Special Collections at Seton Hall University

Ace Alagna was a photographer, editor and publisher of the Italian Tribune, and prominent member of the Italian American community in Newark, NJ. The Ace Alagna photographs consist of photographic negatives, prints, videos, and layout sheets from Ace Alagna's career as a photographer and as editor and owner of the newspaper the Italian Tribune.
40 linear feet, approximately 40,000 items.

Alphonse Cartusciello collection on Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1848 - 2008, MSS 0084
This is a vast collection of mostly photocopied newspaper and magazine articles, poems, and images, gathered over more than a decade by Alphonse Cartusciello. As an initial guide Mr. Cartusciello appears to have used Campanella’s 2-volume Garibaldi bibliography. (There is a copy currently in SHU’s Valente Collection, donated several years ago by writer Anthony Valerio). What Mr. Cartusciello did was to make copies of the full texts that were only cited by Campanella. Along the way he seems to have made many discoveries of his own.
16.25 linear feet

The Diocese of Newark was created in 1853 and was elevated to an Archdiocese in 1937. The Chancery Office required parish priests to submit yearly reports reflecting the financial and spiritual condition of their churches. The Diocese of Newark Church reports include the annual reports of parish priests to the Chancery Office from 1843-1925, which themselves include information on population and sacramental statistics.
20.0 Linear feet, Approximately 6,000 items.

The Archdiocese of Newark has 221 parishes. The Archdiocese of Newark Parish records include correspondence, parish histories, parish reports, brochures, and other materials documenting the activities of the parishes and their parishioners. Parishes that have closed have also sent their sacramental records to the Archives. For more information on sacramental records, please see our homepage. Types of records vary across parishes, and there is material from parishes outside the Archdiocese, as well.
Approximately 100 linear feet.

Cavaliere Angelo and Maria Bio collection, 1961-1968, MSS 0111
This collection contains materials relating to the Center of Italian Culture at Seton Hall University. Included are ephemera and programs from various events held by the Center of Italian Culture, as well as two issues of "Itala Gente" a magazine published by the Center of Italian Culture. The collection also contains one 8mm film documenting the Center’s celebration for the centennial of the unification of Italy.
0.125 linear feet

Fuligni family correspondence collection, 1937-1948, MSS 0100
The Fuligni family correspondence collection contains correspondence between members of the Fuligni family living in Rome and Rutherford, NJ, letters from United States military relations, and an assortment of greeting cards. Dating from 1937 to 1948, the collection documents the mood in Italy in the time just prior to World War II as well as the hardships endured by Italian immigrants striving to begin new lives in the United States.
0.21 linear feet

The Milano Lardiere family immigrated to New Jersey from Itlay in the late 19th or early 20th century. The family lived in Belleville, N.J. Angelina, Filomena, and Josephine Lardiere were sisters born in the early 20th century. The Milano Lardiere family photographs primarily consists of snapshots and photographs of members of the Lardiere family, as well as photographs of the Milano family, landscapes and scenery, and some objects belonging to Angelina Lardiere.

Orange/West Orange UNICO Chapter scrapbook collection, 1962-2018, MSS 0126
This collection primarily contains scrapbooks documenting the West Orange/Orange Chapter of UNICO National. These scrapbooks served as yearly summaries of activities and feature photos and descriptions of events and some meetings. Some loose photographs, certificates, and event programs from the late 1960s and 70s are included as well.
4 linear feet

Order Sons of Italy in America, Umberto Primo Lodge No. 750 (Susquehanna, PA) collection, 1917-1981, MSS 0088
The Order Sons of Italy in America, Umberto Primo Lodge No. 750 (Susquehanna, PA) collection documents the history and activities of the Umberto Primo Lodge of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. This collection dates from 1917 to 1981 and mostly comprises financial records and reports, membership records, and meeting minutes. The collection also contains a small assortment of artifacts and officer regalia.
4.1 linear feet

Giovanni Pinto papers, 1962-2008, MSS 0123
The papers of Giovanni Pinto, a journalist, teacher, and advocate for Italian-American communities in New Jersey. The bulk of the materials pertain to work on his newspaper, L’Italico, including subject files, photographs, and paste-up newspaper layouts. In addition, there are subject files relating to VITA, the Italian teaching organization that Pinto founded.
5.79 linear feet

Louis (or Aloisio) Sonntag lived in the 19th century and was likely a member of the Papal Zouaves, the military force of the Papal States. The Louis Sonntag military logbook is a single volume that appears to chronicle information about a Papal State regiment abroad, written in German, Italian, French, and English.
1 item, approximately 45 pages.

Spatola Family Papers, 1918-2012, MSS 0131
The Spatola family collection features material from three members of the Spatola family: Jerry, Bina Spatola, and Agata Spatola O’Connor. The family was well known throughout the Newark community, most notably for their funeral home. The Spatolas were also known for supporting and celebrating Italian heritage and culture in Newark and being involved in local politics.
3.75 linear feet

Anthony Valerio Papers, 1980-2020, MSS 0137
Anthony Valerio has worked in the writing field since the mid-1960s. In addition to working as an in-house editor for McGraw Hill and freelance editing for Bantam Books and Grove Press, he has taught writing courses at New York University, the City University of New York, and Wesleyan University. He has written 10 novels and various short stories, most of which center around Italian themes or characters. This collection includes a mix of paper and digital manuscripts, slides, photographs, and other materials. The bulk of the content includes manuscript drafts and notes.
1.5 linear feet