Born: 1882, Italy
Died: 1958
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished with permission from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
The North End has been home to many immigrant groups. Typical of these are the Italians who settled here in large numbers starting in 1860 and continuing into the 1930s. Leonarda Corlito (1882-1958) and Frances LoRusso (1903-1971) are examples of women who left Italy in search of a better life in the United States. They were neighbors and good friends on Margaret Street. After training at the North Bennett Street School, Leonarda’s daughters sewed uniforms for the Army soldiers at the garment factory on Thatcher Street. Later, Pompeia, a daughter of Leonarda, married Frank, a son of Frances. Both Frances and Leonarda lost sons in the war: Anthony LoRusso and Anthony Corlito are commemorated with individual plaques on Margaret Street, and they share a plaque with others at the World War II memorial in Paul Revere Park.