The Hillbilly Highway

My great-grandparents, Luther Allen Saddler Sr. and Mary Roberta Morris, as well as their son, my paternal grandfather, Luther Allen Saddler Jr., were riders of the so-called "Hillbilly Highway". After World War II, many residents of the Appalachian mountains began migrating north into industrial cities, such as Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Toledo, and others. This is a major reason for the spread of Appalachian culture and heritage across the Midwest, for example. Many of these migrants were formerly employed in the mines, but the decline of the mines in the 1940s caused a need to find work elsewhere. Many of the migrants lived in concentrated enclaves, for example, Uptown, Chicago, known as "Hillbilly Heaven" in the 1960s. 

Appalachia is the poorest and worst-off region of the United States, by far and away. The migrants brought with them this identity, and were stereotyped in their new homes, and made to feel as outsiders. Back in Appalachia, these individuals saw themselves differently from other people in their state, or in other parts of the South. But up north they were lumped together as southern white laborers, and eventually a group consciousness took hold. Migrants from all across Appalachia began to identity with each other and preferred to work alongside other Southerners, rather than Northerners. This seems to explain, to me at least, the interesting fact that everybody from my father's family, no matter who it was, seemed to have their roots in the South. My grandfather was from a little town in West Virginia, my aunt and uncle's dad was from Pemiscot County, Missouri, and my grandmother's 2nd husband was from Abingdon, Virginia. Many of their friends probably had roots in the South. And different people I've known in my life had lots of extended family from down South and in Appalachia. This is the long term ramification of the massive migration known as the Hillbilly Highway. 

My great-grandparents, Luther Saddler Sr. and Mary Morris, definitely moved around a lot. My great-grandfather was born in Princeton, West Virginia, and my great-grandmother in Covesville, Virginia. In the 1940 Census, before the Hillbilly Highway mostly began, they were living in Beaver Pond, Mercer County, West Virginia, along with their son, my grandfather. I don't believe it was a very happy household, but that is lost to time. By 1942 they'd apparently moved to Bastian, Virginia as that is where Luther Saddler Sr. registered for the WWII Draft. However by 1947 we see that they've rode the highway- they are now living in Toledo, Ohio, according to the wedding announcement of their daughter Georgia. In 1951 they are still living in Toledo, according to the obituary of Mary's brother Eugene. Then by 1953 they'd apparently moved to Dayton, Ohio, probably to find different work than Luther Sr. had in Toledo. This was mentioned in the obituary of Mary's mother, Rebecca Hall, of Princeton, West Virginia. However, the couple later divorced, and it is unclear to me how this affected their living arrangements. By 1960, Mary was back in Princeton, West Virginia, according to the obituary of her brother Allen. Ten years later, she died there. Luther Sr., meanwhile, died in Toledo, in 1967. So I suspect that after they divorced, Luther stayed in Ohio for work, while Mary returned home to West Virginia to be with her family- family that I suspect my great-grandmother did not really treat well. 

