San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CAESAR MONTANELLI
A vigorous, enterprising and very
successful rancher who has demonstrated his preference for the most progressive
methods in twentieth century agriculture, is Caesar Montanelli, an Italian-American
who was born near Chiavari, Italy, in the Province of Genoa, on August 24,
1873, the son of Ferdinando and Anna (Compiano) Montanelli, the former an
orchardist of repute in his native country.
These worthy parents did the best they could for our subject, who
commenced his training in the schools of Comanche and continued his studies in
San Joaquin County. In 1875 his father
moved with his family to Comanche, California, and there started in truck gardening;
and in time they had four children:
Caesar, our subject; Louis; Amadeo, who served in the United States
forces during the World War; Dosuline.
The two youngest were born in California. The parents are now living in Stockton, both
enjoying the best of health.
After a stay of five years at
Comanche, the Montanelli’s moved to a ranch nine miles out on the Copperopolis
Road, where they lived until they retired, and when Caesar was twenty-one years
old, he commenced to operate for himself.
He first bought five acres, nine miles out on the Copperopolis Road,
adjoining his father, which he turned into a truck garden; and after twelve
years here he disposed of the place. He
then purchased eighty acres on the Eight Mile Road, at the corner of Jack Tone
Road, all at that time open land; and later he sold off forty acres to Mr.
Martin, after he had farmed the whole for two years. Still later, he split up the forty acres,
retaining just half of it for himself; and on this choice tract he built a
home, setting out around it an orchard of eleven acres of almonds and five
acres to cherries and four acres to peaches and apricots, all well
irrigated. The original eighty acres
were a part of the old McDonald place.
On February 25, 1908, Mr. Montanelli
was married to Miss Genevieve Costa, a native of San Francisco and the daughter
of Peter and Juana (Silva) Costa, one of five children. Her mother died at the age of twenty-eight
years, and her father lived to be sixty-one years old. Mr. and Mrs. Montanelli have a family of five
children; and they bear the names of Joseph, Louise, Lena, Emma and
Lawrence. Mr. Montanelli is a
Republican, and a loyal American, and he takes a keen interest in national as
well as local questions of the day.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1621. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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