Tracing the Footsteps of Our Ancestors — Part 7

Tony Lavezzola and his horse Don in front of the St. Charles HotelOf the several children born to Michele and Maria Lavezzola, perhaps the one remembered most by Sierra County old-timers is their son Antone “Tony” Lavezzola (1881-1962). Tony was best known as the unofficial “Mayor of Downieville” and, for many years, was the proprietor (from 1904 to 1944) of the well-known St. Charles Hotel that burned down in 1947.

In Volume 3 of History of the Sacramento Valley, California by Jesse Walton Wooldridge, published in 1931, Tony’s biography states he “had no opportunity to go to school until he was seventeen years old, and then he attended only five and a half terms. He is self-taught, having always been a studious reader, and his experiences have been educational, so that he is a very well informed man. He remained on his father’s farm until 1904, when, in partnership with Joseph Lavezzola [note: Joseph T. Lavezzola was the son of John Lavezzola and Maria Devoto, who previously resided at Charcoal Flat, and then later Sierra City, before moving to Contra Costa County], he bought the St. Charles Hotel and St. Charles Annex from John Costa. Two years later his partner died, whereupon Mr. Lavezzola took over the entire management of the property, of which he is now the sole owner, having paid Joseph Lavezzola’s widow in full more than nine years ago. Mr. Lavezzola gives his close and careful attention to every detail of the hotel management and has been very successful. There are forty-five guest rooms in the hotel and annex, all of which are comfortable and well furnished, the heating and sanitary arrangements being all that could be desired. The dining-room is attractive, the cuisine is satisfying, and the guests of the hotel are made to feel at home. Besides the hotel Mr. Lavezzola is a one-third owner of the Monte Carlo Mining Company, a gravel hydraulic mine, and is the owner of the Shamrock group of gold quartz mines at Sierra City. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of timber-land, two miles east of Downieville, from which he and his brother John personally cut all the wood for fuel necessary to run the St. Charles Hotel, amounting to about seven hundred dollars worth annually… Mr. Lavezzola is greatly interested in good roads and other progressive measures which affect the general welfare. He is generous to a fault, contributing to every worthy cause presented to him… His success has been well earned, through his persistent industry and his business ability, and he commands the highest regard in his community.”

In 1922, Tony Lavezzola married Teresa Tomola, a native of Piedimulera, Italy (more on Piedimulera and the Tomola family later in this series). To them were born a daughter, Betty (who married Thomas Vilas), and a son, Peter (who married Marian Butz, the first cousin once removed of the owner of this newspaper). Following in the footsteps of community engagement, Tony’s descendants are still active in local affairs - one granddaughter, Cindy McCreary, runs the Sierra Hardware, an important local business; another granddaughter, Jan Hamilton, is the president of the Sierra County Historical Society. One beloved tradition of Downieville residents that Tony Lavezzola started is the annual foot race that occurs on Downieville’s Main Street on Independence Day.

Reflecting on the name of this series and ancestral connections, note how many of the local Italian families were connected, either through marriage or business dealings. Adding to this, Tony’s sister-in-law Josephine Tomola was married to Antonio G. Costa, the grandson of Antone Costa and Anna Bacigalupi, earlier subjects of this series.

The next Italian family I will focus on in this series is the Ponta family, who were also closely connected with the Lavezzola family. The Ponta family originated in the town of Rigoroso, in the region of Piedmont, just a mile away from its border with the region of Liguria. I’ve had the experience of passing through Rigoroso twice within the last few months by train, but I have yet to have the opportunity to stop and look around the small town.

According to an interview with Tony Lavezzola, his father Michele needed help on the family ranch, “so he sent to Downieville for a friend, John Ponta, who had landed in Downieville by horse drawn sleigh in the late 70’s. He worked for five years at the Lavezzola Ranch and never drew any pay. At the end of these five years, he drew the entire amount ($1 a day for 365 days a year or a sum of roughly $1800). With this, he bought a ranch in Downieville from a Mr. Garibaldi.” This ranch was the earlier “Italian Gardens” discussed in this series.

I will continue with the Ponta family history in Part 8, coming next week!