The Uccelli family of South San Francisco

He rented land for a couple of years, prospered greatly and then began growing violets on 12 acres of land he purchased on Grand Avenue and Willow (then Ashton). It was hard back-breaking labor working in the fields, but Joseph had immediately recognized the opportunity and reward that hard work in America could give him. This country was much different than where he had come from in Italy. Twelve to 16-hour work days in America were little sacrifice to give to overcome the hopelessness and lack of opportunity he had experienced in northern Italy.

Joseph and his wife Angelina had only one child, a daughter, Desolina. Italians traditionally had several children and Joseph longed for a larger family. He offered to pay for passage to America for his cousins and nephews who could then gradually repay him over a few years. Only his nephew Peter took Joseph up on his initial offer.

Joseph sent money to his 25-year-old nephew who lived near Genoa. Peter left Italy on the next boat and made his way to California, Land of Opportunity. Peter was a hard worker, like Joseph, and within a year and a half he had repaid Joseph for the boat trip and had enough money for his wife Mary to join him in California. Peter purchased a half-acre of land on Willow Avenue, moved into a house on the property and continued working the soil.

Eventually their family increased, and John, Angelina, Lenore (Varni), George, Alice (Marsili), Norma (Falletti) and Peter Jr. were born. Family life centered around growing flowers and vegetables, along with the daily routine of keeping food on the table by raising chickens, keeping cows for milk, horses for work in the fields and raising a pig or two for yearly slaughter to make the salt pork, ham, sausages, prosciutto and salami they all dearly loved. Cheese and butter were made from the cows’ milk. The work was constant and necessary to keep this large family fed and clothed, but Peter, Mary and all of the children cooperated to meet this goal.

Within three years of Peter’s arrival in Baden, his brother, Guiseppi (Joseph) and wife, Theresa, immigrated to the area. Within another three years Joseph purchased property on the lower end of Grand Avenue, as well as land in what is now the Sunshine Garden area.

In 1913, brother Giovanni (John), along with his wife, arrived in the United States and John purchased land in the Sunshine Garden area which he later sold and on which the Mater Dolorosa Church was constructed.

John and Joseph had different ideas of what they wanted to grow, so they began planting vegetables — zucchini, beans, potatoes and lettuce. Peter had been growing one of the most popular flowers on the Peninsula, violets, but his brothers convinced him that vegetables were a better market item, so he too switched over to vegetables.

In 1924, Peter hired a contractor, a Mr.Stickle, and had a triplex built at 919 Grand Ave. He moved off of the Willow Avenue property, purchased land along Oak Avenue and worked this land also. Peter was a good organizer and with his expansion onto new land, he hired other men to do the work. In the 1860s, Charles Lux had bought this land for his cattle fattening ranch and had built barns as well as a house and other buildings. The Lux barn that had been built in the area of Commercial Avenue came up for sale, and Peter immediately bought it. It was moved on log-rollers to 150 Oak Ave. and used until the early 2000’s as a storage barn for equipment. It became know as the Lux Red Barn.

Peter’s sons, John and George, continued working with their father in the fields when they became older. His son, Peter Jr., however decided he wanted to try a different profession. Peter Jr. opened a restaurant by the harbor in Redwood City. He called it Pete’s Harbor Restaurant. By applying the same hard-work ethic his family had instilled in him, Peter Jr.’s restaurant became a popular and successful restaurant on the Peninsula.

Recognizing a "tradition of self-reliance, of people of many heritages working together, of a family determined to stay together and sink roots deep into the soil that marks the Founding Families of the Peninsula,” Congressman Tom Lantos proudly presented in October 1987, a beautiful plaque to the daughter of Peter Uccelli Sr., Alice Uccelli Marsili of South San Francisco. As part of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, Lantos had sought out this special family to honor for their distinguished life in America.

Rediscovering the Peninsula by Darold Fredricks appears in the Monday edition.