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I began by emailing the news department at the Tampa Tribune on September 17, 2007. I explained my research project,
and then wrote: "There is a photo of a 4-year-old newsboy in Tampa taken in 1913. Hine did not identify this child, and
I want to find out who he was. I think that if you publish the photo in the Tribune, along with an article about my project,
a descendant in the area might recognize him."
On October 2, I received an email from Gary Mormino, a history professor at the University of South Florida, who
writes a Tampa history column for the Tribune. He offered to include my inquiry in an article he was writing about Lewis Hine's
Tampa photos. Three weeks later, his article appeared, titled, "Photos Expose Child Labor In Tampa." In part, it
said:
"Interestingly, another Hine
photo, taken the same month in Tampa, shows three boys about 8 to 10 years old described as brothers in Hine's caption. He
says the boys are part of the ‘Bellenti family,' and there are actually four brothers, the youngest of whom is 4-year-old
Tony (not in photo). They live on Garcia Avenue. A search of the Tampa city directory for 1913 finds no Bellentis on Garcia,
but it does show an Anna and Antonio Valenti, bakers who lived at 1223 Garcia Ave. Given the language barrier, Valenti could
have become Bellenti to Hine's ears. Could the unidentified child be Tony Valenti?"
Bellenti Family. Crosoria,
10 years, Joe 9, Sam, 7, Tony, 4. Live on Garcia Avenue. All commence selling 6 A.M. and sell until late at night. Two oldest
make 50 cents each, and two youngest make 25 cents each day. Sam been selling 2 years. Know little English. Illiterate. Do
not go to school. Tony youngest newsy in Florida. Bury [i.e., buy] candy and go to movies. Location: Tampa, Florida, March
1913, Lewis Hine.
For the next several weeks, Mormino,
and library archivist Paul Camp traded many emails with me, and we finally came to the conclusion that the unidentified boy
was named Tony Valenti. But there was a problem. We discovered that there happened to be two boys named Tony Valenti living
in Tampa at the time, one about four years old in 1913, and one about six years old. Which one was he?
Since Hine said that the boy was four, it was easy for me
to assume that he had to be the brother of the "Bellenti" boys who lived on Garcia Avenue, and therefore, he had
to be the boy in the picture. Census information indicated that the other Tony Valenti lived on 14th Avenue. But
then some exciting information turned up in three more emails from Mormino and Camp.
"I just talked to Joe Caltagirone, a Tampa architect/draftsman who was a longtime
friend of Tony Valenti (the six-year-old Tony). Joe is a WWII vet and is 80-plus years old. He says that about fifty years
ago, at an Italian Club picnic, they discussed their youth. Tony mentioned that he had begun his working career as a newsboy,
and that he had even been photographed at a street corner selling newspapers."
"I've found Tony Pizzo's copy of the picture of the little Italian newsboy
(the late Tony Pizzo was a well known Tampa historian). On the back, Tony wrote ‘Tony Valenti, newsboy, became a tycoon
in the produce business.' I did a little checking on Tony Valenti's produce business. The 1934 Tampa city directory is the
first one that shows a Valenti produce business. It lists Anthony (Tony) J. (wife Mary) as living at 2802 14th
street, and shows him as a partner with Bennie L. Lazzara in the wholesale fruits company of Lazzara & Valenti.
"I just got off the phone with Tom Valenti, one of
Tony Valenti's sons. He confirmed that the newsboy in the photograph is his father Tony. He said that Joe Caltagirone, an
officer in the Italian Club, once showed Tony the photograph (which apparently had been circulating in the Italian Club for
many years) and Tony replied, ‘That's me.' Of course, he related the tale of Tony Pizzo. Lewis Hine does list the age
of the young boy as four, but I agree with others that he looks older. And the three "Bellenti" children are not
Tony's brothers."
In December, another
article was published in the Tribune. It included this comment from Tom Valenti, one of Tony sons: "Tony Pizzo told me
that picture was my father. The picture is a very good likeness of one of my grandsons."
Several months later, I interviewed
Tom, and his brother Joe. Based on that interview, census information and other documents, I learned the following:
Tony J. Valenti was born on January 9, 1907, which would
have made him six years old in the photo. His parents were Giuseppe (Joe) and Rosalia Valenti, Joe immigrated to the US about
1895, and married Rosalia about 1899, two years after she entered the US. He was a cigar maker first, then a peddler. In 1900,
they and their first child, Vincente, were living at 1906 12th Avenue. By 1910, they were living on 14th
Avenue, and had six children, including Tony. They would have five more by 1920, the last, Sexton, born just after his father
Joe died, leaving Rosalia without a husband and the children without a father. At that time, three of the older children worked
in a cigar factory.
Tony married Mary
Scolaro about 1929. In the 1930 census, they are listed as living at 2709 Essex St. They have no children, and Tony is a produce
salesman. He would go on to have a very successful career as a businessman. He and Mary had two sons and a daughter. Tony
passed away in Tampa on April 10, 1975, at the age of 68. Mary passed away in 1988, at the age of 79.
Interview with Tony's sons, and more photos
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