PEOPLE, BRICKS & TIMBERS
The story of St. Michael's Parish Families
Livermore, California
1878 - 1978
EARLY PARISH FAMILIES
The following was edited from the book People, Bricks, & Timbers written for St. Michael Church Centennial in 1978. It is as complete as the information we have from those early days. This document considers the early parish families, not so much the early Livermore families. If you have anything to add or pictures to share, please contact us.
St. Michael Web Team
The story of our parish is in part the story of parish families. In the following accounts we present the histories of some of the families who started the parish and some of those who came during the first 60 years. Not all families are represented because information was not available. The families are arranged alphabetically by the father's last name. The mother's maiden name, when known, is given on the second line. Within the text the authors have tried to cross-reference the many interrelationships that exist because of marriages between early parish families.
AZEVEDO, John
Joao Ignacio de Azevedo was born on the isle of St. George in the Azores. Between 1880 and 1890, he came to the United States,alone, as a boy of nine, to make his 'fortune.' He lived with his aunts in New Bedford and went to school to learn English and mathematics. When he was 16, with little money and only the clothes on his back, he crossed the plains with a group coming to California. In his heart were the hopes and dreams of Portuguese navigators, love of family and education, and the dedication to his catholic faith.
In Colusa, California, he took out his naturalization papers; his name was changed to John Ignatius Azevedo. He saved some money, moved to San Francisco, and went into business as a grocer.
John went back to the old country to get his bride Maria. When they returned with their baby, the San Francisco earthquake and fire had devastated all he had. On the advice of his friend Mr. Ferreira, John came to Livermore and purchased property across the street from Ferreira's Blacksmith Shop, on the corner of Chestnut Street and North Livermore Avenue. Here he established his Prince Bismark Saloon. John and Mary had three children,two of whom are still living: (1978) Mary 'Meime' and Amelia. Amelia and her husband, Manuel Duarte still live in Livermore. After Maria died, John married Maria Gloria Vargas.
Mary Gloria was born in the Azores, on the island of Fayal. She also stayed in New Bedford and crossed the plains to California.
Mary could not speak English and was quickly homesick. The Matthias couple with whom she lived in Mountain View quickly set about becoming matchmakers. Mary had bought many of the same qualities John cherished, and she was a singer and a professional musician. The first gift John brought her was a big upright piano, which is still in her home. The first wedding present she got was her United States citizenship (through John's). They were both fiercely proud of their citizenship.
The couple had six children, four of whom lived. Cecilia, Mary,Margaret, and Richard. They were all born in the family home at 260 North Livermore Avenue. The midwife was Mequelina Moura,a neighbor.
Before the Depression, John had changed from the saloon to the grocery business. Shortly after the Depression, John died after a lengthy illness.
John Azevedo had tremendous respect for people. Every time a funeral procession would pass the store, he would close the doors to business so that there would be no traffic. He would stand silently behind the door, remove his cap, and say a prayer.
Mary was left to raise the four young children. All of the Azevedo children and some of the grandchildren attended St. Michael's School. All the Azevedo children attended college. Mary Azevedo lives on College Avenue. She now has seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Return to Parish History: Church Fire
BARTHE, Peter
FLYNN, Anne
Peter Barthe emigrated from southern France to California in 1886. He was 17 when he reached San Francisco and he had just $50 in his pocket. He came to this valley to join an elder brother. When he came to Livermore in the early 1900's he engaged in farming in the Midway area.
Here he met Anne Flynn, who lived on a neighboring ranch with her father, Owen Flynn and family. Peter and Anne were married on September 14, 1905 by Father Patrick Power. Their five children, Grace, Marie, Margaret, Peter, and Eugene were all graduates of St. Michael's School.
Peter owned several ranches and operated them successfully before he bought the pretty Fassett house at the southwest corner of Sixth and south M in Livermore.
Anne died in 1917, and Peter raised the children alone until 1922, when he married Alice Manning. Daughter Margaret married Charles Fracisco at St. Michael's in 1929.
BERAUDIERE, Francois
LIVERMORE, Isabel
Francois Beraudiere came to California in 1882 from Lyons, France.
He and Isabel Livermore were married in old St. Mary's Church, San Francisco, in 1885. Isabel was the daughter of Robert Livermore jr., and Teresa Bernal Livermore. She was born in 1862. Francois was a confectioner and operated his own shop. About 1900, the couple returned to Isabel's childhood home on Los Positas Rancho where he engaged in farming.
