Name/Title
Faria RanchDescription
Joseph Dutra Faria was born in the Azores in 1848. He came to New York in 1864, at age 16, sailed to Panama, went across the isthmus by stage, and came up the West Coast by boat to San Francisco. Joseph was a rancher, but after moving to Pinole he worked for the Hercules Powder Company for 19 years, including 11-1/2 years without a day off.
The Farias were one of the first farming families in Pinole. They moved here in 1893 and built a home, at 1235 Pinole Valley Road, in 1907. His wife Maria was also from the Azores. She married Joseph in the old San Pablo Church in 1885. Maria ran the family farm with her sons while Joseph worked at the Hercules Powder Company. Joseph Dutra Faria and Maria Nunes Faria had 18 children, 11 who survived into adulthood.
After retiring, Joseph resumed his farming. A U.S. citizen since age 21 (1869), he never missed a presidential vote. He was the scion of one of the most prominent Portuguese families in Pinole. He died in 1945 at age 97, and Maria died the following year in 1946.
The Faria house was moved in 2005 to Heritage Park in Old Town Pinole.Copyright
Copyright Holder
Pinole Historical Society
