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| Maria Rosa Mastroianni |
This is my great-grandmother, Nonon, circa mid-1950s. She was my grandfather's mother (thus, my mother's grandmother) and lived with her son and his family from the day my grandparents got married. That was just the way they did things in those days. She helped a lot with the kids, who totaled eleven when all was said and done, but I don't think she was too crazy about her great-grandchildren.
When my dear friend John LaRose saw this picture on facebook, he said "I wouldn't mess with this woman." I was amazed that he picked up on it so quickly, but he's right. She ruled with an iron fist...and a sewing needle!
We were a gang of cousins, close in age and rambunctious (as children can be) so whenever she had enough of us, she'd stick us with her omnipresent sewing needle (she was always sewing something) and that slowed us down good. Her nickname became 'Pinch Grandma' because of that.
She was also fiercely independent, extremely old-school Italian, never liked it here in 'Amer-i-cah' and refused to ever learn English even though she lived to the ripe old age of 88. But BOY, did she know how to get around both New York City AND upstate New York, where she had 'paisans.'
One time, Grandpa bought a radio for the whole family to enjoy. She was absolutely livid with her son for "wasting money" and took off for an entire week, never letting anyone know where she was until she decided to return from Syracuse, NY!
She was also very mysterious. I have researched the Ellis Island records top to bottom, inside out, multiple times and I cannot find a trace of her or her son (still a boy at the time) who arrived here around 1900. When I checked the 1930 census, every single member of the family was listed EXCEPT you-know-who. I guess she just didn't trust the government knowing anything that was 'none of their beeza-neese.'
She outlived both her son and daughter-in-law, and passed away in 1958.
As John LaRose said, I'm sure, wherever she may be, ain't nobody messing with this woman!
