My Homeland
I am a mutt. With a combined total of about five or six (depending on how far you go back) nationalities-Italian, Irish, Swedish, Romanian, and Newfie- I have never felt close to any country other then America. The majority of my friends come from just one country and therefore they usually have a strong connection to their homeland. I have always envied this connection and viewed myself as an outsider when at family events that were attended mainly by the parts of my family that shared the same nationality. However, I prefer to think of myself as the melting pot of all of my ancestors. This may be the reason why I feel so at home in New York City: the melting pot of the world. I get my Italian and Newfie background from my mother’s side, and my Irish, Swedish, and Romanian background from my father’s side. Although I was born in Long Island, my family has a lot of history in the big apple.
My great-grandparents from my mom’s paternal side originated in Bari, Italy. My great-grandfather, Francesco DeMarinis, immigrated to New York City at the age of 19 on September 25, 1903, on the ship the Sicilian Prince. In NYC, he was an iceman (Sold ice from horse drawn carriages in the days before refrigeration). Like most Italians in the city, he worked so that he could send money back to his family hoping that they could have better lives and one day come to America themselves. I believe that my great-grandmother, Caterina Rutigliano DeMarinis, immigrated here after him, but I am not certain. They lived in Brooklyn and had ten kids together, one of which was my grandfather, Dominick DeMarinis.
On my mom’s maternal side, my great-grandparents come from Newfoundland. Similar to my Italian side, my great-grandfather, Alphonsus Ducey, came to New York City before my great-grandmother, Isabella Collins Ducey, in hope finding a good job. He arrived in 1922 in the SS Rosalind at the age of 33. Luckily, he was able to find a job as a carpenter. My great-grandmother was then able to come here on July 25, 1923. They were a poor family and needed whatever money they could get. This was following World War I, so there were many jobs out there for women. She found a job as a Morse code operator, which let them have enough to start raising a family. Together, they had five kids, including my grandmother, Ursula Ducey.
My father’s ancestry is a bit more complicated. My great-grandfather, Jacob Mueller, from my dad’s paternal side was born in 1874 in Austria. My great-grandmother, Anna Marie Merle Mueller, was born in 1876 in Glogavatz, Hungary. Their nationalities have always been a bit blurry due to changes in international borders. The area was originally part of Austria-Hungary, but after the land was split up in 1918, the area is now technically part of Romania. My dad prefers to say he is Romanian due to his fascination with Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula. They lived in Chicago and had four kids, one of which was my grandfather, John Mueller.
There is even more complexity on my dad’s maternal side. My great-grandfather, Edwin Lundin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn. His parents were from Stockholm, Sweden and immigrated to New York City at different times (The father, Lars Lundin, in 1888 and the mother, Carlotta Lundberg, in 1895). They came to America to raise a family. However, they were very poor. It took Lars almost 10 years to make enough money to move his family over to America. Edwin became a captain in the Police Department in Brooklyn. My great-grandmother, Veronica Whelan was also born in Brooklyn in 1901. I don’t know much about her parents except that her dad, John Whalen, was born in Tipperary, Ireland and was married to Mary Kennedy. I am unsure of when they immigrated to America. Edwin and Veronica had one kid together, my grandmother, Lorraine Lundin.
Both of my grandparents from my mother’s side were raised in Brooklyn, NY. Dominick and Ursula got married in the late 1940’s and had three kids, one of which was my mother, Catherine DeMarinis. Their family was raised mostly as Italians, even though they were also half Newfie. They lived on 15th street in Parkslope, Brooklyn in a brownstone that was home to their entire family (Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents). My mother always tells me stories of how life was like in Brooklyn when she was growing up. Apparently, it involved a lot of relatives and a lot of playing in the streets.
My grandfather from my dad’s side, John Mueller (Born in Chicago), met my grandmother, Lorraine, at a USO function during World War II. He moved to Brooklyn after the war in order to be with her. They married each other on February 2nd, 1946. John was a magician and had the opportunity to teach Mohammed Ali magic. They had 4 kids together, including my father, Steven Mueller.
My parents, Cathy and Steve, met in 1987 and were married by 1990. After marrying, they moved to Long Beach, Long Island. I, an only child, was born in 1993 and although my parents and most of my grandparents were born in Brooklyn, I am technically from Long Island. In 2002, we decided to move back into Brooklyn because my parents missed it. They couldn’t stand the relative quietness of the suburban area. They now live in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood close to where they both grew up.
I currently live in Harlem but I still have a home in Brooklyn. Although I never realized it before, my family has had a long history in New York City. Even though there is no country that I have a strong emotional connection to, I have a city. I have had family in New York City for over 100 years and it is therefore the closest thing I have to a homeland.
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