West Virginia and Regional History Center
Thoney Pietro, Contractor, Papers
Pietro, Thoney, 1877-1972
A&M 2836
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/repositories/2/resources/943
5.77 Linear Feet
5 ft. 9.25 in. (8 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 2.5 in.); (1 records carton, 15 in.); (1 flat storage box, 3 in.); (2 flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each); (1 roll, 5 in.); (5 oversize folders, 0.75 in.)
circa 1867-1982
Personal letters, business correspondence, account and time books, and Sons of Italy papers of Thoney Pietro, a member of the Morgantown contracting company of Pietro Brothers. An addendum (2004 January) includes mostly business papers of the Pietro Company, as well as some family papers and historical documentation of Morgantown, WV. Notable are the map and blue print of the Pietro Castle grounds (later the Good Counsel Friary). Another addendum (2013 January) includes an accounting ledger, financial documents, legal papers (some involving a dispute with a Franciscan monastery, circa 1950), and blueprints (1911-1917, 1941-1954). See Scope and Content Note and Historical Note for more details and additional addenda. For additional Pietro family and business papers, see A&M 2768.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
English
, Italian
.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Initial gift from DelSardo, Mary (thru Sue Ann Hyer), 1982/08/13
Arrangement
During reprocessing in 2022, the arrangement of the collection was altered to improve housing of the materials for long term preservation. In order to help users who have citations from prior to this reprocessing, we have below a list matching the new boxes with the previous ("old") box content.
Box 1: Old Box 1 and Old Box 5 (except folder 3 containing the State v. Pietro and other correspondence which is in Box 3 now).
Box 2: Old Box 2 (except the unfoldered hardback ledger, now in Box 5).
Box 3: Old Box 3, and Old box 5, folder 3.
Box 4: Old Box 4.
Box 5: Ledger from Old Box 2.
Box 6: Old Box 6.
Box 7: Old Box 1 ADD 2004 (except for the plans for Penn. Ave. House, now in oversized folders).
Box 8: Old Box 2 ADD 2004.
Box 9: Old Box 3 ADD 2004.
Box 10: Old Box 4 ADD 2004.
Box 11: Old Box 5 ADD 2004.
Box 12: Old Box 1 ADD 2013 (except one map moved to oversize folder), and content from unnumbered OS box (added as Folder 2).
Box 13: Castle Blueprints (ADD 2004)
Box 14: new addendum from 2021-2022
Oversize folders: Old Oversized Box with no number [from original accession], plus additions of oversized material from previous boxes.
Biographical / Historical
Thoney Pietro, born Ferdinando Pitassi in Ateleta, Italy on March 1, 1877, arrived at Ellis Island in 1896. First living in Pittsburgh, Pietro met and married his first wife, Josephine Bell, who also immigrated from Italy with her family. Upon moving to Morgantown, they had one daughter, Mary Virginia Pietro, born 1907. Josephine died in 1908. He married his second wife, Blanche, who died in 1909. He and his third wife, Mary, had one child, George Henry Pietro, born 1910.
Pietro is noted for his work in construction, pavement, and excavation in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In his personal time, Pietro promoted Italian culture and language in the community- he was a founding member of the Junior Sons of Italy Organization in Morgantown and a key player in the enactment of Italian language classes in schools. In 1934, he was awarded a medal by the Italian government for what was translated to, "Diffusion of Italian Culture to Foreign," all of which is noted throughout the collection. Throughout his life in Morgantown, Pietro built two homes– including a castle, now belonging to the Good Counsel Friary, on Tyrone Road. Pietro died on July 21, 1972.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Thoney Pietro, Contractor, Papers, A&M 2836, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Scope and Contents
This collection holds the personal and business papers of Thoney Pietro, a Morgantown, WV contractor and president of the Thoney Pietro Company. This collection highlights the social and business aspects and built landscape of Morgantown, WV and its surrounding areas during the early to mid 20th century. The collection includes personal and business correspondence, legal documents, time books and checkbook ledgers from the Pietro Company, business cards, blueprints, stock certificates, photographs, documents pertaining to the Sons of Italy Organization, the WVU Libraries' Bust of Dante Alighieri, Thoney Pietro Company Stockholders, and the implementation of teaching the Italian language in schools, among others. Other items of interest include correspondence with Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War, to people of interest such as Jennings Randolph, and letters to friends and family in Italy.
