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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 Issue 3 - Unwilling Expatriates.pdfFundraiser History-
Making Party on
October 17.
President’s Message
by Alexis Madison,
Board President.
Programs Report
by Kim Owens, Public
Engagement Coord.
Museum Report
by Elizabeth P.
Stewart, Director.
During a routine record search I came across a naturalization
record for Theresa Delaurenti Giuliani. I knew Theresa was
born in Utah and was very confused as to why she had a federal
immigration document to her name. That single record sent
me on a fascinating journey of discovery about Theresa and
the other married women of Renton who were stripped of their
American citizenship by the 1907 Expatriation Act. I would like
to thank Louise Delaurenti George, John Giuliani, and Carol
Frey for their assistance with this article.
United States citizenship law has been on a long and
winding road since we declared independence from
Great Britain. Citizenship law for women, in particular,
has followed a particularly potholed road. Historically women
have often been treated by the law as less than equal to
men; U. S. citizenship was no different. As early as the 1855
Naturalization Act, an American woman’s citizenship began
to hinge upon her husband’s citizenship. Women who married
citizens could automatically become citizens.1 This law set a
Also In This Issue...
RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM
Fall
September 2017
Volume 48
Number 3
Continued on page 5
2 4 83
UNWILLING EXPATRIATES
QUARTERLY
by Sarah Samson
2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
UNDER OUR SKIN
On November 2nd, we
are partnering with King
County Library System and
City of Renton to help host
an evening of conversation
about race in Renton.
Under Our Skin: What Do
We Mean When We Talk
About Race? is a program
created by the Seattle
Times to encourage candid
cross-racial dialogue about
what it means to live in a
multiracial society. We’ll
hold a series of small group
conversations around
topics like colorblindness,
safe space, and institutional
racism, among others. The
WELCOME NEZY!
Next time you stop by the
Museum, please welcome
our new Museum Office
Aide, Nezy Tewolde.
Nezy was born in Los
Angeles, CA but was
raised in Kent, WA.
After volunteering for a
year in high school with
our friends at the Kent
Historical Society, she
decided she wanted to
pursue a career in History.
She has a B.A. in History
from Western Washington
University, where she led
a group called Western’s
Classics Club on campus.
She recently completed a
fellowship with the King
County Library System.
She’s been with us since
June, providing support
for the volunteer program
and generally keeping the
office operating smoothly.
We’re lucky to have Nezy
on our team!
A fter last year's fantastic event, the Renton Historical Society’s annual fundraiser
will again showcase Renton Makers & Doers with a very special Silent Auction.
Explore locals’ talents as you bid on their charming upcycled furniture and
decor, specially made for our auction. One-of-a-kind gifts and home furnishings
showcase Renton’s handmade tradition. Dinner, Dessert Dash, raffle, and a special guest
emcee Aunt Dottie!
Reserve your tickets now! The fundraiser is Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at the Renton Senior
Activity Center. Tickets are $45 each. (http://brownpapertickets.com/event/3057197)
On
OCTOBER
17
doors open at
6:30 PM
The Renton History Museuminvites you to join us for a
History-Making Party
emphasis is on respect and
openness. Please join us at
Renton Community Center
on Thursday, November
2nd at 7:00 pm—watch our
Facebook page for more
details! More information
about Under Our Skin
available on the Seattle
Times website.
FALL QUARTERLY, 2017 | 3
MUSEUM REPORT
QUARTERLY
Fall 2017
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Director
Last week a summer vacation visit by a museum colleague
reminded me of how far the Renton History Museum
has come. He shared early memories of this museum,
tracing the progress we have made: gaining control of our
collections; hiring professional staff; setting goals; and, most
importantly, making sure that what we do here—our programs,
exhibits, events, tours, and other services—meet the needs of
our community. Our lobby renovation and the re-boot of our
Renton River Days programming this year are evidence that we
are continually trying to exceed our mission.
