San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN B. GOTELLI
A farmer and vineyardist
residing five miles north of Stockton on Cherokee Lane is John B. Gotelli, who
is a native son of the Golden State and has made his permanent home in San
Joaquin County for the past eighteen years.
He was born in San Francisco, March 10, 1889, a son of Antonio and Maria
(Camicha) Gotelli, both
natives of Italy, born near Parma.
Antonio Gotelli came to California in 1883, and in San Francisco in
1888, he married Miss Maria Camicha; later he became
an extensive truck gardener in the Mission district of San Francisco, where he
bought and rented tracts of land for that purpose. He had several partners in the business and they
regularly employed thirty men in the cultivation, gathering and marketing of
vegetables. In the wholesaling and
retailing of produce they used many teams and wagons. Selling out his holdings in San Francisco in
1904, the family came to Stockton, and Antonio Gotelli took the contract of
planting 150 acres of the old Charles M. Weber Grant to vineyard, the
compensation for his labor to be seventy-five acres of this 150-acre tract of
land; this ranch is under the Stockton-Mokelumne
Irrigation Ditch. After cultivating the
vineyard for five years, he obtained title as per agreement to seventy-five
acres from Miss Julia H. Weber. He
continued to run the place until 1914, when he rented it to his son, John B.,
and retired to his home at 929 North Ophir Street,
Stockton, where he passed away October 22, 1920, aged 62 years. He was a man who had done much to build up
the horticultural interests in California.
When he came to America he was in debt $125.00. He worked on a vegetable garden for 33 months
at $25.00 a month, and during all this time did not leave the ranch to go to
town. He saved his money and paid his
honest debts and continuing by industry and frugality he was able to at the end
of five years to purchase an interest in vegetable gardens. Afterwards increasing his interest, he
demonstrated his ability as a businessman and in time became the manager, after
which the business grew rapidly so that the partners received as dividends 300
per cent more than formerly. He was a
man of much native ability and diplomacy and kept the partners together for
nine years. While he was manager, the
business ran along smoothly, but after he sold out dissension arose and in less
than a year all of the rest of the partners disposed of their business.
In Italy while a young man Mr.
Gotelli served 33 months in an Alpine regiment in the Italian Army, being
stationed at the border, and during all this time he was never
disciplined. His widow survives him at
the age of fifty-five. There are eight
children in the family, of whom John B., our subject, is the eldest; Mary is
Mrs. Nave, and she resides in San Francisco; A. Nathaniel; Joseph, Frederick
and Louis resides in Stockton; Jennie is Mrs. Virgil Azzaro,
traveling in Europe, and Hazel lives at home.
John B. Gotelli received his education in the San Francisco grammar
schools and accompanied his parents to Stockton, San Joaquin County, January 7, 1905. On
his arrival here he assisted his father in his vineyard enterprise, continuing
with him until 1914. He leased the
vineyard, and since then he has engaged in viticulture. On the death of his father John B. became the
administrator and now manages the estate.
He is also interested in other properties, including both ranch and city
real estate.
On January 3, 1915, in Stockton, Mr.
Gotelli was married to Miss Louise S. Figone, a native a Stockton, and a
daughter of John and Louise (Marengo) Figone, both parents’ natives of Genoa,
Italy. Her father was an early settler
in San Joaquin County and farmed for a number of years on the islands; he now
lives in Stockton and is a glassblower for the Stockton Glass Factory. There are four children in the Figone
family: Jennie, Mrs. Rossi, resides in
Stockton; Theresa, Mrs. A. Nathaniel Gotelli; Louis S., Mrs. John B. Gotelli;
Frank resides at Stockton. In 1915 Mr.
Gotelli replaced the old house his father had placed on the ranch many years
ago with a modern residence on their beautiful seventy-five acre vineyard of
Tokay, Black Prince and Mission grapes.
He is a Republican in politics and is a member of Stockton Lodge No.
218, B. P. O. E., and also a member of Stockton Parlor No. 7, N. S. G. W.,
while Mrs. Gotelli is a member of Joaquin Parlor No. 5, N. D. G. W. His brother, Nathaniel, married Miss Theresa
Figone, a sister of Mrs. Gotelli. Mr.
and Mrs. Gotelli have always been upright and honorable and enjoy the respect
and confidence of their many friends in San Joaquin County.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1530-1531. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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