EDITOR:

I feel compelled to "set the facts straight" for Jim McMillen, husband of Councilwoman Vivian McMillen.
I was appalled that McMillen felt obliged to inform us that Joe Rossi is not "telling the truth" regarding his long Bernardsville history. If McMillen ever ventured from behind his wrought iron gates, he would know that Rossi is exactly what he says he is. Rossi is at least a third generation Bernardsville resident and, more accurately, a fourth generation resident.

What follows is a history lesson for Mr. McMillen:

In 1903 Rossi's maternal grandparents, Josephine Verardi and Joseph DePietro, immigrated from Lenila, Italy, accompanied by DePietro's mother, who was a Mastrobatista, and settled in Bernardsville.

Joseph and Josephine purchased a home at 26 Maple St. where they raised eight children. Rossi's great-grandmother lived with the family. It was in this house on Maple Street that the DePietro family often fed the young Frank Sinatra, who was a back up singer with the "Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Band."

Among their eight children was a daughter, Pasquline, known as "Bessie." Bessie and her two sisters, Helen and Mary, were waitresses at the Bernards Inn. One night after work the sisters attended a dance at the Essex Building on Claremont Road. There, Bessie met and fell in love with Joseph Rossi from Stirling. Eventually Bessie DePietro and Joseph Rossi wed and settled in Gillette. Bessie and Joseph sired six children, one of them being Joseph Rossi Jr.

Bessie's brother Frank "Chick," lived in Bernardsville on Olcott Avenue with his wife, Rose Nardone and daughter, Susan. Chick was a mason contractor. By the time Rossi was 9 or 10 he had become Rose and Chick's "surrogate" son, spending school vacations and weekends living with them, working for his uncle learning the mason trade. Joe worked with his uncle on many of the Bernardsville mountain estates and even helped build the old bowling alley.

After graduating from Watchung Hills High School, Joe moved in full time with Rose and Chick, who had since moved to Crestview Drive, and continued working for his uncle.

In 1970 Rossi married and moved into an apartment on Wesley Avenue. He has resided in Bernardsville his entire married life, raising his two children here.
Rossi's maternal great-grandmother and both of his maternal grandparents lived on Maple Street until their deaths. Rossi's Uncle Armand, Uncle Rudy, and Aunt Mary lived and died in the house on Maple Street, which was sold in 1988 after Mary's death.

The family property on Pine Street had been previously sold to the town and presently houses a community playground. Bessie's brother, Joseph DePietro, lived on Center Street with his wife, Josephine, and their children.

Let me recap: Joe Rossi's maternal great-grandmother and both of his maternal grandparents lived in Bernardsville, his mother lived in Bernardsville and graduated from Bernards High School, and Joe Rossi lives in Bernardsville. That makes him a fourth generation Bernardsville resident. His children are fifth generation Bernardsville residents and his grandchildren are sixth generation residents. I would say he is, in fact, from one of the oldest Bernardsville families.
Bernardsville residents should be outraged by this ridiculous attack against Rossi. If McMillen went to such lengths to investigate Rossi's history and "discovered" that his paternal grandfather lived and died in Stirling, how could he not have also discovered Rossi's maternal family's history?

Councilwoman Helen Walton grew up with adjoining backyards to Joe Rossi's grandparents.

It is difficult to believe that McMillen did not intentionally mislead the Bernardsville voters when he accused Rossi of lying about his family history. Rossi has never claimed that both families were early residents of Bernardsville, just his other family - the DePietro family.

By the way, my father and Joe Rossi's grandfather were brothers. I was born Oliver DePietro. Years ago I opened a store and felt DePietro was too long a name so I shortened our grandmother's name of Mastrobatista to "Batti."

Others shortened the name to Mastro. In Bernardsville, all DePietros, Mastrobatistas, Mastros and Battis are related and are, therefore, related to Joe Rossi. Julius Mastro, who owned Mastro Shoes and was a partner in Somerset Grain and Feed, was Joe Rossi's mother's cousin.

I am outraged that anyone, a newcomer at that, is calling Joe Rossi a liar over his long Bernardsville history.

I would like to throw Mr. McMillen's question back at him; if you and the people you support would lie about this, what else are you lying about?

OLIVER BATTI
45 Hull Road
Bernardsville

©Recorder Newspapers 2005