My last name is Chiavarini. I am only part Italian because my father was only half Italian. His father was completely Italian but my grandmother was German, English and a bunch of other European nationalities. Her family was here pre Revolutionary War and settled in Jamestown Pa. before moving to Edison, NJ. So I guess you can say she was one of the first True Americans. My Grandfathers family came over from Italy and settled in Yonkers, NY before moving to Edison, NJ.
Edison, NJ is where my grandparents met. My grandmother’s maiden name is Irwin and her Father was a butcher. They lived in a small home behind the pre-revolutionary war episcopal church (St James) in Edison on Woodbridge Avenue where he was a "free-lance" butcher. During the Second World War he would trade meat with locals for services and other tangible items. My grandmother who was in her mid-teens at the time worked in the relief office up the street from where they lived to help her family get by.
To Be Continued...