Oakland Underfoot

Simon Aiassa worked and lived on Apgar Street, in North Oakland, with his wife Clorinda and their daughter Caroline. I don’t have access to the 1929 directory, but they were listed in the 1930 directory. He was still there in the 1944 directory. This is the house at 963 Apgar Street today, thanks to Google Maps.

Aiassa is a rather rare Italian name, and Simon was the only one in the Oakland phone book. He was born Simone Aiassa in Italy on 13 October 1878, in the Moriondo district of Torino, and Clorinda was born in Italy around 1887. The 1920 and 1930 censuses also list a daughter, Caroline, born about 1915. If there is uncertainty about her birth date, it may be because she was born in Italy, but the whole family used Americanized spelling for their names. Caroline went to Tech High and got a gold pin for high grades in 1932. Another handful of Aiassas came to California about the same time in Santa Clara County.

S. Aiassa marks are scattered throughout North Oakland, with a few more in Allendale. Few of them are dated, and the dates are always drawn by hand. I have marks from 1928-30, 1932, 1937, 1938, 1940 and 1943.

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