Italians in Haverhill

Italian immigrants became permanent residents of Haverhill in the 1870s. The original Genoese first drew their relatives and friends from their home area to join them. Over the next few decades, they were joined by families from the central province of Abruzzi and from the towns and villages around Naples. Immigrants from parts of southern Italy, such as Calabria and Apulia and Sicily, settled here. All of the Italians, whether northern or southern, brought with them their culture, their vitality, their love of music, and their close family ties. Using over two hundred thirty vintage photographs, Italians in Haverhill takes a photographic walk through the exciting history of these immigrants. The images bring back to life representatives of more than two hundred families, whose descendants still live in the area. Here are the fruit sellers and shoe workers, the mothers and their children, the ball players and the musicians, the lawyers and doctors, and the bankers and civic leaders who make up the rich heritage of this important ethnic group.