By Cynthia Keefer Patton
Even though I am sure that quite a few of my ancestors might have spoken other languages: German and French in particular--the majority of them spoke English or some variation of it with an accent (those from Ireland or Wales).
But my husband Denny is another story. His mother's great-grandmother and great-grandfather on her paternal side came straight from northern Italy (Ponti di Legno, Brescia, Lombardy) to America in 1889 and eventually to Warrensburg, Missouri where they settled and farmed. So one would think that they arrived speaking Italian. And that Denny's mother would have heard her grandparents and their other children, and her cousins, all speaking some Italian.
Or perhaps she would have cooked some of the recipes handed down or brought over from the old country. I asked my husband if his Mom made really good pasta or some other dish. He said no. Not ever. Never. And never spoke a word of Italian. So what happened? Most likely they became so "Americanized" that they turned from the ways of the before and adapted to the ways of the new place they settled. I should try and find if any of the Catholic Church records in that location have more original information that might show that they were using their native language when they arrived.
When I go down to Warrensburg and we visit with his brothers and their kids and grandkids, there is no evidence that any of them descend from Italians. Interesting how much of a melting pot America truly is.
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