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     Mr. and Mrs. Sartor:  Oral History Transcript Summary

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February 19, 1984: interview with Antonio and Luigia (nee Alloro) Sartor in which they describe their life in Italy, how they met in Canada, and their life and work in their adopted country.
Antonio Sartor.  Photo courtesy of Il Congresso.
Antonio Sartor:

Life in Italy

  • Antonio was born in the province of Udine, now province of Pordenone in 1898.
     
  • it was a big family: 8 brothers and 8 sisters, following the deaths of few of them, alive remained 6 sisters and 5 brothers.
     
  • his father was a miller, but raised animals to feed the family.  Antonio remembers with affection when they would kill a pig to make salami and sausages.  They were raising silkworms, a very difficult but interesting process.
     
  • his mother went to school to become a teacher, but once married left the school to look after her family.
  • attended school up to grade 3, but had to go back when he decided to emigrate for Canada.

Emigration

  • he was only 15 years old when he decided to emigrate for Canada but the authorities did not want to give him a permit to leave.
     
  • two brothers were already in Canada, working as miners in the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta.
     
  • his trip was long and unforgettable.  He left his village in 1914 and arrived at his destination after a 22 day trip.  He left his village, crossed Switzerland and France, arrived in Liverpool where he took a ship to cross the Atlantic. He arrived in Maine, United States and took a train for Quebec.  Once in Montreal, he took another train, via Spokane, to finally reach Crowsnest Pass.
     
  • his brothers had already given him information about Canada, so his expectations were not high.  The village was small, their homes were "shacks" with no running water.

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