Research Guides: Resources on the Italian-American Experience : SCU Archives

Italian Jesuits at Santa Clara College

Finding Aid for the Papers of John Nobili, S.J.,1851-1856
The Nobili Papers contain virtually all the documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Request an appointment to view these materials in person in the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room.
Nobili Papers Digital Collection
The Nobili Papers digital collection contains documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Included are financial records, legal papers, and correspondence with Church and State officials, parents, and merchants. All documents from the physical collection, with the exception of the1953 McGloin biography, are included.
Document transferring possession of Mission Santa Clara to John Nobili S.J.
Bishop Joseph S. Alemany to Fr. Nobili, Mar. 4, 1851. Item digitized from the Nobili papers and available online.

There are several books written about the history of the Italian Jesuits and the Italian community in Santa Clara. Use the links below to locate these books at SCU Library.

Brokers of Culture by Gerald McKevitt
Call Number: BV2290 .M35 2007

ISBN: 9780804753579

Publication Date: 2006-12-14
Jesuits by the Golden Gate ; the Society of Jesus in San Francisco, 1849-1969. by McGloin, John Bernard.
Call Number: BX3710.S2 M3
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977 by Gerald McKevitt
Call Number: LD4881.S32 M33

ISBN: 0804710244

Publication Date: 1979

McKevitt details the change from college to university on pp. 166-180.

SCU Italian American Archival Collections

Jesuits in Fiction Manuscript Collection, 1679-. by McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
Call Number: PP-McKevitt

This collection is the source of the Italian anti-Jesuit cartoons. Make an appointment to view these materials in the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room.
Victor B. Vari Collection, 1970-2006
Call Number: PP-Vari

Dr. Vari was a beloved Italian-American professor who taught at SCU for many decades. Casa Italiana exists because of him, and with his wife, he took many groups of students on field trips to Italy. Make an appointment to view these materials in the Archives & Special Collections reading room.

Finding Aid for the Alberto F. Porta Papers, 1881-1990
Alberto Francisco Porta, born in Mondovi, Italy in 1853, was a civil engineer and taught at Santa Clara in the early 20th Century. Make an appointment to consult these materials in the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room.
Pellerano Family
The Pellerano Family was originally from Italy and immigrated to the United States sometime in the last half of the nineteenth century. Follow this link to learn more about the family and access photographs, documents, and more.

Archives & Special Collections Librarian

Monica Keane

Email Me

Contact:

Norman F. Martin Reading Room
Archives & Special Collections
Library and Learning Commons, 3rd floor

408-554-4094

Subjects: Archives & Special Collections

Archives Visit Resources

A selection of archival materials related to the Italian American Experience class have been digitized and are available below. The materials have been organized into four different general topics:

Anti-Catholic Sentiment

La Raspa - I Gesuiti scacciati e ricevuti [ITALIAN]
La Raspa - Apparizione misteriosa in Vienna [ITALIAN]
"See, Where His Grace Stands 'Tween Two Clergymen!" (Cartoon and accompanying article)
The Vision of Loyola -- Our New Board of Education (Cartoon and accompanying article)

Father Nobili and the Founding of Santa Clara College

The Pellerano Family Papers

Finding Aid for the Pellerano Family Papers
Nicholas Pellerano School composition: "San Jose"
Photograph of Business Classroom in Commercial Building, 1890 (we could surmise that Pellerano is in this picture, or that these are his classmates)
1890-1891 Course Catalog (listing Nicholas Pellerano as a student and describing early life at the college)
La Banca D'Italia from Gl'Italiani in California (F870 I8 P3 1911) [ITALIAN]

Italia dall'A alla Z (Italy from A to Z) by Vincenzo Fraschetti (alphabet book for Italian children living abroad)

OSCAR record for the book (provides important metadata and clues about the book's origin, purpose, and attributes)
PDF of Selections of the book (covers, title pages, illustrations and poems of select letters)
D for Duce poem [ITALIAN]
E for Emigrante poem [ITALIAN]
G for Genova poem [ITALIAN]
M for Radio Marconi poem [ITALIAN]
T for Tripoli poem [ITALIAN]
U for Uva poem [ITALIAN]

Finding More Primary Sources Online

We have scanned over 50,000 items in the SCU Digital Collections! You can search for and download digitized archival items to use in your Omeka project.

