USA > California > San Joaquin County > An illustrated history of San Joaquin County, California. Containing a history of San Joaquin County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its future prospects; > Part 61
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94
AETANO ALEGRETTI, the eldest son of Joseph and Giovanna (Bisagno) Ale- gretti, was born in Chiavari, a maritime town of North Italy, twenty-one miles southeast of Genoa, on the 22nd of June, 1841. His father was a distinguished seulptor of the prov- ince of Chiavari, and was noted for his skill in carving. His mother, a woman greatly esteemed by all her friends, because of her kind and pleasant manner, used to polish jewelry, to help to inerease the income of the family; but she died quite young, leaving two sons almost infants. At the age of three years, Gaetano was sent to a private school till he was six, then for seven years he attended a publie sehool taught by a priest, but he did not go regularly. In the evenings, he attended a publie drawing sehool, for he early evinced a decided taste for art. After school hours, he assisted his father to earve. In 1856 he went to work in a shipyard to learn the trade, so as to be enrolled in the navy. He preferred the navy to the army, because in the former one has to serve only eighteen months while in the latter the term is five years. In 1857, his unele, Pio Bisagno, who had been to California, returned to Italy to make a short visit. To him, Gaetano spoke of his father's situation, and of his desire to come to Ameriea, if he conld arrange with his unele Lnigi & Bartholomew,
432
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
to pay his fare. In the spring of 1858, Rev. Antonio Bisagno, his uncle, told him that he received a letter from his brothers in California, telling Gaetano to make preparation for his trip, for his fare was paid as far as New York. He gave him a card bearing the address of a hotel, and said when he arrived at the above city, he should go to this place and there his mucles would forward the money, in care of the proprietors, to pay for the balance of the trip. This was happy news for him and he eagerly went home to tell his father. As he wasn't of age, it was impos- sible to obtain a passport to leave Italy. So, to blind the government, on June 13, 1864, he enrolled himself as a carpenter on a sailing ves- sel from Lavirono to Philadelphia to return again. Before leaving his home, he made a farewell visit to all his relatives, each of whom made him a small present in money that amounted altogether to sixty francs. When the time came for his departure, his father accomn- panied him as far as Genoa. Before embark- ing on the steamer for Lavirono, he bade his father good-bye and in shaking hands dropped into thein the sixty francs, which at first his father refused to accept; but knowing he was in poor health he insisted that his father should keep it. Arriving at Lavirono a skiff belong- ing to the ship came to the side of the vessel he was on and a mate inquired if there were any passengers to go on board of the sailing vessel commanded by Captain Guerello, Gaetano ans- wered, " Yes, there were three." The mate told them to pass down their trunks, mattress and blankets, but all that Gaetano had was his valise. The captain took pity on his meager ontfit for such a long trip; so, the day before leaving the port, he bought him a blanket, some cigars and gave him an old overcoat. On board there were sixteen passengers, the most of whom were women. He was well liked by the crew and passengers. He assisted them when they were seasick and they in return for his kindness washed and mended his clothes. It took them three and one-half months to reach Philadelphia. On arriving the captain, knowing his destina-
tion was California, took him to the ferry-boat and paid his fare to New York and gave him one dollar.
On the next morning he reached New York. At the wharf there were hotel runners passing cards. He compared the card he held, bearing the address of the hotel he was to go to with each card that the runners passed to him, but none corresponded. These coachinen insisted upon his going with them, but not understand- ing a word of their language he couldn't place faith in them; so he stayed at the wharf for over two hours worrying, fretting and thinking what he should do till at last he saw across the street an organ-grinder who looked like an Italian. He went to him and asked if he knew where Perasso's hotel was. He said Yes, but it was quite a distance to it. He asked if he would. take him to it; he answered he conldn't, because he was working for a boss, and if he knew that he had lett his place he would discharge him. Gaetano thien agreed to pay him for his trouble. This encouraged him and he took him to the place. When he got there Gaetano asked the landlord if he had any letters or money for lim from his uncles at California. He said No: The answer was so sudden that it brought tears to Gaetano's eyes. The proprietor asked him what was the matter, and he explained his situa- tion. Turning around to the organ-grinder, he opened his valise (the contents were a summer snit of clothes which he intended to put on to mneet his uncles in San Francisco) and told him to take what he wanted, and if necessary to take all. Seeing his sincerity he was satisfied without pay. So, thanking him for his kindness, he bade the organ-grinder good-bye.
Three days later the steamer arrived from Panama, bringing the long expected letter with $100. Through the assistance of Mr. Perasso, Gaetano only had to pay three-fourths of the price usually paid by thesteerage class. This took all the money that was sent, but he had to pro- long his stay eleven days longer till the steamer would leave. During that time he worked eight days for an opera company, at one dollar
433
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
per night; but when it came to settlement, he was defrauded out of his wages. Then he left New York by steamer for Aspinwall. It took eight days to make the trip. As he was not accustomed to the food this trip seemed very long. After crossing the Isthmus he went aboard the steamer "Golden Gate." Here he got acquainted with the chief engineer, who spoke some broken Italian, and to him he com- plained of the food they gave to the steerage class and told him that he would be willing to work for the sake of receiving better food. The engineer arranged it so his desire was gratified. During the day he peeled potatoes and onions and in the evenings assisted to polish the copper wares. It took them twenty-two days to make this trip. When arrived in San Francisco, he went to an Italian boarding-honse and ate a big dinner of the old country style. After dinner he asked the proprietor if he knew of a firm called Bisagno Bros. He said that he did and would send some one with him to show him the place. Before going Gaetano put on his new suit, which was very short, for he had outgrown it, and pre- pared to meet his uncle. The first thing that his uncle did was to have him taken to a cloth- ing house and then to a barber. He stayed in San Francisco six months and worked in his uncle's wholesale crockery store on Clay street, and on leaving there he went to Stockton to work in his uncle's retail branch store there. His uncle owned an empty lot on the corner of El Dorado and Washington streets. About six months after his arrival in Stockton, his uncle decided to build a brick store on this lot and this Gaetano helped to build. When the store was completed his uncle fitted it out and Gae- tano was to run it. His uncle told him that his indebtedness was already paid by his work and that he was now working for wages, at the rate of $20 per month. At the end of two years his salary was raised to $30 per month. He worked for one year longer. In the meantime he found it necessary to pick up English, French and Spanish and devoted most of his spare time in learning how to speak languages correctly.
After he left his uncle's employment he went in partnership with a cousin, A. Daneri, and opened a grocery store on the corner of El Dorado and La Fayette streets; one and one-half years later they bought their uncle's store and ran it together for eighteen months. The firm then dissolved and Mr. Alegretti removed to his present location, 403 Center street, where he has been since 1869. He has a splendidly stocked store and enjoys an extensive trade.
Mr. Alegretti was married in this city to Miss Maria Macchiavillo, formerly of Sori, Italy, on Angust 19, 1864, at the Catholic church, by Rev. M. McGrath. They have six children, the second of which is dead, viz .: Clotilda, Giovanna, Clorinda, Lenora, Nettie and Joseph.
On February 1, 1888, by the advice of his doctors, he made a seven months' visit to his old home in Italy, which added a great deal toward improving his health. His trip in going was all made by water, by way of Panama, which took him almost two months to make the trip; but when he came back he was satisfied to inake it by land from New York to Stockton.
Mr. Alegretti is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge No. 11; Knights of Pythias, No. 20, and of the Compagna Italiana de Bersaglieri, No. 1. He made his start here in Stockton, and is de- serving of credit for his energy and pluck.
H. W. BRANDT, superintendent of the chiccory factory in Castoria Township, was born in Germany in 1840. He left his native home in 1855 for Texas, where he re- mained until 1859, when he went to Central America, remained two years, and then came to California, in 1861, where he remained. He then spent a year in Stockton, thence went to the banks of the San Joaquin river, ten miles from Stockton, where he started as one of the proprietors of the chiccory factory, which he has held since 1872. The capacity of the works is 5,000 tons of chiccory, which they ship mostly to Chicago, San Francisco and St.
434
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
Lonis. They employ about 300 hands, connt- ing those in the fields and the factory. Mr. Brandt owns a farm adjoining the factory which contains 133 acres, mostly devoted to the raising of chiccory.
He was married in Stockton to Miss Theresa Bachmann, a native of Germany, born in 1853. They have nine children, namely: Charlie, Freddie, August, Louis, Emil, Theresa, Dora, Mildred, and Oscar, who died in 1884.
B ENJAMIN HOWARD BROWN, a grain and produce merchant of Stockton, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, April 15, 1824, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Howard) Brown. His father, born in Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, lived to the age of sixty-five, dying about 1835, and his mother, a native of Salem, was seventy-seven years old at her death, about eighteen years later. Their daughter, Mary Ann, born in 1805, by marriage Mrs. Holden, is living in Salem. Another dangliter, Mrs. Frances Henderson of the same city, is seventy-eight years old. Another daugh- ter, Hattie L., is the wife of Captain William B. Bates, of Salem. A son, William H., of the Oak Hall clothing house, Boston, died in 1887, aged about seventy-three years. Thomas and Elizabeth Brown, of Salem, were the parents of thirteen children, all of whom arrived at ma- turity, and of whom three daughters and the subject of this sketch are living in 1889.
Grandfather John Howard was a well known sail-maker of Salem, and carried on an extens- ive business for the period in which he lived. He was a type of the old-time American in his style of dressing, as well as in high-toned, per- sonal and mercantile liabits of life. His grand- father, Abraham Howard, of the historic English family of that name, had been a Cap- tain in the English navy, and had served in the Mediterranean against Algiers. Returning front the service he left London for America about the middle of the last century. His son, Joseph,
a physician, who had emigrated from London to Barbadoes some years before, on learning that his father liad settled in America, came here also. He was a man of considerable wealth and a great lingnist, and was the fatlier of John Howard, of Salem, Massachusetts.
The subject of this sketch learned the trade of tailor, and was married in Salem in 1846, to Miss Sarah Frances Felton, born in that city March 12, 1825, a daughter of James and Sally Gray (Walls) Felton. Her father, by trade a sail-maker, died in October, 1836, aged sixty- three; her mother lived to be a little older.
B. H. Brown left Boston for California on the ship Richmond, of the Baxter and Howe line, in October, 1849, coming around Cape Horn and arriving in San Francisco early in April, 1850. He went with the vessel to Ben- icia, where she unloaded, and where he and his comrade, a carpenter by trade, sold for $300 a frame house, 15 x 20 feet, which they had in- ported. He then came to Stockton, and with three comrades struck out afoot for Sonora. He remained at Wood's diggings and Sullivan creek for about one month. He gave up mining in May, 1850, and returned to Stockton. His first job was the digging of a well for Buffeen & Cook, forwarding merchants. He then went to Benicia for his baggage, and returning to Stockton started a tailor shop between the Corinthian Theatre and Weber office, on Com- modore levee, on the north side of the channel. He dug a well, afterward known as the Blue Wing, and supplied water to consumers, in some instances receiving $30 a month. In his tailoring business he usually employed two journeymen, and sold suits for $100. He went into the manufacture of blue-jean overalls, pay- ing $1 for the sewing of each pair, and selling them at $36 a dozen to traders. Mr. Brown was not only the first merchant tailor but also the first manufacturer.
Being rejoined in 1852 by his wife and their two children, born in Salem, Mr. Brown bought the building formerly occupied as the alcalde office, and also a small adjacent building owned
435
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
by Captain Weber, and changed his business late in 1852, opening an oyster-house restau- rant or club-house, frequented chiefly by lawyers, politicians and old settlers generally. He served the first oyster-stew in Stockton, and was the first to make ice-cream, paying as high as 25 cents a pound for ice and $3 a dozen for eggs. In 1859 he again changed his business, and was the first to open a feed-store in this city. Across the channel from his old quarters he rented twenty-five feet of frontage on the wharf from the city at $25 a month, and there established his store. He had been engaged some time be- fore in buying grain, and did something in that line for about four years.
In 1860 he purchased a whole block on Knob Hill, about one mile north of Main, on El Dorado street, where he has since resided. There was a house on the little knoll, built some eight or nine years before, and the price paid was $1,300. In 1864 the wharf was cleared of ten- ants by ordinance of the city council, and Mr. Brown built, on the levee, an iron store, 18 x 65 feet, to which he removed his business. The building was afterward destroyed by fire, but was soon rebuilt with brick, and with five other new buildings constituted what was known as the Produce block. By the purchase of the stock in an adjoining store he united the prod- uce business to his grain and feed business, and for a time had associated with him his son and son-in-law, besides his dangliter, who kept the books, and a hired salesman. Of late years the trade has been dwarfed by Chinese and Italian peddlers, but Mr. Brown still continues the business at 178 Levee street, under the style of Brown & Co.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Brown are: Matilda A., born in Salem in 1847, now Mrs. George R. Martin, of Sacramento, has seven children -- Howard, Amy, William, Elsie, Ethel, Georgie and Verna. Thomas Howard Brown, born in Salem in 1849, married Miss Carrie Williams of Santa Rosa, and has two boys- Chester and James. He resides with his family in his own home, near his father's. Fannie E.
