America is a country of immigrants who each have a story to tell. Why did they come? When did they come? What was life like when they first arrived? Over the last few months, I have been researching the story of Italian immigration to Madison County in hopes of answering those questions and more. It has been fascinating.
I read several books on the topic, researched census records and other primary sources, and held conversations with dozens of Italian immigrants or the descendants of Italian immigrants who generously shared their personal stories. I concluded that the Italian experience was different than many Madison County immigrants.
