Antonino Immiti and Rosa Fertitta Family History
The story of the Emmitte’s begins in Cefalu, Sicily with the marriage of Antonino Immiti (pictured below) and Rosa Fertitta (born on May 14, 1883, and pictured below). Antonino was the son Giuseppe Immiti and Ignazia Billeci (pictured below on their wedding day). Antonino was born on September 14, 1883. He would marry Rosa Fertitta on October 7, 1905, in Cefalu. During this time Sicily had joined mainland Italy politically and economically as Italy became a unified nation in 1861. Sicily had supported unification in the hopes of prosperity, but their condition worsened as their economy merged with that of greater Italy. Competition with Northern industry as well as new forms of taxation and extensive military conscription frustrated Sicilian attempts to modernize their economy. The Sicilian family was the only protection against the extreme poverty and exploitation of past centuries, which became even worse during this time. The first wave of emigration to the Americas began shortly after Italian unification. The Immiti’s were a part of that migration.
They brought with them the Sicilian cuisine which was extremely diverse, typically dishes that were hot and spicy, with a liberal use of olives, eggplant, pine nuts, and capers, along with the familiar pasta and tomatoes. And, of course, the dessert was often cannoli (fried dough, known to them as pasta, stuffed with ricotta cheese and candied fruit invented in Sicily). They were also endowed with a very strong work ethic. Many of them having been involved in agriculture they naturally brought those skills to America becoming farmers and ranchers in the new world they had adopted. In Galveston County, strawberries, various vegetables, and cattle were some of the products they produced successfully. During the Great Depression this was their salvation.
They also brought with them the concept developed during the rise of the Labor Movement in Sicily from 1875-1900. In an effort to improve working conditions, Sicilian laborers organized unions (fasci). Through fasci, they could negotiate with their landowners. When landlords rejected the terms, laborers participated in widespread strikes. Increasingly, landowners turned to organized crime networks, commonly known as Cosa Nostra, or the mafia, to repress worker resistance and control the newly organized peasantry. Through such deals and general state neglect, the Cosa Nostra cemented its power in the region.
During the early decades of the 1900’s a global depression undercut prices for Sicily’s mainstay exports—grain and sulfur. Sicilians began immigrating to industrial centers like New York, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit, and Baltimore. They usually settled in neighborhoods near other Sicilians for protection from the ethnic prejudices of other Americans, who frequently considered them inferior. In 1924, the U.S. cut immigration to a trickle by setting quotas limiting immigrants to the U.S. from Sicily and other countries. For those who arrived before 1924, family ties were essential in their new home. Their extended family provided financial and emotional support in the new land.
The Emmitte’s, as their surname had now been changed during immigration, were a part of this group. Antonino and Rosa had the following children (pictured here sometime in 1974): Besse Emmitte, who died very early in life; Nancy Lee Emmitte (seated in center of photo), who was born on June 12, 1908, in Dickinson, Texas; Joseph Anthony Emmitte (seated second from left in photo), who was born December 8, 1909 in Dickinson, Texas; Rose Emmitte (seated second from right in photo), who was born in 1913 in Dickinson, Texas; Samuel Emmitte (standing on far left in photo), who was born on July 4, 1914 in Dickinson, Texas; Frank Anthony Emmitte, Sr. (standing second from left in photo); who was born March 4, 1915 in Dickinson, Texas; Mary Emmitte, (seated far left in photo), who was born on February 4, 1917, in Dickinson, Texas; Charles Emmitte (standing second from right in photo), who was born November 18, 1917; Gus Emmitte, (seated far right in photo), who was born on April 4, 1923, in Dickinson, Texas; and, Jack Emmitte (standing on far right in photo), who was born in 1924, in Dickinson, Texas.
From these early immigrants and their children came countless others in their family tree who would go on to bring honor to their name. They were entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals in many fields of work, professors and teachers in various fields of study, clergy, and published authors. Most of all, these descendants became involved in the continued prosperity and growth of Galveston County through their high value and love of family. Dio benedica la memoria di Immiti!
