Andrea Vollaro

By John R. Vollaro        September 1994

Andrea Vollaro was born in Gragnano Italy on September 14, 1871. He was the fourth child of Sabastiano and Filomena Di Soma Vollaro. When Andrea was a young man in his 20's, he would walk several miles to the village of Ajerola to court Luisa Acompara. They were married in 1893 and on August 12, 1893 they emigrated to the United States. They settled in Brooklyn NY. Andrea worked for a tanning company, sold vegetables from a horse drawn wagon and eventually opened a shoe store. They bought a house at 1094 Coney Island Avenue and lived there while they raised a family of 6 children. Their children were Charles, Joseph, John, Nina, Elizabeth, and Andrew. Two daughters were stillborn before Charles was born.

Andrea made, sold and repaired shoes until he was in his 70's. After closing the shoe business, he sold olive oil, cheese, and other Italian food to a small group of clients. He got the food from his brother Vincent who ran a food import business in New York. After retiring, Andrea spent the summers in the Adirondack mountains where the family owned some property on Schroon Lake. He ran a small motel on the property where there were 5 small cabins. The property at Schroon Lake became a favorite vacation spot for the Vollaro family for many generations. It was named Luisanda, a combination of the names Luisa and Andrea.

Andrea died June 17, 1956 at the age of 85. He is remembered for his easy going nature and humorous stories.