After arriving in New York, the family endured the long journey to Texas. But why Texas? So many people with the surname Bova from Italy settled in the northern states, especially New York and Pennsylvania. It is my belief that another relative, perhaps Vincenzo's brother-in-law Ciro Bellina was already there. We may never know for sure. We do know that Vincenzo and his family found their way to Waco¹, Texas, most likely by train or by ship via Galveston. They settled in an apartment on sixth street, not far from Saint Frances Catholic Church. Salvadora was expecting her sixth child in the fall. Which means that my grand father, Joseph Paul Bova, was the first of their children to be born in America on October 13, 1890. Two years and eight months later their seventh child, Michael Angelo, was born June 8, 1893.

Although Joseph's father Vince, as he was now known, was a mason by trade, he took whatever work he could find. Vince found work as a laborer for the city of Waco. Great-grandmother Dora kept house for her family of nine. The two girls, Anna and Francesca, were seven and three years old when they arrived in Waco. We have no record of these young women after 1910. At that time Anna was 26 and Francesca 22.

The years in Waco were tough times. After the family arrived in Texas with almost nothing, the boys helped to support the family as soon as they could. The eldest son, Leonardo "Ben," was 13, Charles was 10, and Salvatore was five that March of 1890. Leonardo worked as a barber for J.L. McNeley company at least for a time, until his death from the fever on October 16, 1898 at age 21. Salvatore worked as a peddler in 1896 at age twelve. He continued to help support the family until his death at age 19 on September 27, 1904. ² Both Leonardo and Salvatore are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Waco.

Charles Rosolino, at age 12, worked as a shoemaker at the A. Milazzo Company, but he went to work for Nicosia, Rovello & Company the next year. Charles became a barber in his later teen years. While working as a barber, Charles met and courted Woodie Martin. He and Woodie were married in about 1909. Their only child, Vincent, was born on April 11, 1911. Charlie moved his family to Houston in 1912 and found work as a barber. Charles stayed in Houston until the end of 1919 or early 1920 when he moved to Dallas, Texas, where his son Vincent grew up and had his own family.

Great-grandfather Vince and great-grandmother Salvadora had more tragedy strike the family. On July 30, 1900, when Salvadora was 43 years old, she had a still born child. Her son Charlie made the funeral arrangements³. My grandfather, Joseph, was then nine years old.

Sometime during 1904 at the age of 13, Joseph became apprenticed as a harness maker. By 1907 he was working as an apprentice harness maker at the Tom Padgett Company⁴ at 421-427 Franklin Street, Waco, Texas. The family had moved from the rent house on North 6th to a house on Robinsonville Road. It was there that his mother, Salvadora Bellina, died on May 3, 1907 at age 50. She is buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Waco. At the time of his wife's death, Vince and his family had been in Waco 17 years.

Vince's brother Salvatore "Sam" Bova and family and his sister Maria Grazia Bova and her husband Vincenzo Battaglia had already settled in Houston. After four deaths in the family in less than ten years, Vince decided to move to Houston in 1909 with two of his children, Joseph and Michael.⁵ Vince was working as a gardener residing on the west side of Houston Ave 6 blocks north of Norwood. His sons were living with him. According to the index of Texas deaths, he died in Harris County Jan 6, 1911. He was 60 years old.

Chapter Notes

1. United States Census for the year 1900, Waco Texas, District 71, page 19.

2. Fall & Puckett Funeral Records, September 26, 1904.

3. Fall & Puckett Funeral Records, July 30, 1900.

4. City Directory, Waco Texas, 1907-1908, page 69.

5. Houston City Directory 1908-1909.