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WE'RE TOLf*IIy llal Johnson M-W50LDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARYFiftv year* ago tomorrow a stalwart young Berkeley volunteer nan n’sked a substitute to take his place for a day. because he had to •mss the Bay on Important business. And it was important business for dr. and Mrs. James Marsicano of 1415 Santa Fe Avc.On Sept. 16. 1899. they slipped across the Bay -not to San Francisco ^ nit to San Rafael—and were married by an elderly padre in the little ,•ity which was California’s Gretna •............' ~ !Ireen of a half century ago. ' Jim-j gold rush. He brought his family ; nie” and Camille Marsicano will I with him; also, a beautiful harp.. »bserve their golden wedding an-1 He tried his luck swinging a pick' uversary with a reception at their without much success and then iome Saturday evening Three j turned to his harp to bring In the ons and six daughters. 13 grnnd-; gold.•hlldron and four grent-graniloHIl-i With his four-year-old daughter, Iren will nssist them. And Mr 1 Agnes, he toured the mining towns, iml Mrs Marsicano have extended, playing in saloons and in rbugh in informal invitation to all mem- halls which housed various lodges. hts of the Veteran Volunteer Fire, j Agnes played the violin, holding r.en’s Association of Berkeley, of h ns if it were a cello. In later-vhich he Is foreman and their i years she married NicholnsCornettl nany other friends to drop in be jand they went to San Jose,,: ween seven ami 9 p.m. | where she passed away in 1942.“Jimmie Marsicano Is only 201 Always she played and well — /ears younger than California is as .the vjolin in nn inverted position; i State and he certainly belies: resting it on her lap. hose 79 milestones. Mrs Maris-j Jimmie Bars lea no often heard •ano was the former Camille Be-; his father tell about gold town, lan. ami al.so a native Californian.' music. Of course. Mrs. Agnca Cor-;... . .. . ..____ . __ UHer parents. Mr. and Mrs Theo-»htle Behan, came to San Francisco rom France as bride and groom in he early seventies.” Bohan took ip a 160-acre government claim, lresumahly in Mendocino County.He died suddenly when Mrs.’ Marsicano was only two. The fam-!y has never been able to find the and on which Behan filed nor any •ecords. It is quite probable that ie passed away before the title vns recorded in Washington. Mr ind Mrs Marsicano feel that somewhere in Mendocino County are 160 acres of valuable land which rightfully belong* to them.Mrs. Marsicano is proud of tev-ral heirlooms that have been in Ihc family for several generations, rhcrc Is a French mantel clock, all landcarved, which Is more than 200 year* old. Mrs. Marsicano'* ?r*at-grcnt-grandmother had It given to her as a wedding present in ’France.Jamc* Marslcano’s father. Peter Marsicano. came to California from lorthern Italy at the peak of thenetii was a little too young in her gold town concert days to remember much about mining camp' tours. She did recall that she had to clutch firmly the violin case when the stage coach bounced over-the rutty and dusty; roads from;Marysville, through Penn Valley . to Rough and Ready and on to ; Grass Valley and Nevada City, then to North San Juan, skirting' the Yuba River to Downieville and; Sierra City. ‘The clinking of glasses and even, the thick and boisterous blab across the bar ceased when “Signor Marsicano and daughter. * Agnes, awhng from classical music to oldtime American songs. liar-; dened miners all but burst. Into tears • when the songs they had sung In New York and Maine. Alabama. • Virginia and Missouri were played by father and daughter.Agnes was so tiny that her vfpfih. rosting 'hetwebn her litti*r • kneca. looked like a midget cello;; Every evening small nuggets were -showered upon the musicians.’ Broken pokes of gold dust, tossed, to them, spilled on the floor*.Now it was beneath the dignity; of an Italian harpist to stoop even* to pick up gold. Certainly his little .'daughter couldn't. Peter Marsicano I employed an elderly QMnese to-'accompany him on his musical; i tours. The principal duty of the. Oriental was to sweep up the gold.’Soon after James Marsicano waj .|born Peter.. Marsicano moved ‘.•his family to Vacaville, where ha .(had purchased a large acreage.; He went in for fancy truck gnr-; dening, did weJJ, .and Jimmie’., Marsicano Tielped before and after ! school hours.In 1891 Jlmml^*' ‘MWitfcabtf came to Berkeley. He was short and stocky and strong as an ox.I His first job was loading rock, blasted from Sheep Island In San Francisco Bay. on a lighter.When contractors' crews dig ttp streets, as they are now doing for storm sewer Installation, they unearthed part of Sheep Island brought here for pavement ballast. Tons of it. also, went to San Franr cisco.”JlmmleH Marsicano Inter went after a mainland Job and got It with the Henry W. Taylor Lumber Co. Subsequently he worked for former Mayor Charles D. Hey-wood’s father at the Heywood lumber Company. At one time he was a box maker for the old Standard Soap Works In West Berkeley.In his volunteer flre-flgbtlng days, he was a member of the old No 1 hook and ladder company. And during his courting days ha often had to leave his fiancee sit-line alone on the horsehair snfn or standing on a street corner as lie rushed to respond to an alarm for a fire.Mr nnd Mrs James Marsicano has e *ix daughters They ar* Mrs. I.oretta Costello, wife of Camillo Costello of 2210 Browning St.: Mrs Stella Felicano. 1244 Tal-l»ot Avc.; Mrs. Madeline Wright, wife of Arloff Wright of Napa; Mrs. Helen Garrison, wife of Harold Garrison of 1710 Channing Wav: Mrs. Rose Smallwood, wife of Leland Smallwood. 710’ i Chan-nlng Way. fil'd Mrs. Dorothy Mann, wife of George Mann oflUJS Sarto Fe Avr.Mrs. ](.|en Garrison Is a p-lt;t president of fVrkoley Parlor. Native Daughters of the Golden West Her daughter. Julie. Burbank Junior High School student, is president of Argonaut Parlor, Junior Native Daughters.Their sons are Adrian N. Marsicano of 1230 Marin Ave.. Albany; Robert J. Marsicano of 1409 Talbot Avc.. and Vincent R. Marsicano of 1409 Sante Fe Ave. Robert Marsicano served 44 months,
Newspaper Details
Berkeley Daily Gazette
Berkeley, California, US
Thu, Sep 15, 1949
Page 30
Full Page
Clipped by
Rheanna C.
CA, USA 17 Sep 2017
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