San
Joaquin County
Biographies
VICTOR JOHN FOPPIANO
A native son of San Joaquin County
who has made the best of his opportunities and today is counted among the
successful farmers and fruit raisers of the county is Victor John
Foppiano. He was born on the Foppiano home
ranch on the Upper Sacramento Road, on September 18, 1885, a son of John and
Katherine (Rossi) Foppiano, both natives of Genoa, Italy. John Foppiano was a young man when he came to
California via Panama and before settling here permanently he made three trips
back to his native land. He first
settled at Angels Camp, where he mined for a few years; then he came to San
Joaquin County and bought twenty-two acres of land seven miles northeast of
Stockton; later he sold ten acres of it, retaining twelve acres, which was
developed to an orchard of all kinds of fruit.
He and Mrs. Foppiano were married in Stockton and nine children were
born to them: Columbus, deceased;
Jennie, Mrs. Oneto, lives in Stockton; Louis, Eugene,
Victor, our subject, Henry, Edith, Amelia and Clorinda. The father lived to be eighty-nine years old
and the mother, who lives in Stockton, is now past eighty years of age. Victor Foppiano was educated in the Greenwood
district school and was of great assistance to his father in the development
and cultivation of the home place.
On May 25, 1911, in Stockton, Mr.
Foppiano was married to Miss Jennie Lavagnino, a
native of Galt, California, and a daughter of John and Mary Lavagnino,
both natives of Genoa, Italy. John Lavagnino came to California over forty years ago and
settled on Dry Creek near the town of Galt, where he engaged in dairying and
farming. He was married at Galt and
there both parents are still living on the eighty-acre dairy ranch. There are five children in their family: Anna; Jennie, now Mrs. Foppiano; Stephen;
Mayme and Elena. Mr. and Mrs. Foppiano
are the parents of four children:
Adaline, Ethel, Victor, Jr., and Ernest.
In April, 1911, Mr. Foppiano purchased thirty-four acres from Julia
Weber, a part of the old Weber grant, in Morado
precinct, about six miles northeast of Stockton, and this he has improved to a
bearing orchard of cherries, peaches, plums and grapes. It has a good irrigation system, thus
insuring good crops and a fine quality of fruit. He is a Republican in politics and with his
family is a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. In 1915 he built a beautiful modern bungalow
on his ranch, where he resides with his family.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1633. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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