The addendum of 2004/01, held in boxes 7 through 11 and 13 and oversize folders, includes mostly business papers of the Pietro Company, as well as some family papers of and historical documentations of Morgantown, WV. Notable items include the blueprints and specifications of the Construction of his Pennsylvania Avenue residence, business correspondence, and photographs of construction projects.
The addendum of 2013/01, held in box 12 and an oversize folder, includes an accounting ledger, which contains various financial documents, legal papers, and blueprints. Items of interest include drawings and blueprints for the Pietro Castle.
The addendum of 2021-2022, in box 14, includes envelopes, cards, and business material.
Separated Materials
The following books were forwarded to Harold Forbes for processing: Wheeling telephone directory (1934), Charleston telephone directory (1934-1935), Morgantown telephone directory (1955), West Virginia tourism report (1937), and "Italian-American Who's Who" (1935).
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Morgantown (W. Va.)
Account books
Builders and contractors.
Italian immigrants - Sons of Italy.
Pietro Brothers
Order Sons of Italy in America
Pietro, Thoney, 1877-1972
Pietro family
Series 1. CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1908991894-195711-13273761-3, 5, 8-9Scope and ContentsThis series includes business correspondence sent to and from the Thoney Pietro Company; personal and professional correspondence sent to politicians, such as Senator Jennings Randolph, President Coolidge's secretary, and Rush D. Holt, friends, local family as well as family in Italy, his Sons of Italy chapter; and more.
Personal and Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909001925 September 17-1928 August 311Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909011922 April 7-1926 December 2812Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909021925 August 6-1927 October 2813Business and Legal CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909031923 August 9-1927 January 1714Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909041907 January 2-1926 August 2015Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909051925 April 17-1926 October 416Cottage Construction CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909061923 April 3-1924 September 1317Italian CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909071938 September 8-1939 October 818Business and Personal CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909081928 October 8-1933 December 819Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909091927 August 30-1933 July 5110Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909101916 May 23-1928 January 18111Business CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909111932 August 24-1933 November 2112Business and Personal CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909121940 March 12-1957 January 2113Government Correspondence and Miscellaneous EphemeraArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909131867 July 15-1939 June 127Correspondence and "State versus Pietro"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909141920 August 6-1939 December 2037Bust of Dante CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909151939 June 8-1948 April 661Pietro Castle Correspondence and DocumentsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909161938 August 3-1956 June 2062Letters to PoliticiansArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909171924 April 8-1947 August 1163Personal CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909181934 October 15-1948 April 1465Personal CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909191894 May 22-1947 May 1468Sons of Italy CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909201934 October 1-1936 November 1269Series 2. Personal and Family PapersArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909381901-1947 and undated223164, 6-777-8Scope and ContentsThis series includes miscellaneous clippings and photos, handwritten Italian documents, Pitassi family history papers, Morgantown history information, as well as personal legal material. Also included is a folder labeled, "Lifesaver Thoney," which contains accounts and letters of gratitude from several people Pietro rescued from drowning.
Miscellaneous Clippings and PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190939undated22Handwritten Papers in ItalianArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190940undated31Pitassi Family HistoryArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190941undated64"Lifesaver Thoney"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909421946 June 17-1947 February 1366"Pietro versus Sons of Italy"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909431936 May 6-1936 October 3067Morgantown Historical Information [1 of 2]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909441908 August 24-1937 August 1377Morgantown Historical Information -- "Morgantown's Suburbs" [2 of 2]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190945190178Series 3. Business RecordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909211901-1926 and undated21, 3-7, 832-641-2510101-2Scope and ContentsThis series includes miscellaneous ephemera such as business cards, campaign cards, employee time books, blueprints and drawings, and the documents for the Pietro vs. Springdale lawsuit, in which Pietro claimed the borough of Springdale owed him $31,258.04 for construction work done.