Their children were Frances, Camille, Adele, and Louise. Frances was born in 1888, at the Los Positas Rancho. In 1909, she married Angelo Schenone at old St. Michael's.
CLAROUS, Louis
BURGUBURU, Grace
Grace Burguburu came to Livermore in 1906 after the earthquake in San Francisco. She met Louis Clarous and they were married in 1907. Both Grace and Louis had been born in France, Grace,in the Basque region of that country. Louis and Grace had two daughters, Marie and Claire, who were baptized by Father Power in the old St. Michael's Church on First Street. Both of the girls attended St. Michael's School.
CONCANNON, James
ROWE, Ellen
Archbishop Alemany and his close friend, James Concannon, were having a conversation one spring day in 1883. Each had a problem: James wanted to settle his young, growing family out of San Francisco; the Archbishop needed more readily available sacramental wine for the expanding church. The Archbishop recalled, that when Pedro Font traveled through the east end of Livermore, he noted that its gravelly soil was like that of the famous wine-producing Graves district of Bordeaux. The two problems were solved. James moved to Livermore, planted a vineyard, and founded a family tradition that has extended through three generations.
James Concannon was born in the Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland, in 1847, immigrated to Boston when he was 18, and later moved to Augusta Maine, where he married Ellen Rowe from County Kilkenny, Ireland. Following the birth of their daughter Mary,they moved to San Francisco and settled in the mission District.
Three children were born there: Margaret (Mrs. Thomas Noone), James, and John. Six more children were born in Livermore: Joseph, Ellen, Sarah, Robert, Thomas, and Veronica (Mrs. Paul Dolan).
James Concannon also introduced viticulture into Mexico. He alternated between his Livermore home and his hacienda in Sonora.
The oldest daughter of James and Ellen, Mary Concannon, left a teaching position in Berkeley to join the Red Cross, eventually becoming Assistant National Director for the Junior Red Cross.
After James Concannon's death in 1911, his son Joseph S. Concannon assumed control of the winery except for a period in 1916-18 when he served as an officer in the cavalry helping Pershing track down Pancho Villa. His brother Thomas was the winemaker, while another brother Robert, was the distributor. Both Thomas and Robert died in 1945. During Prohibition the Concannons were fortunate because they produced sacramental wine.
Joseph S. Concannon married Nina Ferrario who came here from Milan, Italy, when she was 21. The youngest of 12 children, she came to the United States to visit her brother Carlo Ferrario who had a winery in Livermore. She wanted to learn to speak English so she enrolled in the eighth grade at St. Michael's School. During this time she met one of the town's most eligible bachelors and they were married in 1925. Joe and Nina had six children,Marie (Mrs. Robert White), Joseph, James, Patricia, Nina (Mrs. Jack Radisch), and Patrick. Three of them are still living. (1978)
Joe and Jim returned to Livermore after college and military service, entered the family wine business, and became active members of St. Michael's Parish.
Joe married Peggy Ganahl of Anaheim and they had six children: Stephan (who died at 8 months), Elizabeth, Tom, Leslie, Joe, and Margaret. Joe was a member of the original St. Michael's School Board. He also served on the Diocesan School Board and the Diocesan Catholic Charities Board. When he died in 1978 at the age of 50, city flags flew at half-staff in recognition of his dedicated civic service. Bishop John S. Cummins and a number of priests and religious attended the funeral mass.
Jim married Helen Ziolkowsky of Minnesota. They have four children: John, Mary, Anna Marie, and Paul. Jim has been a member of St. Michael's Parish council for many years, and Helen is co-president of the Altar Society.
All the Concannon children have attended St. Michael's School.
The Concannon family has made altar wine since the founding of the winery. These wines have been shipped to all parts of the world and every Pope since repeal of Prohibition has received a shipment of Concannon wine at the Vatican. For years the Concannons also gave the two casks of wine that were used in the consecration ceremonies of a new bishop. Other faiths also use Concannon altar wines, particularly the Lutherans and the Episcopalians.
The James Concannon family posed for this picture in 1897. L-R: May, Robert, Ella, Ellen (mother), Joe, Veronica, James, James (father), Thomas (resting on father's knee), John, Sarah (Sadie), and Margaret.
