Becoming American: The archaeology of an Italian immigrant

Excavations at the Queen Family Court and Families Court Agencies Facility site in Jamaica, Queens County, new York, uncovered three turn-of-the-20th-century features associated with Michael Pette, an Italian immigrant, and his family. Pette arrived in New York nearly penniless in 1885. After holding a number of unskilled jobs, he became a successful real estate developer, newspaper publisher, and community leader. Combined data from archaeological excavation, an autobiography, newspaper accounts, and interviews with descendants reveal how this Italian immigrant assimilated into the American middle class and the role of material culture in the process.