By The Numbers
Center of Immigration Research. Italians to America Files, Manifest Header Data File. Washington DC: 1901.
This file details the number of Italian immigrants that came to the United States prior to the massive surge at the turn of the century. The file mentions that there were 845,000 immigrants reported and 99% were Italian. The files are explicitly from 1855 to 1900 and stick to the eastern border of the United Sates. The file gives a good sense of Italian presence that the United Sates developed prior to the turn of the century. You could also imagine how a United Sates citizen could feel about the rush of Italian immigrants that engulfed much of the eastern United States. This file is important because it gives a number as to how many Italian immigrants were enter the United States prior to the 1900s. The New York Times followed those Italian immigrants who became farmers and sharing where they settled down. They could be found anywhere from Texas to Connecticut (“Making American Farmers of Italian Immigrants: Successful Experiments in Building Up Colonies to Till the Soil, Though States Give Insufficient Encouragement.”).
