The early years of the Cribari family (part 1)

The Cribari family patriarch, Benjamin Cribari, was born in Cosenza, Italy. He married Josephine Abruzzini and had four sons before he immigrated to the United States in 1892—about the time the new paint on Wehner’s mansion had become well cured. Benjamin first came alone to test the waters of opportunity in America and soon went back to Italy to retrieve his family. His sons were Fiore, the eldest, Angelo, Stanislaus and Anthony (Tony).

Youngest son, Anthony Cribari, became an early Villages residents and lived in the district that bore his family name. Eldest son Fiore and wife Violet resided in Wehner’s former Lomas Azules home and later Violet also became a Village Cribari resident.

The Cribaris made their start in the West, in 1902, by purchasing land south of Morgan Hill, near a tiny whistle-stop called Madrone in Paradise Valley (near present-day Gilroy). The family began making wine in 1907. Benjamin and Josephine had three daughters in the United States, Irma, Mary and Helen.

According to Robert Cribari, son of Anthony, the first batch of Cribari wine was made in 1904 when Benjamin purchased some grapes, sawed a barrel in half and handed seven-year-old Tony a pair of brand-new rubber boots and told him to “jump in and dance on the grapes.”

Benjamin brought the old-world work ethic and the fresh optimism of a new immigrant from his native Italy and instilled the best of that in his offspring.

The Cribari family labored hard to build themselves a family empire. Benjamin became involved in far-flung winery ventures in Madrone, Fresno and New York.

His sons were kept busy tilling about 2,000 acres of farmland for hire at various locations on the Peninsula and on leased tracks in the marshlands of Belmont and San Bruno. They cultivated a parcel of land called the Mills field, which later became part of San Francisco International Airport. According to Robert Cribari, “They were plowing by day and night when Tony was 16.” Tony left grammar school to work the farm for the family. Two of the Cribari brothers went to war during World War I and Tony and Fiore stayed to farm about 5,000 acres, much of that planted in barley, oats and hay. Stanislaus was killed in the War, and Angelo returned to the winery business. In 1919 Tony opened a dairy in San Bruno and by 1922 he had 225 head of livestock including 110 milk cows.

The Roots of Evergreen series will be published the third week of each month and posted in the Online Villager. Series compiled and written by S.R. Hinrichs. The next article will feature more history of the Cribari Family the most famous name in Villages’ history.