"Maria, sell even the broom!"

I'm Sam P. Drago. I'm the third-born child of Philip and Concetta Parigi Drago. I hold a Bachelors of Architecture Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and was a registered architect practicing in Pennsylvania and Texas. I am the Father to three children, though my son Greg passed away when he was 33. My wife, Hanna Hampton Drago, came with two youngsters, Shawn and Heather who are now in their mid-50's and live in Arizona. I decided to write this book as a way of creating a reference for future generations of our family so they will not have unanswered questions about where they came from, who their ancestors were and what their ancestors achieved in their lifetimes. In this book, I hope to portray the fact that two families with ties to the island Sicily, had humble – very humble – beginnings. Both came to America trying to find a way to better themselves and their families. America at the turn of the century was seen as the "Land of Milk and Honey" and these families wanted to test it for themselves. They succeeded through hard work and dedication to their values and core principles. They represent a story that, in my opinion, had to be told. They represent a story that happened millions of times in our history. That same story repeats itself, even today as struggling families in other countries attempt to enter America – the land of milk and honey. The story of these families is full of rich personalities and characters. It's full of mystery, myths, comedy and stories of the main characters. I hope you enjoy this brief peek into two Sicilian families coming together in Southeast Texas!

I'm Sam P. Drago. I'm the third-born child of Philip and Concetta Parigi Drago. I hold a Bachelors of Architecture Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and was a registered architect practicing in Pennsylvania and Texas. I am the Father to three children, though my son Greg passed away when he was 33. My wife, Hanna Hampton Drago, came with two youngsters, Shawn and Heather who are now in their mid-50's and live in Arizona. I decided to write this book as a way of creating a reference for future generations of our family so they will not have unanswered questions about where they came from, who their ancestors were and what their ancestors achieved in their lifetimes. In this book, I hope to portray the fact that two families with ties to the island Sicily, had humble – very humble – beginnings. Both came to America trying to find a way to better themselves and their families. America at the turn of the century was seen as the "Land of Milk and Honey" and these families wanted to test it for themselves. They succeeded through hard work and dedication to their values and core principles. They represent a story that, in my opinion, had to be told. They represent a story that happened millions of times in our history. That same story repeats itself, even today as struggling families in other countries attempt to enter America – the land of milk and honey. The story of these families is full of rich personalities and characters. It's full of mystery, myths, comedy and stories of the main characters. I hope you enjoy this brief peek into two Sicilian families coming together in Southeast Texas!

I'm the third born child of Philip and Concetta Parigi Drago. My wife, Hanna and I are now retired and live in a small town in Central Texas. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and became a registered architect. I practiced architecture for about ten years and then joined my family business - wholesale distribution of industrial products. My two brothers, Joseph and Philip were in the business as well. This is my first writing effort. My intent is to document the history of our family in such a way that was more than just names, dates and connecting lines. I sought and received small, personal stories of many family characters. These stories, it is my hope, will help the memory of the subjects last for several generations. Then I offer a challenge to someone in future generations of our family to continue this effort by updating it and making it a living document.