Business CardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190922undated21Construction Business Cards [1 of 2]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190923undated23Construction Business Cards [2 of 2]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190924undated24Transportation EphemeraArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190925undated25Campaign and Business CardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909261905 April 6-1920 November 226Business CardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190927undated28Time BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909281910 September 15-1911 August 2732Standard Weekly Time BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909291922 July 7-1923 August 1033"Money Paid Out" Hardback LedgerArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909301912 December 14-1914 October 2934Monthly Time BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909311924 January 1-1926 July35Monthly Time BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909321922 June 1-1922 November 1536"Pietro versus Borough of Springdale"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190933191641"Pietro versus Borough of Springdale"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190934191642Accounts Ledger for "Work Done"Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909351901-19105UnknownMiscellaneous Blueprints and DrawingsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190936undated10101Miscellaneous Blueprints, Drawings, and PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190937undated10102Addendum of 2004 January, Business RecordsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909461901-1982 and undated71-6, 9-21819101310104-5Scope and ContentsThis series includes the papers, photographs, and glass plate negatives from Morgantown, WV and Williamson, WV construction projects, stockholders ledgers, and various business correspondence. Items of interest include a capital stock certificate book and blueprints of the Pietro Castle.
Williamson, WV Project [1 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190947191571Williamson, WV Project [2 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190948191572Williamson, WV Project [3 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190949191573Williamson, WV Project [4 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190950191574Williamson, WV Project [5 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190951191575Williamson, WV Project [6 of 6]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190952191576Thoney Pietro Company Stock CertificatesArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909531913 September 5-1964 March 1679Morgantown Jobs [1 of 4]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190954undated710Morgantown Jobs [2 of 4]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909551901 November 4-1909 November 20711Morgantown Jobs [3 of 4]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909561903 September 15-1940 July 10712Morgantown Jobs [4 of 4]Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909571906 June 29-1911 March 20713Construction Project PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190958undated714Construction Project NegativesArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190959undated715Business PapersArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909601906 April 12-1982 December716Pennsylvania Avenue ResidenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909611924 May 17717Pennsylvania Avenue Residence SpecificationsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909621924 January 16718Pietro Stockholders LedgerArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909631919 June 24-1924 February 2719Thoney Pietro Company StationeryArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190964undated720Thoney Pietro Company StationeryArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190965undated721Thoney Pietro Company CorrespondenceArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909661904 July 8-1932 February 2981Glass Plate Negatives -- Construction JobsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190967undated91-18Capital Stock Certificate BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909681919 June 3010UnknownLedger -- "Paid to" Pietro Paving and Construction CompanyArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909691912 December 14-1914 December 2410UnknownRolled Castle BlueprintsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909701932 September13UnknownPlans for Pennsylvania Avenue HouseArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190971undated10104Plans for Pennsylvania Avenue HouseArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190972undated10105Addendum of 2004 January, Personal and Family PapersArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909731904-1980 and undated82-11101111-3Scope and ContentsThis series includes biographical information of Thoney Pietro, newspaper clippings, photographs, papers relating to the bust of Dante Aligheri donated by Pietro to the West Virginia University library, and material related to the Pietro Castle.
Biographical InformationArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909741904 June-1960 March82Newspaper ClippingsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909751932 September 26-1980 March 1783Bust of Dante DonationArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909761948 April 14-1948 April 1584PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190977undated85Unauthored Biography and Italian Diplomat Remembrance BookletArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909781938 June 7 and undated86Pietro Castle ClippingsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909791949 October 15-1979 July 587Pietro Castle ClippingsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909801961 September 16-1980 March 1688Pietro Castle PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190981undated89Pietro Castle PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190982undated810Pietro Castle DocumentsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909831926 May 21-1937 August 23811Italian AwardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909841946 October 12 and undated101Photographs of Pietro family and Castle (and Ateleta, Italy Construction Job)Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190985undated111-3Addendum of 2013 JanuaryArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909861911-1928, 1941-19561210103Scope and ContentsThis series includes miscellaneous business material including legal documents, blueprints, and financial papers.
Miscellaneous Business MaterialArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909871941 December-1956 October 19121Miscellaneous Blueprints, Legal Documents, and Other MaterialArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909881928122Ledger and Accompanying Material of Used Construction MaterialArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909891911 May 19-1913 June 1012UnknownBlueprint of Pietro Museum Waterline DitchArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/190990195410103Addendum of 2021-2022Archival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909911909-195414Scope and ContentsThis series contains various stamped envelopes, holiday cards, and an 'Essentials of Spelling' book belonging to Pietro's son, George.
Stamped EnvelopesArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909921919-1939141Christmas CardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909931920-1939142Business MaterialArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909941909-1954143Stamped EnvelopesArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909951913-1942144"Essentials of Spelling" BookArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909961919145Financial Business MaterialArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909971909-1921146Christmas CardsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1909981936147