We depend on feedback from our community to know
how we’re doing, and two events recently made us stop and
double-check whether we’re on the right track. First, many
of us put lots of personal time and energy into trying to help
pass Proposition 1, known as “Access for All.” The funds
from Access for All would have doubled the Museum’s budget
for the next seven years, enabling us to expand our outreach
to students, improve our building, and complete the exhibit
updates that have taken us more than 10 years so far. Prop 1
failed by about 9000 votes—a disappointment for sure—so
we will re-group and figure out how to move forward. Make
no mistake about it: Access for All would have been game-
changing for small museums in King County, but the voters
have spoken.
Our second eye-opening experience? This spring
we hosted a groundbreaking traveling exhibit, Sorting Out
Race: Examining Racial Stereotypes & Identity in Thrift
Store Donations, that won us many new friends and was
extraordinarily well-received. Taking racial issues head on is
something new for the Renton History Museum so we prepared
ourselves for any kind of reaction, but we were incredibly
gratified by the wonderful responses from those who saw
the exhibit. Many requested that we do more exhibits and
programming like this in the future.
But one distant observer expressed distaste through the
U.S. mail, repeatedly returning our membership mailings with
dissenting comments. This commenter remains anonymous, so
we cannot enter into a conversation with him or her about how
our mission is to represent our community in ALL its glorious
diversity. Everyone who lives here, works here, learns or plays
here, is a part of Renton’s history, and we are honored to try to
share their stories.
Setbacks like the failure of Prop. 1 may slow our
progress, but we will keep working towards updating our
building and exhibits. New exhibits remind us to keep listening
and the staggeringly positive response to Sorting Out Race tell
us we’re on the right track. Our mission means the world to us,
and we will continue to set our sights high.
by Elizabeth P. Stewart,
Museum Director
Renton High School teachers
enjoying the Selfie Wall while
their students toured Sorting
Out Race. In all, 247 sophomores
were able to view the exhibit.
RENTON HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Sarah Samson
Graphic Design & Layout
Karl Hurst
City of Renton Print &
Mail Services
RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY BOARD
OF TRUSTEES
Alexis Madison, President
Betsy Prather, Vice President
Laura Clawson, Treasurer
Antoin Johnson, Secretary
Jordann McKay, 2018
Lynne King, 2019
Patricia Carroll, 2019
Colleen Lenahan, 2020
Elizabeth Stewart, Board Liaison
MUSEUM STAFF
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Museum Director
Sarah Samson
Curator of Collections &
Exhibitions
Kim Owens
Public Engagement
Coordinator
Nezy Tewolde
Office Aide
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 MILL AVENUE S
RENTON, WA 98057
P (425) 255-2330
F (425) 255-1570
HOURS:
Tuesday - Saturday
10:00am - 4:00pm
ADMISSION:
$5 (Adult)
$2 (Child)
Mail returned to us with
dissenting comments.
4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Coming up on October 17th, the Renton Historical
Society is hosting our annual History-Making
Party at the Renton Senior Activity Center. The
focus for the last few years has been “Renton Makers and
Doers,” drawing on the city’s long history of innovation,
industry, and creativity. Building on the popular Flea
Market Flip idea, we’re inviting local artists, craftspeople,
and designers to donate upcycled furniture to our silent
auction, giving them an opportunity to show off their
talents. Any upcyclers who enter their piece early enough
will have the opportunity to show off their piece in
person—the top three pieces, as selected by our judges,
will be live auctioned. Every upcycler who donates a
piece will get one free ticket to our dinner auction, which
includes dinner and an amazing evening.
If you are interested in seeing these items, you
won’t want to miss the results! Last year our biggest
ticket item was a recycled bicycle converted into a bar.
Tickets are available for $45 each on Brown Paper Tickets
at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3057197.
The evening includes dinner, a Dessert Dash, silent and
live auctions, and entertainment by Aunt Dottie and her
nephew Aaron. Proceeds support the Museum’s mission to
connect people to their community through history.
If you would like to support this or any of
our activities, the Renton Historical Society is always
looking for friends we haven’t met yet. Our Board of
Trustees still has a few open seats—we’re in search of a
Treasurer-in-training, fundraisers, and people interested
in event planning. We’re also in need of volunteers
interested in greeting visitors on Saturdays and helping
them have the best possible time during their visit. Other
volunteer needs include oral history team leader and
docents who will guide tours for the public. Contact our
Public Engagement Coordinator, Kim Owens, by email
at kowens@rentonwa.gov or at 425.255.2330 if you are
interested in being a volunteer.
