Montana Historical Society
Library & Archives
MC 335
Marino-Cavallari family papers
1917-1971
3.0 linear feet
The Marino family emigrated from Italy to the United States
in the early 1900s, and settled in Helena, Montana, where they conducted a grocery and hotel
business. Papers (1917-1971) include family correspondence, and records of the
Marino-Cavallari grocery, the Montana Hotel, and the Marino apartments.
16:1-6
English
Italian
Biographical Note
The Marino-Cavallari family papers center around three members of the family: Vincenzo
Marino, his daughter Sophia Marino, and her husband Cesar Cavallari.
Vincenzo (Vi) Marino was born in Prizzi, Italy, on June 9, 1866. He came to the United
States about 1900 and first settled in Livingston. In 1912 he opened a confectionery,
tobacco, and grocery store at 132 South Main St. in Helena. He later moved the store a few
doors away to 124 South Main. In 1935 the store moved to 106 Broadway. At the South Main
location he also operated the Montana Hotel. About 1935 the store and hotel moved to 106
Broadway. Marino was active in the Eagles Lodge and in the St. Helena Cathedral. Vincenzo
Marino married Anna Provenzano in Italy about 1887. The couple had a daughter Sophia and a
son Frank. Vincenzo Marino died in Helena in 1948.
Sophia Marino was born in Prizzi, Italy, on June 3, 1898, the daughter of Vincenzo and Anna
Marino. She moved with her parents to the United States about 1900 and came to Helena with
them about 1912. As a young woman she helped her parents in the grocery store and eventually
took it over in the 1930s or 1940s and operated it as the Marino-Cavallari Grocery and as
the Cavallari-Marino Grocery. She also had the Marino Apartments at the same Broadway
location. Sophia Marino married Cesare Cavallari on July 18, 1940. They had no children.
Sophia Cavallari died in Helena on April 13, 1971.
Cesare Cavallari was born in Dinomi, Italy, on May 23, 1890, the son of Frank and Frances
Cavallari. He worked in Havre as a machinist’s helper for the Great Northern Railway. In
April 1917 he enlisted in the army and served as a first lieutenant in Germany, Belgium, and
France. He was wounded in battle. About 1929 he moved to Helena and shortly thereafter moved
into the Marino’s Montana Hotel. After the war he was active in the American Legion and in
the Disabled American Veterans. Cesare Cavallari died March 23, 1963 in Helena.
This collection consists of three subgroups: Family Papers; Other Family Members and
Friends Papers; and Marino Grocery / Montana Hotel / Marino Apartments business records.
Family papers consist primarily of incoming correspondence (1919-1969) to Vincenzo Marino,
Sophia Marino, and to Cesare and Sophia Cavallari. Many of the letters are from relatives in
Italy and are in Italian. Most significant of these are those from the Provenzano family,
Anna Marino's relatives. In addition there are subject files and miscellany concerning the
family's involvement in fraternal, religious, and veterans organizations.
Records of the family businesses consist of incoming correspondence (1919-1959) primarily
from grocery and hotel suppliers; financial records (1914-1956), including checkstubs,
invoices, inventories, journals, ledgers, rent payments, etc.; and miscellany, including
hotel registers, advertisements, and wholesale price lists.
This collection is arranged into three subgroups: Family Papers; Other Family Members and
Friends Papers; and Marino Grocery / Montana Hotel / Marino Apartments business records.
Each subgroup is arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold
copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require
additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an
archivist.
[item description and date]. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder
number]. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2007.
Some material transferred to Library, Museum, and Photograph Archives. See inventory below
for more information.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Library & Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons, or places should search under these terms.
Cavallari Family
Marino Family
Provenzano Family
Marino Grocery (Helena, Mont.)
Montana Hotel (Helena, Mont.)
Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
Helena (Mont.)--Social life and customs
Grocery trade--Montana--Helena
Hotels--Montana--Helena
Italian Americans--Montana--Helena
Montana
Italian
Americans
Detailed Description of the Collection
Family Papers
1917-1971
Biographical Information
1 / 1
Genealogical information; obituaries
1943-1971
Incoming Correspondence [some in English, some in
Italian]
1 / 2
To Vincenzo Marino: A-H (correspondents include
Giusseppe Bellone, L. B. Brandt, Gennarino Cunto, Pietro Ferrando, Milazzo Filippo,
Carl J. Holmgren)
1922-1941
1 / 3
To Vincenzo Marino: J-L (correspondents include
Albert W. Johnson, S. Kandhi, Rose A. Kenney, Catherine J. Lapaglia, Lanito
Lapaglia, Giovanni Lenzini)
1927-1940
1 / 4
To Vincenzo Marino: Frank J. Provenzano
[brother-in-law]
1917-1940
1 / 5
To Vincenzo Marino: P-R (correspondents include
Pietro Presora, Cincimino Rosina, Alfonso Ritandole)
1919-1945
1 / 6
To Vincenzo Marino: S-Z (correspondents include Joe
