life in 'The ward'
The First Ward of Newark, NJ has been many things to many people over the years. But before the towering skyscrapers of today, before its people were displaced in the 1950's to make room for New Jersey's 'urban renewal' plan, before Frank Sinatra had his bread shipped to him from Giordano's Bakery every week no matter where in the world he was, even before Joe DiMaggio took his entire baseball team to the famous restaurants in Newark for some 'real Italian food,' there were the people of Newark's Little Italy.
Peasants originally from Southern Italy wanting to make a better life for themselves, packed up everything they could carry with them and moved, not knowing what lay in store for them, for a better life in a country where 'the streets were paved with gold.' Many did do well for themselves. They were industrious people who weren't afraid of hard work or even harder living conditions. Many were men who went alone so that they could save enough money to get an apartment and send for their families. Oftentimes that took years.
Life in The Ward was very familiar for people. Everybody knew everybody. They all went to Sunday mass at St. Lucy's, played with their children at Branch Brook Park, and celebrated the many Italian festivals that ran all throughout the year, culminating with the San Gerardo Festival in the fall. When someone in the neighborhood died, everyone came out in force, not only to pay their condolences, but to give money to the bereaved to help them pay for the funeral. Everything was to be celebrated, mourned and lived together, as a community.
Life in The Ward was no different for Maria, Giovanni and Antonio. They have gone down anonymously in history, but at the time of their lives and even the lives of their children, they would be some of the most talked about and infamous people in the neighborhood.