My paternal grandfather did not, I assume, have a happy childhood. I suspect this because of the general awareness I have of my great-grandparents behavior, as well as the fact that he supposedly left home as a young boy. He was arrested for stealing gin and throwing rocks at trains as well, showing that his life wasn't the greatest. He also rode the highway, but on a different path than his parents. In 1940, my grandfather was living with his young and pregnant wife (my aunt Sylvia, who was born in 1940, is not mentioned in the census with them) in the home of his parents, as well as his younger siblings Julia, 15, and James, 13. My grandfather and great-grandfather seem to have the same occupation listed, but it's hard to understand what's written. Interestingly, my grandfather was one of the people selected in the 1940 Census to provide additional information, and in that section, his usual occupation is listed as a common laborer for a rock quarry. Soon after the Census was taken, in 1943, my grandfather enlisted in the Army and served in World War II. After the war, he apparently returned to West Virginia, where he divorced his wife Helen in Princeton in 1947. In 1948 he remarried in Bland County, Virginia. In 1950, my uncle LIVING was born in Princeton. Sometime between then and 1957, he rode the highway, and made his way to Michigan. I would assume this was around 1955. My grandmother remembers that he drove a school bus and was a mechanic. His obituary states: "he had been employed as a mechanic by the Michigan Public Schools since 1945". Due to the above information, I believe this is a mistake, and they meant 1955. This would be consistent with a private family story about my grandfather and one of his children, which took place in Michigan and had to be around 1953-1954 (due to the sensitive nature of this story I do not feel it is appropriate to post it publicly, and people relevant are still living as well). In 1957, my grandfather was living in Michigan, at 233 W. Michigan Ave. in an unknown city, but possibly Battle Creek (the newspaper that mentioned this was the Battle Creek Enquirer). In 1959, he had a daughter born in Newark, Ohio, and in 1960, a daughter in Centreville, Michigan. In 1964 his fourth daughter with his wife Betty was born in Kalamazoo. My grandmother remembers that when she was dating him, he was working three jobs in Paw Paw and probably living in Kalamazoo, going through his divorce with his wife. In 1966, my father was born in St Joseph, and he died a year later at a veteran's hospital in North Carolina. My paternal grandfather, like his parents, rode the hillbilly highway, up from West Virginia into Michigan sometime in the early 1950s. 

Many people with Appalachian ancestry and family ties seem ashamed of this fact. I have no reason to be. My ancestry has so many facets to it, and my Appalachian heritage is a source of pride, as I come from poor, illiterate miners and laborers in West Virginia, to what I am today. These people were not any less then the New England Puritans, Brussels Catholics, or Dutch Reformed Painters and Tailors on my mother's side. They were Appalachians, poor mountain folk of family and pride, and I am proud of my great-grandparents and my grandfather for riding the hillbilly highway and bringing their culture and values with them, and giving me a chance at life here in Michigan. To family! To Appalachia! 

Remembering those who rode the Hillbilly Highway, commemorated by Steve Earle's song

Allied Families: The Aiuppy/Glorioso family in the 1920 Census

My great-aunt Sandy is married to a man named Anthony Aiuppy, who is of half Sicilian descent. Out of interest in the genealogy of my relatives, I have researched the Aiuppy family and established their Italian origin as Lascari, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. Anthony is the grandson of Sicilian immigrants on his father's side, Henry Aiuppy and Frances Glorioso. In 1920, this couple was married, and living with the in-laws. Let's take a look at the 1920 Census and see what we can learn about this family, broken down by each family member. The household consists of six individuals, and is residing in Ward 33 of Chicago, Illinois. 

• Vincent Glorioso, Head of Household: This is France's father, so this is Anthony's great-grandfather and Henry Aiuppy's father-in-law. He is listed as being 64 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1886, with parents born in Italy. His native language is Italian and he is unable to speak English. He is an unemployed laborer, renting his home. He is an alien, and is unable to write. 
• Sadie Glorioso, Wife of Vincent: This is the wife of Vincent and father of Frances, so Anthony's great-grandmother and Henry Aiuppy's mother-in-law. She is listed as being 60 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1907, with parents born in Italy. Her native language is Italian and she is unable to speak English. She works as a Finisher for a Tailor Shop. She is an alien, and is unable to write. 
• Henry Aruppy, Son-in-law of Vincent: This is the husband of Frances and Vincent's son-in-law, so Anthony's paternal grandfather. He is listed as being 24 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1912, with parents born in Italy. His native language is Italian, but he is also able to speak English. He is a laborer for a truck company. He is naturalized, and can read and write. 
• Francis Aruppy, Daughter of Vincent: This is the wife of Henry Aiuppy, and Vincent's daughter, so Anthony's paternal grandmother. She is listed as being 19 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1907, with her parents of course being born in Italy. Her native language is Italian, but she is also able to speak English. She does not work. She is naturalized, and can read and write. 
• Stephen Nicolosi, Son-in-law of Vincent: This is the husband of Mary, one of France's sisters, so Henry's brother-in-law and Vincent's son-in-law. He is listed as being 28 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1913, with parents born in Italy. His native language is Italian, but he is also able to speak English. He is a laborer for a can company. He is in the process of naturalization, as he lists that his papers were submitted. He is able to read and write. 
• Mary Nicolosi, Daughter of Vincent: This is the wife of Stephen Nicolosi, and France's younger sister, so Henry Aiuppy's sister-in-law. She is listed as being 18 years old, born in Italy, and immigrated in 1907, with her parents of course being born in Italy. Her native language is Italian, but she is also able to speak English. She does not work. She is an alien, and can read and write. 

