2024 #52Ancestors, Week 20: Taking Care of Business

My great grandfather, Mariano (Mario) Aloisio, and his brother, Cosimo, emigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s.  To them, 'taking care of business' meant finding a way to earn a living in their new country.  Cosimo was a tailor.  I assume this is a skill that he had practiced in Sicily, as it takes a certain level of precision.  Mario is listed as a plasterer in the 1900 census and on his WWI Draft Registration card.

Tailoring, as a profession, has been around since the Middle Ages.  At that time, though, tailoring wasn't nearly the art form that it eventually became.  It had more to do with covering the body and less to do with being specifically made to fit the wearer.  Once tailors moved from utilitarian clothing to clothing fitted to the individual, actual skill became a necessity.  Tailors needed to have an eye for detail, the ability to do fine needle work, knowledge of different types of fabric, etc.  Master tailors took on apprentices who wanted to fine tune the basic skills of measuring, cutting, and sewing.  Thus, I think it is likely Cosimo had acquired this skill in Sicily.  He was already in his early 20s when he came to America, and all documents indicate this was his profession for the entirety of his lifetime.

Mario was in his mid-20s when he arrived in New York, and the first mention of an occupation is the 1910 census where it is indicated that he is a plasterer in the building industry.  This job would have required some level of skill in terms of being able to lay even layers of plaster, but it wouldn't have necessitated the same level of training as a tailor.  I think it is likely Mario learned how to plaster on the job.  His WWI draft registration card indicates he was still in the business of plastering in 1918.  I have not found a 1920 census, the 1930 census is illegible, and he is not working on the 1940 census.  Nonetheless, both these men did what was necessary to take care of business and take care of their families.

Source:
"Working Lives - and Workers' Organizations," WCML, Working Class Movement Library, www.wcml.org.uk/our-collections/working-lives/. Accessed 30 May 2024.