Asuncion Family papers, circa 1920-1979

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Summary

Title:
Asuncion Family papers
Dates:
circa 1920-1979
Creators:
Asuncion, Anastacio, 1950-
Extent:
.2 Linear Feet 1 half document box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Asuncion Family papers. MS 276. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Background

Scope and content:

Correspondence, photographs, newspapers and ephemera belonging to the Asuncion family of Watsonville, California. Essays written by Anastacio Asuncion when he was a student at UCSC in 1970, including one entitled, "Watsonville's Filipino Bachelor Community," which features photographs of elderly Filipino manong, labor camps, and Filipino-owned businesses in Watsonville at the time.

Biographical / historical:

Anastacio "Tony" Polistico Asuncion was born in 1898 in the Bohol province of the Philippines. Tony served in both World War I and World War II. After World War I, he immigrated alone from the Philippines to Hawai'i and eventually to California. Upon arriving in California, Tony worked around the East Bay area as an agricultural laborer.

While working in agriculture in the East Bay area, Tony met Paula Montelongo. Paula was born near San Antonio, Texas, and is of Mexican descent. Her exact birth date is unknown. She had five children from her previous marriage. After she divorced her ex-husband, Paula moved to the East Bay area and worked in the strawberry industry. Tony and Paula got married sometime around 1946 to 1947. Together, they had five children. They eventually settled in Watsonville, where they worked for Reiter Berry Company and lived in two labor camps, one on San Andreas Road and another in Rio del Mar.

Their son, Anastacio "Stosh" (b. 1950) worked in the fields alongside his parents. Stosh went on to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz. He graduated with a B.A. in History and a teacher's credential. He worked as a middle school teacher in the Berryessa Union School District for thirty-three years.

Tony retired from working in the strawberry fields during his 60's due to a lung infection caused by exposure to pesticides. Tony passed away in 1980 and Paula passed away in 1990.

- Biographical note co-written by Anastacio "Stosh" Asuncion and Watsonville is in the Heart

Acquisition information:
Gift of Anastacio "Stosh" Asuncion in 2023. Collection was originally given to the Watsonville is in the Heart research initiative earlier in 2023 before Asuncion transferred it to UCSC.
Processing information:

Processed by Kate Dundon in 2024, using description provided by Watsonville is in the Heart and Anastacio Asuncion.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kate Dundon
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-07-01 20:50:46 UTC .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.

Preferred citation:

Asuncion Family papers. MS 276. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Location of this collection:
Special Collections and Archives, University Library
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064, US
Contact:
(831) 459-2547
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Website