Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff  or publishers)

My grandfather (on my dad’s side) was Giuseppe Del Ponte, and he was born in Abruzzi, Italy.  He came to America on a ship called The Taormina from the port of Naples on March 17, 1914 when he was 23 years old.

He fought in World War I and lost a lung from poison gas. He went to Wentworth College and was a custodian at The Bingham School, and also at the Library on College Ave. here in Somerville.

Before coming to America he spent time in South America working as a cowboy (that’s what my dad used to tell us!). The only thing I really know about my mother’s father was that he ran a small convenience store on Somerville Ave. and he had a very cool old car. I gathered the following stories about some of my fellow baby boomer friends’ Somerville grandfathers.

This first grandfather owned and operated a shoe store on Highland Ave. He walked to work every day from Stoneham. The next grandpa came to America around 1912 from Greece on the ship Carpathia, which is famous for picking up the survivors of the Titanic disaster. He was also one of the first people to have an automobile in Somerville.

Grandfather #3 ran a barbershop in Magoun Square. He came here around 1900. An old pal tells me this about his granddad: “My Grandfather came here about 1916 from Syria. He was a goldsmith, he made jewelry. He originally had a store on Hudson St. in Boston.  The jeweler that was in Davis Square for decades actually bought this man’s equipment when he passed away.”

Next is this great story: “My grandfather was a reverend who  came from Alasata, Asia Minor (present day Turkey), and was a founder and the first priest of the Dormition Greek Orthodox Church. He served the Somerville Greek community from 1916-20 and again from 1927-1935.”

Here is another account: “My grandmother’s parents had a little store in the front of their house on Newbury St. They had one of the only phones in the neighborhood. People would call there and my great-grandparents would send my grandmother running to whoever’s house it was to tell them they had a call.”

Here’s a good one: “My dad’s father came from Gaeta in 1917. He made brooms in a barn at 13 Tufts St. The business went on for 50 years. His brother sold TVs and appliances and penny candy at 220 Somerville Ave.”

Next: “My grandfather grew up here. He worked as a mechanic for the Jordan Marsh’s trucks and then had his own business in his garage at home fixing cars. He also worked as a cab driver. My other grandfather grew up in Boston and worked at Kennedy’s in Boston as a foreman on the loading dock.”

And they keep on coming: “My grandfather used to go to Tip O’Neil’s home on Orchard St. for tea back in the day. He worked for Boston Gas most of his life and when he retired he loved going to Davis Square.”

And finally: “My Nonno went from Italy to Pennsylvania and then traveled to Somerville. He worked for years at the Parker House Hotel in Boston as an elevator operator.”

Thanks to all my friends who contributed stories about their grandfathers. Wouldn’t you love to be able to hang around with your grandpa again and hear some stories first hand? No one could hug you like your grandfather could. I’m looking forward to becoming a grandpa for the first time in November.

I still have the last bottle of homemade wine that my grandpa made from the grapes that still grow in the yard of his house (which is still in the family!). It’s in a Ballantine Ale bottle. My dad used to say, “By now it’s either real good wine, or very bad vinegar!” And that was 20 years ago!

Check out www.ellisisland.org to find out when your grandparents from abroad came to America. It’s a free site and it’s great!