by Chris Pattillo

In August of 2024 I moved from Oakland to Santa Rosa. Since then, I’ve been exploring my new home and reading about the history of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa and my Bennett Valley neighborhood. It took me a few days to realize why the main arterial is called Grange Road – it’s because one of the oldest Granges in the country is just down the street. One of the books I checked out of the library revealed that Guenza Road was named after a local dairy farmer. With some more effort I figured out who my street is named after. I am reasonably confident that Peracca Road was named for another dairyman Anton or Antonio Peracca. So, here’s the story of who Peracca was. 

Antonio Benedetta Peracca [i] was born in Peglio, Como, Lombardy, Italy on July 30, 1883. He was the son of Stefano Peracca (1858 – 1936) and Maria Domenica Manzini (1847-1901).[ii] He attended school in Italy before immigrating to the United States in 1900.[iii] When he arrived he lived in San Francisco. From there Peracca moved north to Marin County to work on the Corda Brothers ranch near Ignacio. At some point he moved again to Fallon, north of Tomales where he was in partnership with a Mr. Selloi in the dairy business.

On February 26, 1913 he married his childhood sweetheart, Delphina Gondola (1892-1968). On the day she arrived from Italy they picked up a marriage license in Santa Rosa and were married the same day in Petaluma. After the wedding a wedding feast was held, also in Petaluma at the Swiss American restaurant in the Hess Building. The news report noted that a dozen guests attended the banquet.[iv] After the wedding the couple enjoyed a honeymoon and settled in Fallon. In the article about the wedding Peracca was described as, “One of the prosperous ranchers of Fallon.” In 1915, he sold his ownership in the partnership and relocated to a Sonoma Mountain property.

An interesting tidbit dated 1915 is an ad that Peracca placed describing his missing cow as red with white spots and large horns. The address given was simply Sonoma Mountains.

The Peracca’s first child was Catherine, born in 1914, followed by Stephen in 1915, and Victor in 1916. All three of these children died tragically in a fire in 1917 that also destroyed the family home. Newspaper articles about the event suggested the cause of the fire was a defective flue. Reporters explained that the fire broke out while both Antonio and Delphine were in their barn milking cows. By the time Antonio noticed the flames the house was fully engulfed and neighbors had to restrain him from attempting to save the children. Catherine was 3, Stephen 2 and Victor was only 13 months old.

Another unpleasant event was reported in October of 1921 when Peracca driving a Vim truck collided with a vehicle driven by a Mr. J.W. Koch. Mrs. Koch was seriously injured in the accident and Peracca fled the scene only to be caught two miles down the road by Officer F. Drake. Peracca was arrested for speeding and the accident.[v.]

On the 1930 census their street number is shown as 5354 but the street name is missing. This was part of the Matanzas precinct so the family was living in Bennett Valley at that time. The family then include Antonio and Delphina, plus their sons Paul (1917-2012), Victor (1918-2006) [vi] Eugene, “Gino” (1920-1996), John (1921-1983), Benjamin (1922-2019), and Joseph (1924-2012) and daughters Katherine (1925-2009), Columbia (1927-2022), and Norma (1929-2012)vi. Their 15th child, a daughter named Mary Carole was born after the census was taken in 1930 and she died in 2023[vii].

On the census the Peraccas were neighbors with the Mazzetta family that included step- daughter Anna Guenza age 18. Peracca Road and Guenza Road are directly opposite off Grange Road. The Guenza family were also dairy ranchers.

On his WWII draft registration form Peracca gave his address as 4537 Grange Road in Bennett Valley, Santa Rosa. He listed his wife Delfine and identified himself as a self-employed rancher. The family was at the same address on the 1950 census, and on Peracca’s naturalization application in 1955.

Antonio Peracca died in Santa Rosa on October 4, 1958. There was a rosary, a funeral and a requiem low mass in his honor when he died. At the time of his death, he had 29 grandchildren and three sisters and one brother still living in Italy. Peracca is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Petaluma.

His obituary noted that he was a member of the Eagles Aerie No. 210 of Santa Rosa. This was a fraternal organization founded in 1898 with a mission to improve human life and promote peace, prosperity, and hope.

Endnotes

i Note that his name is spelled with one R as is the street sign but on many, if not most official documents, it is spelled with two Rs – Perracca.

ii Find-A-Grave website.

iii Immigration date from the 1920 census.

iv “Crossed Ocean To Wed Here”, Petaluma Argus-Courier, p. 7, Feb. 26, 1913 and “Bridal Couple Gives Dinner”, Petaluma Daily Morning Courier p. 2, Feb. 27, 1913.

v “J.W. Koch Driving on Bridge Street When Struck”, Petaluma Argus-Courier p. 4, October 10, 1921

vi Note that this is the second son that they named Victor, the first having died in the fire. They also named another daughter Katherine.

vii Birth dates are from the 1930 census; death dates from the Ancestry website.