Anthony Augliera Moving & Trucking Company began in 1910 with
it's only assets being a wagon, a horse named Fanny and a young immigrant from
Messina, Sicily. Tony, known as "Little Tony", came to America in 1905 with his
mother an d
younger brother to join older brother Joe who had been here for several years.
Tony worked in a factory for a short time but did not enjoy working inside. He
then began selling papers which ultimately led to work as a push-cart vendor
selling, at various times, peanuts, milk, ice-cream, fruits, vegetables & coal
In 1910, 19 year old Tony met Sylvester Poli, a very prominent businessman, who
owned a string of Vaudeville & movie houses, Mr. Poli sold Tony a horse and
wagon for $200.00, which was Tony's start in the trucking business, while Mr.
Poli concentrated on building theaters. He became Tony's mentor teaching him
good business practi ces
and social graces. With Tony's strong desire to build a business, Tony's
business became Theatrical Transfer, Moving & Storage Company for all of New
Haven County, CT. For many years Tony held exclusive permits to haul theatrical
baggage and scenery all the while continuing his regular residential and
commercial moving. In time, Tony acquired his first parking lot in the city of
New Haven, CT and over the years had owned and operated over seven parking lots
at one time. It was in 1917 that Tony purchased his first truck .... a "Mack".
His Moving & Theatrical business continued to grow in the years that followed.
In 1942, he purchased the "New Haven Baggage Transfer".
He opened an office in the New Haven Railro ad Terminal in order to
accommodate
all of his customers which included the Yale Community. At that time,
travelers shipped their trunks and baggage by rail. The office in the
Railroad Station became the hub for all his businesses; Household Moving,
Baggage Transfer, Parking Lots, Storage, and Theatrical Transfer. During
World War II good employees were hard to find, and Tony's only two sons
were taken out of college to join the Army & Air Force. On a personal note, Tony felt very strongly about this country and
all it has to offer. Even though he spoke "broken" English,
he took pride in speaking this country's language. He taught himself to
read and went to night school. He worked hard for his family which consisted
of his wife Katie, his sons Anthony & Salvatore, and his daughters
Pauline and Lucille. It was not unusual for
Tony himself to bring in a Shubert show on
Monday, work all week moving household goods, work Saturday night into
Sunday taking a show out of the Shubert, and then on Sunday afternoon,
bring the Ice Show to the New Haven Arena. During the 1940's most of the
Broadway shows opened at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, CT before going
to Boston and/or New York. After the War, and between the years 1946 and 1947, both of Tony's
sons decided not to return to college and began working in their father's
business. It was in 1946 that the business was incorporated as Anthony
Augliera Inc. His daughters Pauline and Lucille,
on separate occasions,
ran the office and handled the bookkeeping, while his sons handled the
household moving, theatrical and trucking businesses. In the mid 1950's,
Tony took semi-retirement by working only with the Parking Lot business.
After
Tony's death in 1962, his sons took over the management of the business.
They sold off all of the parking lots to the city of New Haven, CT for redevelopment.
In 1970, after the death of their mother Katie, Anthony and Salvatore received
full ownership of the company. The business continued to grow to include
the hauling of shows & concerts at the Coliseum, symphonies at Woosley
Hall and the local moving a nd trucking. The year 1980 brought the third
generation to work in the family business. Anthony Sr's only son Anthony
Jr. and Salvatore's youngest son Robert. In 1989 Salvatore died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer.
Anthony Jr. had left the company while Anthony Sr. and Robert continued
to work together up until November,1996. It was at that time that Robert
purchased the business from his uncle. Anthony Sr, died in March, 2001
at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer. The trucks bearing the name Anthony Augliera, Inc. are still on the
road to date and highly recognized by many. With the assistance of his
dedicated staff, Robert is very committed to uphold the family traditions.
He is his grandfather in many ways, and holds the highest respect for
him as a man of honor and integrity. For this reason, the company name
and logo have been preserved to compliment the original his grandfather
gave it many years ago. There have been some bumps in the road over the
years, as with any business, but Robert, with the support of wife Paula
and children Carolyn and Salvatore II, has managed to keep the company
moving in a positive direction. Theatrical Hauling is a large part of
this business serving New York City and surrounding areas to this day. The
Local & Long Distance Moving & Storage business continues to thrive because
of the reliable, dedicated and honest reputation the company was built upon.
Robert is honoring his grandfather, father and uncle every day the trucks
leave the yard.........

History provided courtesy of Lucille
Augliera - DiVerniero |