Giuseppe Ghiorzo's Page

Guiseppe never spoke of his family or life in Italy after he immigrated to the United States. We know that he was born in Teviggio, Italy on March 29, 1872. He traveled to America with an uncle on board the ship the steamer S S La Bretange from Havre, France, arrived in New York on May 1st, 1893, and was was granted a certificate of citizenship on January 11, 1932. He settled in Solano County, California and married Mary Elizabeth, the daughter of pioneer Frank Boitano. They lived in a house on Morgan Street, purchased with money from a settlement Mary received after the accidental death of her mother, Rosa Boitano. He and Mary lived in the house until they died; Mary of cervical cancer in 1925, Joe of prostate cancer in 1958.

Although he never had his name legally changed, Giuseppe was called "Joe Brady" by the townsfolk because they felt that his red hair, blue eyes, and ruddy complexion were more befitting an Irishman than an Italian. He worked as a laborer and eventually as the landscaper at the Fairfield County Courthouse. In spite of the language barrier, Joe managed to integrate himself into Suisun "society" and was well-known in the town at the time of his death. The local paper had to list his name as both Giuseppe Ghiorzo and "Joe Brady" for fear nobody would show up to the funeral if only his given name was listed! Some Suisun old-timers still remember Joe's daughters as the "Brady Girls".

His grandson, Norman Hague (son of Vera) has fond memories of his "Grandpa Joe". He has said that Joe was "like a father" to him after his real father died of TB. Joe would take Norman to the movies and let him ride on his back while he was doing yardwork. Norman recalls that Joe played the concertina, but discovered that he could also play the accordian after a friend handed him the instrument at a party. Another of Joe's friends was a winemaker. Joe always kept ceramic jugs of his pal's wine in a shed for use cooking and drinking. Other family members have different opinions of Joe, as he had quite a temper. The family "learned to duck" at a young age because Joe allegedly threw plates when angry! His pet, Tommy the tomcat, was another source of annoyance to the family: the cat would reach out and snag the girl's silk stockings as they walked by Tommy's favorite hiding place (Joe's horse-hair chair).

One thing EVERYONE agrees on is that Joe threw great parties. Many people recount that the house was always "filled with people". Joe knew three Italian dishes: torta di rizzo (baked rice cakes), caccitore, and ravioli. The girls were usually made to work in the kitchen, so when "Grandpa" cooked it was "a big deal". Joe's parties were very democratic; Norman recounts that he would allow anyone in, even strangers.

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