My Italian great grandfather Francis Anthony Salerno was the first American in his family. Francis Anthony Salerno was born in 1916 in America right after his mom and dad and siblings arrived from a boat on Ellis Island. He was the only one that was born an American and the only one to speak English. His dad came to America first to set up and went back to Italy to get his family. His name is on the wall at Ellis Island. They came from a poor mountain village. He brought the musical instrument a mandolin with him and gave it to my great grandfather when he got older. Francis never took a music lesson in his life. He was self taught and played every single day. He played the mandolin, accordion, and violin. His dad’s mandolin was his favorite. He lived to be 100 and passed the mandolin on to his son, my grandfather Francis Salerno Jr. The mandolin is important to my family because it came from my family in Italy and is being passed down through generations. One day it will be mine. I will learn to play it and pass on to my kids. It's a reminder that our family has been brought together by music and shared happy memories. My last memory of him is when I was 9 years old and he played it for us at Christmas time. All our hearts that night were brought together more with the warming sound of the strings that he strum. 

– August Brasco Moreno Salerno

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant