San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOSEPH BIANCHI
A highly successful vineyardist of
the Ripon district of San Joaquin County, Joseph Bianchi has done much for the
viticultural industry in this section, having now 1,500,000 rooted grapevines
of all varieties in his nursery. He was
born in the province of Lucca, Italy, February 4, 1875 and was only fourteen
years old when he left his Italian home and came to America, a stranger in a
strange land and not knowing a word of the English language. At first he located in San Jose, where he
spent a few months, then went to the Delta region in Sacramento County, where
he worked as a laborer; then he returned to San Jose and worked for the San
Jose Brick Company for a short time, when he secured a job at the El Quito
olive ranch near Saratoga; then he acquired a share in the San Jose Paste
Company and was successfully engaged in this business until 1913, when he
disposed of his interest in the company.
During May, 1900, Mr. Bianchi made his first trip back to his native
country, and one month later, June, 1900 he was married to Miss Agnes Matteucci, born in the village of Marlia,
province of Lucca, Italy, a daughter of Yacopo Matteucci, a wealthy Italian rancher who engaged in raising
olives and grapes. Returning to America
with his bride, Mr. Bianchi established his home on San Salvador Street, which
he still owns. About 1901 he bought a
ranch near Congress Springs, California, in partnership with E. Puccinelli, and developed the property which Mr. Bianchi
later sold to his associate.
On September 10, 1918 Mr. Bianchi
landed in Ripon and purchased the Swett Nursery,
consisting of sixty acres, between Manteca and Ripon. This ranch was developed by Frank T. Swett, a pioneer in irrigation farming, who was engaged
extensively in raising nursery stock, supplying thousands of young trees to the
farmers throughout his district. Mr.
Bianchi is fast developing his ranch to vineyard; he already has thirty-five
acres in vineyard and what was once an alfalfa field and almond orchard is now
dotted with young grapevines. Mr.
Bianchi also bought the ranch known as the Campigi
ranch near Calla, which is probably the oldest vineyard in San Joaquin County,
consisting of twenty acres which was planted by Dr. Latta
of Stockton, which is now a highly productive and valuable vineyard.
Eight children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Bianchi: Chauncey, a graduate
of San Jose high school, was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company
for five years, and is now the general manager of the home ranch; Rose is the
wife of Victor Matteucci, proprietor of the Swiss
Italian Restaurant in Stockton, and they have one daughter; they own a ranch of
forty acres near Manteca; Rinaldo is a rancher;
Angelino died at the age of four years; Louis is a graduate of the Weston
grammar school and is now a student in the Stockton high school; Angelino A.,
Joseph, Jr., and Henry are all in grammar school. Mr. Bianchi made his second trip to Italy in
1905, spending about eight months visiting relatives and friends, then again,
in 1912, when he spent six months. While
residing in San Jose he was one of the organizers of the English Foresters and
is a charter member of the Court of Christopher Columbus; also a charter member
of the San Jose Chapter of Druids and a member of the St. Joseph’s Order at San
Jose, having been a member of the latter organization for the past sixteen
years. He is a Republican in politics
and a most loyal citizen of his adopted country.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1328-1331. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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