I am looking forward to the upcoming fundraiser,
and I hope you’ll come be a part of the fun!
by Alexis Madison, President
UPCOMING
EVENTS
GENERATING GENEALOGY
September 30
11:00 am-12:00 pm
Learn the basics about starting a
genealogy research project from
Curator Sarah Samson.
SMITH COVE: A 1930s
SHANTY TOWN
October 21
11:00 am-12:00 pm
Archaeologist Dr. Alicia
Valentino shares the story of
a multicultural, low-income
community from the 1930s.
The fantastic Aunt Dottie: super
singer and emcee extraordinaire!
Alexis Madison
President
WHAT'S YOUR STORY?
September 23
12:00-2:00 pm
Join us at the Storytelling Tent
at the Renton Multicultural
Festival to share your story!
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE
HUMAN
October 26
6:00-7:00 pm
Anthropologist Llyn De Danaan
explores our origins and what it
means to be human.
Upcycled bicycle bar made by
Dennis Conte, the hottest item
auctioned at the 2016 fundraiser.
FALL QUARTERLY, 2017 | 5
precedent that was then applied to American women in the 1907
Expatriation Act: American women who married non-American
husbands instantly lost their citizenship.2
The 1907 Expatriation Act passed at a time when
Americans were growing leery of the next wave of immigrants:
Eastern and Southern Europeans. Italy, in the midst of a horrific
depression, saw a quarter of their residents flee between 1890 and
1914.3 Italians began flooding onto United States soil. Renton
went from hosting one Italian resident in 1889 to providing a
home for 267 by 1910.4 American men who married immigrant
women were lauded; the public believed that they would teach
the women to be good American citizens. American women who
married new immigrants, however, were viewed as borderline
traitors. Federal hearings held ten years after the passage of the
Expatriation Act illustrated this mindset, with one committee
member remarking that the marital loss of citizenship was “a good
lesson to our American girls to marry American boys.”5
THE DELAURENTI SISTERS
Italians James Delaurenti and Maria Saineghi immigrated
separately in the late 1880s and met and married in Utah in 1896.
A coal miner, James followed the coal jobs to Utah, Illinois, and
Continued from page 1
Cover photo:
Naturalization Certificate for
Theresa Giuliani, 1928. (Image
courtesy of Carol Frey)
James & Maria Anna
Delaurenti family. Sisters
Theresa (seated on her
mother's lap), Mary, and
Ida (L-R) in the front
with their brother Joseph.
Woman in back is aunt
Louisa Saineghi. (Photo
courtesy of Carol Frey)
UNWILLING EXPATRIATES
6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
eventually Newcastle, Washington. The Delaurentis had six
children, all born in this country and thus American citizens:
Joseph, Ida, Roland, Mary, Theresa, and James. When James
Sr. died in Newcastle in 1908, Maria quickly remarried
another Italian immigrant, Pio Carrolli.6 They were living just
outside of Renton by 1910.
The three girls—Ida, Mary, and Theresa—all married
Italian immigrants. Ida married Joseph Baima in 1917, ten
years after the Expatriation Act. Luckily for Ida, Joe had been
in the U.S. since 1899 and was already a naturalized citizen;
because of this, she maintained her citizenship. Two years
later, her sister Mary married George Delaurenti (no relation).
George was unnaturalized. Both he and Mary are listed as
aliens in the 1920 census. Just months later Theresa married
John Giuliani and, like Mary, Theresa lost her citizenship.
THE GIOVANELLI SISTERS
The Giovanellis were another Italian family of coal miners.
Stephen Giovanelli immigrated in 1882. He married Katherine
Zucca in 1888. They had four children—Felix, Livia, Steve, and
Matilda—all born in Roslyn, Washington. In 1910 nineteen-
year old Livia married Lodovic Massetti, a naturalized Italian.
After Lodovic drowned in Seattle in 1916, she married again in
1917 to John Bolognini, an unnaturalized immigrant of Italian
descent born in Brazil.7 This time she lost her citizenship.
