Chapter 1: The Italian-American Tailors’ Legacy
- Anthony Carbone
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 6
BELIEVE NOTHING YOU HEAR, AND ONLY HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE — A Memoir of Service, Shame, and the Search for Truth
Both Grandfather’s Emegrated From Italy
Both of my grandfathers came to America at the turn of the 20th century, part of the great wave of Italian immigrants who left their homeland in search of a better life. What they lacked in money, they made up for in skill and determination. Remarkably, they shared the same trade: both were tailors — men who stitched suits with care, who worked with their hands, and who built their lives one hemline at a time.
Paternal Grandfather: Antonio Benjamino Carbone
My paternal grandfather, Antonio Benjamino Carbone, was born near Rome, Italy on January 8, 1899. His father was Giuseppe Carbone and his mother was Lucia Montemurro. He sailed from southern Italy and landed in New York City after passing through Ellis Island. He originally settled in the Jamaica Queens, a borough of New York City overflowing with dreams and the pungent smell of coal smoke and tenement kitchens.
The Carbone Family Coat of Arms & Notables
Carbone Family Genealogy
In the 1960s, my grandfather, Papa Carbone, commissioned a genealogist in Italy to trace the Carbone family history. I find this fascinating, because it was decades before the invention of the Internet. This genealogist had to travel from town to town, office to office, archive to archive, piecing together the Carbone lineage. He discovered something extraordinary: the Carbone name traces back to 500 BC.
The geneologist recorded his findings in a leather-bound book, hand-typed in both English and Italian. He begins the book with the story of Gneo Papirio Carbone, a tribune of the common people in 92 BC. Historical records state that in 87 BC, he actively led one of four army corps in Marius and Cinna’s army.
The book goes on to describe tribunes, legionnaires, consuls, and soldiers; at least three Catholic cardinals; 14 barons; two marquises; multitude of authors; poet laureates; artists; even the baker for King Louis. One Carbone reportedly married Mary of England, King Henry VIII’s daughter. The family erected monuments in the Duomo of Naples, Sorrento, Rome, and other locations where they held noble privileges, including Capua, Reggio Messina, and Genoa.
Maternal Grandfather: Giovanni di Domenico Pietrantoni
My maternal grandfather, Giovanni di Domenico Pietrantoni was born on 13 February 1893, in Goriano Sicoli, L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy. His father, Domenico Pietrantonio, was 27 and his mother, Annantonia Ciccone, was 25. He emmigrated to Boston, Massachusetts via Ellis Island in 1921, and eventually settled on Hanover Street in the Italian North End of Boston.
Both Families Emigrate to America
Their journeys were treacherous. They traveled by steerage, crammed into the lower decks of steamships — dark, foul-smelling, and disease-ridden compartments. They told stories of passengers who didn’t survive the voyage, of children lost to fever and old men who never made it above deck again. But for those who did survive, there was the unforgettable sight of Lady Liberty, rising out of the harbor like a promise.
Arrival at Ellis Island & Evaluation by Public Health Officers
At Ellis Island, their fates were further altered — not just by medical inspections and customs agents, but by the careless swipe of a pen. Immigrants were separated — men to one side, women and children to the other — and examined for any sign of disease. Then came the interviews. Names were lost in translation.
New American Names
My grandfather Antonio Benjamino Carbone became Anthony Benjamin Carbone. Giovanni di Domenico Pietrantoni was simplified to John Pietrantoni. Their rich, lyrical names — each syllable a tribute to family, region, and history — flattened into something more “American.” But they didn’t complain. They were simply grateful to begin again.
Marriage of Nana & Papa Carbone
In 1922, Papa Carbone married Michelina Annarella, whose name was later changed to Margaret — though everyone called her “Maggie.” Her father was Francesco Annarella and her mother was Theresa Patriarca. Nana Carbone was a second-generation Italian-American born in Kings County, New York. Interestingly, the two Carbone brothers married two Annarella sisters. My Carbone grandparents had 3 daughters and 2 sons.
Wedding of Nana & Papa Pietrantoni
Papa Pietrantoni married Giovanna Ranno, who was called “Jenny,” in the North End of Boston on January 16, 1926, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. They were both first-generation Americans and they were the parents of 4 sons and 5 daughters.
I find it fascinating that although both grandfathers arrived in America with the same skill — tailoring — however, their destinies unfolded in dramatically different ways.
Papa Carbone the Tailor
My father’s father rose to great success. He became a sought-after designer, crafting uniforms for the U.S. military and bespoke suits for celebrities like Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra and the Mayor of New York. Their home reflected that prosperity — a large house staffed by servants, a rarity for immigrant families of that era. My grandfather loved driving new Buicks and spending summers at Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island.
Death of the First Carbone Son Followed by Birth of my Father
Tragedy struck when their first son, Anthony Benjamin Carbone Jr., died in early childhood. So when my father was born on May 2, 1935, they named him Anthony Joseph Carbone. To ensure his survival, he was tended to by both a nurse and a wet-nurse, a testament to the lingering fear of loss and the privilege the family could afford by then.
Papa Pietrantoni the Tailor
In stark contrast, my maternal grandfather, Giovanni Pietrantoni, also a classy gentleman tailor, lived a life of hardship. He raised ten children in a crowded tenement apartment at 4 Battery Street in Boston’s North End, the heartbeat of the city’s Italian-American community. Several of my grandmother’s relativeslived with them — multiple families under one leaky roof, scraping together a life one stitch, one meal, one paycheck at a time.
The contrast between the two households — one of elegance and status, the other of noise, love, and survival — would shape the family stories I heard growing up, and eventually, shape me.
