Kyle Indingaro UWRT 1101-013
Out of Our Trees Family Inquiry & Ethnography
Ever since I could remember my father has claimed that (along with my sister) we are the only remaining Indingaro’s left on this Earth. It was not until about 2 years ago that I discovered many other people with the same last name as my own. Not only did they have the same last name, but they were also from the same New England area that my dad was from. Whether it was because he grew apart from his own family, or simply did not know about his family, my father never informed my sister and me about the Indingaro family. It was always my mother’s side of the family that would send the Christmas cards or hold the family reunions, so I wanted to research my father’s side of the story. Why was he so uninformed about his family? Was he embarrassed, or did he just not get along with them? I had so many questions in the back of my head that needed answering. Maybe with these questions answered, I can begin to understand the stories behind my name.
Growing up, I could tell my father did not have the same “family love” that my mother grew up with. My dad, an uneducated car mechanic, grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in Arlington, Massachusetts where you could often times catch him bending, or even breaking a law or two. He never experienced the tough life of a low-income child, however, the wealthy life never appealed to him. His father (my grandfather) would dress my dad up almost every day in the best suits money could buy, and even though my father did not agree with the attire, my grandfather would not hear of any desires to remove the expensive clothing. Going out to eat day-in and day-out never appealed to my father. My grandparents were certainly upper-middle class folks who loved showing off, however, my father was the complete opposite. A simple man who had an act for ignoring the desires of his parents. In his high school days, my father quickly grew further and further from his parents. Drinking and causing chaos became a normal routine for him. With continues chaotic behavior, my father never received my grandfather’s approval. With one final hope for success, my grandparents sent my father to a technical college (Mass Bay Community College) where they hoped he would get back on his feet. After struggling to receive his associate’s degree in business, my father decided to open up an auto repair shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he could get away from his original job at his dad’s shop. After years of no communication with his parents, my dad experienced the harsh reality of death in the family. Both my grandparents fell short to fighting colon and lung cancer. I never really hear stories about my grandparents. My dad has always kept quiet about the two of them. Maybe because he regrets the lost years he could have had with them, or maybe he still has harsh feelings towards them. I want to research the Indingaro name and understand where it is my grandfather came from. Maybe then I can understand the relationship between my father and grandfather.
To begin my journey into the Indingaro name, I thought I would start with my grandfather who I have always known nothing about. When I try to ask my dad about him, he quickly finds a way to change the subject, showing little desire to talk about the only man who raised him. The only information I ever received about my grandfather is that he was a “classy, sophisticated man” in the eyes of my mother. A man with dignity and respect. I began to research when and where he was born. It turns out, he was the yougest of 5 children to a couple named Charles and Isabella Indingaro. Growing up in East Boston, my grandfather had a tough upbringing with little money. The family seemed to struggle with money. I figured this due to the fact that none of the 6 children ever had an education past their high school days. From a wedding certificate I found online, I discovered that my grandfather married my grandmother at the young of age of 20 while my grandmother was only 19. With little education, my grandfather developed a love for cars and began working as a mechanic. I’m guessing he worked somewhere in the area around East Boston where he was living at the time. The youngest of the five siblings, my grandfather initially struggled to make ends meet within the family until he was able to open his own shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From past city records, I discovered that he must have opened this shop somewhere around 1956. Descriptions of city businesses show his “Cambridge Auto Alignment” on record in 1956 at the earliest time. No earlier records of his shop were found. Understanding that my grandfather was a man of expensive taste, I’m expecting that it was when he opened his shop that he began to experience a change in income. My father, born in 1958, always remembered his family with money, so it makes sense that his family became wealthier with the opening of my grandfather’s shop. From Italian decent, my grandfather was one of the first American-born Indingaro’s to succeed with the “American Dream.”
My grandfather never would have become so successful if his father hadn’t made the move over to the states. Making the journey to America gave my great grandfather the realization that America was a home for immigrants trying to make a new start in life. Born in 1875, my great grandfather, Charles Indingaro grew up in Napolis, Italy. Never knowing who his grandfather was, my father had no information for me to jolt-start my research. After reviewing documents on Edmund Indingaro, I discovered details on his father, Charles Indingaro. Charles was the first Indingaro to make it to America. The sole reason that the name Indingaro lives in America is all thanks to this man. In 1894, Charles came over to America and settled in Massachusetts at 118 Maverick St. in East Boston. A barber at the time, I can make the assumption that Charles was like any other immigrant, new to the culture and simply trying to find a way to adjust to his new surroundings. I am certain that Charles had to learn English and assimilate to the American people. His first big life event (to my knowledge) in America was his marriage to an English woman by the name of Isabella Anderson in 1899. By this time, Charles must have learned English to some extent in order to marry an English woman. With a job and a new wife, Charles was beginning to develop into a true American working man. By the time World War I began, Charles fell victim to the draft. On his draft card, Charles’ description had him as “tall with a stout build.” It also had him marked as a “naturalized citizen.” He had become part of the American culture and was now an American citizen somewhere between 1917 and 1918 (the years the U.S. was involved in WWI). It is weird to think that my great grandfather was part of the generation that shaped America. The generation of immigrants that came over and made this country into what it is today. I understand the journey to a new country is not easy, especially when you have to adapt to new cultures and new languages. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude towards this man for making that incredible trek.
It is weird to know so little about my family name then all of a sudden begin to understand how I came to be. How my name was developed in this country and how difficult it probably was for my great grandfather to make the trip to America. You hear stories in 8th grade history class about the journeys of various immigrants and the challenges they faced when arriving to the states. To think my great grandfather was able to venture so far for a new start and a new life is something far beyond courageous. To know now that I have a solid foundation on how my name came to be is important to not only myself, but to future generations who can learn from the information I have gathered. It is important to know where you come from, for it reveals a deeper part of yourself. I have been blessed in life to have an amazing family, with an amazing education, in a country that I love. I can’t help but be grateful for the past generations for making the journey to this amazing place. I understand it wasn’t an easy decision, but for me and future Indingaro’s, it has made an immense difference in life. I don’t know if I will ever understand every detail behind my family’s name, but at least I now have an idea of where we came from.
Works Cited
"All Results for Charles Indingaro." Charles Indingaro. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/sse.dll?new=1&gsfn=Charles+&gsln=Indingaro&gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&gss=sfs63_>.
"Marriage Records for Charles Indingaro." Charles Indingaro. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.peoplefinders.com/marriage-records/charles+indingaro>.
"Charles Indingaro in the 1940 Census." Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/Massachusetts/Charles-Indingaro_38cl3t>.
"Indingaro's Inc." Bizapedia. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizapedia.com%2Fma%2FINDINGAROS-INC.html>.