Livia’s sister Matilda married Italian immigrant Fiorenzo
Delaurenti in 1916 in Seattle. The marriage also cost her her
citizenship; she was listed as an alien in the 1920 census.
Wedding photo of Theresa Delaurenti and John
Giuliani, 1919. (Photo courtesy of John Giuliani)
Sisters Mary Delaurenti and Theresa Delaurenti
Giuliani with their firstborn children, 1921.
(RHM# 2015.011.071)
Petition for Naturalization for Livia Bolognini, 1924.
FALL QUARTERLY, 2017 | 7
Losing their citizenship didn’t immediately endanger
the Giovanelli sisters since they married men already in the
United States who were intent on staying and becoming
citizens. Women who moved back to their husband’s home
countries had little hope of regaining their citizenship. Some
expatriated widows were expelled from the United States with
their children after their non-American husbands died.8
“REAL AMERICANS”
Public outcry in support of these Italian-American women
was muted. Additional racist laws barred Asians and others
from immigrating, but while Italians were allowed, there were
not-so-subtle grumblings about whether they could really be
considered “white.” Sympathy and organized protest revolved
around women who were seen as “real Americans.” These
women, usually of British descent, were held up as examples to
show the cruelty of the law.
Ruth Burrows was born in 1894 in Missouri; she
was at least a 4th generation American. Her father, Ferry
Fay Burrows, brought his family to Renton in 1896 and
ran a fishing resort on the Black River north of town. She
was an American until August 12, 1918 when she married
Austrian immigrant Joseph Venishnick. Despite the federal
government’s determination, Ruth was described in her
obituary as a “daughter of a pioneer family.”9
Though Ethel Rowe was the daughter of immigrants,
she would also have been a sympathetic figure. She was born
in 1887 in Pennsylvania to English immigrants Thomas and
Minnie Rowe. The English were never subjected to the same
suspicion and derision as other immigrants. At twenty years old,
Ethel married Canadian James McDonald in January 1907 in
Renton. When the Expatriation Act passed two months later she
retroactively lost her American citizenship.
SUFFRAGETTES AND THE CABLE ACT
The Expatriation Act made many women think deeply about
the meaning of citizenship for the first time. Prior to 1907 a
few states had already given women the right to vote. After
the act passed scores of American women were no longer able
to vote, while non-American women who married American
men were able to vote.10 Immigrant men who naturalized
were also immediately able to vote. Suffragists seized on the
public’s wariness of these new Americans by pointing out that
the country needed “real” American women voting to prevent
elections being swayed by recent immigrants who might not
have assimilated American values, as they defined them.11 “In
the marriage ceremony not one word is said about change of
status of the man toward his state,” one member of the State
Federation of Women’s Clubs pointed out.12 This argument came
to a head in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment finally
allowing all American women the right to vote.
For fifteen years American women were made to choose
between their citizenship and marriage. Several efforts to repeal
or amend the Expatriation Act failed, including one by Rep.
Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first female ever elected
Continued on page 10
Fiorenzo and Matilda (Giovanelli) Delaurenti with their
daughter Louise, ca. 1919. (Photo courtesy of Louise
Delaurenti George)
Roy and Florence visiting Chitina with the Chadwicks,
1936. Kennecott Copper Mine was located at Chitina, and
Roy spent half of his time there. (RHM# 1997.080.13262)
Petition for Citizenship for Ethel McDonald, 1933.
8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
W hile it may have been the
32nd year of Renton River
Days, it was the Renton
History Museum’s first year of
providing a special set of programs and
activities at the Museum during the
festival. The Museum took advantage
of its beautiful grounds by setting up
three stations outside to interact with
the public. “The Historian is In” booth
was by far the most popular station.
In it Director Liz Stewart, Curator
Sarah Samson, and volunteers Nancy Fairman, Colleen
Lenahan, and Elizabeth Edgerton took turns fielding
questions from the public and handing out “Passport
to History” activity books. Three craft stations offered
opportunities to construct a bentwood box, create a
moveable paper puppet, or color a postcard of a historic
Renton photo from the Museum’s collection.
