I came across the large headstone of the Nichelini family containing multiple family names within Mountain Cemetery. One of the names on the headstone is of Florindo Nichelini, whose dates read '1868-1968.' I discovered conflicting reports on his age. Two census websites list his birth dates as '1872' but an article highlighting his life in addition to his headstone give his birth date as '1868'. Which is correct? More investigation may be necessary but I'm of the opinion that until it is proven that Florindo was born in 1872, I'll consider him to be a centenarian, like the article states. The online
Florindo Nichelini (1868-1968): Sonoma plumber, businessman and viticulturist
Posted on May 15, 2009 by George McKale
“Water springs eternal.” A little literary license, but a sentiment plumbers can only hope for. Water is life, and from the beginning of civilization, acquiring water has been a primary focus of human activity. Historically more important than oil, and with a much longer history of bloodshed in its acquisition and management, water was one of the primary factors in determining the location of our mission. Father Alta Mira, while searching for mission locations north of San Rafael, commented on the hundreds of fresh water springs bubbling straight from the ground, throughout the hills surrounding Sonoma. Thus, the focus of this week’s historical discussion, Sonoma plumber and businessman Florindo Nichelini.
Nichelini wore many hats: hardware store owner, grape grower, wine maker, Director of the Sonoma Ice and Brewing Company, and plumber. Nichelini’s father Francisco was born in 1822, and Florindo in 1868. The Nichelinis were Italian immigrants who, like so many Italians, settled in and around Sonoma. It was the rolling and hills and temperate climate that reminded them of their homeland. Many such immigrants brought with them grape growing and winemaking skills.
In the 1880s Florindo was known throughout the region as an authority on viticulture. Nichelini had extensive vineyards in Agua Caliente, but eventually sold them to concentrate on his other interests, namely plumbing. Plumbing in the late 19th century was slightly different than we envision today. Initially, his primary plumbing interests were not plugging leaks and plunging toilets, but digging wells and constructing windmills used to pump water. Clients were ranchers and farmers living away from Sonoma’s downtown Plaza, but it wasn’t long before Nichelini opened up shop on Napa Street, eventually moving to First Street West across from the Plaza around 1918.
Nichelini teamed up with Maffei in the 1890s and opened a hardware store on Napa Street. They called their enterprise M & N Hardware. They sold plumbing supplies, windmills, and stoves, and part of their great customer service included Nichelini making house calls. The nature of plumbing in the American West changed drastically after the turn of the 19th century, as plugging leaks and plunging toilets became the primary interests of plumbers, or more accurately their clients. Sonoma residents, both rural and urban, began to use plumbing to bring water into the home and use it to flush out unwanted waste.
There is an old saying that a “potty mouth” belongs over at the outhouse. Without plumbing and innovation in sanitation, the outhouse was where you went when you had to go. Generally located about thirty feet behind a main house, it was also used as a sort of personal landfill. Residents would toss in everything: toilet paper in the form of newspaper and catalog pages, broken glass and plates, old cans, bottles, books, hardware, broken furniture, animal bones, food, and anything one wished not to be retrieved. Old outhouses are a treasure trove for historical archaeologists! Innovations in plumbing and sanitation put an end to rural and urban outhouses, and the nature of plumbing changed with it.
By 1918, Florindo opened Nichelini’s hardware on First Street West. His plumbing services were utilized by Sonoma residents well into the 1950s. Early newspaper accounts describe Florindo as a man who “believes in an honest day’s work for a day’s pay and he is a conscientious mechanic … specializing on pumps, pipe fitting and on sanitary plumbing.” Florindo Nichelini and family are distinguished guests up at Mt. Cemetery. His family gravesite is easily identified and can be found just south of Mariano Vallejo’s plot. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the water, for Florindo died in 1968 at age 100. It is amazing to think that he was born two years after the beginning of the American Civil War, and died one year shy of the first landing on the moon. So do go and take a sip from one of our hillside springs. Doctor’s orders.