Digital Collections by Topic

The Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection consists of hundreds of manuscripts written, collected, and used by the Franciscans at Mission Santa Clara, from the founding of the Mission in 1777 until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1851. We also have the books that remained with the Mission when custody was transferred to the Jesuits. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.

Fr. Viader's Miscellany Book
Father Viader’s Book served as a reference book for life in Mission Santa Clara; as such, the multiple manuscripts in it deal with a great variety of subjects, such as Church doctrine, liturgy and regulations, health care, food production and preparation, and Native society.
Mission Accounts
The Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection holds two volumes from Mission San José, both are account books corresponding to the years after the secularization of the missions.
Mission Library Book Collection
The Mission Santa Clara Book Collection is comprised of 217 titles of Mission-period books, whose dates of publication range from 1548-1835. The Collection was the library for Mission Santa Clara, founded in 1777 by the Franciscan Fathers.
Mission Santa Clara Manuscripts
The Mission Santa Clara Manuscript Collection consists of hundreds of manuscripts primarily written and collected by the Franciscan missionaries from the founding of the Mission in 1777 until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1851.
Mission Santa Clara Music Manuscripts
The main manuscript in this collection is this large Choirbook for which Father Narciso Durán, from Mission San José, was the scribe. According to Craig Russell the Mission Santa Clara Choirbook, along with two other written by Father Durán, “constitute the richest and most invaluable anthologies of music from the mission period.”
Mission Santa Clara Sacramental Records
As all Roman Catholic clergy are obliged to do, the priests who staffed Mission Santa Clara kept meticulous records about the sacraments at which they officiated. Over the past few decades, mission sacramental records have proven to be of inestimable value in helping scholars reconstruct the rhythms of life in pre-1850 California.

Archives & Special Collections holds the records, photographs, and publications of Santa Clara University, with some records dating back to the founding of Santa Clara College in 1851. Archives & Special Collections also holds several books on the history of the University as well as unpublished manuscripts of additional works. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.

Arthur Spearman, S.J. papers
The Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers, 1824-1977 (1955-1975), documents the life and work of priest, author, and former University Archivist Father Arthur D. Spearman, S.J.
Charles Barry Photo Collection
Charles (Chuck) Barry was Santa Clara University’s photographer from 1988 to 2015. During those years he took many thousands of photographs of SCU events, people, and places.
ClaraVision
ClaraVision contains images that reflect the rich visual history of our institution, and the people, places, and events associated with it.
Course Catalogs and Bulletins
These volumes document the academic course offerings of Santa Clara, from its start in the 19th century as a young men’s college to its current university status.
Early SCU Histories
This collection, taken from books and pamphlets in Archives & Special Collections, features histories of Santa Clara College and University, and the Santa Clara de Asis Mission, from its founding days until the bicentennial mission celebration of 1977.
From College to University - SCU's first 150 years
The images here show the transformation of the school, its context within what would come to be called Silicon Valley, and its interconnection with national and world events and trends through the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Little Big Game
This collection contains football programs from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, showing the development of the sport, and the rivalry with St. Mary's, during these decades.
The Multicultural Center and Cultural Student Organizations at SCU
The Multicultural Center and Cultural Student Organizations at SCU is a collection that collates documents relating to the Multicultural Center and cultural student organizations such as Igwebuike, MEChA-El Frente, and the UNITY movements, among others.
Nobili Papers
The Nobili Papers contain documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Included are financial records, legal papers, and correspondence with Church and State officials, parents, and merchants.
The Santa Clara - Student Newspaper
This collection includes The Santa Clara student newspaper issues from 1922 through 2013, and have been digitized from the microfilm reels of the newspapers stored in SCU's Archives & Special Collections Department.
Scientific Instruments
The Scientific Instruments collection contains historical scientific instruments used in previous educational and research endeavors by SCU. These instruments are a testament to the University's emphasis on educating the critical thinking individual alongside the spiritual individual.
SCU Annals
The Annals of Santa Clara: College and University, 1851-1951, is a typewritten manuscript by Reverend Henry L. Walsh, S.J. It covers the administrative and social history of Santa Clara College and University from its start in 1851 until 1951.
SCU Commencement Programs
The SCU Commencement Programs collection provides access to commencement programs from the years 1934 to 2013. These include programs from the university as a whole and, starting in 1975, divided by Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law.
SCU Historical Buildings
This collection includes black & white and color photographs of Santa Clara University buildings, both past and present. Most buildings have photos of both interiors and exteriors.
SCU in the 70s
A nationally recognized figure in his trade, Eymann was the University’s first contracted photographer. This collection focuses on technology and fashion in Eymann’s works, as these are concrete means by which change can be measured and assessed.
SCU Maps
Santa Clara University Archives & Special Collections houses a number of maps, plats, and drawings of the local area, some of them dating to pre-US California. We have digitized a sampling of these, concentrating on items that are fragile and/or oversized, to allow researchers access to them without risking damage to the originals.
SCU Oral Histories
This collection contains the transcripts from a series of tape-recorded interviews, conducted by Norman F. Martin, SJ '38 between 1999 and 2000, with various alumni and members of the Santa Clara University community.
Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection
The Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection consists of over 300 photographs documenting the historic buildings and campus life of Santa Clara College (now known as Santa Clara University), from 1905-1920.
Women's Recreational Association Scrapbooks
The Women's Recreational Association (WRA) scrapbooks were compiled by Marygrace Colby. Colby was hired by Santa Clara University in 1963, two years after women students were admitted to SCU. Her charge was to "direct and instruct women students in various recreational and athletic pursuits."