Brown, born in Stockton, is still associated with her father in business, and resides in the old home on Knob Hill; Alice M. Brown, also born in Stockton, now the widow of John P. Kafitz, born in Pennsylvania, of German parents, but brought up in California from the age of six years. Mr. Kafitz died in 1878 of heart dis- ease, leaving a posthumous child, born May 31, 1879. Mrs. Kafitz and daughter are also shel- tered under the old roof-tree on Knob Hill.
Mr. Brown has been a member of the City Council for two years (when Mr. Doak was mayor); is also a charter member of San Joa- quin Society of California Pioneers.
ON CARLOS MATTESON, of Matteson & Williamson Manufacturing Company, iron-founders and manufacturers of agri- cultural implements in Stockton, was born in Genesee County, New York, May 18, 1827, a son of Stephen B. and Esther (Jones, by birth Sexton) Matteson. His father was a native of Vermont; his mother of New York, and thought to have been of the Mokawk Dutch descent. In 1832 they moved to Canada, where his father farmed for sixteen years. In 1847 they moved to Erie County, New York, where he followed the same pursuit and where his wife died October 8, 1864, in the seventy-second year of her age. His father canie to Stockton in 1874, and in 1876 went to Detroit, Michigan, to live with his only daughter. There he died, February 25, 1879, at the age of seventy-nine, of injuries received by being thrown from a horse.
The subject of this sketch went to Naper- ville, Illinois, in 1845, and there learned the trade of blacksmith from his half-brother, A. S. Jones, spending three years as an apprentice and two as a journeyman, at $7.50 a week.
Mr. D. C. Mattesou was married in Naper- ville, Illinois, September 19, 1849, to Miss Catherine Salisbury, born in Canada, Septem- ber 7, 1828, a daughter of Christopher and Catherine (Cook) Salisbury, both natives of
436
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
Canada. They moved first to Syracuse, New York, and then to Illinois, where they settled on a farmi not far from Naperville. They after- ward sold and bought another farm between that town and Chicago. There her father died, at the age of seventy. Her mother died in Naperville about 1878, aged ninety-eight. Grandmother Cook (by birth, Seron) was 100 years old at her death. Grandfather Salisbury was accidentally killed in the infancy of his son Christopher. His widow, by second marriage Mrs. Hess, lived to an advanced age.
Mr. Matteson came to California across the plains in 1850, arriving in Placerville on July 13. He went to mining in that vicinity for a few weeks, averaging about $8 a day. IIe left that to find something better, trying Rich Bar on the north fork of Feather river. He had Jeft millions in gold dust behind him and wan- dered off in a vain search for richer deposits only to be disgusted with the result. Bidding adieu to mining and prospecting he set out for Sacramento, where he found work at his trade at $8 a day and board. After six weeks he was taken sick and though confined to his bed only three days it was three months before he could do any heavy work. In this emergency he started an eating stand at the old horse market, being able to wait on the table though still under medical treatment. He sold apples at twenty five cents each, and grapes at a dollar a pound, mush and milk at fifty cents a bowl as fast sometimes as he could dish it out; after selling half a barrel a night his average gains were about $30 a day, and he soon accumulated $1,400. Again he could not let well-enough alone and on recovering his strength the mining fever seized him under the persuasion of some comrades. He sold his stand for $50, being in inad haste to again try his fortune in the inines, leaving the equivalent of a gold mine behind him. The purchaser made $4,000 in four months, while the seller, going back to the north fork of the Feather river made haste to sink what he had accumulated. Three com- rades and himself dammed the stream at
Twelve-mile Bar, he supplying the means; re- sult, the loss of his money. That was in July, 1851. He then went to Downieville and worked with two others, a father and son, who kindly gave him an interest in their claim in Blne Hill, bnt all three lost their labor. He then went to Durgan Flat and worked a few weeks for $8 a day. He then bought a half interest in a claim and in four weeks made $1,200 besides paying for his purchase. Soon afterward he had a narrow escape fromn death, a large mass of earth and rock having caved in while he was at work. Escaping with a severe strain of the shoulder nearest the drift he sold his interest the next morning and soon after- ward set out for Illinois with the intention of never returning. Going by the Panama route it cost him $700 to get home, leaving a net re- sult of $1,000 as the fruit of all his labor and trials and experience at gold-seeking. But his experience at Naperville, Illinois, soon turned his thoughts to California. He went to work at his trade at the old rate of $7.50 a week, the hours of labor being from daylight to nine o'clock at night. He had worked about three weeks, when on going to the shop one morning he found everything so frozen that the poker actually stuck to his hand. He quit then and there with the determination to strike again for California as soon as possible.
