Contra Costa-Sonoma County CA Archives Biographies.....Silva, Antonia Perry 1820 - 
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Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882)

ANTONIO PERRY SILVA.—The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this
work, is a native of the Azores, where he was born in the year 1820, and resided
until he was eighteen years of age. Subsequently he followed the life of a
sailor, emigrated to America and prosecuted his calling, with fishing, until
November, 1849, at which time he sailed from Boston for California, arriving in
San Francisco, April 8, 1850. His first work was breaking rock on Telegraph
Hill, his wages being five dollars per day—his food was prepared and eaten on
the ground, his only covering being a blanket. This job completed he commenced
lightering from vessels in the harbor, an occupation he followed until September
of that year. By this time he had accumulated two hundred dollars; this sum he
buried underneath his tent, but thinking the hiding place insecure, he removed
his treasure into the custody of a bank—in three days the bank was declared
insolvent. Mr. Silva now engaged to proceed to Bodega, Sonoma county, for lumber
at seventy-five dollars per month, but only remaining one trip at this work, he
shipped on a vessel at five dollars per day. After a spell of this life our
subject moved to the southern mines, where he remained until January, 1851,
finally returning to San Francisco on foot. He next went to Gold Bluff, where he
lost everything, and in July, 1852, returned to San Francisco, in the same
month, coming to San Pablo, where he took up his present residence, finally
becoming its owner by purchase in 1857. Such is the life of hardship passed by
Mr. Silva. We are happy to be enabled to state that by his strong will to
conquer in the struggle he is now living a prosperous and contented life. He
married in 1860, Inez Dollie Fraia, a native of the Azores, who died in 1871. By
this union he has: Frank, Mary, Antonia, Joseph, Eris. Married, secondly, in
1872, Mary Dolie Fraia, and has one child, Maggie Louisa.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.



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