These collections include papers from faculty and others with a relationship to Santa Clara University, notable families from the Santa Clara Valley, and other collections acquired to support the research interests of faculty and students. Publications and personal papers from select faculty and staff members are also collected for preservation purposes. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.

Arthur Spearman, S.J. Papers
The Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers, 1824-1977 (1955-1975), documents the life and work of priest, author, and former University Archivist Father Arthur D. Spearman, S.J.
Clay Greene Collection
The Clay M. Greene Collection, 1867-1934 (bulk 1880-1925) documents Greene’s life from his early years as a newspaperman to his later success as an American playwright.
Conrad S. Babcock
These images of celebration at the end of World War I are taken from a scrapbook in the Conrad S. Babcock Papers. The photographs feature such people as General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, General Ferdinand Foch, the Kings of England and Spain, Queens Mary and Alexandra, and the Prince of Wales, amid sites in Paris, New York, and Washington, DC.
Encarnación Pinedo Collection
In the early to mid-1800s, the Pinedo family was prominent in the Santa Clara Valley and its history is intertwined with that of Mission Santa Clara and the city itself. The items in this digital collection have been selected from the Pinedo Family Collection.
Ernest Watson Collection
Ernest Paul Watson, SJ was born on April 4, 1889 in Quincy, California. Watson went to Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University) as an undergraduate and was a student during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Father Markey Homilies
Father Francis Markey was known for his homilies, the commentaries given by a priest after the scripture readings during the Mass. His friends called him a maverick, a teacher, a visionary and, above all, a man of tremendous faith.
Francisco Jiménez Papers
The Francisco Jiménez Papers, 1962-2010, document Jiménez’s achievements as a writer and university professor.
Fray Magín Catalá Collection
The Magín Catalá, O.F.M. Collection documents the life of Fray Magín Catalá. Often referred to as the “Holy Man of Santa Clara,” Fr. Catalá was stationed at Mission Santa Clara for 36 years and was widely renowned for his piety and spiritual labors.
George M.A. Schoener Collection
Father George M. A. Schoener, the "Padre of the Roses", was born in 1864. The Schoener Collection contains photographs, correspondence, poems both in German and English, and articles on rose breeding and horticulture.
Hubbard S.J., Bernard R. - Ketchikan
Various photographs from Fr. Hubbard's visits to Ketchikan, Alaska and various other locations in Alaska.
Hubbard S.J., Bernard R. - King Island
In 1937 and 1938 Fr. Hubbard lived on King Island, with his boats, dogs, expedition members, and more than 100 tons of supplies and equipment. During this expedition, he continued his glacier research and captured the King Island people on film.
John J. Montgomery Collection
This collection of Montgomery material documents various stages of Montgomery’s work, from his earlier trials around California to his commercial flight shows, and to the experimental trials preceding his untimely passing.
José Antonio Villarreal Papers
The José Antonio Villarreal Papers document the personal and professional life of José Antonio Villarreal. Villarreal became well known for his book Pocho, which was first published in 1959 and is considered a landmark in Chicano literature.
Nobili Papers
The Nobili Papers contain documents of the early days of Santa Clara College. Included are financial records, legal papers, and correspondence with Church and State officials, parents, and merchants.
Norman Martin, S.J. Collection
The Norman Martin, SJ Digital Collection consists of a wide variety of materials including class notes, handouts, photographs, letters, and manuscripts from the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios convent in Sucre, Bolivia.
Pellerano Family Collection
The Pellerano Family Papers document the lives of the Pellerano, Boitano, and Wempe families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The records include the personal papers of Nicholas, Clorinda, and Pedrina Pellerano along with memorabilia from several other family members.
Reid Family Papers
The Reid Family Papers document the lives of several members of the Reid family. This collection includes material related to Bernard J. Reid’s 1849 overland journey to California from Missouri, including his personal diary from the trip.
William M. Tipton Collection
In order to read old governmental documents from New Mexico from its time under the governance of Spain and Mexico, Tipton learned Spanish and began to develop skilled understanding of land grants and how to handle Spanish language documents specifically. Throughout his life, Tipton complied lists of Spanish terms with the hope of adding them to a Spanish-English dictionary. These lists make up the majority of his personal papers.

