Serving the U.S. by Serving Dinner
By Brigid Miller
Emanuel Alberti
April 8, 1881 – July 27, 1956
Emanuel Alberti was the fourth born of 10 children born to Italian parents Giacomo and Maria on April 8, 1881 in Croveo, Piemonte, Italy.[1] Emanuel grew up in Italy and immigrated to the U.S. in the Summer of 1901 as a single 20-year old departing from La Havre, France.[2] After arriving in New York, Emanuel joined his family in St. Louis, Missouri and lived with Albertella Pietro until 1910. Pietro was a cook at the time and Emanuel worked as a coal miner.[3] Emanuel lived in the area of St. Louis that has historically been predominantly Italian known as “The Hill.”[4] The Hill is the same neighborhood that produced the famous New York Yankee baseball player Yogi Berra. Emanuel’s youngest sister, Maria, married into the Berra family and is Yogi’s great aunt.[5]
“New York Passenger List,” database, ancestry.com, entry for Emanuel Alberti, 1901.
Emanuel served in the U.S. Army from February 21, 1918 to January 11, 1919 during World War I.[6] Emanuel was a cook in Company A, 2nd Battalion, in the U.S. Guards.[7] The U.S. Guards were a part of the National Guard, created during World War I, designed for keeping domestic peace. The creation of the U.S. Guards also freed up the rest of the National Guard to be deployed abroad. It was eventually comprised of 48 battalions of men aged 31 to 40 years who could have had minor physical defects that would otherwise make them unfit for active service.[8] The Second battalion was part of the Southern Department which was comprised of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona.[9] Emanuel was stationed in Galveston, Texas, which was specifically a U.S. Guards Station during World War I.[10] The Port of Galveston was established in 1825, when the territory was still part of Mexico, and is the oldest port in the Gulf of Mexico west of New Orleans. For much of the 19th century, Galveston was considered the second busiest port in the United States, behind New York.[11] The port prospered during World War I immensely from shipping both troops and other war supplies to France.[12] The port also has a close proximity to Mexico. The U.S. Guards likely were stationed in Galveston because of their proximity to Mexico. During World War I there was a fear of Mexico and Germany teaming up, particularly after the Zimmerman Telegram. The U.S. would want to protect this important economic port from invasion or from any interference with U.S. business at the port. In some cases, the U.S. Guards were used to stop U.S. citizens from striking or protesting during wartime, though Alberti’s unit was not utilized in this way.[13]
Naturalization Petition for Emanuel Alberti in November 1918, courtesy of ancestry.com
Emanuel was naturalized in November 1918 while he was stationed in Texas.[14] During World War I many immigrants and Native Americans enlisted in service as laborers and into specialized positions. For their role in supporting the U.S. military during the Great War, they were granted citizenship.[15] It is possible Emanuel was conscripted or enlisted as a cook and was granted naturalization as a reward.
Emanuel’s time as a cook would have been significant for his life after serving as well as for the war effort. World War I was the first time the U.S. started to build a significant military almost from nothing. It was the first time that the U.S. had millions of men in need of provisions – uniforms, weapons, as well as food. Farmers and food production in general got a big boost from the war effort both from domestic use in all of the new training camps and stations, but also from sending provisions to the allied countries starting around 1915.[16] Emanuel would have been cooking for the U.S. Guards in Galveston, and he developed skills that he could utilize after the war.
Shortly after his service, Emanuel married Oster Margaret Frank in October of 1919.[17] She was only 16 at the time of their marriage while Emanuel was 38. Oster gave birth to their first son, Paul (1920-1974), the year following their marriage. Paul was followed by three more boys, Mark (1922-2010), Phillip (1924-1999), and George (1930-2004). Emanuel continued working as a cook in Denver and lived with his wife and her parents George and Elvey Frank on Larimer St.[18] In 1922, Sam Frank, Oster’s brother, ran for Colorado State Treasurer under the Peoples Liberal party, though he was not elected.[19]
As soon as 1920, Emanuel was working as a cook at clubs in Denver.[20] Throughout his time working as a cook, Emanuel gained enough authority to post help-wanted advertisements.[21] In 1924 Emanuel was working as a cook at the University Club of Denver.[22] The University Club was established in 1891 and is still a high-end intellectual club in Denver. Many members of the University Club also served during World War I.[23] In 2018, the University Club dedicated a memorial to the members and staff who served during the Great War to recognize and honor their service to the United States. The club has had a history of prominent Denver members including many physicians, lawyers, congressional members, and architects. In fact, the jewel room of the current building was designed and built by member and World War I veteran, Temple Buell.[24] Despite being an old-fashioned institution, the University Club has had a relatively progressive history as they were the first club in Denver to admit Catholics and Jews as members.[25] Working as a chef was a step above many other jobs available to Italian immigrants in Denver. Often times, Italian immigrants worked low-paying jobs with long hours, such as working alongside Chinese immigrants building railroads.[26] Emanuel was likely able to attain such a high-status job, relative to other immigrants, due to his work as a cook in the U.S. Guards.
