I remarked in the last column that Healdsburg’s Buchignani tribe stretches across continents, and two of the families I meet at the reunion have come quite a distance. Justin Oliver and Cindy Hackworth Oliver have come from New Zealand. Since their names are unfamiliar, I am curious to discover their place in the Buchignani tree.
“Leo Buchignani’s brother Nivan was my grandfather,” Cindy tells me. “I grew up here, graduated from Healdsburg High in 1989, and have an identical twin, Chrisy. I met Justin when he came here as a winery intern in 1996. It was love at first sight. Justin didn’t have a place to stay, so I told him that my mom (Nataline Buchignani) had a place for him. I went back to New Zealand to meet Justin’s family and then we returned here to get married 15 years ago. We’re now winemakers in New Zealand, coming back every year for a visit and to often help with harvest at Buchignani Vineyards on West Dry Creek.
“New Zealand is beautiful, but Healdsburg is the best place in America,” Cindy continues. “We have a calm lifestyle in New Zealand and the family loves to visit. Louise is a wonderful great-aunt. She was our librarian when I was in school and also watched us after school.”
I then meet that “woman from Alaska” that everyone has told me about, Stacy Joosse, who’s here with husband John. But I’m puzzled because Stacy is wearing a blue tag, not a red one. I’ve apparently encountered the other Buchignani line, known as the Dry Creek Buchignanis, with Dolly Buchignani at the helm. Lucky for me, Stacy seems to be the present day historian for this other line of the clan.
“Our line is descended from Vincenzo Buchignani, though there seems to be some uncertainty as to his relationship to Narciso,” Stacy explains. “My great-grandfather, Giuseppe Buchignani, came to Healdsburg from Lucca, Italy. He owned a bar and a market on the plaza and had three different wives –– my great-grandmother was Agnese (Agnes), his third wife, who he sent for from Lucca. My grandmother was Mary (their daughter). My dad, Ronald Rodenberger, who was born in San Francisco, had eight kids, and is now 83.
“From Alaska I got interested in the family story and found Shirley Buchignani online. Since she was from Healdsburg, I figured we must be related. We started talking about wine and I told her that I always got wine in Alaska from Marietta Cellars in Geyserville. That turned out to be the winery where Suzie Buchignani worked! So, I started coming down to meet my family and got to know Louise, Suzie and Shirley. I’ve even traveled to Lucca and found Agnes’ baptismal records. I’ve been the one to teach my dad about his own family. Agnes was a bootlegger who was featured in the book ‘One Eye Closed, the Other Red: the California Bootlegging Years’ by Clifford James Walker. She sold wine out of her house on East Street for ten cents per glass to support her kids. The Feds never found the bottle of whiskey she hid in the oatmeal box.”
So now that I’m introduced to the Dry Creek Buchignanis, it’s time to meet their matriarch, Dolly. I drive out to the Dry Creek ranch to have a longer visit with Dolly and her daughter, Mary Anne Turbeville.
Dolly’s husband, Vincent Buchignani (now deceased), holds a place in the Dry Creek line. His parents, Esaia and Gioconda (Esaia was descended from Vincenzo and brother of Stacy’s great-grandfather, Giuseppe) immigrated to Sonoma County in 1910 with their first child, Umberto (Albert). Olga (Yoli), Tosca, Florence (currently age 98 and best known as former Miss Redwood Empire), Vincent and Mary were born here. Vincent married Dolly in 1946 and they had three daughters –– Mary Anne Turbeville, local EA and owner of Healdsburg’s Toy B Ville, Joy Buchignani, employed by the City of Healdsburg and Susanne Garcia, employed at the Healdsburg branch of the Bank of America. To make this even more interesting, David Rafanelli of Rafanelli Winery and his sister, Deanna, from Sacramento are Vincent’s nephew and niece. David’s mother, Mary, who died when she was only 29, was Vincent’s sister.
Dolly tells me that it was probably the 1920s (see photo) when Esaia and Gioconda bought 1/3 interest in the 127-acre ranch on Dry Creek Road from Attorney Edward Norton, son of Healdsburg pioneer, Colonel L.A. Norton (they eventually bought the entire acreage in 1952). Vince was born on the ranch and attended Geyserville schools until his dad threw his books away, telling him to get to work on the ranch. Vince met Dolly while he was still in the service during World War II. His aunt and uncle brought Dolly from San Francisco to her family’s Mendocino guest ranch after detouring through Dry Creek to introduce her to Vincent. When Vince got out of the service in 1946, he moved to San Francisco where Dolly was working. After marrying in Healdsburg in 1946, they moved out to the Buchignani Ranch where they built a home on the family property in 1952. Dolly has now been there for 60 years.
“Vince worked for the Healdsburg Pipe Company and I worked for Bank of America,” Dolly tells me. “Then our three girls were born. Vince managed the ranch where we grew grapes and prunes,” Dolly continues. “Or should I say ‘prunes and grapes?’”
“We used to dip our own Imperial prunes,” Mary Anne recalls.
“Imperials we dipped, dried and rolled on the ranch,” Dolly adds. “The French prunes went to Sunsweet. I had a cow named Daisy for 21 years –– she’s buried at the bottom of the hill.”
“We lived off the land and didn’t buy much from the store,” Mary Anne recalls. “I remember Nonna (Gioconda) sitting on the porch waiting for cars to go by. You would always know who was coming down Dry Creek by the sound of their car.”
“The ranch is on both sides of the road,” Dolly clarifies. “Esaia and Gioconda lived down the road from here.”
“We would say, ‘Down Nonna’s,’” Mary Anne adds, “if we were describing how to get there.”
“Well, what if you were down at Nonna’s and were talking about here?” I ask.
“Oh, that’s simple,” Mary Anne answers. “You’d just say, “Up at Vince’s.”
Shonnie Brown is a local author and memoirist who is interested in fostering connections between people and their community. Shonnie writes personal and family histories through her business, Sonoma LifeStories, and is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She can be reached by e-mail at
sh*****@so***.net
or on the web at www.sonomalifestories.com.
