James John Zanoni

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James John Zanoni

Date of Birth: 1853

Born In: Switzerland

Age: 70

Occupation: Laborer

Marital Status: Married

Died: 20 Mar 1923

Cause of Death: Chronic Nephritis

Death Location: Santa Clara Co

Burial Plot: 16

FindaGrave ID: 111900725

James John Zanoni

Obituary

By John Edmonds:

Chris Zanoni wrote the following about his family: “It began in Switzerland when James Zanoni received a letter from his cousin living in Pescadero, California working on the Humphrey Dairy Ranch. He wrote of the wealth one could attain from the gold fields that lay on the grounds of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. James gathered two of his brothers to make the move to California. They did so well in their first year panning for gold on the Feather River that they decided to invest their initial riches back into their claim, new tools, sluice boxes, cradle rockers, etc.
Unfortunately, their claim was washed away during the next rainy season and they lost everything. Heartbroken from loss of their investments they decided to find work in San Francisco. The brothers worked at the International Hotel but the low wages and strict employment made them realize their true passion: farming. Working on a dairy ranch owned by the Gambetta Family in Novato, James met and married one of the daughters in 1882, Kathrena Gambetta. They set out immediately to Santa Cruz County and worked on a dairy farm doing what they did best. James worked at the Mindigo Ranch in San Mateo County and conjointly started a family.
Eventually the brothers ventured off on their own. One went to Hollister and the other one travelled up north towards Eureka. James and Kathrena stayed in La Honda to start their own dairy ranch with their eight children.

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