Communications Hill in San Jose in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
History of Vieira Park
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 19, 2020
1. History of Vieira Park Marker
Inscription.
History of Vieira Park. . The Vieira family and their ancestors have owned and lived on Communications Hill since 1896, when José Azevedo purchased nearly a hundred acres of ranch land on the San Juan Bautista hills in the middle of Santa Clara Valley. José was a portuguese immigrant from São Jorge Island in the nine-island Azores archipelago. In 1903, José married Senhorinha Dos Almos, also an immigrant from São Jorge. Together they had four children; two sons, José and Julio, died as infants. José himself died of influenza just a month after paying the balance of their debt on the ranch in 1915. Senhorinha never remarried. She raised her two daughters, Mary Helen and Adeline, living off the land.
In 1924, Mary Helen married Joseph Machado, an immigrant from Faial Island in the Azores. Joseph built a little house at the corner of Hillsdale and Narvaez in which they lived for more than forty years. Mary Helen and Joseph had their only daughter, Dolores, fifteen years after they were married. The couple worked in the canneries of Santa Clara valley until they retired. Adeline married John Mello and adopted their daughter Marilyn, raising her Mary Helen and Joseph on the ranch as well.
In 1958, Dolores married Batista S. Vieira, an immigrant from São Jorge Island, as had been her maternal grandparents. Batista worked as a dairy milker before they were married; he milked cows at a dairy on the north side of Communications Hill. Batista and Dolores chose to live on the ranch and raise their children there as well. When Batista's and Dolores son Davide was born, four generations were living on the ranch. On the day after Davide's sixth birthday in 1965, ninety-five year old senhorinha died on the ranch where she had lived for sixty-two years - fifty of them as a widow.
Life continued on the ranch. Batista was making a living in the construction trades. After a few years as a foreman for a painting company, he and Dolores started one of their own in 1963. Batista and Dolores went on to have another son, Joseph, in 1966. After a long illness, Dolores' mother, Mary Helen, died in 1971. Later that year, Batista and Dolores moved from the ranch to reside near better schools for Davide and Joseph. The flat portion of the ranch was leased for an upscale mobile home park in the mid-1970's. Davide began his professional career at one of the valley's pioneering high tech companies in 1981.
Batista and Dolores struck a deal with KB Home for the upper acreage of the ranch and the development of Tuscany Hills in 2004. Thirty acres of the original hundred purchased by José Azevedo in 1896 remain the property of the Vieira family. Vieira Park commemorates four generations of a family's life; from ranching, to canneries, to construction and the high tech industry. The Vieira family's history parallels that of the Santa Clara Valley, their home for more than a hundred years.
The Vieira family and their ancestors have owned and lived on Communications Hill since 1896, when José Azevedo
purchased nearly a hundred acres of ranch land on the San Juan Bautista hills in the middle of Santa Clara Valley.
José was a portuguese immigrant from São Jorge Island in the nine-island Azores archipelago. In 1903, José married
Senhorinha Dos Almos, also an immigrant from São Jorge. Together they had four children; two sons, José and Julio,
died as infants. José himself died of influenza just a month after paying the balance of their debt on the ranch in
1915. Senhorinha never remarried. She raised her two daughters, Mary Helen and Adeline, living off the land.
In 1924, Mary Helen married Joseph Machado, an immigrant from Faial Island in the Azores. Joseph built a little
house at the corner of Hillsdale and Narvaez in which they lived for more than forty years.
Mary Helen and Joseph had their only daughter, Dolores, fifteen years after they were married. The couple worked in the canneries of
Santa Clara valley until they retired. Adeline married John Mello and adopted their daughter Marilyn, raising her Mary Helen and Joseph on the ranch as well.
In 1958, Dolores married Batista S. Vieira, an immigrant from São Jorge Island, as had been her maternal grandparents. Batista worked as a dairy milker before
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they were married; he milked cows at a dairy on the north side
of Communications Hill. Batista and Dolores chose to live on the ranch and raise their children there as well. When
Batista's and Dolores son Davide was born, four generations were living on the ranch. On the day after Davide's
sixth birthday in 1965, ninety-five year old senhorinha died on the ranch where she had lived for sixty-two years - fifty of them as a widow.
Life continued on the ranch. Batista was making a living in the construction trades. After a few years as a foreman
for a painting company, he and Dolores started one of their own in 1963. Batista and Dolores went on to have
another son, Joseph, in 1966. After a long illness, Dolores' mother, Mary Helen, died in 1971. Later that year,
Batista and Dolores moved from the ranch to reside near better schools for Davide and Joseph. The flat portion of the ranch was leased for an upscale mobile home park in the mid-1970's.
Davide began his professional career at one of the valley's pioneering high tech companies in 1981.
Batista and Dolores struck a deal with KB Home for the upper acreage of the ranch and the development of Tuscany
Hills in 2004. Thirty acres of the original hundred purchased by José Azevedo in 1896 remain the property of the
Vieira family. Vieira Park commemorates four generations of a family's life; from ranching, to canneries,
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 19, 2020
2. History of Vieira Park Marker - wide view
to
construction and the high tech industry. The Vieira family's history parallels that of the Santa Clara Valley, their
home for more than a hundred years.
Location. 37° 17.228′ N, 121° 51.685′ W. Marker is in San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Communications Hill. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Grassina Street and Altino Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2988 Grassina Street, San Jose CA 95136, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 19, 2020
3. Vieira Park
The marker is located in the plaza at the top of these stairs.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 406 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 20, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
