San Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN ALEGRETTI.
It is a rare occurrence that a man fills a position thirty-seven years with increased efficiency, but such is the case with John Alegretti, who has been superintendent of the gardens at the San Joaquin General Hospital for that period of time. His birth occurred at Chiavari, Province of Genoa, Italy, December 24, 1844, a son of Giuseppe and Elizabeth (Bizanio) Alegretti, both natives of Italy and now deceased. At about eighteen years of age John Alegretti, though unable to speak English, left home for America, arriving in San Francisco in 1862; he entered the employ of his uncle, A. Bizanio, and attended night school in the Bay City. Desiring to start in business for himself, he became a fisherman on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and for several years continued with fine success; he then located in Stockton and went to work for James Crozzier, in market gardening on Rough and Ready Island, from which were shipped fruits and produce to San Francisco and other markets in California; in 1877 he rented and conducted what was known as the Ten-Mile House on the Durham Ferry Road. In 1888, Mr. Alegretti gave up farming and became superintendent of gardens at the county farm, where he has since remained faithfully and efficiently, performing his duties to the entire satisfaction of the county.
The first marriage of Mr. Alegretti occurred in Stockton which united him with Miss Carrie Ganelli and they were the parents of five children, three living: Giocannia is the wife of M. Pardini; Miralda is the wife of Charles Garrow; and Sylvio. Mrs. Alegretti passed away at the age of thirty-two and in 1893 Mr. Alegretti was married to Mrs. Kitty Carson (Summers) Lloyd, daughter of the late Dr. Summers of Walnut Grove, Cal. She was born while her parents were enroute to California near the sink of Carson River. On July 31, 1871, Mr. Alegretti became an American citizen and has since been a stanch Republican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. Alegretti reside in their comfortable home in the grounds of the hospital at French Camp and are held in high esteem by all who know them.
History of San Joaquin County, California – Los Angeles, Historic Record Co., 1923
p 877
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.
JOHN W. MONTGOMERY.
A progressive rancher of the type that always profits from experience, is John W. Montgomery, the owner and proprietor of a grain warehouse in Lockeford. A native Californian, he was born near Lockeford on October 26, 1856, a son of Chandler R. and Olive (Whitmore) Montgomery, the father a native of Rocklin and the mother of Camden, Maine. Chandler R. Montgomery came to California in 1850 and for a while he mined at Placerville; later he engaged in teaming between Sacramento and Placerville. For a short time he was at Mokelumne Hill and in 1852 came to a point on the river where he preempted a quarter section of land east of what is now Lockeford, where he engaged in grain and stockraising. From time to time he bought preemptions from several men until he had acquired some 1,400 acres and engaged in raising grain on a large scale. Of their family of thirteen children the following are now living: John W.; Mrs. Alice E. Barber of Deer Isle, Maine; Winifred S.; Olive; Chandler R , of Lockeford; Florence, Mrs. W. E. Taggert; Elizabeth, a teacher; and Mrs. Carrie Earle of Los Angeles.
John W. Montgomery, the eldest of the family, attended the grammar school in Lockeford, then took a business course at Stockton, after which he engaged in ranching, having acquired 330 acres of land to which he added from time to time until he came to own 400 acres on which he was engaged in raising grain for many years. He still owns 275 acres of this ranch.
The marriage of Mr. Montgomery on May 15, 1884, occurred at Atlanta and united him with Miss Rosa M. Minges, born near Atlanta, a daughter of John and Phillipina (Leicht) Minges, the former a '49er and a well-known man in the early days in San Joaquin County. Three children were born of this union: John M. graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in electrical engineering and won high rank as lieutenant-colonel of the Cadets and was captain of the rifle team, winning the gold medal in 1907, and the silver medal in 1908, for individual shooting. His team frequently was pitted against opponents and easily won their share of medals for marksmanship. He died December 31, 1908, at the age of twenty-four. Olive P., graduated from the University of California and taught school in Contra Costa, Yolo and Modoc Counties until her marriage to Robert L. Cooke, now a teacher of the science of radio in the Merced high school. Lester M. is the youngest and after finishing his schooling selected ranching as his field of opportunity and is now meeting with success in his operations near Lockewood. For many years John W. Montgomery has conducted a large grain warehouse at Lockeford, which is equipped with modern machinery for handling grain and he also has a small rolling mill with which he crushes feed for the local ranchers. In his political affiliations he is a Republican and fraternally is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Stockton.
History of San Joaquin County, California – Los Angeles, Historic Record Co., 1923
p 877
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.