DUARTE, Manuel S. and Mary
Manuel S. and Mary Duarte came to Livermore in 1891 from the lovely island of Fayal in the Azores. They opened a small grocery store on First Street in the Mally's Grill area. Manuel and Mary also purchased 160 acres out in the Mocho district, which they farmed. (The Antonini Family now owns this land.) (1978)
In 1916 they sold the farm and purchased land on Oak Street and North Livermore Avenue. Here they erected a building divided into a home, which faced Oak Street, and a grocery store, which faced North Livermore Avenue. The three children, Joseph, Manuel E., and Thomas, were raised on this property and were all a part of St. Michael's Parish. The Duarte couple encouraged the boys to go to school and each one graduated from college. Manuel E.,who married his childhood sweetheart, Amelia Azevedo was the only one to come back and settle in Livermore. When Manuel Sr. died in 1922, Mary, his wife went to Modesto where she still lives an active life at 94.
Manuel E. studied pharmacology in college. His first job in Livermore was with McKown and Mess druggists and then with Beazell's Drug Store, both on First Street. He became a partner in Beazell's and after Mr. Beazell's death took over the business and expanded it. Often in times of illness, Manuel would go down to the drugstore at night to fill a prescription or help a doctor. He was very instrumental in helping young druggists get started in their careers. Because of his outstanding professionalism and community service, Manuel was named Lion of the Year by the Livermore Lion's Club in 1974,
Manuel E. Duarte is a person who never forgot the people who helped him. As a child, he worked as an errand boy; as a businessman, he was one of the first to give part-time jobs to high school students. He has worked behind-the-scenes to help the needy who could not pay for medicine and to act as an interpreter for many who could not speak English. Whenever parish organizations had benefits, Manuel always gave a prize or made a donation. He and Amelia have been foster parents to needy children and continue to support projects for the blind and to encourage young people in their education
FERRARIO, Steve
PERATA, Mary
Steve and Mary Ferrario were married in 1906 in old St. Michael's Church on First Street. Steve was born in Milan, Italy, and came to the United States in 1901. Mary was the daughter of the Peratas. Since she could speak several foreign languages, she helped Father Looney work with the needy with clothing and food distribution.
Mary and Steve had two children, Louis and Norma. Louis married Bernadette Murray and had five children. All attended St. Michael's School. Norma married Robert Pritchard, whose grandparents were the Colliers and Burns. 'Bob' helped build the First Aid Room at the school, and also helped coach baseball. Norma was an officer in Junior Y.L.I. and president of the Mother's Club. Their daughter,Marilyn, married Keith Fraser. They have three children, Julie, Stephen, and Jennifer. Julie is a St. Michael's graduate.
GANDOLFO, Luigi
GLUGLIOTTI, Guiditta
The Gandolfo family originated in Spain but migrated to Italy at the time of the invasion of the Moors. Luigi Gandolfo came to California from Genoa, Italy, in 1864. Several years later he married Guiditta Glugliotti and settled in San Francisco, where they had ten children.
The Gandolfos moved to Livermore in 1905 and bought the Ramke ranch on the northwest edge of town. They all attended St. Michael's Church. They and their children, Irene, Louis, and Richard, worked on the ranch where they produced grain, cattle, fowl, wine grapes, and wine. In later years they also had a trucking business, and they bought and sold hay and grain.
GEORGE, Henry J.
Henry J. George's grandparents settled on Beck Road (Now North Livermore Avenue) in the 1890's. Their ranch was five miles from the church. His parents were Manuel George and Mary (Enos) George. Henry married Helen Enos from Modesto, whose grandfather, Anton Enos, was a farmer in the 1890's.
GOMES, Frank
Frank Gomes came to the Bay Area from Portugal in the late 1800's. After living near San Pablo for a short time, he moved to Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay had a land boom when people moved out of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Frank sold his ranch for the high price of $500 an acre, moved to Livermore and bought 842 acres of the Alviso Ranch for $56 an acre. (The Alviso Ranch was on both sides of what is now North Livermore Avenue and had been part of Rancho Las Positas. Valentine Alviso married one of Robert Livermore's daughters, and the ranch was her portion of the estate.)
Frank Gomes son, Frank J., married Mary Edwards, and his brother Manuel married Clara Santos. His daughter, Amelia, married Antone Dutra, another Half Moon Bay rancher who had moved to Livermore in 1906. For a while, the Dutras had a 460-acre farm west of Vasco Road. Amelia and Antone's children walked across the fields to May School. Ed Dutra is one of their children.
