Bio- Sawyers
SURNAMES:  CABIRAC

An enterprising man of affairs, who has attained success in the canning business and as an orchardist and rancher, is Anthony Greco, of San Jose. He was born in New Orleans, La., on January 6, 1885, and is the son of Fortunato and Josephine Greco, who came to California in 1897 and located in Redwood City, where the father started a salt plant and here he is still engaged in business, now being the owner and president of the Greco Salt Works, and though well along in years, he is very active and personally superintends his business affairs. The mother passed away in 1917.

Anthony Greco received his early training in the public schools of New Orleans, later entering St. Stanislaus College at Bay St. Louis, Miss., receiving a good all-round training. In 1900 he came to Redwood City, Cal., and in 1909 located in San Jose, where he engaged in the canning business as vice-president of the Greco Canning Company. He served in that capacity for four years, or until the company was reorganized. He then engaged in business under the firm name of the Anthony Greco Cannery. The plant was located on Park Avenue in Santa Clara for one season, packing $105,000 worth of tomato paste only. The plant was entirely too small to handle the increasing volume of business, so in 1918 Mr. Greco bought the plant located at Eighth and Jackson streets, San Jose, where he carried on a very large volume of business and employed 160 first-class workmen. He shipped goods all over the United States and even to Europe, in which field he was very successful, thus spreading the fame of Santa Clara County. The business was incorporated, after they settled in San Jose, under the name of the Alba Canning Company, with Mr. Greco as president, with an every-day increase in their business, the outcome of good conscientious service, consideration and the quality of their goods, which gained prestige over some of the older brands of canned goods. In 1920 the Alba Canning Company sold out and in 1921 Mr. Greco bought 337 acres of land, known as the Sweigert Ranch, on the Sweigert Road, eight miles from San Jose; sixty acres of this land is in orchard and the balance in grain, and it is the intention to set a considerable acreage to grapes in the near future. The property has been greatly improved since Mr. Greco has taken charge and bids fair to surpass  the majority of orchards in the entire valley.

Mr. Greco's residence is situated on a beautiful eminence about 750 feet above sea level, from which a magnificent view of the whole valley can be obtained. This property is located in what is know as the thermal belt, where frost and its damaging results have never been known, thus making the property valuable from the standpoint of the orchardist and early vegetable growing. Numerous springs are scattered over the ranch, which furnish sub-irrigation to growing crops and from which water is secured for domestic purposes, as well as for the 150 head of stock on the place. A visit to the Alba Ranch is one of the pleasant memories of those who make the journey. In New Orleans, on December 6, 1916, Mr. Greco was married to Miss Edna Cabirac, a native of New Orleans' of French descent, and they are the parents of three children, Anthony, Jr., Alba and Adelaide.

Mr. and Mrs. Greco have made many friends in San Jose since taking up their residence here. Mr. Greco is a live member of the Chamber of Commerce of San Jose. He belongs to the Catholic Church and in national politics he is a stanch Republican.

From Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,  published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1149

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