Tracing the Footsteps of Our Ancestors — Part 8

The John Ponta Family — Teresa, Melba, Julia, Andrew, and JohnSeveral members of the Ponta family immigrated to California in the latter half of the 1800s from the small town of Rigoroso in the Italian region of Piedmont, including the following four brothers: Giuseppe “Joseph” (1852-1928), Nicola (1856-1885), Giovanni “John” (1858-1951), and Enrico (1864-1950; Enrico is referred to as both “Henry” and “Richard” in various sources). The Mountain Messenger of May 3, 1914, tells of the death of a cousin of the men, also known as Henry, who lived for many years in both Sierra and Plumas Counties. The article states: “News has just reached us that Henry Ponta, a cousin of Joe, John, and Richard Ponta of this place, died from pneumonia not long ago. Henry was well known in this vicinity, working in the old Happy Hollow mine near Port Wine, as well as in different mines in the vicinity of Sierra City, but he returned to his home in Italy a few years ago.”

The exact date the Ponta brothers arrived in California is not clear, as sources conflict, but it appears the brothers came to Sierra County on separate trips. I found an immigration record for Nicola Ponta that states he departed Italy for the United States in 1877. Nicola died in 1885 at the age of 29 and is buried in the Sierra City cemetery. I do not know much else about him.

Census records for Enrico Ponta state that he came to California in 1890. All the census records for Joseph Ponta state that he came to California in 1876. As for John Ponta, who will be the main subject of this article, there are many conflicting sources.

In a write-up about Tony Lavezzola in the Oakland Tribune of October 30, 1949, it is stated that Tony’s father Michele arrived in Downieville in 1867 and “that about two years after he arrived, Michael [sic] arranged for Giovanni ‘John’ Ponta to come to this country. Ponta engaged in similar work, operating a nearby ranch for 63 years…” However, I find an immigration date of 1869 unlikely for John Ponta, as he would’ve been just a kid.

However, as stated in my last article, Tony Lavezzola also stated in an interview that 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.” Census records indicate various immigrating dates as well - the 1900 census states John immigrated in 1883; the 1910 census states 1884; the 1920 census states 1882; and the 1930 census states 1885. To add to the confusion, the photo of John Ponta and his family at the Downieville Museum (included in this article) states he was a resident of Downieville from 1881 to 1948. Whatever the case, John Ponta was naturalized as a US Citizen in 1890.

As stated earlier in this series, John Ponta “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.”

James J. Sinnott wrote that John Ponta “sold garden produce and also had a milk route.” Most of the ranches in and around Downieville, “particularly the M.A. Costa and John Ponta Ranches, raised vegetables in quantity sufficient to supply the many mines and the people of the community. Regular weekly trips were made to the mines of the region and to Forest City and Alleghany with fresh vegetables.” Sinnott also wrote that John Ponta “further developed the land” on his ranch after purchasing it from the Garibaldi family.

John Ponta, along with his Italian-born wife Teresa Balbi (1871-1950), raised a family on their ranch in Downieville, living there until the late 1940s before selling the property to Angus James and moving to the Bay Area. According to the Sierra Booster of August 8, 1952, “The old house on Ponta’s ranch above town is being razed by its present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Angus James. The old land mark will be missed by old-timers.” A new house was built on the spot (the present-day Gingg home), and several other homes have been built on the former Ponta Ranch since then. To this day, the descendants of John Ponta and his wife still own property in Sierra County.

John Ponta’s brother Joseph will be the subject of Part 9 in this series, coming next week!