GRASSI, Frank
CATANICH, Katarina
Frank Grassi came to this country from Yugoslavia. He married Katarina Catanich in San Jose and later settled in Livermore. He owned and operated the Morning Star Hotel at the southwest corner of First and L streets, which became the Valley Hotel at the same site. His home was at Fourth and H Streets.
In the days of Father Power and later of Father McKinnon, Frank Grassi was known as 'a pillar of the church.' He attended all the Masses and lit the candles. His pew was the third on the left and was the only one with a cushion of red velvet. When the boys attended religious instructions, there was much squabbling over who got to sit on the cushion.
Frank helped to build the new church and he was always ready to help the Sisters with repairs to the convent.
Having no children of their own, Frank and Katarina brought Frank's 11-year old grandnephew, Marin Mihoevich from Yugoslavia to the U.S. Marin later married Jacqueline Matulich.
HOMEN, Anton
Anton Homen and Marie Angels were married in St. Michael's church in 1896. Anton had settled in Livermore's Northern Addition in the 1890's. He was a shoemaker. Their daughter Marie married Antonio Mello who was in shoe repair and sales on K Street from 1906.
HOSKER, Ralph
MARCIEL, Helen
Ellen Marciel married Ralph Hosker. Ellen is the daughter of Domingos and Rose Davina Marciel. Ellen's grandparents came from Portugal in the 1890's.
Ralph Hosker is the son of Jim and Elizabeth Kearns Hosker and the grandson of Michael and Agnes Kearns.
IBAROLLE, Batiste
Batiste Ibarolle came to Livermore in the 1890's and he worked at the Duval Place, the Belleview vineyard, and a winery south of the Arroyo del Valle near the Vallecitos Road. In 1908, he moved to Olivina Avenue. His daughter married Alfred Arnauden. Batiste had a son, Ernest, who married Marie Etchegaray. Marie came from France by way of Fresno and San Francisco.
LARIPPA, Gil and Anna
Gil and Anna Larippa came from Spain in the 1890's. At first they lived out on Vallecitos Road seven miles from town. They walked to town, as did many of their neighbors, and to church on Sundays. Mr. Larippa worked in the valley's vineyards and on the hay presses, according to season. Later the family built a house on Rincon Avenue in town where Marguerite (Larippa) Baxter still lives. (1978)
MICHELIS, John
SCULLION, Eileen
John Michelis was born in San Francisco in 1907. Here is his story.
"My parents came over here in 1900 from Italy. They landed in San Francisco and started up a dry goods and grocery store at Powell and Green Streets. In 1906 the earthquake wiped them out, they lost everything.
'Someone wanted to sell a ranch in Livermore - my folks got it cheap. After they got everything built (my brother and I were about 10 and 11, and attending the old Green School) one of the kids said, 'Your house is on fire!' We lost everything we had, with no insurance. From then on my father insured everything, and nothing disastrous ever happened again.
'They had a lot of courage to pick up and start all over again in a strange country.
'My dad passed away in 1960, and my mother in 1962. They are buried in St. Michael's Cemetery. I found my mother dead. She lived on the corner of Second and Maple, where the pizza parlor is now. (1978) It was on a Palm Sunday, and she wanted to go to the cemetery. I knocked on the door, nobody answered, the shades were down and I knew something was wrong. I walked around, trying to get in a window. One of the firemen came by, and we found her dead of a heart attack. She was so clean and orderly. Everything was laid out for Mass in the morning - everything was perfect, and the house was spotless.
'I was baptized in San Francisco and received my first Holy Communion here from father McKinnon. I can remember because he came up to the ranch. My dad gave me a $5 gold piece to give him. They were building the present Catholic Church; the $5 gold piece was a contribution to the church. He drove up with Mike Callaghan. In those days a $5 gold piece was a lot of money. The church was completed in 1918.
'When I first met my wife, Eileen Scullion, I was only about 15. We were married at St. Michael's in 1933. We used to go up to Brushy Peak all the time for picnics. Brushy Peak is about seven miles out of Livermore. Years ago it was all covered with trees, but they are dying. It was a mass of trees, with great big rocks and caves where Joaquin Murietta used to roam.
'Father Looney officiated at our marriage. He was very firm in his ways, but we just loved him. I went to the hospital the day he got killed. He was going out on a call on Highway 50 - a sick call - he went off the road and hit a pole. He had one of the largest funerals this town ever had. They say he was severe; he had his own way, but the people respected him. I was directing traffic when he was buried. I thought the line would never stop.