The highlight of the event was Renton History
Live! which took place on Saturday, July 23rd. Renton
History Live! was a series of performances bringing to
life two Renton residents from history. The Museum
commissioned two scripts: one for Florence Guitteau and
one for Charles Custer. These monologues were crafted
by our talented volunteer, Sabella Curtis, drawing on
the Museum’s collection of letters and journals. Sabella
spent over 50 hours researching, writing, and revising
the scripts.
To cast the parts we turned to known theater
groups and programs. By reaching out to Bellevue
University, Theater Puget Sound, Fort Nisqually, and
PROGRAMMING
REPORT
by Kim Owens, Public
Engagement Coordinator
Renton Civic Theater, we recruited actors Abby Lewis and
Spencer Peerson to bring the characters to life. With only
two weeks of rehearsal the actors memorized pages of text
and blocking. Museum volunteers Cathy Lim and Bridget
Shew spent 90 hours to create the costumes and props for
the performances. Dennis Conte also donated his time and
talents by building props for the sets. Renton History Live!
was truly a team effort.
Museum attendance was at a River Days high
on the day of the performances. A total of 194 people
took in the exhibits and the shows on Saturday alone.
The response to the performances was overwhelmingly
positive. It elicited responses such as “teary-eyed” and
“wonderful!” Because of its success, the Museum plans
to continue to develop Renton History Live for next
year’s Renton River Days events.
The Museum’s River Days effort would not
be possible without the commitment of our talented
corps of volunteers. Volunteers, Board members, and
staff filled 50 shifts during the River Days weekend,
not to mention the hours and hours of work preparing
activities, rehearsing actors, and getting passports ready.
The results: Renton River Days provided a golden
opportunity to introduce hundreds of people to Renton’s
history at the Museum!
Kim Owens
Public Engagement
Coordinator
Volunteer Amy Gorton and Board Pres. Alexis Madison at the craft station.
Actors Spencer Peerson and Abby Lewis as Charles Custer & Florence Guitteau.
FALL QUARTERLY, 2017 | 9
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
May 16, 2017 - August 10, 2017
Norma Jean Cugini
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Louis & Pamela Barei
Kenneth L. Huckins
Laurie Lent
Bill & Hilda McGarrigle
Marilyn Hemman
Bruce Pickering
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Marge Pellegrino
Louis & Pamela Barei
Laverne Schmolke
Proctor Sturgeon
Richard & Louise Major
Owen Proctor
Richard & Louise Major
Ivan Puhich
Richard & Louise Major
Lorine Roth O'Brian
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Homer Venishnick
William & Patti Bucher
IN-KIND
DONATIONS
The Edgerton family
Bridget Shew
CORRECTION
(from June 2017 quarterly):
MEMORIAL
DONATION
Ed Bentley
Hazelle DuBois
Fraternal Order of Eagles,
Ladies Aux. Renton #1722
Venishnick Family
MEMORIAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
John Bertagni
Eleanor G. Bertagni
Mike Lowry
Denis & Patty Law
Velma Dragin McKean
Shirley J. Moretti
King Parker
Eleanor G. Bertagni
Denis & Patty Law
Ann Porcello
Eleanor G. Bertagni
NEW MEMBERS
Monica & Dave Brethauer
Carol Frey
BENEFACTOR
MEMBERS
Sally Rochelle
GENERAL
DONATIONS
Norm & Carol Abrahamson
Karl Hurst
Hazel Newing
Barbara Nilson
David Pickett
Sally Rochelle
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
Char & Jim Baker
Glenn Garrett
Dorothy M. Finley
Kurt Hanson
Arline McCready
Janice R. Tanner
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$1000 OR MORE
Monica & Dave Brethauer
Jack Morrison
MATCHING
DONATIONS
Due to an error in formatting
in the June 2017 Newsletter,
it appeared that Hazelle
DuBois had passed away. We
apologize to Ms. DuBois for
the inconvenience.
NORMA CUGINI (1928-2017)
Lifelong Rentonite Norma
Denzer Cugini passed
away on July 10, 2017.
A descendant of Renton
pioneers Thomas and
Robena Rowe, Norma
inherited a tradition of
public service that she
built upon throughout
her lifetime. She was an
enthusiastic supporter of
the arts, volunteering for
many Renton and Seattle
arts and other charitable
organizations, including
co-chairing the very first
Renton Annual Arts Show.
