California Biographies
Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
 
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 

Source:
History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
With Biographical Sketches
History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry
Illustrated, Complete In One Volume
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914


FRANCISCO PERSICO.� The necessitous circumstances that sur- 
rounded the early years of Francisco Persico formed a stimulus to hard work 
and laid the foundation for successful effort. A native of the province of 
Genoa, Italy, he was born at Varezeligore, December 22, 1875, and from the 
age of six years was forced to make his own way in the world. To obtain a 
good education was an impossibility, but in the great school of experience he 
learned lessons of self-reliance and perseverance of inestimable value to his 
later enterprises. Shortly after his marriage to Julia Petronave, a native of 
the same village as himself, he entered the Italian army as a private in the 
First Mountain Artillery Regiment and served for three years, receiving an 
honorable discharge at the expiration of his time. Immediately afterward he 
and his family started for California and early in 1899 arrived at Old Sonoma, 
where he secured work as a gardener. Fourteen months later he removed to 
San Rafael, Marin county, where he continued for nine months as a gardener. 
It was on the 26th of March, 1899, that he left Italy, and on the 15th of March, 
1902, he arrived in Willits, where since he has made his home and business 
headquarters. 

After a period of employment on construction work with the Northwestern 
Pacific Railroad Company, during which time he was promoted to be fore- 
man, Mr. Persico resigned and embarked in freighting and teaming with a 
four-horse team. While thus occupied he bought an interest in a liquor store 
with A. Figone, to whom he later sold out and about the same time he sold 
his teaming outfit. For two years afterward he engaged in business with 
Jimmie Frardy. By fire during September of 1905 he lost the house which 
he and his wife had struggled bravely to buy and furnish, but since then he 
has been prospered in other directions and now ranks among the well-to-do 
men of his town. In 1908 he purchased the Italian hotel at Willits, which he 
conducted for three years. Having bought a lot on Main near Mendocino 
street, 39�x150 feet in dimensions, in the fall of 1911 he built the New Italia 
hotel with forty-seven guest rooms and this has since developed into a very 
large hotel enterprise, the success of the venture representing his wise man- 
agement and comprehensive supervision. Since becoming a citizen of our 
country he has voted with the Republican party. At this writing he holds 
the office of deputy constable and deputy city marshal. Fraternally he is 
connected with the Druids. In his family there are four children, the eldest 
of whom, Louisa, is the wife of Primo Vintorelle, of San Francisco. The 
three sons, Charles, Leandro and Peter, are pupils in the Willits schools.