AMERIGO VESPUCCI SOCIETY
In 1875, seven Italian immigrants settled in the City of Long Branch, New Jersey. As with other Italian immigrants of that time period, these men experienced a significant amount of discrimination and faced hardships with their language barrier. These seven individuals decided to unite with the Italian people of Long Branch and the surrounding areas to form a society. Later, these seven individuals grew in number and 15 became founders.
In 1893, there were a total of 46 members who voted to incorporate a society which was later named the Amerigo Vespucci Society of Mutual Aid. It was approved by law in the state of New Jersey on April 13, 1893. The first President was Eduardo D’ambrisi.
This society is one of the oldest Italian Societies of Mutual Aid in the United States (and perhaps it is THE oldest in the nation). The Amerigo Vespucci Society (AVS) respects and obeys all laws and strives for equality for all members. The AVS enjoys the happiness and the sorrow of our adopted AMERICA and honor our Italian heritage.