voice. My

mother was a short woman 5-ft. tall, strong of character,

a lover of politics and without a doubt a chefs chef.There were no medals for her culinary abilitys but to this

day many of my friends in Mt. Carmel still talk about the

meals she prepared. She worked for many years at the

local Elks club as the chief cook, bottle washer and

cleaning lady. There were weekends when she would be

cooking for a wedding one day and a reunion another

along with the daily dinners. She was not as calm as my

dad but it was her job to run the house and with me and

my sister running around some one had to be the bad

guy. What I remember most about her was she wasalways there taking care of us all and anyone else that

needed to be cared for.

We have been fortunate to have longevity of life in our

family and this continues today as this year ,2013, we will

celebrate my cousin and godfather Als 90th birthday, he

is the first of the first generation Americans who served

in the navy in World War II and still continues to reside

in Mt. Carmel Pa. We will also be looking forward to our

Zia Esthers, the last of my fathers siblings, 100th birth-

day and being with her in Covelo to celebrate that grandoccasion, con vino, polenta e coniglio. Both my parents are

deceased as well as my sister but the spirit of their lives,

work ethic, family values and love of the Trentino food

and culture continue to stay with us. The sturdy Trentini

stock is what continues to make us better citizens of the

United States of America. On behalf of my cousins Al,

Joe and myself I would like to thank you for the oppor-

tunity to tell you about this family we call the Covelo Di

Terlago Zanellas.

Written by Victor Zanella, Hampstead, MD

MM

My grandparents with my father in the

Tiroler Kaiser Jaegger

My parents -- Pierina and Querino -- and

my sister Theresa