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The Buzzelli family currently has the 4th generation in the milk business, which was started by Francesco (Frank) Buzzelli in 1912 at 521 19th Street in Niagara Falls, NY. In the city directory of 1917, Frank is listed as dairyman and his son Guy as driver. Later Guy became the owner of the dairy with his son Frank.
According to the USA census of 1915, Francesco arrived in USA in 1888. His older brothers, Mauro and Antonio, arrived in 1884 and settled in Niagara Falls where power was being developed. The power brought paper mills along the river and much work. In the next 6 years, they brought their other siblings and mother to Niagara Falls. The family came from Castel di Sangro, L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy. Castel di Sangro is 2 hours drive southeast of Rome, In the Apennine Mountains. Today it is a town of about 5,000 people. In WWII, a great deal of the town was destroyed by bombing as it was in the path to Rome. It has been rebuilt today and continues to grow as it is close to Rome and a good place to ski.
After arriving in United States, Francesco began to use the English translation of his name, Frank. He was born in on April 23, 1871, the 6th child of Gaetano Buzzelli and Fiorangela Sconciafurno. After their father died in Italy, the family came to Niagara Falls, NY. They first settled on N. Stedman Street which by 1893 became 19th Street. This area of Niagara Falls was farm land and good for grazing. Having come from an area in Italy where there were cows they bought cows and soon neighbors were asking for milk. Nineteenth Street was a little Italy with most residents from Italy, including Frank’s brother Mauro (Mike). Also, on the street was the Palumbo family. Their daughter, Margaret, would come to marry Frank’s son, Guy. Guy and Margaret would have 2 children: a boy, Frank, and girl, Norma.
They started bottling the milk and delivering to homes, restaurants and grocery stores in the city of Niagara Falls. In the 1940’s they sold milk, chocolate milk, butter milk, orange drink and ricotta cheese. Easter week was especially important for the ricotta cheese sales and they gave out a recipe for Ricotta Pie to customers. Their recipe for ricotta pie was used later at Cornell University.
Frank married Rosina Mandia on January 7, 1897. They had 6 children, Guy, Arthur, Edward, Carmella, Bessie and Daisy. The boys became part of the dairy business. After Frank passed in 1931, Guy took over with his brother Arthur. The farm was moved off 19th street and on to property at Route 104 and 429, where it remained from 1939 to 1944. On the property was a large stone home that was built around the Civil War, and continues to stand there. Edward opened his own dairy, known as E.A. Buzzelli‘s Dairy about 1940. The milk came in pint jars and quart bottles including the baby face bottle. All bottles were made of glass. The milk came in a glass baby face bottle with the top being cream. They supplied customers with a tool that would take the cream out so it could be whipped and left skim milk to drink.
At one time Niagara Falls had 32 Dairies in the city. Their Dairy’s motto was “you can whip our cream but you cannot beat our milk”. On the truck was the phrase “always a head”. It was not until the late 1940’s that milk became homogenized and the cream was no longer on the top.
About 1950, Guy’s son, Frank joined the family business after graduating from Cornell University and serving 2 years in the Navy. In 1952, they merged with Niagara Milk Cooperative and stopped bottling their own milk. Frank next opened Creamland Dairy where he made his own ice cream, custard and lemon ice located at the corner of Niagara Falls Blvd and Cayuga Drive. Frank tells how he was trying to get the recipe right for the lemon ice right and would give it to the neighbors to try. At the same time, he was working for Niagara Cooperative. Niagara Milk Cooperative bought Buzzelli’s, Wendt’s and Diffine’s Quality Dairies in 1967.
In 1968, Frank was made General Manager of the Niagara Milk Cooperative, until his retirement.
In the Early 1970’s, Creamland was sold to Thiele’s Dairy from North Tonawanda and today is known as Dee Dee’s.
Today his son, Frank, Jr. works for Upstate Niagara Milk Cooperative, as Assistant Plant Manager.
The Italians of Niagara Falls 