Salerno, Cincimino Salvatore, Maria Sciacca, Gkuseppe Sole, Lenoe Vincenzina, Nick
Yezzi [?], unidentified)
1919-1944
1 / 7
To Sophia Marino: A-D (correspondents include Agnes
Ardissono, Eugenio Armantea, Carrie Arney, Estella G. Burhan, Clarinda Canfield,
Crusaders Order of the World, Maude Dallo)
1932-1940
1 / 8
To Sophia Marino: G-O (correspondents include George
E. Graham, Carl J. Holmgren, Income Builders, Geraldine Lambert, Margaret Ledingham,
Henry Mabrey, Montana Stockholders' Protective Committee, Mary Ottolino)
1928-1939
1 / 9
To Sophia Marino: Provenzano family
1923-1940
1 / 10
To Sophia Marino: P-W (correspondents include
Francesca Paola, D. L. Rich, Ruth Sprouse, Jennie Tecca, Margherita Vallino, Anna
Vercellin, Eloise A. White)
1928-1939
1 / 11
To Sophia Marino: unidentified
1925-1939
1 / 12
To Cesare Cavallari: American Legion
1956-1960
1 / 13
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari: A-E (correspondents
include Frances Apple, Rose Bill, [---] Braglia, Carroll College, Francessa
Caunello, Maude Dallo, Disabled American Veterans, Marian Duffin)
1941-1959
1 / 14
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari: Pietro
Ferrando
1941-1949
1 / 15
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari: G-O (correspondents
include Sister Mary Gallermo, Helena Improvement District, Elizabeth E. Holcomb,
Italian Consulate, Ladies Catholic Benevolent Association, Gilberto Manfredi,
Ninetto Marino, Gary Marino, Tim Marino, Joseph R. Marra, Joe Oberto)
1940-1966
1 / 16
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari: Provenzano
Family
1940-1959
1 / 17
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari: P-W (correspondents
include Addie Reed, Hilda Ruffatto, Saint Anthony's Welfare Center, Lillian Schaman,
Arthur Seebach, Paula Stevens, Veterans of World War I, Eloise A. White)
1940-1966
1 / 18
To Cesare and Sophia Cavallari:
unidentified
1942-1965
Financial Records
1 / 19
Taxes
1947-1956
Legal Documents
1 / 20
Affidavit of Sophia Cavallari re bank deposit box of
Joseph Walters
1948
Subject Files
1 / 21
Amalgamated Silver Mines Company
circa 1920
1 / 22
American Legion
1956-1960
1 / 23
American Red Cross
undated
1 / 24
Disabled American Veterans Dept. of Montana proposed
constitution
1956
1 / 25
Po Valley, Italy, flood relief
1951
1 / 26
Veterans of World War I convention
1960
Miscellany
1 / 27
Business cards
undated
1 / 28
Carroll College printed material
1955-1959
1 / 29
Cesare Cavallari admission to Veterans hospital
undated
1 / 30
Cathedral High School play programs
1962, undated
1 / 31
Fraternal orders printed material
1914-1959
1 / 32
Greeting cards [sampled]
undated
1 / 33
Montana Beer Act
1933
1 / 34
Political cards and flyers
undated
1 / 35
Religious cards and brochures
undated
1 / 36
St. Helena Cathedral printed material
undated
2 / 1
Veterans organizations cards
undated
2 / 2
Miscellaneous
undated
Clippings
2 / 3
Miscellaneous
1943-1971
Other Family Members and Friends Papers
1906-1965
Miscellany
1 / 4
Joe Ferrando (includes passport, declaration of
intention, union materials, etc.)
1906-1950
1 / 5
Frank Marino (includes motor vehicle license and
registration for Indian motorcycle)
1919
1 / 6
Guy Marino (includes correspondence, in
Italian)
undated
1 / 7
James Marino (includes biographical information in
Italian))
undated
1 / 8
Tim Marino (includes letter to his brother Gary
Marino)
1965
1 / 9
Frank Provenzano (includes letter from brother
Rafael Provenzano)
1933
1 / 10
Patrick Henry Scanlan (resident at Montana Hotel,
includes unidentified letters)
1912, undated
Marino Grocery / Montana Hotel / Marino Apartments
1914-1970
Incoming correspondence
3 / 1
A-J (correspondents include F. Anselmo and Company,
Boutross Brothers, Rolando Caiani, Duluth Linen Company, Dun and Bradstreet, Giunta
Brothers, Granucci Company, H and R Block, Juillard Fancy Foods Company)
1928-1959
3 / 2
Marino Dry Goods Company, New York)
1927-1928
3 / 3
Milan Bedspread Company)
1928-1929
3 / 4
M-U (correspondents include Angelo Merlino and Sons,
Montana State Board of Health, Montana State Board of Food Distributors, Rollscreen
Company, Salemi Brothers, Stella Cheese Company, Trinacria Importing Company, Unione
Nazionale Industria Commercio Alimentari)
1927-1928
Financial Records
3 / 5
Account books
1929-1935
3 / 6
Bank books and bank deposits
1917, 1937-1965
3 / 7-11
Check stubs
1920-1934
4 / 1-5
Check stubs
1934-1963
4 / 6
Insurance policies
1938-1966
4 / 7
Inventory
1962
4 / 8-10
Invoices [sampled]
1926-1963
4 / 11
Journal and ledger [mostly in Italian]
1914-1923
4 / 11
Journal and ledger: Montana Hotel
1930-1937
5 / 1
Ledger: Montana Hotel
1931-1932
5 / 2
Ledger: work done
1949-1956
5 / 3
Taxes
1942-1969
Miscellany
5 / 4
Ads: Marino Grocery and Montana Hotel
undated
5 / 5
Commercial licenses: cigarette sales
1934-1970
5 / 6
Commercial licenses: grocery store
1934-1970
5 / 7
Commercial licenses: miscellaneous
1926-1941
5 / 8-9
Hotel registers
1933-1940
6 / 1-3
Hotel registers
1940-1971
6 / 4
Hotel room assignments
1932-1949
6 / 5
Wholesale price lists
1933-1969
6 / 6-8
List of printed material, maps, artifacts, and
photographs transferred to Library, Museum, and Photograph Archives
respectively
undated