Around 1930, Emanuel and Oster divorced and she moved with her mother, Paul, Mark, Phillip and their newborn, George, to St. Louis.[27] Emanuel however, stayed in Denver and lived in a carriage house.[28] Carriage houses were originally built to house carriages, similar to a garage, but many were converted into additional housing space to rent or sell to others. Despite being separated from his children in distance, Emanuel was able to maintain some contact with them after 1930.[29]
When World War II broke out, both Emanuel and Paul registered for the draft but neither ended up serving during that war. Paul registered in 1940, and at the time was still living in Saint Louis close to Oster.[30] In 1942, at the age of 61, Emanuel registered as part of the “Old Man’s Draft.” The Old Man’s Draft is the nickname given to the fourth round of the draft because it called on men aged 45-64. His draft card describes him as having a “ruddy” complexion. Instead of serving again, Emanuel stayed in Denver working at St. Luke’s Hospital. [31] In 1950 the United States got involved in the Korean war and Emanuel’s youngest son, George, served as a Private in the U.S. Army.[32]
When Emanuel passed away on July 27, 1956, Paul took care of getting him buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery.[33] As a cook in the U.S. Guards, Emanuel provided a necessary service to the country during the first World War. Although Emanuel only served in the military for one year, it changed his life. He gained citizenship (likely) as a soldier as well as necessary skills to live a better life than many other immigrants could in Denver.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009,” National Archives (accessed July 3, 2020), Fort Worth, TX, 1918.
[2] “Arrival: New York, New York, U.S.A,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), Entry for Emanuel Alberti, 1901.
[3] “1910 United States Federal Census,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti, Saint Louis, Missouri.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Berra Family Tree,” database, ancestry.com (accessed August 3, 2020), entries for Pietro Berra, Luigi Berra, Angelo Berra, and Maria Alberti.
[6] U.S. Veteran Gravesites, National Gravesites Administration, (accessed July 12, 2020), entry for George Alberti.
[7] Report of Internment for Emanuel Alberti, Ft. Logan, Colorado, 1952.
[8] Merle Cole, “United States Guards, United States Army,” 1988, accessed July 18, 2020 via Wikipedia, https://enwikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Guards_(1917).
[9] “Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War,” Center of Military History, Washington, D.C., 1988, accessed on July 18, 2020 via Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Guards_(1917).
[10] “Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009;” Clayton Laurie, “The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1877-1945,” Century of Military History, 1997, 912.
[11] Jodi Wright-Gidley and Jennifer Marines, “Galveston: A City on Stilts,” Arcadia Publishing, 2008, 87.
[12] Handbook of Texas, Galveston Wharves, accessed 7/20/2020, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/etg01.
[13] Laurie, 247-248.
[14] “Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009.”
[15] Carol Helstosky, interview with Brigid Miller, Virtual Zoom interview, July 20, 2020, DU,VLP.
[16] Ibid.
[17] “1910 United States Federal Census,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), entry for Oster Frank, Denver, Colorado; “Colorado, County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006,” database, ancestry.com, (accessed July 5, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti and Oster Frank, Colorado, 1919.
[18] “Denver City Directory,” Western History and Genealogy Archives, Denver Public Library (accessed July 7, 2020), entry for 913 Larimer, Denver, Colorado, 1922.
[19] Daily Journal (Telluride), November 3, 1922, Denver Public library, accessed 7/15/2020.
[20] “1920 United States Federal Census,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti, Denver, Colorado.
[21] Emanuel Alberti, “Janitor - Chef's Assistant,” Denver Post, 1923, sec. Help Wanted.
[22] “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti, 1924.
[23] Great War Memorial, University Club of Denver.
[24] Frank Arduini, meeting with Brigid Miller, University Club of Denver, July 16, 2020, DU VLP.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Helstosky, Virtual Zoom Interview.
[27] “1930 United States Federal Census,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 3, 2020), entry for Oster Frank, Saint Louis, Missouri.
[28] “1935 Denver Householders’ Directory and Street and Avenue Guide,” Digital Collection, Denver Library (accessed July 5, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti, 1935.
[29] “WWII Old Man’s Draft,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 5, 2020), entry for Emanuel Alberti, Denver, Colorado, 1942; “Report of Internment,” Ft. Logan National Cemetery.
[30] “WWII Young Man’s Draft,” database, ancestry.com (accessed July 5, 2020), entry for Paul Emanuel Alberti, Saint Louis, Missouri, 1940.
[31] “WWII Old Man’s Draft.”
[32] U.S. Veteran Gravesites, National Gravesites Administration (accessed July 12, 2020), entry for George Alberti.
[33] Report of Internment.
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