Review by Choice Review
The main use of this brief work is to identify persons in 17th- and 18th-century Virginia who were immigrants directly from Italy or of Italian extraction. Weaver cites difficulties in identification of names ending in ``gni'' (also a Gaelic genetive), and those that were variants of French, Portuguese, and Spanish names. Many of the Italian immigrants had lived in England, and arrived in Virginia as artisans, convicts or indentured servants. Because so many of the immigrants were already anglicized, there was little Italian cultural imprint upon Virginia society, although in the late Colonial period there appeared an Italian awareness through commerce, the Grand Tour, and study of art. Leading Italian-descent families are briefly discussed. Although it does not go much beyond simply listing names, this pamphlet has some commentary on varied topics such as naturalization, occupations, and the ``melting pot'' process. It defines an important and a neglected component of Virginia's ``Old Immigration,'' and thus is a good starting point for students searching out early American ethnic roots.-H.M. Ward, University of Richmond
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