In 2008 she earned the
well-deserved distinction of
Renton Citizen of the Year.
Her contributions to Renton
culture are many and
long-lasting, and her sound
advice and calm demeanor
will be missed by all.
Below: teenaged Norma
Cugini (2nd from left in black
sweater with white buttons)
with the cast of Renton High’s
Ladies of the Jury, 1946.
GIVING DAY: SEPTEMBER 21
Join your friends and
neighbors in supporting
the Renton Historical
Society with a gift through
the Renton Community
Foundation (RCF)! The
foundation has been our
partner for over a decade
in ensuring that Rentonites
can connect to their history.
On Sept. 21 RCF launches
a special Giving Day—
the "Under One Roof"
campaign—on their web
site, with opportunities to
have your dollars matched
and chances to win free
dinners at local restaurants.
Learn more on our
Facebook page or at http://
rentonfoundation.org/.
10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
at the national level.13 Finally, in 1922, a law was passed that
ended the practice of stripping citizenship from American-born
women who married non-citizens. The law was called the Married
Women’s Independent Citizenship Act, but came to be known as
the Cable Act after the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Cable of Ohio.14
The Cable Act stopped women from losing their
citizenship, but did very little for the women who had already
lost theirs. Those women—like Mary, Theresa, Livia, Matilda,
Ruth, and Ethel—still had to work through the naturalization
process and were not allowed to regain their American
citizenship if their husbands were deemed ineligible.15
Additionally, naturalized citizens did not have the same legal
protections as birth citizens. By making these women go through
the naturalization process, the government could still later
legally revoke their citizenship at any point, a final cruel legacy
of the Expatriation and Cable Acts.16
NATURALIZATION IN RENTON
There was nothing for Renton’s expatriated women to do
except to follow the naturalization process along with their
husbands. All the women in this article had husbands who
were eligible to naturalize and did so. This dramatically eased
the process for the women; had the men been unwilling to
naturalize the women would have had to attempt the process
independently, subject to immigration quotas covering her
husband’s country of origin.17
Because of a provision in the Cable Act, Renton’s
expatriated women did not have to file a Declaration of Intent
(to naturalize); they could skip that part of the process and go
right to filing a Petition to Naturalize.18 Their forms all had
the Declaration of Intent line scratched out and “Filed under
Act of Sept. 22, 1922” (the date of the Cable Act) or similar
text typed above it. They had to claim on the form the date at
which they began residence in the United States: their birth
date. One indicated she had “never lived outside the U.S.”19
The expatriated women also had to provide the names of two
American witnesses who could vouch for them. Livia Giovanelli
Bolognini’s form lists a Seattle lawyer and John C. Marlowe, a
prominent Renton real estate and insurance agent.20
Continued from page 7
ENDNOTES
1 Candace Lewis Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own: Women, Marriage, and the
Law of Citizenship (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998), 15.
2 Meg Hacker, “When Saying ‘I Do’ Meant Giving Up Your U.S. Citizenship,”
Prologue (Spring 2014): 57.
3 David L. Nicandri, Italians in Washington State: Emigration 1853 – 1924 (N.p.:
The Washington State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1978), 18.
4 1889 Washington Territorial Census, 1910 Federal Census.
5 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 74.
6 Pio Carrolli and Maria Delaurenti, Marriage Certificate, 6 Oct 1908 (King County
Marriage Records, 1855-Present, Washington State Digital Archives).
7 Livia Bolognini, Petition for Naturalization, 1 Jan 1922 (Washington, Petitions for
Naturalization, 1860-1991, Ancestry.com).
8 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 174.
9 “Ruth Venishnick,” Record-Chronicle, 15 Apr 1980, p.2.
10 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 64.
11 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 49.
12 Sophie L. Wepf Clark, “State Federation of Women’s Clubs,” Pullman Herald, 29
Sep 1916, p.3.
13 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 74.
14 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 98.
15 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 134. Husbands might be ineligible because
of their country of origin, political views, labor activism, or other reasons.
