San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MANUEL A. LOPES
Among the enterprising merchants of
the Manteca section of San Joaquin County, Manuel A. Lopes was born at the
seaport town of Horta, Azores Island, March 14, 1891
the eldest son of Manuel A. and Mary (Pementel)
Lopes, both residents of Horta, where his father is
superintendent of the Ben Suda Lumber Yards.
Manuel A. Lopes attended the public
schools of his native city and acquired a good
business training in the lumber yards and also as a clerk in a general store. At eighteen years of age, he came to America
and twenty days after his decision he landed in San Francisco. His first work was on a ranch in Contra Costa
County, where he remained for eighteen months and then went to Gilroy and
worked on the Julius Martin place for six months. He next went to Santa Cruz County, where he
worked on ranches and also as a driver for the Wells Fargo office at Santa
Cruz. Later he worked in the grain
fields in Merced County, and while there decided to try the lumber business,
returning to Santa Cruz County with this intention, but his plans were
interrupted by the World War. On May 26,
1917 at Stockton, he enlisted for service in Company C, One Hundred Fifteenth
Ammunition Train, Fortieth Division. In August, 1917 he arrived in France, where he
was in active service for a year; then returned to the United States and on
July 2, 1919 was honorably discharged at the Presidio, San Francisco. He then went to the home of his sister, Mrs.
A. B. Regello, at Danville, California, where he
remained until November, 1919 when he came to Manteca and opened a small store
at what is known as Calla Corners.
Within a month his store building and complete stock was destroyed by
fire. He immediately began the erection
of a fine store building 28 x 46 feet and on completion put in a stock of
general merchandise and he has done exceptionally well. Since 1920 his brother-in-law, A. B. Regello, has been a partner in the business operating as
Lopes & Regello and they are members of the San
Joaquin County Merchants Association.
The marriage of Mr. Lopes occurred
on December 29, 1920 and united him with Miss Marie Silva, who has lived in
California since 1914, and both are members of the Catholic Church. They have one daughter, Norma. Mr. Lopes is a member of the I. D. E. S., of
Manteca and also the American Legion.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1616-1617. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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