JOHN ANDREW FREITAS
RANCHER
SURNAMES: CUMBRA, DUPONT, FEREIRRA,
A prominent rancher of Santa Clara County is John Andrew Freitas, who
was born on September 15, 1887, the son of Joseph and Lucretia (Cumbra)
Freitas, natives of Madeira, in the Azores Islands. They removed to
Hawaii and there lived for four years; and in 1897 they reached
California, after which Mr. Freitas was busy in Oakland, at various
kinds of labor. They had eight children, among whom our subject was the
seventh. Mary, the eldest is now Mrs. Dupont, in Oakland; then there is
Ernest Freitas; Antone a farmer in East San Jose; Manuel lives on the
Almaden Road, near Los Gatos; Marsoline lives at Santa Clara; the next
are Joseph and Margaret.
When he was seven years old, John Andrews accompanied his parents to
Santa Clara, and in that town he attended the grammar school. At the
age of eighteen, he began to make his way in the world, and he worked on
farms, at the Western Distilleries at Agnew and for ten years he was
employed by the San Jose Brick Company. in 1919, he took up farming and
rented twelve and one-half acres of prune and apricot land at the corner
of Kirk and McKee streets. At the end of two years he leased 150 acres,
five acres of which were given up to a vineyard, and there he has
prospered. Proud of the land in which he has found such advantages, Mr.
Freitas, as a good Republican, has sought to do his duty as a citizen,
and to enthuse others with the same admiration for America.
In Oakland, Cal., on June 29, 1908, Mr. Freitas was married to Miss
Margaret Fereirra, the daughter of Manuel and Antonia Fereirra, both
natives of St. Miguel in the Azores. Mrs. Freitas came to the United
States when she was eight years old, and for another eight years lived
in Boston, Mass.; then removed to Oakland. Ten children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Freitas. Willird W. is the oldest son, then came Alice
May, and Margaret Cecilia, and after them the twins, Charles and
Richard, and then Manuel, Dolores Madaline, Roy Joseph, Daniel Andres
and Robert James.
Transcribed by Carolyn Feroben, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,
published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1396
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