Physical description: Sitting on brick wall, left to right: Silvio, John, Armand, Emilio, Maria Antionette Anselmo Maio, Victor (donor's father), Frank and Mario Maio. All men wearing suits, white shirts, and ties. Maria has flowers on left shoulder. See also PCCLI5431
This photograph is a digital scan of an original photograph lent for copying during the Italians of Colorado project. The original photograph is not owned by History Colorado. The digital scan was donated with permissions (see permissions in Registrar's file) and accessioned into the History Colorado collection.
Project description:
In 2002, the Colorado Historical Society (now known as History Colorado) founded the Colorado Italian American Preservation Association (CIAPA). A volunteer organization, CIAPA’s mission is to work collaboratively with the Society and other organizations to develop, support and coordinate projects that preserve, promote and celebrate Italian American culture and heritage. Since 2002, CIAPA has carried out its mission by meeting with people from the Colorado Italian American community, recording their stories and creating an archive of research materials that includes oral histories, photographs, moving images, sound recordings and artifacts. To date, CIAPA has helped the Society acquire over 200 oral histories, 600 artifacts and nearly 6,000 photographs. Since 2002, CIAPA has developed over 4,000 research files, all of which document the history, culture and traditions of Italian American families in Colorado.
Notes:
See MSS.02595 Sylvia Maio Lackey and Maio family files for additional information and images.
From the book Italy in Colorado by Alisa DiGiacomo:
Maio
Giuseppe Garibaldi Maio
Giuseppe Garibaldi Maio was born in 1866 in the small town of Grimaldi in the southern Italian region of Calabria. After graduating from the University of Cosenza, he entered the Italian military. In 1898, he married Maria Antonietta Anselmo and together the couple had eight children: Victor, Emillio, Armando, Silvio, Franscesco, Giovanni, Derna, and Mario.
Soon after his marriage, Giuseppe entered the Italian Consular Service and received his first assignment in Sao Paulo, Brazil where he served as the consul and also directed a newspaper called Reclame. In 1902, Giuseppe was transferred to Denver where he took up his post as Italian Consul. Two years later, the Maio family moved to Trinidad’s Consular Office where he assisted Italian immigrants in the area with issues related to immigration and citizenship. Shortly after taking up residence in Trinidad, Giuseppe began an Italian newspaper, Il Corriere di Trinidad. In 1919, Giuseppe received the title of Cavaliere from Italy’s King Vittorio Emmanuele III for his service to the Italian community.
After his retirement in 1933, Giuseppe’s sons Emillio, Silvio, John, and Mario took over Il Corrierre, changing it from an Italian weekly newspaper, into an English-language daily, The Morning Light, which was published until 1953. Giuseppe Maio died in 1941, followed by his widow, Maria, who died in 1967.