The Rosemary's Family

Rosemary's Family


Rosemary Periconi, 1959	Married 2 August 1936	Joseph F. Periconi, 1959

This is pretty close to the story of the 'girl next door'. Actually it is the story of the girl across the street and a 'pencil sharpener'. I will get back to the pencil sharperner a little later on. It is hoped that this presentation will give the essence of this couple and how they effected the lives of those they came in contact with, starting with but not limited to their four children. As with Ross and Mary Scovotti, this material is intended to give those who have just arrived, like Mattea Rosalie, who was born on the 9th of November 2001, a chance to get to know her great grandfather, who is no longer with us, and to supplement some information about her great grandmother.

The history of Joe and Rose, as they have always been called by friends and relatives, is not an easy one to tell. They both came from hard working Italian immigrant parents, who had very little. They lived through a depression and a war. They lived through a time in this countries medical history that a goodly percentage of children would not live past childhood because of illnesses that today have been eliminated. The concept of education was even primative and was intended for the male population. There existed at that time the theory that women were to stay at home to be homemakers and therefore didn't need an education. I guess Rose never heard that story!

Italian families believed in family taking care of family. Though the concept shouldn't seem foreign to anyone, it isn't practiced to a big degree today. Scrouge, in A Christmas Carol, said when visited by one of the spirits of Christmas past,aren't there anymore work houses......... this was a question he presented when asked for a donation to help the poor during a Christmas season. Today, it seems, we say aren't there any more 'attended living places' for those in the family that can't take care of themselves! During the early part of the 20th century this wouldn't be accepable. If you read Mary Scovotti's autobiographical sketch, you might have remembered that Mary took in her siblings, after she herself was married and had started her own family. Mary had five children that lived passed childhood, and she was the oldest of ten. According to my figuring, there could have been 14 children and two adults under her roof at any one time. I am not saying this condition existed for a many years, but I am sure there were many nights where the roof covered all 16. There was food and love to go around, but I am sure not much else.

There aren't many pictures of Joe and Rose until their late teen and early twenties. The following two pictures, taken by their respective families, showing the two of them preparing for their first communion.


Joseph's First Communion.	Rosemary's First Communion.

Getting back to the courtship. At one time they both worked at the same company before getting serious. They also lived across the street from each other at this time in their lives. Remember the pencil sharpner! Joe had some need to sharpen his pencils. Knowing there was a good pencil sharpner across the street, at Rose's house, Joe started asking permission of Ross to sharpen his pencils at his house. Well I am sure there is more to this story, but I think you get the idea. When the relationship was getting more serious, Rose insisted that Joe continue his education. She believed very strongly in education. In time, Joseph Periconi received his law degree.