16 Bredbenner, A Nationality of Her Own, 134.
17 Meg Hacker, “When Saying ‘I Do’ Meant Giving Up Your U.S. Citizenship,”
Prologue (Spring 2014): 58.
18 Marian L. Smith, “Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married...Women
and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940,” Prologue 30, no.2 (Summer 1998),
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/summer/women-and-
naturalization-1.html, accessed 7 Aug 2017.
19 Ethel McDonald, Petition for Naturalization, 29 Jun 1933 (Washington, Petitions
for Naturalization, 1860-1991, Ancestry.com).
20 Livia Bolognini, Petition for Naturalization, 1 Jan 1922 (Washington, Petitions for
Naturalization, 1860-1991, Ancestry.com).
21 Anna Ploegman Larsen, “Prins Family History,” Maple Valley Family
Recollections (1984): 22.
22 “Picnic Planned by Citizenship Group,” Seattle Times, 31 May 1936, p.10;
“Citizen Classes Sponsor Picnic,” Seattle Times, 27 Feb 1940, p.3.
23 Interview of Louise Delaurenti George by author, 5 Jun 2017.
24 Matilda Delaurenti, Petition for Naturalization, 15 Mar 1935 (Washington,
Petitions for Naturalization, 1860-1991, Ancestry.com).
25 Marian L. Smith, “Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married...
Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940, Part 2,” Prologue 30, no.2 (Summer
1998), https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/summer/women-and-
naturalization-2.html, accessed 7 Aug 2017.
26 Richard Simon, “Women who lost U.S. citizenship for marrying foreigners
get apology,” Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2014, http://www.latimes.com/nation/
nationnow/la-na-nn-senate-apology-20140516-story.html, accessed 7 August 2017.
Immigrants attempting to naturalize usually had to pass
a citizenship test. Renton, always a community of immigrants,
had a large pool of residents in the process of naturalizing at any
given time. Dutch immigrant Pieter Prins founded the Renton
Americanization School to help people pass the citizenship test.
Known to his students as “Mr. America,” Prins had gone through
the naturalization process himself, becoming an American
citizen in 1912.21 Prins’s school thrived. In 1936 the school
held a picnic at Cottonwood Grove; it became an annual event,
garnering mention in the Seattle Times.22 It is not clear if all of
Renton’s expatriated women had to take citizenship tests but
Matilda Giovanelli Delaurenti’s daughter remembers her mother
taking citizenship classes from Prins.23 Prins is listed as one of
the witnesses on her Petition for Naturalization.24
A FOOTNOTE IN HISTORY
It wasn’t until 1940 that all of the women affected by the
Expatriation and Cable Acts were finally allowed to regain
American citizenship completely independent of their husband’s
status.25 The full impact of the Expatriation Act is hard to
uncover today. We don’t know how many American women it
affected during the fifteen years it was in effect, and we have
little indication how they felt about being suddenly expatriated
for love. In 2014 the U. S. Senate, spurred by Sen. Al Franken of
Minnesota, passed a resolution formally apologizing for the act
and its repercussions.26 The six women highlighted in this article
were the only expatriated Renton residents we could uncover.
Doubtless there are more women out there whose stories are
waiting to be discovered.
Wedding of Ruth Burrows and Joe Venishnick, 1918. Ruth
is front, center; Joe is front, right. (RHM# 1994.068.10551)
FALL QUARTERLY, 2017 | 11
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Renton History Museum
235 Mill Avenue South
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 425.255.2330
Fax: 425.255.1570
rentonhistory.org
C ome relive poignant moments in Renton history illustrated by 75 iconic
artifacts and photographs from our collection. Curated by a team of University
of Washington Museology graduate students, A History of Renton in 75 Objects
brings some crowd favorites out of storage and back into the limelight. They are
exhibited alongside newer acquisitions on display for the first time! Featured stories
include the Duwamish, coal mining, WWII, Longacres, Roxy Theatre, and Triple
XXX root beer.
From
MAY
30
to
JANUARY
20
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 Mill Ave. S
Renton, WA 98057
What did you do on your summer vacation? Summer home of George, Annie, and Charles Custer at Three Tree Point in
Burien, 1974. (RHM# 2000.127.2935)
IN HINDSIGHT...