Materials related to California history, settlement, and culture are actively collected.Several manuscript collections address California history, particularly that of the Santa Clara region. A selection of these materials have been digitized and uploaded to the digital collections listed below.

1906 Earthquake and Silicon Valley
This is a collection of photographs, College records, newspaper clippings, and personal accounts that tell the story of how the Santa Clara College community fared through, and reacted to, the disastrous event.
Anthropology Research Manuscripts
This occasional paper series, published at SCU between 1994 and 2006, focused on cultural, ecological, and historical matters in the south San Francisco Bay Area.
Catholic Women's Network Publications
The Catholic Women’s Network (CWN) was a non-profit educational organization for women’s spirituality and personal growth located in the Bay Area.
Early California Ephemera
This digital collection is made up of ephemera: materials made for a single purpose and not meant to last a long time. These can include newspapers to calling cards to diaries. The items here come primarily from the 19th century San Francisco Bay Area.
Encarnación Pinedo Collection
In the early to mid-1800s, the Pinedo family was prominent in the Santa Clara Valley and its history is intertwined with that of Mission Santa Clara and the city itself. The items in this digital collection have been selected from the Pinedo Family Collection.
John J. Montgomery Collection
This collection of Montgomery material documents various stages of Montgomery’s work, from his earlier trials around California to his commercial flight shows, and to the experimental trials preceding his untimely passing.
New Deal Art - California
"New Deal Art: California" was a six-month exhibition presented in 1976, sponsored by the de Saisset Art Gallery and Museum of the University of Santa Clara. This online collection consists of digitized film transparencies used to support the 1976 exhibit.
Pellerano Family Collection
The Pellerano Family Papers document the lives of the Pellerano, Boitano, and Wempe families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The records include the personal papers of Nicholas, Clorinda, and Pedrina Pellerano along with memorabilia from several other family members.

The majority of the books held in Archives & Special Collections are rare, with printed works dating back to 1481. Also collected are modern rare books, both limited edition fine press books and unique artists' books. In the following collections, we’ve digitized all or part of our rare books to facilitate online research.

Books from SCU's Digital Collections
In this collection, users can view scans of entire rare books from SCU's Special Collections.
Maria Monk
This collection features versions of the scandalous text 'Awful disclosures of Maria Monk : as exhibited in a narrative of her sufferings during a residence of five years as a novice, and two years as a black nun, in the Hotel Dieu Nunnery at Montreal.'
Paper, Wood, and Copper
This collection features illustrated books from the original Mission Library and from the early Santa Clara College collection, with books dating from 1518 to 1803.
Voyages and Castaways
This group of books focuses on 18th and 19th Century travel narratives, fiction and non-fiction, with themes of ocean voyages, strange new lands, shipwrecks, and pirates - subjects that excited the imaginations of readers of the day.