'I became Police Chief in 1942. I was Chief of Police for 30 1/2 years. I worked under 47 councilmen and 17 mayors. Some were lulus... I kid you not."
Eileen says: "He was the cowboy on the motorcycle - with chaps and everything. He was always referred to as the motorcycle cowboy."
John and Eileen have a son, Jay, a graduate of St. Michael's.
OLIVEIRA, Antone
Antone Joseph Oliveira came to this country from his native San Jorge in the Azore Islands of Portugal in 1869. He was 20 years old, a sailor aboard a merchant-marine vessel traveling the waters between Portugal and the United States for two years. He settled in Half Moon Bay where he met his future wife, Mariann Hendriques, who had arrived two years previously from San Jorge Isle to reside with a brother John who sponsored her to the United States. They married in Half Moon Bay in 1873. Eight children were born of this marriage, two in Half Moon Bay. They moved to San Jose where Manuel, John, and Isabell were born. Daughters Mary and twins Philomena and Anna were born in Tassajara. The family moved to the Quickley Ranch in Livermore in 1903 and then purchased property on May School Road when the twins were three years old. All were St. Michael's parishioners. The May School Road property still bears the Oliveira name as grandsons Joseph and Ernie (sons of Joseph Sr., and Frances Bettencourt) reside there. The home built by their grandfather was remodeled by their dad, Joseph Oliveira.
OWENS (OWENSEN), Charles
CALLAGHAN, Margaret
Charles father, Orman, modified his Norwegian name to Owens from Owensen. Charles' mother, Rosa (Rodgers) Owens, was one of the stockholders of the Carquinez Bridge, and was a cousin of Sarah Rogers who married Henry Callaghan.
In 1907 Charles Owens came to Livermore from San Pablo when he married Margaret Callaghan, the daughter of John Callaghan and Margaret Moy. Charles was one of the original stockmen that began the Livermore Rodeo to raise money for the Red Cross. He belonged to the 143rd Field Artillery National Guard as well as Company I. The Charles Owens home is at the corner of Fourth and South Livermore Avenue, and is now known as Den Daas. Charles and Margaret had four sons, Carmelus, Russell, Norman, and Leo. Russell, Norman, and Leo left the area; Leo died just recently of leukemia. (1978).
Carmelus has lived in Livermore all of his life and, following the tradition of his ancestors, has been a member of St. Michael's. He was married to Violet Mueller in 1932. Carmelus and Violet have two children, Richard, who married Sharon Powell, and Margaret who married Robert Jackson. Richard and Sharon have four children: Richard Jr., Robert, Caroline, and Christopher. Margaret and Robert have two children, James and Margaret Jane.
Carmelus and Violet live in a Livermore Heritage Home on the corner of Seventh and K Streets, that had been moved to its present location from Midway by Laughlin Moy, a brother of Carmelus' grandmother, Margaret (Moy) Callaghan. (One of life's strange happenings.)
PERATA, Thomas
RATTO, Catherine
Catherine and Thomas Perata came from Genoa, Italy, in 1885 and settled on a farm on Vasco Road about 10 miles from Livermore. They raised their six children: John, Mary (Perata) Ferrario, Catherine (Perata) Polomoni, Margaret (Perata) Volponi, Victoria(Perata) Tobia, and Peter. In 1911 they moved to town and built their home at Fourth and N Streets. All belonged to St. Michael's Parish and are now buried in St. Michael's Cemetery. In 1906,while still on Vasco Road, Mary married Steve Ferrario in old St. Michael's Church on First Street.
PETERS, Antone
BAPTISTA, Mary
Antone Peters migrated to the United States from the Azore Islands in the early 1900's. He settled in the Livermore Valley and worked in the local wineries. He married Mary Baptista in 1911. Mary had also come from the Azores. In California she worked as a seamstress. They had five children, Emily (Peters) Gomes, William, Madeline (Peters) Bettencourt, Helen (Peters) Besant, and Anthony. Antone Peters died in 1927 leaving a wife with five young children.
POCO, John
In 1894, John Poco, a widower, came to Livermore with his son, Martin, from Los Angeles. They lived with relatives, the Auguerbere family, who raised Martin. Martin's son, Joseph Poco. is a dentist, and grandson James is also a dentist.
RABOLI, Charles and Peter
Charles and Peter Raboli came to the United States from the Province of Lombardy, Italy, in the early years of 1880 and 1884. They first settled in the Pleasanton area working at the Remillard Brick Yard for a few years. In time they came to Livermore where they owned a saloon on First and K Streets. The building still stands.
