TEXARKANA — No one knows for sure why Giovanni Batista Cigainero and his wife, Metilde Tondolo Cigainero, decided to leave Italy in 1883.
They brought their large family to the United States from Buia, a small town near the large city of Udine in northeastern Italy.
Whatever their reason to leave, the Catholic Church — and especially the Diocese of Little Rock — can be grateful. Cigainero descendants have been faithful church workers down through the years, and the crucifixes Giovanni carved remain a testament of his faith.
“Exactly how and why did the family leave Italy?” asked Giovanni’s grandson, the late Floyd Cigainero, in a book of family history he and his brother, the late Robbie Cigainero, compiled. (Floyd and Robbie are sons of Giovanni’s son Louis.) Floyd continued, “Here was a 41-year-old man, his wife, his 82-year-old mother, a 47-year-old sister who was blind from birth, and nine children ranging in age from an infant to 16. They sold their home, packed up all their belongings and moved to a far-away country about which they could only have known very little …”
A certificate is pictured in the family history book that certifies that the Giovanni Cigainero family is represented on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor at Ellis Island in New York.
Floyd described life in the United States when Giovanni and his family arrived: “Just think … when this family landed in America in 1883, there were no cars or airplanes or electricity. The Apache chief, Geronimo, was still terrorizing the western settlements, and my grandmother, Metilde Cigainero, would not allow a treadle sewing machine in her house because she thought such a contraption must be the work of the devil …”
Floyd wrote in another part of the family history, “These people were not fire-breathing adventurers, but only honest, hardworking immigrants looking for a better life.”
Giovanni and his loving wife found their better life in Texarkana, where he reared a large family of loyal Catholics. Cigaineros have enriched the Church in many ways. For example, at the present time, Giovanni’s great-great grandson, Father Matthew Garrison, serves St. Mary Church in Paragould, St. Joseph Church in Corning and Blessed John Newman University Parish at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. A great-great-great grandson, Robert Cigainero, is studying for the priesthood at St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, La.
Robert is the son of Mike and Jackie Cigainero. Mike descended from Giovanni’s son Flore. Countless other descendants are quietly and efficiently using the talents God gave them to serve the Church.
Giovanni was a talented woodcarver — a gift passed down to many other Cigaineros. For example, his great-grandson, Gary Garrison, carved the chalice used by his son, Father Matthew Garrison. Many other examples of Garrison’s woodworking skill exist in his home and the homes of relatives. Garrison can readily name many other relatives skilled in woodworking. And examples of Giovanni’s own handiwork still exist today. He apparently enjoyed carving crucifixes and other religious images. His crucifixes hang in homes of his descendants, and some have been donated to churches.
“We do not know what Giovanni Batista did for a living in Italy or the U.S.,” wrote Giovanni’s grandson Floyd in the family history book. “On the ship’s manifest, his occupation is listed as ’day laborer.’ We do know that he had some artistic ability. He could play a fiddle and some say he had a beautiful singing voice. There are a number of examples of his woodcarving ability still among the family.
It is said that he made a carving for each of his children. Most of these carvings are quite large, 2 feet tall or more. Rumor has it that a large crucifix may have been given to the church in Rogers by Annie Cigainero Pianalto.
One of Giovanni’s crucifixes hangs in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Ashdown. It is a gift from Gus Cigainero, a descendant of Giovanni, and Gus’ wife, Pauline. Gus’ daughter, Catherine Cigainero Marchand, recalled, “We (Catherine and her husband, Moise) moved to Ashdown in 1970, and in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the church was built. Daddy gave the crucifix to me and wanted me to donate it to the new church. My parents wanted the church to have it.”
Floyd wrote in his history that two of his goals were to show the character of the Cigaineros and the times in which they lived. He said, “I am sure that the older generation had a much tougher life than we do, yet I can’t remember them whining or crying about anything. They took life’s ups and downs in stride and never complained …”
Floyd and Robbie’s sister, Mary Elizabeth Cigainero Garrison (who is fondly called “Baby” by all the family) is the oldest Cigainero alive now. She is Giovanni’s granddaughter and an example of the strong faith of the Cigaineros. She is a pillar at St. Edward Church. She and her husband Clarence brought up six children in the Church.
Today she is active in a group of women who make rosaries for missions, for the U.S. Army and for Father Vincent Flusche to take to prisons. For years she was a part of a prayer group at St. Edward.
Her life is an inspiration to all who know her. Her cousin, Mike Cigainero, said of her, “She is a meek and holy person.”
The Cigaineros and their friends can be thankful for the fascinating family history compiled painstakingly by the late brothers Floyd and Robbie. It covers six generations. They called it “The Cigainero Family in America – 1883-2000.” Marla Cigainero Hunter contributed graphic design and edited it. Cigainero Enterprises, owned by Robbie’s son, Pat Cigainero, contributed the Custom binder printing.
Many other Cigaineros contributed their memories and mementos to the history book.
Giovanni’s crucifixes have outlasted him; he died in 1925. All his immediate family have also died. But thanks to the hard work of grandsons Floyd and Robbie, the remarkable Italian immigrant and his wife and children are not merely names on tombstones; they have come alive in the pages of the family history and in the hearts of their descendants.
