ANTON SAICH
Cupertino Fruit Grower
Bio-Sawyers
SURNAMES: Anticevich, Kucer, Kristicevich, Brajenvich
Through industry and a natural intuition to foresee
the progress that Santa Clara County was destined to make, Anton Saich,
by buying and improving orchards at the opportune time, has been very
successful and thur he has become independent financially and a man of influence. Born October 11, 1863,
he is a native of Golubinica, Dalmatia, the son of Anton and Mary
(Anticevich) Saich. The senior Saich was occupied with farming, and was
a seafaring man, making trips on sailing vessels to different portions
of the world. The family consisted of three children, John, Peter, and
Anton the
subject of the sketch.
Anton attended school in his native town
and worked on farms at home until he was twenty-five years old, then in
July, 1889, he came to Philadelphia and immediately came to California.
He worked in San Francisco in the hotel business for one year, but that
kind of work was not to his likeing, so he again took up farm work. For
about one year he worked on ranches near Watsonville and Capitola; then
came to Santa Clara County and settled near Cupertino, working for
wages for a time; then in 1900 he bought twenty-two and a half acres,
all set to prunes, on the Stevens Creek Road. From time to time he has
purchased additional acreage until he now owns 110 acres of fine
orchard, set to prunes, peaches, apricots, cherries and grapes. His
ranch is well equipped with wells for irrigating and the water is piped
to all parts of the ranch. He has rebuilt his house and farm buildings
and all are now in fine shape; he has pulled out and reset about
forty-five acres, so it is now one of the valuable orchards in the
district. For many years Mr. Saich was engaged in buying and drying
fruit, which he sold to packers, while he was also engaged in shipping
cherries to the eastern markets. However, about three years ago he
found the management of his large ranch and the curing and sale of the
fruit on his place occupied all of his time, and he discontinued the
business of fruit buyer to devote all his time to his own place.
Mr.
Saich was first married in Santa Clara in 1901, being united with Miss
Annie Kucer, a daughter of Steve and Kate (Kristicevich) Kucer; the father, a contractor and builder in Dalmatia, was
accidentally kileed by a fall while working on a building. She was born
near Mr. Saich's native place and to Santa Clara with her brother.
Their union, howevre, was broken by her passing away, August 5, 1902,
leaving him her infant son, born thiry-five days before his
bereavement, whom they had named Anton,
Jr., and whom the father tenderly cared for and reared, and he is
now his father's right-hand man and able to assistant in his
horticultural enterprise.
Mr. Saich some time afterwards married a second time, to Miss
Teresa Brajenvich, who was born in the same vicinity as her husband, a
daughter of John and Frances Brajenvich, the father being a farmer in
his native Dalmatia. By his second marriage Mr. Saich has four
children, Mary, Frances, Anna and John, all under the parental roof,
dutiful and obedient children, a credit to their parents. A believer in
protection for Americans and proud of being a naturalized citizen of
his adopted coutnry, Mr. Saich is a stanch Republican.
A substantial and successful man, he is enterprising and liberal
and can be counted on for support to worthy movements and progressive
measures that have for their aim the upbuilding and improving of the
county and enhancing the comfort and happiness of its people.
[Ed. Note-many members of this family are buried at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery]
Transcribed by Marie Clayton, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 523
SANTA CLARA HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHIES
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