Aquilino Paul Caratti is better known as Joe Caratti. He was born in Switzerland and came to the San Francisco Bay Area shortly after the 1906 earthquake. He used his last $100 to get there. Joe was a great stonemason and had no trouble finding work, that is the one thing the earthquake did do, supply many jobs to rebuild.
In 1914 Joe went to Livermore, California and opened a bakery. He was very poor and it is said that he only had one light bulb, so where ever he went in the store, he had to take that light bulb with him. He closed the shop when World War One started and he and his brothers were drafted.
Upon returning after the war, Joe had to start over. He ran restaurants and built places for the workers to stay that were in Livermore doing construction. He built several cabins and the area and the section became known as Joesville.
Joe eventually sent for his mother, sister and future wife, Josephine Gilardi. They were married in 1922. Joe continued to enjoy stone masonry and built a restaurant, "The Rock House" which stills stands in this town. Joe Caratti and his family were one of the early parish families of Saint Michaels Church.
People, Bricks and Timbers, was a book written for this church's centennial in 1978. The information here regarding Joe Caratti was taken from this book and posted on Saint Michaels web site. The picture of the Caratti family plot was taken by me on May 10, 2009.
Aguilino Caratti either died or was buried on November 20, 1980
Josephine (Gilardi) Caratti died or was buried on July 12, 1994
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