Six Historical Letters from the Cozza Family Archives (1916 - 1935)

In late 2023, after the passing of Mary E. Cavallo, a remarkable collection of handwritten family letters came to light. They were passed to Susan Cavallo Saunders, who carefully preserved them. We believe Mary E. had received them from her mother Sarah (Serafina Cozza) Cavallo, who in turn inherited them from her parents, Giovanni and Anna Felice Curcio Cozza.

On December 8, 2023, cousins Paul Cozza, Dan Cozza, and Mark Holzbach attended Mary E. Cavallo’s memorial service in Williamsburg, Virginia. There, we had the chance to get to know our second cousins Patricia “Tricia” Cavallo Young, Pamela Cavallo Carr, and Susan Cavallo Saunders. We were also very fortunate to spend time with their parents, Mike (aka Mickey) and Mary W. Cavallo.

Looking back, this was a special family moment — Mary W. Cavallo later passed away on April 13, 2024, and Mike is currently receiving skilled care. We were lucky to all be together as family members at that time, and to share a visit afterward at a wonderful Italian restaurant following the memorial.

It was during this gathering that Susan told me about these letters, and how she had saved them from oblivion. As an art teacher, she was struck by the beauty and uniqueness of the handwriting, and she held onto them for that reason. Later she generously texted me images of the letters, which you can now see excerpted on this page.

At first I was a bit stuck trying to find help with the arduous task of transcribing and translating the letters from Italian into English — but with persistence and some assistance from ChatGPT, the day was saved!

Thanks to Susan’s care, these letters — some over a century old — have been preserved for all of us. They are not only visually beautiful, but they give us an intimate, personal insight into the lives of our ancestors across the ocean.

Sending love to you all (from Tokyo)!!

Check out these historical letters (just click on them)!

(Note: I have also begun sharing these scans and translations on Ancestry.com, tagging them on our individual ancestor’s gallery pages on the Cozza family tree. Click on a person’s name below to be taken to their ancestry.com page. If you haven’t yet already done so, you’ll need to register for a free “Registered Guest” Ancestry.com account first.)

– 1916, Brooklyn (Nunziata Cozza) – Sorrow over the death of sister Lucia’s daughter Serafina after only three weeks of life. Family illnesses and operations are described, along with words of faith and patience.

– 1917, Reggio (Giuseppe Curcio) – After many silent years, he reestablishes contact with sister Anna in Chicago through Sister Maria (a nun), asking for photographs and promising to send his, eager to reconnect.

– 1918, Pia La Porta (Giuseppe Curcio) – News of his infant son Genzio, six months old, with a photo enclosed. Warm greetings are sent from him and his wife to his sister Anna and her husband Giovanni in Chicago.

– 1924, Brooklyn (Serafina Cozza) – A note to her father reporting safe arrival in New York by train, describing the heat of the journey, and explaining that what was meant to be a short stay would extend to two months.

– 1924, Brooklyn (Maria Curcio & Vito Fasolbella, with Nicola De Masi) – A long letter to her sister Anna in Chicago containing family updates, urging monthly Italian letters, sharing greetings from many relatives, and closing with love. Nicola adds his own affectionate message.

– 1935, Chicago (Giovanni Cozza) – Written after news of family deaths. Giovanni offers consolation rooted in Christian faith, reports that most are well though Serafina’s husband is ill, and sends long lists of greetings from relatives.

On ancestry.com, you can explore the whole work-in-progress family tree that I am maintaining at the following web page: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/171268341

NOTE: For privacy, by default only the deceased are visible (to request access to view the living too, please email me at mholzbach@alum.mit.edu)

Join Us in Italy: Southern Italy Cultural Discovery, Summer 2026

For those interested in Italian culture and heritage, Tiny World Tours is organizing another Southern Italy Cultural Discovery Tour from 21-29 July 2026, created to coincide with the unique and extraordinary start of the Madonna della Neve festival in our ancestral village of Sanza (at the top of nearby Mt Cervati at dawn!)…you can choose to hike up the mountain before sunrise along with the Madonna or you can choose to have me arrange transport for you.

This one-of-a-kind journey will immerse us in the traditions, food, art, and landscapes of Southern Italy — culminating in the living history of the festival that has bound the Cozza family’s community together for centuries. NOTE: This tour will be open to anyone interested in unique cultural experiences. Being a Cozza family member is not required.

We will make our tour’s “go / no-go” decision on December 31, 2025 based on whether or not we have reached our minimum of 6 participants by that date. If you’re interested, now is the time to reserve your spot with a fully refundable $100 per person deposit.