In 1902 Maria Guiseppa Perazzelli set out with her 3 year old son Francesco, from Campobasso, Italy to join her husband, Paolo Loffreda, in America. They had been married only 4 years and he had left to follow his brother to this country for a better life. After a long voyage and the trip through Ellis Island, this young mother found herself in Iowa where her husband and brother-in-law found work in the soft coal mines. In the years that followed she had 8 children and became a widow at the young age of 44. She lived out her life in Iowa and died in 1961.

Her spirit survived and her family flourished. Her oldest son Francesco was my grandfather, and his son Paul is my father. We dedicate this venture to the spirit of this strong woman and families like hers that came to this country for a better life.