820 Jefferson Ave Historic Survey

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Resource Number: 5BL 11303 Temporary Resource Number: 157508414006 Church Map of Louisville that was made in circa 1923-25. On the previous page is a closeup cropped from an undated photo in the Louisville Historical Museum showing the house across from the school in the early 1900s. The school, no longer extant, was on the northwest corner of Spruce and Jefferson, in the present location of Memory Square Park. Felix Tesone was born in Italy in circa 1871. The 1910 federal census records show him and his family to be living on Jefferson Avenue in Louisville, in the correct vicinity and with the right neighbors for it to be this house that Tesone owned. His wife, Julia Tesone, was born in circa 1878-1881 in Italy. He is believed to have immigrated to the US in 1890, with Julia making the journey later in the 1890s. It is believed that they married in Colorado. They were living in Louisville by 1904, according to the 1904 Louisville directory, though apparently not at 820 Jefferson. In 1910, their children living with them at 820 Jefferson were Rosa, age 7; Lizzie, 5; and Tony, 3; and Alexander, 1. Felix Tesone worked as a coal miner. He may have been related to the James and Jennie Tesone family who lived in Louisville, members of which still reside in Louisville. However, this could not be determined with certainty. Between 1910 and 1913, Felix and Julia Tesone added two more children, Flora and Peter, to their family. In 1914, the family moved to Weld County. Felix Tesone died in 1934 in Frederick, Colorado. Julia Tesone died in 1971 in California. The following photos from the Louisville Historical Museum show 820 Jefferson behind 800 Jefferson, which in the first photo was William Austin's store in the early 1900s, and in the second photo, taken in 1948, was being used for the Apostolic Church. The pictured building at 800 Jefferson is no longer extant. These photos, and the one at the beginning of this report, show that there were modifications made to the house with the addition of some second floor living space before 1948. Felix Tesone sold 820 Jefferson to Archie Damelia by a deed recorded in 1921. (The name Damelia is also given in the records as "Demilio" and "Damelio.") It is not known who lived in the house after the Tesone family moved to Weld County in 1914 and before the purchase by the Damelia family. Archille "Archie" Damelia Sr. (1875-1963) and Giovina DiFonso (also given as "DeFonse") Damelia (1882-1953) were both born in Italy and they married in Italy in 1895. Archie came from Castiglione di Carovilli, Isernia, while Giovina was born in Mafalda, Campobasso. Archie immigrated first, in 1901, and Giovina and their son Joseph immigrated in 1904. By 1910, the family was residing in Louisville. Directories show that the Damelia family was living at 820 Jefferson as early as the early 1920s, and the 1930 census records also place them at 820 Jefferson. 4