SCU Photos

A number of the digital collections consist primary of scanned photographs, many historical, some going back to the era of the earliest photographic inventions (like this 1854 daguerreotype of Mission Santa Clara), but some taken as recently as the early aughts (like many photos in the Chuck Barry photo collection).

Browse the the groupings below to explore the offerings based on your interests and needs.

1906 Earthquake and Silicon Valley
This is a collection of photographs, College records, newspaper clippings, and personal accounts that tell the story of how the Santa Clara College community fared through, and reacted to, the disastrous event.
Charles Barry Photo Collection
Charles (Chuck) Barry was Santa Clara University’s photographer from 1988 to 2015. During those years he took many thousands of photographs of SCU events, people, and places.
ClaraVision
ClaraVision contains images that reflect the rich visual history of our institution, and the people, places, and events associated with it.
From College to University - SCU's first 150 years
The images here show the transformation of the school, its context within what would come to be called Silicon Valley, and its interconnection with national and world events and trends through the late 19th and 20th centuries.
George M.A. Schoener Collection
Father George M. A. Schoener, the "Padre of the Roses", was born in 1864. The Schoener Collection contains photographs, correspondence, poems both in German and English, and articles on rose breeding and horticulture.
SCU Historical Buildings
This collection includes black & white and color photographs of Santa Clara University buildings, both past and present. Most buildings have photos of both interiors and exteriors.
SCU in the 70s
A nationally recognized figure in his trade, Eymann was the University’s first contracted photographer. This collection focuses on technology and fashion in Eymann’s works, as these are concrete means by which change can be measured and assessed.
Silicon Valley History Online
Silicon Valley History Online includes photographs, maps, letters, postcards, manuscripts, scrapbooks, menus, programs from events, and many other materials from local libraries, archives, and museums.
Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection
The Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection consists of over 300 photographs documenting the historic buildings and campus life of Santa Clara College (now known as Santa Clara University), from 1905-1920.

Advanced search & Download

You can construct an advanced search in the Digital Collections to search any number or combination of these collections. Select advanced search from the top menu, click the show all button, unselect all, select the collections you desire to search, and then click search. Putting in a keyword isn't necessary if you are just trying to browse multiple digital collections at once, but it is definitely helpful to use keyword to focus your results.

Be sure to use the download tool in the upper right corner and select large to download the highest resolution version available.

If the version you download isn't high enough quality, ask for the high res .tiff by emailing SpecialCollections@scu.edu.

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Centers of Distinction

Resources on the Italian-American Experience : SCU Archives

Italian Influence at Santa Clara

Victor Vari Italian Club at University of Santa Clara, c. 1959

Professor Vari's ascot tie, c. 1970s

Mrs. Ella Pellerano Boitano

Group Portrait with Reverend Father Bayma, S.J.

The Italian Gardens

Mission Santa Clara with new Italianate façade, c. 1870

Victor Vari Italian Club at University of Santa Clara, c. 1959

Professor Vari's ascot tie, c. 1970s

Mrs. Ella Pellerano Boitano

Group Portrait with Reverend Father Bayma, S.J.

The Italian Gardens

Mission Santa Clara with new Italianate façade, c. 1870

Victor Vari Italian Club at University of Santa Clara, c. 1959

Professor Vari's ascot tie, c. 1970s

Mrs. Ella Pellerano Boitano

Italian Jesuits at Santa Clara College

SCU Italian American Archival Collections

Archives & Special Collections Librarian

Archives Visit Resources

Anti-Catholic Sentiment

Father Nobili and the Founding of Santa Clara College

The Pellerano Family Papers

Italia dall'A alla Z (Italy from A to Z) by Vincenzo Fraschetti (alphabet book for Italian children living abroad)

Finding More Primary Sources Online

Digital Collections by Topic

SCU Photos

Advanced search & Download