San
Joaquin County
Biographies
PETER SARGENTI
A successful vineyardist and
orchardist, from Canton Ticino, Switzerland, is Peter Sargenti, who is ranching
about two miles north of Acampo off the Cherokee Lane Road. He was born at Magadino
on February 12, 1872, the son of Paul and Theresa (Macagni)
Sargenti, industrious, honest and progressive farmer
folks, who were blessed with eight children, four sons and four daughters. Peter had a good education, so that when he
was seventeen and ready to push out into the world, he was well prepared. He not only came to the United States, but he
luckily pushed on to California, and settled at San Rafael, Marin County, in
1889 where he worked for two years on a dairy farm. He then spent seven years in dairy work at
Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County, and after that he went to Solano County where
he was in dairying for four or five years.
In 1903 he returned to Switzerland for five months, enjoying again the
scenes in the republic so familiar to him, but also glad to get back to the
United States.
On his return he settled in Contra
Costa County, at Knightsen, and there he had a fine
dairy of his own, continuing to operate it for two and one-half years. Then he came to Holt Station, Roberts Island,
in San Joaquin County, and for three years was foreman of a dairy there. He then removed to Banta, running a dairy for
four and one-half years; and from Banta he moved to his present location where
he bought thirty-two acres. This ranch
has thirteen acres of vineyard, eight acres of orchard, and eight acres of
alfalfa; and there is a small dairy on his present ranch. He has developed the orchard of prunes,
peaches, cherries and alfalfa there.
At Suisun on July 5, 1904, Mr.
Sargenti was married to Miss Ernestine Madonna, who was born in Solano County,
near Suisun, the daughter of Paul and Theresa (Piezzoni)
Madonna, both born in Intragna, Ticino,
Switzerland. Her father was a dairy
farmer, who came to California in 1872, and settled in Solano County, where he
was married. He lived to be seventy-one
years old, and died in 1909. Her mother
is still alive, residing on a ranch south of Lodi. Ernestine was sent for awhile to the schools
in Half Moon Bay, and then when her parents moved back to Suisun, she finished
her studies there. They have one son,
Peter, who is attending the Lodi high school, class of 1925. Mr. Sargenti is a Republican, and is a good
“booster” for the locality in which he lives and thrives.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1578. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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