So, what observations can we draw from the 1920 Census for this family? First, the household is entirely comprised of Italian immigrants. All six individuals were born in Italy, specifically, on the island of Sicily. Everybody in the family immigrated after the completion of the Risorgimento, or Italian unification, when Italian emigration skyrocketed. Prior to Italian unification, Sicily was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and Vincent would have been born when Sicily was still under that Kingdom. Like most Italian Americans, the Glorioso/Aiuppy/Nicolosi family was comprised of immigrants from the Mezzogiorno, or the more rural, impoverished south of the Italian peninsula, in contrast to the more urban and high cultured north, birthplace of the Renaissance. 

Everybody in the family can speak Italian, and as every member of the household was originally from Italy, it was of course their first language, and as Vincent and Sadie only spoke Italian, it was almost certainly the language of home life. Their daughters and son-in-laws, however, could speak English, which was a necessity for life in their new country. As the family grew and the daughters had children, these children almost certainly were not raised speaking fluent Italian, which was the death of the language in the family. They may have known some basic Italian, but not enough to survive back in Sicily. This is common in immigrant families, the language does not survive past a few generations. Even in my own family, this is evident. The Dutch language died out with the grandchildren of the original immigrants in my family. As the children all could speak English, they probably would translate for Vincent and Sadie if necessary. 

The employment situation for the family seems consistent with an extended Italian American immigrant family in that time. Vincent, the elderly head of household, does not work, but Sadie, his elderly wife, works in a Tailor Shop as a Finisher. As her job was related to clothing, this was probably a side job she took on. I wonder if she made clothes for the family. The two daughters of the household do not work, and likely didn't go to school either, so I wonder what they did all day, besides probably helping their mother around the house when she was home, and possibly taking care of their elderly father when their mom was at work. Meanwhile, Vincent's son-in-laws were both laborers, Henry Aiuppy for a truck company and Stephen Nicolosi for a can company. Both were young Italian immigrant men, likely with very little education, and manual labor jobs were the normal source of employment. Their listed occupations make me wonder if Henry drove trucks, or if Stephen collected or made cans, for example. 

One confusing thing about this family are the years of immigration, specifically within the Glorioso family. According to the Census, Vincent immigrated in 1886, while Sadie and the girls came in 1907. The two sons-in-law, Henry Aiuppy and Stephen Nicolosi, immigrated after the Glorioso family, in 1912 and 1913 respectively. I wonder why Vincent's immigration year is wildly different from Sadie and his daughters. Some possible reasons come to mind. Maybe he just lied on the Census. Maybe he came first, and later sent for his wife and daughters. This suggestion, however, is less likely because his daughters were conceived after 1886, and I don't know how a poor Italian immigrant like Vincent would've been able to afford several round trips to Sicily and back. Maybe he immigrated once in 1886, but then returned to Sicily and came back in 1907. Who knows for sure- the truth may never be known. As a side note, every individual in this family came to America during the major wave of Italian immigration to Chicago: "Most Chicago Italians, however, trace their ancestry to the wave of unskilled southern immigrants who came to the United States between 1880 and 1914". 

In researching this Census record, I've begun to take a strong interest in this family. I wonder how much Italian and Sicilian culture played a role in the extended Glorioso family. Chicago had a vibrant Italian immigrant community, and was the city of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the famous Italian American Catholic Saint. I wonder if the family frequented Italian groceries, or followed events in Italy, for example. The true life of the family is unknown now, but the descendants of this family have a proud origin! 

For anyone further interested in exploring the Italian American community in Chicago, this link to the article "Chicago's Italians: Immigrants, Ethnics, Achievers, 1850-1985" may be of some interest: https://www.lib.niu.edu/1999/iht629936.html