Charles Raboli returned to Italy to bring back Maria, the wife of Peter Raboli, and their daughter, Frances. He also brought with him Adelaide Garatti, who was to become his bride. Charles and Adelaide were married at St. Peter and Paul's Church in San Francisco. About this time, Charles and Pete Raboli went into the wine business. The winery was located in a large shed in the rear of their property. Once or twice a week, Pete Raboli would journey by wagon to deliver wines to the miners at the Tesla Mines. In 1910 the brothers built a red brick building and expanded their wine business. The building, remodeled, is now rented by Knodt's Flower Shoppe. In 1919, the brothers purchased a vineyard and farm on the Mines Road. This is still maintained by their two sons, Lionel and Julios Raboli. (1978)
They had a vineyard in Pleasanton that provided grapes for their winery, and they purchased grapes from Cresta Blanca and the Buckley estate as well as others in the valley.
Charles Raboli was a volunteer fireman for Livermore. He was in charge of the hose cart. He died in 1936. Peter and his wife Maria celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in January 1944,with a party in their beautiful Italian style home on Second Street.
Charles and Adelaide had four children, Joseph, Virginia, Rose(Raboli) McGlinchey, and Julios. Pete and Maria had six children, Frances (Raboli) Cole, Marie B. Alvara (Raboli) Foster, Constant, Lionel, and Yolanda.
REGAN, William
FITZPATRICK, Mary
William Regan, an Irishman from Canada, married Mary Fitzpatrick, also from Canada. They came to the Livermore-Amador Valley in 1887. He farmed in the Patterson Pass area. They had four children, Marcella, John E., William, and Maude. Marcella died as a young woman.
John E. married Asta Fredericksen, the daughter of Cris Fredericksen,a local rancher from Denmark. They had seven children: Mary married Joseph Just; Gladys married George Lydiksen; John F. married Ruth Reedy; Ramona married Keith Andersen; Joseph married Shirley Gildersleeve; Peggy married Archie Cassingham; Dotty married Robert Freeman.
William married Helen Taylor. Their children are Patricia, William, Jr., and Geraldine.
Maude married Anthony O'Donnell. Our records are incomplete as to the number of children they had. But we do know that a son is father William O'Donnell, and a daughter Mary is a Holy Name Sister.
RODGERS, Laughlin
MURRAY, Mary
Laughlin and Mary (Murray) Rodgers were born in Ireland, Laughlin in 1859 and Mary in 1860. Mary Murray came to San Francisco in 1873, and Laughlin in the late 1870's. They were married about 1890 and moved into the family home at 772 McLeod Street where Leone Lanfri, their grandchild still lives.
Laughlin and Mary had five children. The first one, Anney, died when she was two. The second, a son John Michael, remained single. He served in World War I and was wounded. After many months in a European hospital, he returned home and then worked on the Hetch Hetchy project. He was one of those buried in a cave-in, but they were rescued. The third child, Emily, married a San Franciscan, John McCook. They had one child, Bernice. The fourth child was Henrietta, who married Manuel Pereira of Tassajara. They had one child, Glenn, who served in World War II and married Patricia Murray. They had three sons, Thomas, Gerry, and John. The fifth child was Margaret Rodgers Lanfri Banner. She married Leon Lanfri of Niles. They had a daughter Leone. Her father died in 1925 and her mother married Albert Banner.
ROSALES, Pete and Patricia
Pete and Patricia Rosales came to Livermore in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake and fire. Patricia's mother was Carolina Higuera, whose ancestors came to California from New Spain (now Mexico) with the earliest Spanish settlers in this area. Pete Rosales was a sheepman. Their daughter Eva married Frank Rochin.
ROSE, Joe
ENOS, Mary
Joseph Rose came to the United States from Fayal, Azores, in 1884. He married Mary Enos who also had come from Portugal. They farmed in the area off Vasco road until 1904, when they bought 220 acres on Beck Road (now North Livermore Avenue). Their daughter,Theresa, married Thomas Vincent Kelly, one of John C. Kelly's nine sons.
Joseph and Mary Rose, with children Theresa, Lillian, Mabel, Olive, Albert, and Joseph, Jr.