In the spring of 1852, with one wagon and five horses, and in company with a few other teams and their owners, he set out with his wife for the Pacific coast. Arriving here he sold his wagon and horses for more than the round trip had cost him, and found himself in possession of $1,850. Having stayed a month in Placerville they came to Stockton in September, 1852, and have resided here since, except one visit made by Mrs. Matteson in 1876 to her relatives and friends in Illinois, Michigan and New York. She had intended to be gone six months but promptly cut it down to two, so uncongenial did she find the Eastern climate.
In the autumn of 1852 he bought a lot on the corner of Main and Grant and put up a
437
HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
blacksmith shop, paying eleven cents a foot for the lumber. He carried on the blacksmith shop at that point for several years, having two or three forges in constant use. About 1860 he moved his shop to the lot adjoining the Central Methodist Episcopal church, and there constructed a reap- ing-machine, which was quickly knocked out by the headers, at a loss to him of $2,000 in three months, in that venture. He then bonght the lot where Commercial Hotel now stands and moved his shop to that point. In 1865 he formed a partnership with Mr. T. P. ยท Williamson, who is still with him. In 1867 he obtained a patent for his reversible gang-plow, and afterward for his fork and derrick by the use of which two men can do the work of four- teen, and next a horse-hoe for weeding purposes. In 1868 he made some improvements on a com- bined harvester, Marvin's patent, still in use on some ranches in 1889, and highly prized by the owners. Matteson & Williamson remained on the Commercial Hotel lot nntil their works outgrew it. They still own the place with the improvements thereon, receiving a rental of $452 a month from hotel and stores.
In 1870 they purchased for $7,500 the block bounded by Main, Market, Grant and Aurora streets, their present location, and erected the foundry and what are now called the old sheds, and in 1883 four new buildings, where they manufacture plows and the harvester known as the Harvest Queen. Of these they built six in 1886, twenty-five in 1887, sixty in 1888, sixty- one in 1889 and will build at least sixty-one for 1890.
They employ from thirty to sixty hands, nearly all skilled workmen, having fifty-seven in October, 1889.
In 1887 and 1888 Mr. Matteson received patents for two valuable improvements on the Harvest Queen. His last invention is an im- provement on a plow, adapting it to adobe land, being strong and simple of construction, the plowshare being such as can be replaced by any blacksmith not a novice in plow-making. Their agricultural works comprise a planing-mill
80 x 140 feet, two stories high; a blacksmith shop of about the same dimensions, one story; a machine shop 85 x 140 feet; an office 30 x 60. The foundry has a moulding floor fifty feet square.
Mr. and Mrs. Matteson have three children, all born in Stockton: Julia Alice Matteson, born March 27, 1853, married January 24, 1871 to John R. Williams, a native of Missouri and a drnggist by profession, has two boys: Walter E., born November 1, 1871, now a clerk in his grandfather's counting room, and J. Harry, born in 1879. Walter Carlos Matteson, born March 22, 1856, was brought up to his father's business and worked for him abont eight years. He then started a carriage and plow shop in Oakdale, which was burned down in 1885. He is now a foreman in the Shaw Plow Works. He was married August 24, 1876, to Miss Mary Eggleston, a native of this State. They have a son and daughter. Edward Jerome Matteson, born May 15, 1859, learned his father's business, bnt thinking farm work more healthy has of late years followed that business. He was mar- ried October 12, 1880, to Miss Ann Eliza Bis- sell, born on her parents' farm on the Calaveras in September, 1858, where they now live; they have one daughter.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.