SCHENONE, Angelo
BERAUDIERE, Frances
Angelo Schenone came here from Italy as a child in 1895. He married Frances Beraudiere, daughter of Francois and Isabel (Livermore) Beraudiere in old St. Michael's Church in 1909. Until he retired, Angelo was a grocer and rancher. Now widowed, Frances still lives at her birthplace, Las Positas Rancho, where she and Angelo also raised their family.
They had three daughters: Antoinette, who married Thomas Egan; Eleanor, who married G.R. Auguston; Juanita who married Herbert Vidalin. They also raised an orphaned nephew, Joseph, who married Alberta Chambers. Joseph was the Livermore Municipal Judge until he recently retired.
SILVA, Manuel and Mary
Manuel and Mary Silva, who came to Livermore in the early 1900's, were both born on St. George Isle in the Azores. They lived at the corner of North Livermore Avenue and Chestnut Street. Mary and Manuel had five children: Amelia, who married Anthony Gomes; Rose who married William Bush; Manuel who married Evelyn Newby; Tony who married Frances Hansen; and Mary, who married Andrew Amaral. Mary is active in parish organizations and in St. Michael's activities.
All the Silva children and grandchildren attended St. Michael's School. The son Manuel was called Mannie to differentiate him from his father; Mannie distinguished himself in military service. Amelia and Rose both went into business in Livermore. Tony moved to the Byron area. Mary was manager of the Concannon Winery office for many years. As a farmer, Mr. Silva, worked for many old time farmers, for a time he also worked at Coast Manufacturing.
Manuel and Mary both loved the land and they used their property to supply the family with as much as possible. They had a vineyard next to the house and in the backyard was a fruit and vegetable garden. Mr. Silva made his own wine and had his own cows to supply milk and butter. The house was large, with a huge kitchen and back porch. Outside the back door, Mr. Silva had constructed a heavy wooden bench, which ran the whole length of one side. In the summer when it was hot, the grownups would sit on the huge bench and tell stories of the old country while the kids would run and play. It was a loving and happy home.
SMITH, Daniel A.
TWOHEY, Elizabeth
Daniel A. Smith was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and came to Livermore as a young man. He married Elizabeth Twohey and they had four children, Joseph (became a general in the U.S. Army during World War II), Daniel, Edna, and Norman. In 1900, he was appointed Marshall of Livermore, and served Livermore for 30 years as law officer, town clerk, and Chief of Police. After his retirement he continued to help out the town in many ways. He was an authority on the history of the valley.
D.A. Smith had splendid abilities as a police officer. Quoting an obituary, 'Not a fraction of what he did in straightening out family troubles, in extending a guiding hand to boys who needed just this help, and other similar deeds will ever be known to any except those he befriended - and often they did not think at the time that he was their friend or acting for their interests, but realized later that his judgment was best.
VALPERGA, John
BOBBA, Laura
John Valperga came to the valley in the early 1900's. He was a cement and concrete contractor and helped build our present St. Michael's Church. John married Laura Bobba several years after he came to the valley. Their son, Mario, attended St. Michael's School and later married Dorothy Wasson.
VICTORINE, John
MAYO, Mary
John Victorine came to the Livermore Valley from Portugal in 1897. He married Mary Mayo, who was born here in 1878. The Victorines farmed in the Vasco Road area. Elaine Rogers is their granddaughter.
VOLPONI, Angelo
SEGALI, Maria
Angelo Volponi came to Livermore from Italy. He worked as a gardener on a vegetable farm. Later he sent to Italy for his wife, Maria Segali. They were married in Livermore, and their first son, Eugene was born here. They then moved to San Francisco and Louis, Elizabeth, and Edward were born there. Angelo worked as a driver in San Francisco. The horses got frightened, he was thrown, and he died from the accident.
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, the family lost everything, so Maria brought the children to Livermore where they had relatives, the Luigi Volponi family. Luigi took the family in until they were able to make it on their own. The daughter, Elizabeth, married Frank B. Roberts, who had come to the area in 1933 to work for the California Rock and Gravel Company. Frank Roberts served two terms on the Livermore City Council. Elizabeth has contributed countless hours of her time to the church and community. She received the Eagles Outstanding Citizen Award in 1968.
VUKOTA, John
GARDELLA, Marguerite Angela
John Vukota was born in Ragusa, Austria, in 1864. He came to Livermore in 1884 and married Marguerite Angela Gardella. She was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1879 and came here in 1881. She lived on Las Positas Road, three miles from church. John had a restaurant business.
Walt Callahan, editor, 2000